External HD boot issue

Rayvan · 07-24-2008, 02:02 PM

I have an Maxtor OneTouch II 500GB external hard drive that is having trouble powering up.

When I try to power it up normally through the power cord and USB, you can see the light just flash for half a second and go off.

When I remove the hard drive from the casing to insert it manually in through my mobo's IDE, it powers up, but shuts down the entire computer almost instantly (not even a boot screen).

Is the hard drive producing a power surge that's un-fixable?

~~wiseleo~~ · 07-24-2008, 02:10 PM

It's fixable, but the drive likely has a logic board electronics fault.

It can be as simple as a TVS or fuse or 0ohm resistor blowing to prevent electronics failure.
Internal electronics inside the sealed chamber may be fried.
I doubt your motor is fried, but that's also a possibility.

If you are skilled in electronics repair, you can probably fix it by replacing the burnt parts. If not, this will be very expensive.

07-24-2008, 02:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rayvan Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 2 OS: XP Pro	External HD boot issue I have an Maxtor OneTouch II 500GB external hard drive that is having trouble powering up. When I try to power it up normally through the power cord and USB, you can see the light just flash for half a second and go off. When I remove the hard drive from the casing to insert it manually in through my mobo's IDE, it powers up, but shuts down the entire computer almost instantly (not even a boot screen). Is the hard drive producing a power surge that's un-fixable?

07-24-2008, 02:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
~~wiseleo~~ Troubled Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 461 OS: Win 2003 SP2 My System	Re: External HD boot issue It's fixable, but the drive likely has a logic board electronics fault. It can be as simple as a TVS or fuse or 0ohm resistor blowing to prevent electronics failure. Internal electronics inside the sealed chamber may be fried. I doubt your motor is fried, but that's also a possibility. If you are skilled in electronics repair, you can probably fix it by replacing the burnt parts. If not, this will be very expensive.