Win XP wont assign letter to USB Drive

Nigel Charig · 06-13-2005, 06:10 AM

I have 3 computers running Win XP. I have just bought a Western Digital Dual Option 120GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive. When I plug this into the USB port of two of my PCs, the drive is recognised instantly - no problem.

However when I try it in the USB port of my third PC (IBM Thinkpad laptop) it will not work. At Device Manager level, everything seems to be OK - the device is visible and Device Manager says it is working ok. However My Computer refuses to see a new drive letter so the drive is not available for use.

The USB port is 1.1 but I expect the only penalty for that is that the drive would run slowly but should otherwise function.

Any Ideas?

crazijoe · 06-13-2005, 06:30 AM

If you are using Win2K or WinXP go into Disk Management and change the drive letter of the drive to one that is not in use.

Nigel Charig · 06-13-2005, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazijoe

If you are using Win2K or WinXP go into Disk Management and change the drive letter of the drive to one that is not in use.

Thank you. Crazijoe.

I tried this but unfortunately it did not work. I have also reported the problem to Western Digital who say they have come across this problem before - perhaps they will find a fix.

**linderman** · 06-13-2005, 10:09 AM

most likely you have a fight happening between the USB drivers and the drive

have you the most recent mobo & usb drivers

OS service packs ?

bios version / updating

dont over look a bad cable either ?????

no USB 1.1 is most likely NOT a good option for that drive / I would try updating to USB 2.0 / digital cameras dont even like usb 1.1

**johnwill** · 06-13-2005, 06:11 PM

Unplug ALL USB devices.
Open Device Manager.
View, Show Hidden Devices.
Uninstall all devices under USB Controllers.
Uninstall all devices under Storage Volumes. Say no to any reboot prompts until you are finished. Also, if a Storage Volume doesn't uninstall, ignore it and move to the next one.
If you have a yellow ? with unknown devices, uninstall all of the entries there as well.

When this is done, reboot TWICE.

Reconnect the USB devices and see if they're recognized properly.

06-13-2005, 06:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
Nigel Charig Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2 OS: Win XP	Win XP wont assign letter to USB Drive I have 3 computers running Win XP. I have just bought a Western Digital Dual Option 120GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive. When I plug this into the USB port of two of my PCs, the drive is recognised instantly - no problem. However when I try it in the USB port of my third PC (IBM Thinkpad laptop) it will not work. At Device Manager level, everything seems to be OK - the device is visible and Device Manager says it is working ok. However My Computer refuses to see a new drive letter so the drive is not available for use. The USB port is 1.1 but I expect the only penalty for that is that the drive would run slowly but should otherwise function. Any Ideas?

06-13-2005, 06:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
crazijoe Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha, The Center of the Universe Posts: 7,632 OS: WinXP, Win2K3 My System	If you are using Win2K or WinXP go into Disk Management and change the drive letter of the drive to one that is not in use. __________________ Microsoft MCSA + Messaging, MVP, A+, Network+ http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...other/Help.jpg Do you want a real Republican? HDD diagnostic tools / HDD data recovery software

06-13-2005, 10:09 AM	#4 (permalink)
linderman Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 20,441 OS: win 2000 pro / Win XP pro My System	most likely you have a fight happening between the USB drivers and the drive have you the most recent mobo & usb drivers OS service packs ? bios version / updating dont over look a bad cable either ????? no USB 1.1 is most likely NOT a good option for that drive / I would try updating to USB 2.0 / digital cameras dont even like usb 1.1 __________________ I still know nothing and I respect that fact, striving to improve and, along the way, help anyone that comes from the place that I used to be! Power Supply Selection LEARN TO BACK-UP YOUR DATA FREE & EASY YouTube - Runtime Software DriveImage XML tutorial Last edited by linderman; 06-13-2005 at 10:12 AM.

06-13-2005, 06:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,832 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Unplug ALL USB devices. Open Device Manager. View, Show Hidden Devices. Uninstall all devices under USB Controllers. Uninstall all devices under Storage Volumes. Say no to any reboot prompts until you are finished. Also, if a Storage Volume doesn't uninstall, ignore it and move to the next one. If you have a yellow ? with unknown devices, uninstall all of the entries there as well. When this is done, reboot TWICE. Reconnect the USB devices and see if they're recognized properly. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience