Add USB Device --> No Drive Letter Assignment

S

samadams_2006

Hello,

I have a " Maxtor 3200 USB Device " that I plug into my computer via a
USB Port. Once I plug it into my computer, the computer used to
recognize it automatically and assign it a drive letter (ie: E: or F:
etc). Now, for some reason, this does not happen. I get the message:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This device can perform faster
This USB device can perform faster if you connect it to a Hi-Speed USB
2.0 port.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

but no drive letter is assigned to the Maxtor 3200 USB Device. Do I
need to uninstall or reinstall something?

Thanks.
 
B

Bob Harris

(1) If USB 2.0 was added to this PC via a PCI card, power off and reset the
card. If the PC came with USB 2.0, then it is most likely soldered into the
motherboard and thus mechanical connections inside the PC should not be an
issue.

(2) Try a new USB cable. I had one go bad, although I still do not know
why, since there was not obvious external damage. And, be aware that older
cables, intended for USB 1.1, may not work, or only work sporadically, under
USB 2.0.

(3a) On the surface it sounds like windows thinks that you have plugged this
drive into a USB 1.1 port. If you know that the port is USB 2.0, then I
suspect that there is some problem with the windows driver for USB
contoller. As a quick test, try some other USB device. If no USB devices
work, then move on to (3c), else move on to (3b).

(3b) If other USB devices work, then try the external drive in other XP
PCs. If it also fails to work there, then the problem is with the external
drive. Note that external drives can go bad, or have bad USB controllers,
or bad mechanical USB ports. I once received an external drive that failed
to work about half the time right out of the box. Return for
refund/replacmeent, if within warrantee. If not possible, open box and
remove hard drive, then install into separately purchased USB enclosure. If
the drive is OK, but the USB is bad, this will restore function. If the
drive itself is bad, obviously nothing a user can do will fix it. However,
be aware that there are third-party services that can sometimes disassemble
a drive, mount trhe magnetic disks in a another drive, and then extract
files from it. But, such services are not cheap.

(3c) If external drive is known good (works on other PCs), and
cables/connectors are not an issue, then with the external drive
disconnected, use the device manager to "uninstall" the USB contoller form
the PC, then use it to "detecting new hardware". This should force XP to
reload the drivers for the USB contoller. Check the device manager to
confirm that the device (USB port) is working correctly. Then, connect your
external hard drive.

(4) It is also possible, but unlikely, that the USB controller inside the PC
is going bad. It is also possible, that the female USB connector on the PC
is going bad. Some PCs have fairly weak connectors built into their
motherboards. If this is a desktop PC you can add a PCI board with USB 2.0
ports. They are fairly cheap. If you determine that the on-board USB is
bad, you might do well to disable it at the BIOS level.
 

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