External drive not visible , maxinum number of IDE's

[Dave Neve]

Hi

I have a computer with two HD's (each with two partitions)

Each HD has it's own installation of XP Pro and there is a dual boot .ini

I have already had a problem getting the first installation to recognze a
MPEG player and I thought it was a compatibility problem but now I am not so
sure.

I have just connected up an external hard drive and but it doesn't appear at
all if I boot the 1° hard drive.

If I boot the 2° hard drive, it appears in systems properties but there is
no icon in 'configuration display' and it seems to be inaccessible.

I have two ideas.

First, the 60GB capacity may be too much for my computer too recognize.

Secondly, I may have exceeded the maximum number of IDE peripherals (4) but
I am not sure.

Is this per HD or per computer cos on the second HD, the devices are
connected physically to the computer but the pilots aren't installed (no
printer or scanner capabilities therefore)

What does it mean for an IDE to be installed. Just connected or the pilot is
running as well?

If this is my problem, could I use 'system properties + material profiles
option' to get around this.

Thanks for any help to get the external drive visible/accessible

Dave Neve

 

[Yves Leclerc]

XP does not have a limit on number of hard drives it can use. However, most
PCs only allow 4 internal IDE drives when connecting to the IDE ports on the
motherboard. You can always add PCI IDE controllers in order to connect
more internal IDE drives.

As for external drives, these usually connect to USB or Firewire ports and
will not show up as IDE.


You need to make sure that the USB or Firewire drivers are correctly
installed so that the External drive can be seen.

 

[Guest]

I suggest maybe checking your Disk Management utility in Computer Management.
Perhaps the drive letter that is trying to be assigned to the external drive
is in use so you don't see it in My Computer. If windows sees it you will see
it in the Disk Management tool and can change the drive letter assigned to it.

I have seen issues like this with my memory stick readers where the drive it
wants to assign is mapped or in use by another drive.

 

[Dave Neve]

Hi

No, Windows doesn't see it there but only in 'system properties + material
profiles.

It seems to be that the pilotes are not being installed for it.

I've tried installing them manually by indicating a path to my drivers and
semi automatically by declaring it as a new hard drive and then a new mobile
storage unit.

Each time it fails to install.

Is this what is known as a plug 'n play device cos the service won't start
up.

Finally, I may have a compatibility problem after all cos I've already had a
problem getting my MPEG player to work and all the devices are next to each
other with a 4X USB2 adapter added to my old computer at the back

Any other ideas please?

Thanks