External drive flukey

[PanHandler]

Running XP Pro SP2, 2 GB RAM, P4 Dual Core 3GB.

Windows won't always open an external 500 GB USB2 HD with approx. 180 GB
free space. I hear the chime when it connects but it won't appear in My
Computer. If I then turn the drive off I hear the chime again. It takes
several (3 to 6 or 7) attempts and then it will behave normally. It was fine
until it got to about the 'half full' point and then started this behavior,
getting worse as it filled up. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[GlowingBlueMist]

Running XP Pro SP2, 2 GB RAM, P4 Dual Core 3GB.

Windows won't always open an external 500 GB USB2 HD with approx. 180 GB
free space. I hear the chime when it connects but it won't appear in My
Computer. If I then turn the drive off I hear the chime again. It takes
several (3 to 6 or 7) attempts and then it will behave normally. It was
fine until it got to about the 'half full' point and then started this
behavior, getting worse as it filled up. Any suggestions will be greatly
appreciated.

A few things come to mind that can cause problems like you describe.

One is the drive is being powered by the computer's USB port. As some
drives age they take a little more power to run, especially if they have a
fan in the case that is starting to draw more power to overcome a growing
dirty bearing problem.

Another is a connector on one end or the other of the USB cable is not
making a good connection. Try another USB cable to see if that helps.

Try running a "chkdsk /R" on the drive to see if it is developing a problem
with the file system or surface area.

If your drive is hooked up to an external USB hub the hub itself might be
causing problems. Try bypassing it or test with another USB hub.

All of this assumes the computer itself is not the problem, like memory
problems, weak or dying power supply, etc.

 

[Jason]

Surely the USB port won't provide enough power to run a HDD. I would expect
the enclosure to have a seperate power source.

 

[Bill in Co.]

Or perhaps he can get one of those special USB adapters which connects some
USB power connectors in parallel to allow for the increased current demand.