USB problem: External drives no longer accessible?

Hi all,
I feel really silly that i cant figure this out myself. Though my "lovely" children have gotten to my computer and now im having problems with some usb attatchments. My keyboard is via a usb and it is working fine, but my external hardrive with all my music and photos i can no longer access..therfore i cant listen to music, and also my camera's chip wont read..usually i put it in and the program i have for it automatically pops up. Its still there and installed but wont function properly! Also my ipod wont function when i plug it in! I used the help program and it says all the usb's are working fine! I just dont understand how my keyboard is working but others arent. Please help!

 

Hi missa85, have you tried a 'System Restore' to a time before your kids had a play? Neil.

 

OK i did System restore and that didnt do anything so i will try what Evan has said!!

 

ok i read through all that in the troubleshooting thing..but it all seems to confusing to me! I Might try get a friend over to help me out with it!! ITs to complicated for me..and i am not happy with my kids lol..i have lost all my music!!!

 

Uses Advanced troubleshooting tips for general USB problems in Windows XP is best

 

missa85, when you plug in your camera/external drive, are they shown in Device Manager?
Right click My Computer > click Properties > Hardware > Device Manager > click on + and expand Disc Drives. Are your camera and external drive shown? Neil.

ps. is your Mouse USB or PS2?

 

Hey retiredlearner..
My devices are not showing up in my Device manager! With my camera..i dont atually do it by cord i do it buy card reader located on my tower under where i put my cd's in ! And normally it would have lights to say its loading..but nothing! Also my Mouse is not a Usb mouse! Thank you for your help!

 

Hi missa85, you say you have a card reader in the Tower, does this show in Disc Drives?
I have an accessory card reader which I connect by USB cable and it is recognized immediately I plug it in, and XP loads the drivers and sets it up - no problem.
Do you have your external HD plugged in all the time?
Have you tried unplugging while comp is running and then plugging back in to see if it's recognized?
Do you have a Safely Remove Hardware icon in the Task bar (right side near clock) ?
Have you tried rear USB connectors (if you have any)?
The other thing to try would be to go to Add New Hardware and see if XP can find your HD. Neil.

 

The card reader is built it to my tower..i dont know how to see if it is the disc drives! I used to be able to put it in the slot and my program would pop up automatically too..but if it didnt i would open it myself but when i do this now..it wont load at all ...it opens but wont load the photos..it cannot see the chip..!! Yes my external HD is plugged in all the time and i have tried to take it out and plug it back in ..but that didnt work!

Yes I have the safley remove hardware icon I clicked it and it comes up USB Mass Storage device..in the properties it says its working fine! I have both rear and front usb slots! With the "Add new hardware "..where would i go for that? When i got my..external HD im sure i didnt get a disc with it..im posotive that i just plugged it in and went from there! I hope we can get to the bottome of this..there is alot of treasured music and photos on my HD!

 

Start > Control Panel > Add new Hardware > Wizard will open > Next > Wizard will search > check button (yes I have connected new hardware) > wizard wiil search for and hopefully locate your external drive. A pane will open with a list of all installed hardware on your computer.
If it's not listed, at the bottom of the list is Add a new hardware device. > click on this to highlight > next > window will show and state whether it is working OK.
If the Wizard can't pick up your external HDD through USB, then we might have to call on some Hardware Help. Neil.

 

Ok i looked through as you said and there was nothing with the name of my hardrive in there at all..but just to be sure i clicked on things like mass storage to find everything was working fine.So i think my kids have deleted all the computers knowledge of it I wish now that i did get a disc with it than i could just put it back on like that!

 

missa85 try this: Connect your drive > Right click My Computer (on desktop) > Manage > click on + Storage to expand > click on Disc Management.
Does your external drive show in the right side pane?
If the Ext Drive shows there - Right click on it and see if there is anything odd shown.
You can try to change it's Alpha Letter if one is showing or it may not have one allocated.
Let's know if you find anything. Neil.

 

hi missa85, give this place a go I am quite confident that you will find an answer here.

http://www.usbman.com/

 

ok firstly i did as you said retired learner..and i cant find anything...and hawk22..im not sure where to go in that website you gave me..it all has words i dont understand im ot sure where to look for my problem..?? Sorry ...this is stressing me out lol and i could imagine how it is for you both as its hard to tell someone to do something when they have no idea how!!

 

Don't get too fazed, stay with us. Try this link: A USB device that is connected to a USB 2.0 hub is not detected in Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, or Windows Server 2003 x64 versions

This is a Microsoft Hotfix for a USB device which is connected but not recognized - sounds like your problem.

Go to MS and click on Hotfix (upper left hand) and agree to terms and Download and Run Hotfix.

Let's know how it goes. Neil.

 

Hi missa85, unfortunately the USB Man Forum Website has been hacked and is out of action for some time.
But you do have other options available to you.
Also you do not need USB drivers on Windows XP SP2 or 3 and you say you have SP3 therefore you do not need USB drivers they are already installed.
One, if you are confident enough and your external USB is 3.5" and the HDD removable from its case then you can connect it as a slave drive in your machine and save all your pics and treasured music.
Also if you do have the OS disk for the XP that you have installed you can try and perform a Repair install from the second R. This will repair your OS to its original without loosing any Data or programs, but you will have to reinstall the MS updates. Personally this is the option that I would take.
Read the How To in the Link

How To Perform a Windows XP Repair Install

hawk22

 

Been there, done that....

missa85, I don't know if this is your problem. But it's worth a try. I ran into problems with those usb hard drive adapters. Some would work, some would not. Finally it occurred to me that the usb port may not supply enough power for the drive. So I went to WallyWorld and a bought a four port usb hub WITH AN AC ADAPTER (about $20). Problem solved!

Try plugging your usb drive into all of your USB ports (one at a time, of course). One of them may work. On some computers (maybe all) there is one usb port that supplies more power than the others.

If that doesn't work, try a usb hub that has an AC adapter.

Hope this helps, BigJohn.

 

retired learner...
I did all the hotfix set up and when i opened the file..one said that "setup has detected the service pack version is newer than the update you are applying...there is no need to install this update" and the other one i opened just puts an extra file with it called "symbols" i kept cliking on it to come to a PDB file that i cannot open!

hawk22...
i dont know if im "confident enough for what you say..but at this point i will try anything. So i will have a look through your option!


Finally:- Big John....
I did try putting my external hard drive usb into all the other ports and it didnt do anything different then tell me there is a problem with it and cant find it..i will try getting my hands on a usb hub with an ac adapter..as i said im willing to try everything!

You all seem very smart and some words you use confuse me lol ...sorry i am so thankful for all of your help..i just wish my kids didnt get to my computer..something they so easily done is becoming so hard for me to fix!! This annoys me very much!

 

missa85, it was worth a try. As Hawk22 stated, because you have SP3 operating all the drivers for USB's are available in your system. Johns idea is OK as I use an AC powered 7 port hub with my Laptop - they work great.
John, missa has USB keyboard and I think at an earlier point we did suggest trying different USB ports.
Missa85, follow Hawk22's post as I feel this is your only hope now. Once you have it all sorted out and running correctly, might I suggest you initiate a LOGON PASSWORD to stop the kids from accessing your computer without permission. All the best Neil.