Windows Vista Vista x64 won't access external HD

Hello. I'm new here and in need of some help.

Running Vista x64 Business.

I have 2 external 1TB HD's that I have been using for a little over 6 months.

We recently moved and I went thru the Safely Remove Hardware process before shutting down and disconnecting.

When we got settled in our new house, I set up my PC and connected the external drives.

However, Vista will not access them. I hear the chime denoting a new device has been connected, get the messages about drivers being loaded, device ready to use. Safely Remove Hardware shows them as having a drive letter assigned.

But when I try to view in Explorer of Computer, they do not show up and Explorer or Computer shown the spinning 'Busy' icon for hours. I have left them open over night to see if it was just going to take a long time, but nothing. If I try to close Explorer or Computer, my desktop disappears for hours.

To make things even more confusing, if I connect the drives to another PC running XP, they are recognized within seconds and all the folders and data is there and available.

These drives are formatted NTFS under the Vista machine and have never been used on any other computer, except for just verifying as described above.

Thanks for any insight.

 

Have you tried different USB connectors?

There might be a problem with the USB controller drivers. Look in Device Manager under Universal Serial Bus Controllers. You could highlight and uninstall any listed as "controller ", they should be automatically reinstalled when you reboot, if not look for updated drivers at the system manufacturer's website (usually bundled with the chipset drivers).

Run Error Checking (CHKDSK) on them (don't crash out of CHKDSK if it seems to have stalled, leave it to complete).

Look at the FAQs on the drive manufacturer's website.

Matt

 

mattman,
I have already tried all those options.

I cannot run chkdsk on the externals from my Vista machine since they are not recognized, but did have run chkdsk on both drives from my daughter's XP PC. Everything is fine with both.

I have tried all the different USB ports; uninstalled hidden devices; all drivers, BIOS and chipset are up to date and have been for months.

I have also looked at the Troubleshooting guides on the external drive manufacturers websites. No help.

 

Disconnect any other USB devices (especially if you have something like a printer with a card reader) and reboot the computer.

Can you connect a memory (thumb) drive without problem? See how that shows up in Disk Management like Arie suggested.

After that, I might suspect a hardware problem, maybe something has come loose during the move, so I would open the computer case disconnect and reconnect all the cables (not just wiggle them). I might test with any optical drives disconnected.

You will need to let us know what you have already tried, but check through them that you haven't missed something. (You did actually uninstall the USB controller drivers, you only mention hidden devices?)

If I couldn't get much further, I would run a System Restore back to a date (somewhat) before the move.

Matt

 

I have tried disconnecting all other USB devices (except keyboard and mouse).

I have tried every other USB port with other devices and they all work fine.

I looked into System Restore, but I do not have a restore point dating before the move. Moved on 4/23/2010, oldest restore point is 5/11/2010. Not sure why.

 

Darn, closed it before I meant to. Sorry.

If I attempt to open Disk Management with the drive(s) connected, I get the "Connecting to Virtual Disk Service..." message for hours on end. Nothing ever shows up. I have left this on in excess of 12 hours with nothing showing up except (Not Responding) next to Computer Management.

When I attempt to close Disk Management, I lose my desktop and the computer locks up.

I never even get the chance to initialize the disk.

 

"Virtual" makes me think of a virtual CD drive. Some burning programs have them. Check your burning program, if it has something like that uninstall it, either the virtual drive section or the whole thing and see if it is the cause.

Look through your list of programs in Control Panel -> Programs and Features for any programs that might have an influence on drives. For some reason I seem to have a memory about Daemon Tools if you happen to have it.

Matt

 

I see the Virtual Disk Service appears to be a Windows service. Look it up in the list of services and set it to automatic if it is disabled.

I see quite a few hits in a websearch, one suggests uninstalling and reinstalling Intel Matrix Storage driver, if you have it.
http://au.search.yahoo.com/search;_...+to+Virtual+Disk+Service"&fr=sfp&fr2=&iscqry=

 

Arie Slob,
I think you have missed the point of this problem.

I cannot acces the drive(s) in order to run any kind of diagnostic on the Vista machine.

In order to be able to run any program/utility, I would have to be able to access the drive(s) first.

Again, I CANNOT ACCESS THE DRIV(S) AT ALL on the Vista machine.

However, if I connect them to an XP machine, they work perfectly.

This leads me to believe that Vista (POS) is the culprit.

 

You have tried all the usual solutions, here are two more to try:

1. With the device plugged in, right-click Computer > Properties > Device Manager (in the left pane) to see if the drive appears under "˜Disk drives‘. If it does, right-click it > Properties > Policies Tab and check the box "˜Optimize for quick removal’. A USB "˜drive’ should have a check in this box. Restart the computer if you change anything. Internal hard disk drives use "˜Optimize for performance‘ and "˜Enable write caching on the disk’.

2. Remove static electricity by turning the computer off and remove the mains lead (also remove the battery if it’s a laptop). Press and hold the on/off button on the computer for ten seconds. Leave the computer turned off for five minutes and discharge the static from the actual USB ports by touching them whilst touching something metallic. Plug in the lead (and laptop battery) and start the computer as normal. You may have to reset the system date/time on a laptop. Also, it can be useful to clean the USB ports and the individual device connectors using a lint-free cloth, whilst the power is off.

 

I have tried all of the suggestions here and more from a couple of other forums, as well as all the suggestions/utilities from the drive manufacturers.

Nothing has helped. Nothing has allowed the Vista (POS) OS machine to see the drives.

Again, a Windows XP machine sees them fine and they operate fully.

Therefore, I have resigned myself to connecting them to the XP machine and mapping them via our home network.

Thanks to all.

 

One last straw-clutcher to try, without the disks being connected:

By design, devices that you have installed which are not currently connected to the computer (e.g. your USB device) are not displayed in Device Manager, even when you click Show hidden devices. To temporarily display these ‘Phantom‘ devices, click the Windows Orb (Start) > All Programs > Accessories and right-click Command Prompt, then ‘Run as Administrator’. Type ‘set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1’ (not the quotes but the space) and press Enter. Exit from the command prompt screen.

Now right-click Computer > Properties > Device Manager (in the left pane), then click View > Show hidden devices.

By expanding a category, e.g. Disk drives or USB, then right-clicking a device you can determine if you want to remove it by clicking Uninstall. Be aware that an important device like a USB modem or a printer that is not currently plugged in, can be accidentally uninstalled. You will be somewhat surprised how many devices appear under Disk drives and USB, and how many are ‘Unknown‘.

 

Thanks BurrWalnut. Have already tried that also. No luck.

 

Try booting from a Linux live cd [Ubuntu/Knoppix] on your Vista computer. If Linux recognises & mounts them there is some problem with Vista OS/drivers, if not there is some problem with hardware.

Just a last ditch suggestion.

 

Since i do not use or have a Linux CD, that won't work.

Again, any other USB device works fine on all USB ports. Obviously not a hardware issue with the PC.

Again, both external drives operate fine on a XP machine.

My opinion is that there is an issue with the Vista (piece of ****) OS.

I will either go back to XP Professional x64 or move up to Windows 7 x64.

 

In my experience running CAD/CAM programs for over 25 years, Windows XP Pro x64 has been massively less troublesome that this Vista garbage.

Vista reminds me of the old DOS 4.0 junk. Not that many here are old enough to even know what DOS was.

I have had nothing but trouble with Vista x64; compatibility issues of hardware and software, BSOD.

My experience is that Vista is 10x worse than XP Pro.

If Vista is so wonderful, why is it that most engineering firms running high-end CAD/CAM are still running XP?

Why is GE still running XP?

Because Vista creates a major low level pressure area.