Thinkpads Forum

I just bought a used hard drive from a local outlet computer store. It is a Hitachi 100gb 7200rpm pata. Here is the thing. I am trying to test and see if it is working corretly. I have used a external usb enclosure and it does not seem to reconize the hard drive. I have used two different enclosures with no success. I know the enclosures are working because it works perfectly with my 40 hdd. The only thing I can think of is if the enclosures do not support the 100gb. Please share some info.

ibmthinkpad99 wrote:I have used a external usb enclosure and it does not seem to reconize the hard drive.

Does the 100GB drive show up in the Windows "Disk Management" administration tool once you have connected the USB enclosure to your ThinkPad?

If so, you may need to do some adminstrative tasks (partition, format, assign drive letter etc etc) in the Disk Management tool before it will appear as a "drive" more generaly across Windows.

Cheers,

Bill B.

Even before that ... is the disk spinning up? Or just clicking when you connect it?

The 7K100 uses more power than 40 GB drives, and is near the USB power limits. If the drive-to-drive variation lands you on the wrong side, you may not be able to power it from a single USB port.

A new hard disk needs to be initialized in Windows Disk Management before it can be accessed. I do not know if this would apply to your hard drive or not.

Microsoft Help and Support wrote:New disks appear as Not Initialized. Before you can use a disk, you must first initialize it. If you start Disk Management after adding a disk, the Initialize Disk Wizard appears so you can initialize the disk.

What tomh009 said could certainly be your problem. Is it possible to apply external power to your USB hard drive?

I dont see it in disk management either. I hear and feel it spinning but nothing is shown on the disk. I have also used two usb to power the thing and still stuck. Is there anything else I can try.

you can try putting it in your machine, popping in a restore CD and see if it starts recovering. If that yields nothing, a trip back to the place you got it and swap it out there on the spot, bring your laptop, usb enclosure and connect it right there on the counter so you can make sure the new drive they give you works.

I went through this about a month ago with a SATA usb enclosure I bought recently, turned out the light would come on orange but not recognize the drives I put in it. Being able to show the thing was bad was easier than standing there "explaining" for 15 minutes.

Some of those USB enclosures don't support anything over 80GB. You may have one of them.
Both my USB enclosures also stop working at over 80GB. The reason is probably to do with too much heat being generated by larger HDs.

Realblackstuff, good point!



I had to post something quick because my post count was at 3,666 bad luck you know