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USB 2 not working with ext harddrive

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Win xp pro service pack 2
mobo: gigabyte 8sq800 ultra

I've read similar problems to the one i've got but i think they differ slightly.

I've got a problem when connecting my Western Digital 'My Book' ext harddrive to my pc. Once connected it says it could work much faster if connected to a usb 2 port. As far as i'm aware it is usb 2. The mother board disc came with usb 2 drivers and i've tried updating as much as i can manually.

When i plug a small usb mem stick in it confirms that its usb2. But the harddrive dont like it. I tried all the usb ports with no luck, and tried it on 2 other machines and it works fine there.

Any ideas?
 
C

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#2 ·
Hi,

Do you have your chipset drivers installed.

You need these and WIN XP SP 1 and 2 to get USB 2 working properly.

Look in Device Manager for the term "Enhanced" against USB devices.

If the drive is only USB powered you may need to use a separate power supply for the drive.

hth

Ceri
 
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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
hey ceri

All the latest driver i can get off gigabyte website for that mobo are installed and i've got all the latest updates for winxp service pack 2. I do have the Enhanced term in device manager and the HDD is externally powered so shudnt be a problem there. I find it odd how the little usb2 mem stick works on on usb2 and this won't ..odd
 
C

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#6 ·
Disconnect your My Book drive and turn it off using the front switch. (You will have to push kind of hard on the bottom of the circle. It takes a second to shut down, so wait.) Now, with the drive off, connect it back to your system. The drive should automatically come on and connect properly.

The problem is that the drive only runs the setup when it first comes on. That way, it can automatically shut down when you turn off your computer and vice versa. But, it has to start in the off state.

The USB cable that comes with the drive is a standard USB cable--nothing special. Any standard USB cable will do the trick.

(By the way, did you get the 160GB $40 from Best Buy? That's what I just got--awesome!)

Courtney sends....
 
E

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Discussion Starter · #7 ·
Thats the way i've been connecting it to the computer so far. Its in the off state and when i connect the usb it turns on. but i'm intrigued bby what you mean whe you say "it runs the setup", do you just mean that windows recognises it or something else?.

I got the 250Gb version from pc world
 
E

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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
When i plug it in underneath where it says this could work faster in usb2 to click here to view available usb ports. Heres what the next window shows.

Sis PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller
- USB Root Hub (6 ports)
-Unused Port
Unused Port
Unused Port
Unused Port
Unused Port
Unused Port

Recomendation
Dsiconnect the USB Mass Storage Device from its current port and then connect it to one of the ports on the hub shown inbold type.
 
JohnWill

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#9 ·
Let's try my USB driver refresh procedure.

First step, Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. Create a restore point and name it something like "Before USB Fix". This is to bail you out if something goes wrong during the following process and makes things worse.

Create a file with NOTEPAD containing the following lines and save it as FIX.REG
-------------------------- Use text after this line --------------------------------
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment]

"DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES"="1"
-------------------------- Use text before this line --------------------------------

Double click on FIX.REG and say yes to the Merge Into Registry question.

Unplug ALL USB devices.
Open Device Manager.
View, Show Hidden Devices.
Uninstall all devices under USB Controllers.
Uninstall all devices under Disk Drives that you know are not present.
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.

NOTE: If you have a USB keyboard and/or mouse, you'll have to modify the instructions and leave enough parts for those to function. I don't have one yet, so I haven't had time to modify the instructions.
 
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Noyb

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#12 ·
As a test ... Try this ...
Power up the External HD ... Then connect the USB cable to the computer ....
Or have the Ext HD on .. before booting the computer.
Do these procedures connect as USB2 high speed ?
 
Noyb

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#14 ·
I've seen this before .. not sure what the problem is.
But just maybe .. Reformat and Reload the External ...
As I remember, this worked for me on another USB external type.
 
Noyb

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#19 ·
In the past, when I had this problem .. the workaround was to ..
Do a safe disconnect...
Leave the XHD running ..
Remove the USB cable ..
Wait a few ...
Then plug the USB back in (Hot) with the XHD running.

I was suspecting Plug n Pray problem .. but never found a fix.
I had several USB XHDs (same kind) .. but one always seemed to be undecided if it was USB 1 or 2.

Since the problem only happens with one computer .. I suspect you're thinking it's the computer.
From my past experiences .. I'm thinking it's the External.
By any chance .. Did you load any backup software that came with the "My Book" ???
I did this once and it messed up my computer .. I'll never do that again.

Not familiar with "My Book" .. don't these also come with Firewire ??
Sounds like it's time to go to WD's support here ..
http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=241&language=en
 
E

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Discussion Starter · #20 ·
my god this copying is taking ages. Started copying 30GB ontot he drive at about 1 oclock. Its now at about 70% and its 8:20pm.

Noyb

When i unplug the usb cable the drive automatically turns off, and then back on once i plug it back in. So you think its a fault with the drive?, Surely it must be the computer or more specifically the SiS chip controlling the usb's. How else would it work on the other computers.

Didnt install any of the stuff that came with the drive. This version doesnt come with firewire as it's the essentials version. i found a usb2 driver from their support site but it says it shouldnt be installed on xp because i it shouldnt need it. Should i try it out? Whats the worst that could happen?

http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?swid=16
 
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