Finding a hard drive

[ae85]

I have a 70 gig hd for my main hd and a 18 gig for back-up. For some reason
my "My Computer" doesn't show the 18 gig. How do I find it?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have a 70 gig hd for my main hd and a 18 gig for back-up. For some reason
my "My Computer" doesn't show the 18 gig. How do I find it?

Has the 18GB been partitioned and formatted?

 

[ae85]

Where is the disk management?

Is it listed in disk management?

 

[ae85]

It has been formatted but I don't know about partitioned. I don't recall
partitioning it.

 

[John John (MVP)]

Enter diskmgmt.msc in the Start menu Run box. Or right click on "My
Computer" and select Manage.

John

 

[John John (MVP)]

It had to be partitioned to be formatted.

John

It has been formatted but I don't know about partitioned. I don't recall
partitioning it.

:

 

[ae85]

I don't see it there. Only the C drive 74.53 GB. I also tried to unhook the
18 GB, than I restarted the computer, that shut it down again and pluged the
18 GB back in and restarted and still no 18 GB. What next?

 

[Guest]

I have a 70 gig hd for my main hd and a 18 gig for back-up. For some reason
my "My Computer" doesn't show the 18 gig. How do I find it?

Have you checked the BIOS setup.... Does the drive show up there ?

Duke

 

[Lem]

I don't see it there. Only the C drive 74.53 GB. I also tried to unhook the
18 GB, than I restarted the computer, that shut it down again and pluged the
18 GB back in and restarted and still no 18 GB. What next?

The 18 GB drive is a USB drive, yes? Try plugging some other USB device
into the port where you usually connect the 18GB drive and/or try
plugging the drive into a different USB port. Double-check the cable
and connectors for the 18GB drive.

Open Device Manager. Is the 18GB drive listed under disk drives? Any
yellow (!)? Any yellow (!) under "Universal Serial Bus controllers"?

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[philo]

The 18 GB drive is a USB drive, yes? Try plugging some other USB device
into the port where you usually connect the 18GB drive and/or try plugging
the drive into a different USB port. Double-check the cable and
connectors for the 18GB drive.

Open Device Manager. Is the 18GB drive listed under disk drives? Any
yellow (!)? Any yellow (!) under "Universal Serial Bus controllers"?

If it is a USB drive..it could a defective USB interface (in the HD
enclosure)
and by removing the drive and installing it in the machine...it may prove to
be good.

OTOH: If the drive is an IDE drive...if it's not showing up in the bios,
then either the drive has failed, or the data cable is defective.

(FWIW: an auxiliary drive would normally be detected by the OS even if
disabled in the bios)

 

[John John (MVP)]

Look in the BIOS to see if the drive is enabled and properly recognized.

John

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

It has been formatted but I don't know about partitioned. I don't recall
partitioning it.

It's been formatted, it's been partitioned. You did both in a single
step.

 

[ae85]

Just so everyone knows I am NOT a computer geek. It would seem that everyone
thinks I need to check the BIOS. How do I get to the BIOS settings?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Just so everyone knows I am NOT a computer geek. It would seem that everyone
thinks I need to check the BIOS. How do I get to the BIOS settings?

How to get into your BIOS depends, not on Windows, but on what
motherboard/BIOS you have. As a matter of fact, you have to access the
BIOS before Windows even starts to boot. One common way is to press
the Del key when you first power on, but that's not necessarily right
for your computer. Watch the screen carefully when you first boot;
there's often a message there telling you what to do. If not, check
your system documentation or check with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
Or just try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.

 

[Lem]

Just so everyone knows I am NOT a computer geek. It would seem that everyone
thinks I need to check the BIOS. How do I get to the BIOS settings?

Actually, not everyone thinks that you need to check the BIOS settings.

But the way you access the BIOS is to (a) turn the computer off and (b)
turn it back on and immediately after the first screen displays (usually
the logo of the computer manufacturer) press the appropriate key. How
do you know what the appropriate key is? Either read the documentation
that came with your computer, read the message that flashes by with that
first screen that tells you what key to press, or look here:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[ae85]

Ok! Let's see if I have this right. When I got into the BIOS at the top it
read "Dell Demension 4500 Setup", under the "Advanced" tab I selected "IDE
Configuration" and found the following:

IDE Controller :[Both] (printed in white)
Primary IDE Master :[WDC WD800BB-22JHCO] (printed in blue)
Primery IDE Slave :[Not Detected] (printed in gray)
Secondary IDE Master :[TSS TcorpCD/DVDW SH-S18JB] (blue)
Secondary IDE slave :[HL-DT-STDVD-RAM GH20LP] (blue)

So now what?

 

[Lem]

Ok! Let's see if I have this right. When I got into the BIOS at the top it
read "Dell Demension 4500 Setup", under the "Advanced" tab I selected "IDE
Configuration" and found the following:

IDE Controller :[Both] (printed in white)
Primary IDE Master :[WDC WD800BB-22JHCO] (printed in blue)
Primery IDE Slave :[Not Detected] (printed in gray)
Secondary IDE Master :[TSS TcorpCD/DVDW SH-S18JB] (blue)
Secondary IDE slave :[HL-DT-STDVD-RAM GH20LP] (blue)

So now what?

How to get into your BIOS depends, not on Windows, but on what
motherboard/BIOS you have. As a matter of fact, you have to access the
BIOS before Windows even starts to boot. One common way is to press
the Del key when you first power on, but that's not necessarily right
for your computer. Watch the screen carefully when you first boot;
there's often a message there telling you what to do. If not, check
your system documentation or check with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
Or just try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.

You never answered the question I asked yesterday about whether your
18GB drive is an external USB drive. Is it?

According to the BIOS, you have one internal Western Digital 80 GB hard
drive and 2 optical drives (one from TSST Corp and one from Hitachi).

You computer doesn't "think" you have a second hard drive. Possible reasons:

if the drive is internal:
- the drive is dead
- the power connection to the drive is faulty
- the drive is not properly connected (plug loose, broken cable, etc.)

if the drive is in an external enclosure:
- the drive is dead
- the power connection to the external enclosure is faulty
- the electronics of the external enclosure are dead
- the drive is not properly seated in the external enclosure
- the cable between the external enclosure and the computer is faulty
- the interface (USB, eSATA) in your computer is dead

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[Kelly]

Are you sure the 18 is a drive and not a partition?

Right click My Computer and go to Manage/Disk Management

If the 18 is listed as unallocated, format it.

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

 

[ae85]

Sorry Lem that I didn't answer your question. My 18 GB is an internal drive
that once was my only HD. I installed a new HD and loaded Windows on it and
made it my Master drive and switched the 18GB to a Slave (atleast I think
thats what I did) by moving the jumper to where I thought the Slave pegs
were. After that I Formated the 18 GB and was planing to use it as a backup
drive. I know that at one point is was there as my D drive but it disappeared
and came back a few times but now it's gone again? I have unpluged and it and
pluged it back in 2 or 3 times and still nothing. Do you think it is bad, and
if so why did it "Just happen"?

Ok! Let's see if I have this right. When I got into the BIOS at the top it
read "Dell Demension 4500 Setup", under the "Advanced" tab I selected "IDE
Configuration" and found the following:

IDE Controller :[Both] (printed in white)
Primary IDE Master :[WDC WD800BB-22JHCO] (printed in blue)
Primery IDE Slave :[Not Detected] (printed in gray)
Secondary IDE Master :[TSS TcorpCD/DVDW SH-S18JB] (blue)
Secondary IDE slave :[HL-DT-STDVD-RAM GH20LP] (blue)

So now what?

How to get into your BIOS depends, not on Windows, but on what
motherboard/BIOS you have. As a matter of fact, you have to access the
BIOS before Windows even starts to boot. One common way is to press
the Del key when you first power on, but that's not necessarily right
for your computer. Watch the screen carefully when you first boot;
there's often a message there telling you what to do. If not, check
your system documentation or check with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
Or just try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.

You never answered the question I asked yesterday about whether your
18GB drive is an external USB drive. Is it?

According to the BIOS, you have one internal Western Digital 80 GB hard
drive and 2 optical drives (one from TSST Corp and one from Hitachi).

You computer doesn't "think" you have a second hard drive. Possible reasons:

if the drive is internal:
- the drive is dead
- the power connection to the drive is faulty
- the drive is not properly connected (plug loose, broken cable, etc.)

if the drive is in an external enclosure:
- the drive is dead
- the power connection to the external enclosure is faulty
- the electronics of the external enclosure are dead
- the drive is not properly seated in the external enclosure
- the cable between the external enclosure and the computer is faulty
- the interface (USB, eSATA) in your computer is dead

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[Bob I]

It doesn't appear in the BIOS, but it used to. You have double checked
the connections, (is the power connector firmly attached also?). If that
doesn't get it shown in the BIOS, I suspect it is dead.

Sorry Lem that I didn't answer your question. My 18 GB is an internal drive
that once was my only HD. I installed a new HD and loaded Windows on it and
made it my Master drive and switched the 18GB to a Slave (atleast I think
thats what I did) by moving the jumper to where I thought the Slave pegs
were. After that I Formated the 18 GB and was planing to use it as a backup
drive. I know that at one point is was there as my D drive but it disappeared
and came back a few times but now it's gone again? I have unpluged and it and
pluged it back in 2 or 3 times and still nothing. Do you think it is bad, and
if so why did it "Just happen"?

:

Ok! Let's see if I have this right. When I got into the BIOS at the top it
read "Dell Demension 4500 Setup", under the "Advanced" tab I selected "IDE
Configuration" and found the following:

IDE Controller :[Both] (printed in white)
Primary IDE Master :[WDC WD800BB-22JHCO] (printed in blue)
Primery IDE Slave :[Not Detected] (printed in gray)
Secondary IDE Master :[TSS TcorpCD/DVDW SH-S18JB] (blue)
Secondary IDE slave :[HL-DT-STDVD-RAM GH20LP] (blue)

So now what?

:


How to get into your BIOS depends, not on Windows, but on what
motherboard/BIOS you have. As a matter of fact, you have to access the
BIOS before Windows even starts to boot. One common way is to press
the Del key when you first power on, but that's not necessarily right
for your computer. Watch the screen carefully when you first boot;
there's often a message there telling you what to do. If not, check
your system documentation or check with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
Or just try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.

You never answered the question I asked yesterday about whether your
18GB drive is an external USB drive. Is it?

According to the BIOS, you have one internal Western Digital 80 GB hard
drive and 2 optical drives (one from TSST Corp and one from Hitachi).

You computer doesn't "think" you have a second hard drive. Possible reasons:

if the drive is internal:
- the drive is dead
- the power connection to the drive is faulty
- the drive is not properly connected (plug loose, broken cable, etc.)

if the drive is in an external enclosure:
- the drive is dead
- the power connection to the external enclosure is faulty
- the electronics of the external enclosure are dead
- the drive is not properly seated in the external enclosure
- the cable between the external enclosure and the computer is faulty
- the interface (USB, eSATA) in your computer is dead

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm