Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini no longer recognized by Windows XP

swazepete · 05-23-2009, 08:30 AM

I've had a Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini for just over a year and have used it with my Dell D820 laptop for additional hard drive space. Last Sunday, after traveling, my laptop no longer detects the drive. I've tried it on one other laptop and my desktop after i returned home with the same outcome.

I contacted Seagate but they've only concluded what is obvious, i.e., "The drive is not detected through windows - my computer/computer management and i don't have a password on the drive."

When I connect the drive, the light on it blinks for a short time and i can hear the drive spinning (when i put my hear on the case). How likely is it that the Y-cable is the problem?

What other options can I try? I have a lot of files on the drive that i don't want to lose.

**Tyree** · 05-23-2009, 03:14 PM

You can try another cable but it sounds lie the drive is dead.
You can open the case and use a hdd to USB adapter to try and recover the data but that will void the warranty.
Prebuilt USB hard hdd's are not reliable storage.
The best solution is purchase an external enclosure and install a hdd.
Initial price is about the same.

05-23-2009, 08:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
swazepete Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1 OS: Windows XP	Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini no longer recognized by Windows XP I've had a Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini for just over a year and have used it with my Dell D820 laptop for additional hard drive space. Last Sunday, after traveling, my laptop no longer detects the drive. I've tried it on one other laptop and my desktop after i returned home with the same outcome. I contacted Seagate but they've only concluded what is obvious, i.e., "The drive is not detected through windows - my computer/computer management and i don't have a password on the drive." When I connect the drive, the light on it blinks for a short time and i can hear the drive spinning (when i put my hear on the case). How likely is it that the Y-cable is the problem? What other options can I try? I have a lot of files on the drive that i don't want to lose. Last edited by swazepete; 05-23-2009 at 08:43 AM.

05-23-2009, 03:14 PM	#2 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,566 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini no longer recognized by Windows XP You can try another cable but it sounds lie the drive is dead. You can open the case and use a hdd to USB adapter to try and recover the data but that will void the warranty. Prebuilt USB hard hdd's are not reliable storage. The best solution is purchase an external enclosure and install a hdd. Initial price is about the same. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.