External Laptop HDD doesn't get detected !!

Discussion in 'Storage Devices' started by gaurav200x, Sep 5, 2007.

  1. gaurav200x

    gaurav200x Geek Trainee

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    Hi Karan,
    thanks for chiping in... :)

    How do I check that?

    It is a 2.5" HDD
    I have checked the HDD. Basically, it gets detected in other computers but at times, fails to get detected in mine.

    Basically, sometimes it will get detected once i plug it in (provided i plug both the ends in the 2 USB ports - one end is provided with 2 ends for double the power) while at other times, i have to plug it in, put my computer to hibernation and then restart it)

    By the way, I hope, restarting / shutting down my PC with the USB HDD plugged in won't harm it.... would it ?
     
  2. gaurav200x

    gaurav200x Geek Trainee

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    Another thing is, I got 2 HDDs 80Gb and 40Gb (PATA) and till few days back my 80Gb had Win XP. Since the partitions got corrupted, I installed Win XP in my 40Gb HDD and made it primary master and made the 80Gb disk to primary slave. Is this configuration right?? I am doubting since I know that the 80Gb HDD will take more power, and 40Gb, which is the primary master will take lesser power. Will this configuration cause any damage to my system ?

    Now after re-installing Win XP, the problem is a little less severe since at times, the system is able to accept the HDD and I am able to use the HDD without hiberating and then restarting.
     
  3. gaurav200x

    gaurav200x Geek Trainee

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  4. gaurav200x

    gaurav200x Geek Trainee

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    Hi donkey42,
    Waiting for ur inputs. :)
     
  5. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    sorry, i lost this thread, i keep doing that.

    yes, any PATA device can be either master or slave on both the primary & secondary IDE channel, you can also set both devices on each channel to C/S (cable select), doing this makes the device location on the IDE cable define which device is master & slave

    the device attached to the end of the IDE cable is the master & the device attached to the middle of the IDE cable is the slave

    no, not at all
     
  6. gaurav200x

    gaurav200x Geek Trainee

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    Isn't it the other way round.... the one on the end is the slave and the middle one is the master..... that is how my configuration is working.

    My concern was related to the power the HDDs would draw, since the 80Gb PATA (connected as the slave) would be drawing higher power
     
  7. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    no, that was telling you how to use C/S, your IDE device will be set to master & slave (you are probably not using C/S)

    if you set the devices as master & slave, they are master & slave as you set them, cable select is a different way to set the master & slave
    no, a HDD is a HDD irrelevant of it's size, an 80Gb HDD has the same parts as a 40Gb HDD, it's just the internal spinning platters can store more data in a more compact way
     
  8. gaurav200x

    gaurav200x Geek Trainee

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    u mean an 80gb hdd doesn't have more platters than a 40gb one
     
  9. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    some HDD may have more platters, but extra power needed is very very small, it's not even worth thinking about because the internal spindle which the platters are connected to is already spinning (it's like a tyre on a truck, if you add more tyres to an axle, the new tyres would spin at the same speed as the old tyres, without using very much extra fuel) most HDD just store the data with higher density (more compactly)

    Edit: hope that explain it to you, i'm sometimes not very good at explaining things
     

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