A brief note on certain words used in these pages:
When I say "External Drive" or "Drive" - I am referring to the entire device - that is,
(a) a metal or plastic enclosure, which will have some sockets for connecting USB and/or Ethernet cables, and possibly a socket for a mains electrical power supply (or adapter)
(b) inside the enclosure is a circuit board (which amongst other things will contain a computer "chip" or similar, which holds the "firmware" for the device)
(c) also inside the enclosure is a Hard Disk Drive.
When I refer to the Hard Disk Drive contained inside the enclosure, I shall either use "HDD" or "Hard Disk Drive" - so as not to confuse it with "Drive" (see above).
When I mention "Operating System", I am referring to the operating system which makes your computer work - this will most probably be Microsoft Windows, of which there are numerous versions, ranging from Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME (or Millenium Edition), Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. (Windows NT is not dealt with in these pages but some of the content may be relevant to that system). Apple MAC systems are not covered - sorry - I have no knowledge of that system whatsoever. Linux is only fleetingly referred to - not, of course, because Linux is in any way less important than Windows systems but rather because, although I am an enthusiastic user of Linux systems, I am very much a novice in that area and self-help for Linux users is very widely available on the Web from others much more knowledgeable than I. Other operating systems are not covered at all.
Now that we've got those basics out of the way:
Problems with External Hard Drives
& Data Recovery
If your drive contains data which you'd like to recover, go to this page before attempting to repair the drive.
Return the Drive under
Warranty
Fault Checking a Drive
This help sheet can’t cover every situation and can only describe general situations so I’ll stick solely to USB and Ethernet hard drives. If the drive has been working satisfactorily and suddenly stops, there's a number of possible causes:
1) Something on your PC may have recently changed
2) Your drive may not be obtaining any, or sufficient power
3) The physical connection to your PC may not be securely or correctly made
4) Your operating system may be preventing a satisfactory connection
5) Your drive may have become incompatible with your PCs hardware or software
6) Your drive's enclosure may have malfunctioned
7) Your drive's Hard Disk Drive may have malfunctioned
Work through each of the possible causes as follows:
1) Something on your PC may recently have changed - have you installed new software or hardware recently, coinciding with your drive stopping working? Have you connected a new device? Have you had an electrical storm, or a power surge, which might have damaged bits of equipment? Any of these things can prevent certain devices from working. If there have been recent changes, try reversing them - remove new hardware, uninstall new software, disconnect any new devices - see if that resolves things. Bear in mind that programmes on your PC may be set to automatically update themselves without your knowledge. Windows Updates for example, can result in knocking out equipment previously working satisfactorily. As can Anti Virus programme updates. Check if any of these automatic updates were carried out around the time your drive stopped working - that may give you a clue.
2) Power - this seems to be currently be by far the most common problem. Many drives are intended to operate on USB power - but don't do so reliably! In theory, (for most models of external USB drives) the USB cable which connects your drive to your computer should be capable of drawing sufficient power from your PC to run the drive. For a number of reasons, that often does not happen: - you may have too many USB devices connected to your PC, already drawing too much power; you may be using an older type of USB cable, not capable of carrying sufficient power, your PCs power saving features may have reduced outgoing power- there can be many reasons why a drive can suddenly fail to obtain any, or sufficient, power via the USB cable. Solution - connect the drive to an appropriate electrical mains power supply adapter. These are not generally issued by Freecom with USB-only drives but, if you email Freecom (at Supportuk@freecom.com for UK users) they may provide you, free of charge, with a suitable adapter for your model of drive.And, secondly, there have been a couple of recent reports of adapters which seemed to be working but were not - when the adapter was replaced with a new one, some drives thought to be dead burst into life! And finally, don't forget to test that power is actually coming from the mains socket also - plug another bit of electrical equipment in to check.
3) Connection - double check that the connection between your drive and your PC is properly made. Loose connections are easily possible, even with modern USB and Ethernet connectors. If you frequently connect/disconnect your drive, you need to check this carefully. USB connectors can be accidentally inserted upside-down, although it is pretty difficult to do this accidentally without noticing! Note that there are many reports of drives which work on certain USB ports but not on others, so use a port you know the drive has previously worked on. And there are also reports claiming that changing to a different USB port can make a difference, so try a different port also. Check also that the cable you are using is operational - if possible, try a different cable. With ethernet connection, be sure to use the correct type of cable - cross wired cables generally won't work on direct- to- PC connections, while straight-through cables won't generally work when connected to routers and hubs. Networks can be partiularly prone to connection problems so you need to troubleshoot your LAN - much too detailed a subject to cover here.
4) Operating System - modern operating systems are quite "dynamic" in that they are constantly automatically changing and altering their configuration to deal with issues they encounter. There's a possibility that some such changes may have stopped your drive from working. More probably something the user has actually done has resulted in such changes - it can be something very small and seemingly insignificant. These can be very difficult to track down. By far the best approach is to try the drive on another PC. If it works there, there's a possibility something's wrong with your current setup. Time to start rummaging through system logs and the like.
5) Incompatability - really much the same as no 4) - Operating System, except this refers to thnigs other than your OS. Many of your software programmes, and some of your hardware kit, are likely to be set to automatically update themselves to new versions, updated drivers, etc. Possibly one of these updates is now conflicting with your drive. Again, can be very difficult to track down unless you are familiar with system and tracking logs and have these properly set up - sorry - too detailed to go in to here. One thing which you definitely must check is - if you are using Freecom's Personal Media Suite, make sure you are running at least version 2.5 (downloadable from the Freecom site) - earlier versions are known to suddenly, for no apparent reason, stop drives from working!
6) Enclosure Malfunction - The enclosure -the box which the hard disk drive is installed in - can develop both firmware and hardware faults. The latter is unusual, unless you've dropped the drive at some time although, if you frequently connect/disconnect the USB/Ethernet cable, the socket can become worn and the connection loose. But the firmware can be corrupted and seemingly quite easily - apparently the simple act of disconnecting the drive without "stopping" it first can create such problems. There's a very helpful website at http://daltrey.org/linux/cypress.html which, although it's a bit lengthy to read through, does provide very useful info re the sort of firmware problems which can occur and how to try fixing them. As that site indicates, sometimes a simple change to the drive jumper will help and sometimes the software programme on Daltrey’s website will help. Sometimes a firmware update might be available from Freecom, or even just re-loading the original firmware might do the trick. (You can download firmware from Freecom's, or your original manufacturer's, site, but make absolutely sure the firmware is definitely the correct one for your enclosure -using the wrong one will turn your enclosure into what computer anoraks like to term a “brick” (you’ll work out why if you think about it….). And if you’re REALLY enthusiastic - eg, you've achieved anorak status and are aiming for nerd-ship, try other Forums – the AV Forums ( http://www.avforums.com/forums/index.php ) are a good place to find info about how to sort firmware problems (although only for audio-related IT gear, but it will give you the gist). If you've got to the stage that you've established pretty firmly that the external drive is at fault, you might then wish to look further, to help you decide whether the enclosure or the hard disk drive is where the fault lies. See below for how to do that.
7) Hard Disk Drive malfunction - the internal hard disk drive within your enclosure may have developed a fault. This could be a hardware fault - eg the disk drive may simply have failed entirely - or it could be a file system fault -eg, the disk's partitions or NTFS/FAT32 file systems may have been corrupted, possibly by a virus or by user error. See below for further info.
Removing the hard disk drive from the enclosure and installing it in your PC is not rocket science and is not difficult! If you can use a screwdriver and follow a guidance sheet, you can do this! But you need to be aware of your abilities! This really is not difficult but it does carry some risks!
You might ruin your drive entirely (not likely, but possible). You might ruin your PC (again, not likely but still possible). And - in very extreme cases, you might electrocute yourself (highly unlikely but there is always the possibility - you have been warned!). So, if you are not comfortable with this, DON'T DO IT! Instead, try taking it to your local computer workshop and ask if they'll do it for you - more costly but you'll have peace of mind!
But if you're prepared to accept the risks, read on::
Preparation
Get yourself a nice, empty bit of desk or table surface and cover it with newspaper. Make sure you have a good light so you can see what you are doing. You'll need a small screwdriver - probably a cross-head (or "Phillips"). Also have a notepad and pencil handy and something like a saucer (to hold the screws you remove). Make sure the drive is unplugged from everything (especially the mains power!). Remember when working inside the enclosure or with the disk drive you must avoid touching any part of any circuit board!
Opening The Enclosure
Freecom's enclosures can be opened in different ways, depending on the model. Some are simple "unscrew the screws" jobs, with screws clearly visible on the underside of the case; others have some screws visible and some obscured by small rubber feet which have to be gently prised off to reveal the screws beneath; other models have no screws but instead have a narrow indentation or groove along the side of the case - insert a small screwdriver and gently prise the sides of the indentation apart - BE CAREFUL - screwdrivers acan easily slip when used like this - avoid gouging bits of your fingers off!. Have something like a small saucer nearby and put the screws in it as you take them out. Probably you'll find all the screws are the same size but, if some are different, make a note of which screws go where, so you can return them to the proper place when re-assembling.
Inside the Enclosure
Once inside, it's a simple job to disconnect the IDE cable (the large, flat, probably grey or blue cable) and power cables to the hard disk drive drive - these just pull out of the sockets - they may be a bit stiff but don't be tempted to use a screwdriver ro the like - just pull them with your fingers. Then undo any securing clips holding the hard disk drive in place - if thtese use screws, keep teh screws separate from teh other screws if they are of a different size/type. Lift the drive out, avoiding touching any part of the circuit board.. Before disconnecting the IDE cable, look carefully at the edge of the cable - on one edge only, you will see a thin red line. Make a written note of which end of the drive it connects to (newer drives and cables have a "bump-out" on the cable socket, ensuring the cable can only fit one way in to the drive, but older drives and older cables may not have this "bump-out", hence the need to check the red line to ensure you re-connect the drive correctly). You should now have the disk drive sitting in front of you.
Inside Your PC
All that now happens is that you install the hard disk drive inside your PC, in exactly the same way as you would install a second hard drive. Rather than me re-invent the wheel by preparing a lengthy guidance sheet on how to install a hard drive in your PC, just google on "How To Install a Hard Drive" - there are lots of guides out there so find one which you are comfortable with, print it off and follow it religiously. But note that if you follow guidance on partitioning/formatting the drive - YOU WILL LOSE THE DATA ON THE DRIVE.
Once you've carried out the installation of the hard disk drive in your PC and switched the PC on, a number of possible things may happen. The following realtes to installation on a Windows XP or newer PC and may also be relevant for Windows 2000;. If your operating system is earlier than Windows 2000, see the note at paragraph 6 below.
1) If everything has been installed correctly and if your hard disk drive is actually working, you may find that, by checking in Windows Explorer or My Computer (if using Windows), you can see, and access as normal, all the data on your drive. If that happens, you now know, with pretty much certainty, that your external drive's enclosure is where the fault lies. Solution - go buy youself a suitable external drive enclosure (maybe £15), install your hard disk drive in it and - hopefully - you should now have a fully-working external drive again.
2) If you can't see the hard disk drive in either Windows Explorer or My Computer, try checking it via Start button/Control Panel/Admin Tools/Computer Management/Storage/Disk Management - you may get some indication there as to the problem. If you can't see the hard disk drive there, check your computer's BIOS (see next step)
3) To check your computer's BIOS, you usually hit the "DEL" key (sometimes F2 instead) when the computer is first switched on - carefully watch the computer's startup screen where it will usually tell you which button to press and when. If you have a problem opening the BIOS, check your computer's manual. Once in the BIOS, check that the hard disk you have installed is showing correctly. If it is showing as correctly installed, go to the next step below. If it is not showing in the BIOS, then you may not have installed it correctly (double-check the installation, particularly the jumper settings, the cable connections and where on the IDE cable you have connected it - some drives will not work on the same IDE cable as another drive, and some won't work in the wrong position on the IDE cable). If you are certain you have installed it correctly, check whether your BIOS supports the size of disk drive you have installed - some older BIOS have a 137GB limit and won't recognise a larger drive - even older BIOS have a 32GB limit - that may be the problem.(Google for information on BIOS updates if you want to try to tackle that problem). Alternatively, the drive may have completely failed. If the drive has completely failed, there's a better-than-reasonable chance that the external drive enclosure is still working satisfactorily, so you can try fitting a new drive to the enclosure and - hopefully - you might again have a working external drive. (If fitting an new hard disk in the enclsoure, try to use teh same type and size of disk which you took out - using an alternative type of size of disk may not work).
4) If the hard disk shows in the BIOS as being correctly installed, but you cannot see the disk in Windows Explorer, My Computer or in Disk Management (see (2) above), go to Start Button/Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager and check whether the disk shows there, under "Disk Drives". If so, right click the entry and see if there is any useful information which might indicate the problem. If it is not there, you've run into a problem which is beyond the scope of this help sheet. The most likely explanation is the hard disk's parttion/formatting has become corrupted, to the extent that the BIOS can recognise it, but your Operating System can't. Problem is, without using DOS-based, or similar, disk management/repair techniques (which require specialist knowledge), you won't be able to get Windows to recognise the disk and therefore can't perform partitioning/formattiing. But the good news is, there remains the possibility that the external drive enclosure may actually be working satisfactorily - installing a new drive (see (3) above) may get it working again.
5) Another possibility is that, once you install the drive and power the PC on, your operating ssytem may immediately ask if you want to reformat/repartition the hard disk. If it does ask that, and you are happy to lose the data you have on the disk, let it carry out those functions. You would be best to choose the file system format (NTFS or FAT32) which was originally on the hard disk. Once that is complete, you may find, after re-installing the disk drive in your enclosure, that all is again working satisfactorily.
6) If you can see the drive in the BIOS, but not in Windows
Explorer, a possible explanation might be that the hard disk drive is formatted
in NTFS, which cannot be read by Windows Systems earleir than Windows 2000.
If you've tried all that and can't see any sign of the drive anywhere, things are beginning to look bad! Try listening to the beeps your computer makes at start up. If you get more beeps than usual, or an unusal pattern of beeps, that can indicate the disk drive is not properly connected, or the jumper settings are wrong or there's a hardware fault in the disk drive (If you get really keen, you can actually check what the pattern of beeps means, by Googling on the Internet on "POST beeps".)
Try to listen to the drive (not always an easy thing to do - involves bending double over the PC, trying to get as close to the disk drive as possible, without touching anything....) when you have installed it in your PC and fired up the computer. If it sounds like thedisk drive tries firing up then stops, I think it's time to quit and accept it is faulty. Any flashing lights? Some disk drives have, usually only one, LED on its circuit board. A constantly repeated pattern of flashing lights can be a diagnostic error code, which the drive manufacturer may be able to interpret. Does it grind, or make repetitive noises endlessly? If it grinds or makes excessive clicking noises, it's probably knackered - go buy a new drive and install it in the enclosure and you should be back in businesss.
Fixing the Enclosure/Firmware
If you've carried out the above steps and confirmed the disk drive is working on your PC, then the enclosure almost certainly has a fault. There's not a lot you can do to fix such problems but, if you are a determined type, try the following:
The enclosure can develop both firmware and hardware faults. The latter is unusual, unless you've dropped the drive at some time - if you did, you can poke around inside the enclosure to see if there's anything obviously loose, in which case, try re-securing it. And there's always the possibility that the drop dislodged the hard disk drive connector, so re-installing the dsrive and double-checking teh ide and power cable connections is worthwhile. If still no joy, you can suspect the enclosure's firmware as being faulty. The firmware can be corrupted and seemingly quite easily - for example, physically disconnecting teh drive without frist carrying out the "Stop Device" routine can create such a problem. There's a very helpful website at http://daltrey.org/linux/cypress.html which, although it's a bit lengthy to read through, does provide very useful info re the sort of firmware problems which can occur and how to try fixing them. As that site indicates, sometimes a simple change to the drive jumper will help and sometimes the software programme on Daltrey’s website will help. Sometimes a firmware update might sort matters but your problem is you can't use the traditional methoid of firmware update if you have no connectivity between enclsoure and PC. If you are really really determined, go look at the AV Forums ( http://www.avforums.com/forums/index.php) where, after much rummaging about, you will find detailed info on how to perform updates by using a special cable direct to the enclosure.
.
Conclusion
This is the end!
Good luck.
Post a message at the Freecom Forum with “Techie” in the title if any of this has been useful to you. And if it hasn’t or if you’ve knackered your drive permanently or lost your priceless files…..well, read the disclaimer right at the start of this help sheet…….
The Techie from Sneckie