Hard drive not seen on USB port

ruggb · 11-26-2009, 09:47 PM

I have a 2.5" 80GB SATA HD.
It had a problem (and may still have) where the system took 5 min to boot.\
Once booted it mostly worked fine.
I have done a clean install of Vista on it by deleting the partitions and creating new ones.
It now runs fine in the system. However, if I try to connect it via an adapter to a USB port on another computer, it just sits there chirping and is never seen.
Another 320GB drive sets up fine thru the same adapter and same port.
The chirping is probably due to constant retrys to sync itself with track 0. But why does it work in the system AND Seagate tools says it is fine?
AND how do I make it work externally?
thx
bill

IT-Tech · 11-27-2009, 06:30 PM

Hi and welcome!

What are the system specifications on the system that the 2.5” 80GB SATA drive runs the OS off of?

What type of adapter are you using? Make and model?

What is the makes and models of the two drives?

By “Never Seen” do you mean that it is not detected at all by the system or does the “SAFELY REMOVE HARDWARE” icon show up, but the drive is not shown in MY COMPUTER?

Thanks!

**raptor_pa** · 11-27-2009, 06:59 PM

If bt in the system, you mean when it is attached as an internal drive, but it isn't seen on the USB adapter, then likely it is insufficient current available to spin the disk on the USB port. If you are using an enclosure, then you can look for a 'Y' USB cable which has two USB plugs to attach tot he system, one carries data and power the other carries only power. There is only 500 mA of current available on a USB port on the 5VDC lines, so that may not be enough to spin up the drive.

ruggb · 11-28-2009, 09:07 AM

this is a drive that had a problem.
It is speced at 0.487A
I put in another drive rated at 0.550A and it works fine............

Well as soon as I realized the OTHER connector was to plug into another port, and I had another port next to this one, and I plugged it in - it worked just fine.

Thanks for the clues.

I guess it is still a problem drive because, obviously, it is requiring more power than it is speced for.

**raptor_pa** · 11-28-2009, 02:39 PM

As drives wear, the current requirments will go up, both are close to the .5A rating on USB ports, if you have any other USB devices they will pull power also. External drives are suited to be nothing more than portable, archival storage, not suited to be used as a regular drive under constant use.

ruggb · 11-29-2009, 07:47 AM

actually, I wasn't trying to use it as an external drive, just trying to figure out what was wrong with it and extract files.

11-26-2009, 09:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
ruggb Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 5 OS: XP	Hard drive not seen on USB port I have a 2.5" 80GB SATA HD. It had a problem (and may still have) where the system took 5 min to boot.\ Once booted it mostly worked fine. I have done a clean install of Vista on it by deleting the partitions and creating new ones. It now runs fine in the system. However, if I try to connect it via an adapter to a USB port on another computer, it just sits there chirping and is never seen. Another 320GB drive sets up fine thru the same adapter and same port. The chirping is probably due to constant retrys to sync itself with track 0. But why does it work in the system AND Seagate tools says it is fine? AND how do I make it work externally? thx bill

11-27-2009, 06:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
IT-Tech Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Evansville, Indiana, USA Posts: 764 OS: All Microsoft Operating Systems My System	Re: Hard drive not seen on USB port Hi and welcome! What are the system specifications on the system that the 2.5” 80GB SATA drive runs the OS off of? What type of adapter are you using? Make and model? What is the makes and models of the two drives? By “Never Seen” do you mean that it is not detected at all by the system or does the “SAFELY REMOVE HARDWARE” icon show up, but the drive is not shown in MY COMPUTER? Thanks! __________________ - I remove all threads from my subscription after 4 days if they become stagnate. If you post in a stagnate thread and still need my help, please send me a PM so I can pick it back up.

11-27-2009, 06:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 5,814 OS: XP	Re: Hard drive not seen on USB port If bt in the system, you mean when it is attached as an internal drive, but it isn't seen on the USB adapter, then likely it is insufficient current available to spin the disk on the USB port. If you are using an enclosure, then you can look for a 'Y' USB cable which has two USB plugs to attach tot he system, one carries data and power the other carries only power. There is only 500 mA of current available on a USB port on the 5VDC lines, so that may not be enough to spin up the drive. __________________

11-28-2009, 09:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
ruggb Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 5 OS: XP	Re: Hard drive not seen on USB port this is a drive that had a problem. It is speced at 0.487A I put in another drive rated at 0.550A and it works fine............ Well as soon as I realized the OTHER connector was to plug into another port, and I had another port next to this one, and I plugged it in - it worked just fine. Thanks for the clues. I guess it is still a problem drive because, obviously, it is requiring more power than it is speced for.

11-28-2009, 02:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
raptor_pa Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Central PA Posts: 5,814 OS: XP	Re: Hard drive not seen on USB port As drives wear, the current requirments will go up, both are close to the .5A rating on USB ports, if you have any other USB devices they will pull power also. External drives are suited to be nothing more than portable, archival storage, not suited to be used as a regular drive under constant use. __________________

11-29-2009, 07:47 AM	#6 (permalink)
ruggb Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 5 OS: XP	Re: Hard drive not seen on USB port actually, I wasn't trying to use it as an external drive, just trying to figure out what was wrong with it and extract files.