USB problem

[Stu]

Ok, what seems like a curly one
I purchaced a Lacie external hard drive with a USB connection, last week.
It worked fine and I loaded files and folders onto it.
I struck a problem though when I connected a memory stick to an adjacent USB port.
I got a message saying there was an unknow USB device. I thought this was refering to the memory stick...but it was actually the external hard drive. It is now impossible to get the computer to recognise the Lacie...[ I've tried different ports].
I connected the hard drive to another computer and it was recognised.
My computer still recognises my memory stick....so it seems the hard drive is OK...the USB connections are OK....but my computer doesn't want to recognise this external hard drive.
Could it possibly help to re-format the Lacie on another computer, and start again?.
Any ideas?

Thanks,

Stu

[sorgesu]

any possiblity that the USB port on your computer is one of the older slower ones that don't recognize the newer ones?

[lewiswadsworth]

I think I know what is happening.

At my office, the main project network drive is drive "G." Unless deliberately modified by someone with administrative rights, any USB thumbdrive I might plug into my computer will also be recognized as drive "G." Since there cannot be two drives "G", either my computer will not mount the thumbdrive (although I can see it under Devices), or worse...suddenly I will lose access to the network drive.

I'm assuming you're using Windows XP, Stu. If you have administrative rights on your PC that is not recognizing your LaCie, log in as Administrator, plug both the Memory Stick and the LaCie into your computer, and then open up Computer Management (it's under Administrative Tools in the Control Panel folder). Select "Disk Management" under "Storage." In the right panel among the drives and partitions you should see your LaCie or your Memory Stick or possibly (but probably not) both. Right-click on the title of whichever of the conflicting drives is visible and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths." Another window should pop up...select the drive symbol there and click the "Change" button at the dialog bottom. You should get yet another dialog box, which will give you the option of assigning another letter to the drive, be it the memory stick or the LaCie. So choose a new letter that is not in use by any other drive on your computer (say, Q) or on your network. Close out of all the dialogs and Disk Management.

You may need to restart your computer before both the Memory Stick and the LaCie will mount at the same time.

Or at least that is what is supposed to happen. There's always the possibility of some sort of corruption of the LaCie drive, in which case you will have to re-initialize it. But I would try this technique above first. If you do need to re-initialize the LaCie, do it when the Memory Stick is mounted so that Windows will prevent the LaCie from taking the same drive letter. And if you are having your problem on a Mac or Windows Vista, is is probably some other issue since neither uses drive letters the way Windows XP does.

[Lewis Wadsworth]

[Stu]

Susan, thanks but I'm using the newer USB2.
Lewis, thanks a lot for that effort but it didn't fix the prob....still won't recognise the drive. The memory stick was G and, if I'm not mistaken the x-drive was originally F. I did however change the stick to Q....but to no effect.
bummer
Stu

[tomsdesk]

Stu, have you tried a system restore. This has fixed a couple of issues I've had no clue about...it's like magic when it works!
Praying for ya, Tom.

[Stu]

Tom, thanks Mate [but skip the prayers, OK? ]
I've never done a restore but it seems to make sense if I restored to a point after the inital, succesful connection of the x-hard drive and before I had the trouble?
Would I need to back up work done after the restore point? [before I do the restore]

[Gaieus]

Stu,

"Normally" you need not backup - it only restores the system and does not affect the document files - but you never know with MS, right?

Have you also tried to connect your x-drive as a regular hard drive (I mean it is probably just a normal Winchester inside)?

[Stu]

Thanks Guys,
I'll try a system restore....in a couple of days, after I get a current job finished...eh, just in case

[Anssi]

Things can also break down. The other day one of my colleagues plugged in his digicam. The digicam didn't mount as expected, and at the same time his mouse stopped working, and after several restarts we still couldn't get the machine to accept any USB devices, so we had to send it for repairs (still under warranty).

Anssi