20 Most Recent SimpleTech SimpleDrive Pininfarina 500GB External USB 2.0 Hard Drive - Onyx - Page 3 Questions & Answers

If you have a SimpleTech SimpleDrive connected to your computer and you're experiencing problems with the external hard drive, there may be several reasons why it's malfunctioning. Troubleshooting your computer can help rule out common problems and the possibility that the hard drive may be defective. If you recently purchased the device and suspect there is something wrong with it, return the defective drive to SimpleTech or the reseller for a replacement. Incompatible USB Port Problems SimpleTech SimpleDrive plug and play options makes it easy for you to connect the device to your computer. But you may encounter problems if your computer's USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports are not compatible with the external hard drive. Make sure your ports are powerful enough to operate the drive. USB 2.0 ports are recommended, but if you're using an older computer with 1.0 ports, the hard drive will function much slower or you may receive an error message that the device is not compatible with your system. b> Missing External Drive Letter If you're unable to find the SimpleTech external hard drive's letter on your desktop after you have installed the drivers for the device, it's possible that the external drive may be assigned to another drive. Sometimes, the hard drive is assigned to a network drive and you may need to manually change the drive's letter in Disk Management. b> SimpleTech SimpleDrive Incorrectly Formatted b> SimpleTech SimpleDrive is normally pre-formatted for Windows NTFS (New Technology File System), but Mac users may need to copy the backup software and reformat the external hard drive for FAT32 or Mac OS to be able to use the external drive. If the external hard drive is not formatted correctly for your system, it may not function or work properly. b> External Hard Drive Inaccessible If you receive an error message that says "Drive Inaccessible," the SimpleTech SimpleDrive may not be able to read the service area of the platter. If the external hard drive emits a loud or abnormal sound, this could mean the device is failing. Test the drive on another computer to see if it is working properly. Otherwise, the external hard drive's surface area may be damaged or corrupted. Replacing a Defective Hard Drive You can return a defective hard drive that is under warranty to SimpleTech. The manufacturer will exchange the device if the seal is not broken. But if you break or tear the seal on the case, any warranty claims will not be accepted and the device will be returned back to you. SimpleTech will only accept the device if you contracted a commercial data recovery company to retrieve critical data from the external hard drive and the seal needed to be broken. Before returning the defective drive, you will need to secure a RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) approval number from SimpleTech and furnish any invoices or documentation regarding the data recovery company's services or if its a usb external drive you might need a usb 3 card installed on your computer your computer might not have enough usb output power USB 3 card will provide more power when needed to the device to gain maximum throughput and conserve power when the device is connected but is idling http://blog.premiumusb.com/2010/09/usb-2-0-vs-usb-3-0/ these can be purchased on Ebay cheap and easy to install http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PCI-e-PCI-Express-USB3-0-Card-new-NEC-720200AF1-chipset-/330608109325?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf9c7670d for roughly $9 or $10free postage Hope this helps.

I'd recommend that you download asoftech data recovery program and use the program to scan the hard drive and recover your files. download the program fromhttp://www.asoftech.com/adr/

Try this website:http://www.hgst.com/support/index-files/simpletech-legacy-downloads

i am trying to dowload the driver

Go to My Computer click on tools,,,SYNCHCRONIZE

Try to find a replacement on ebay, amazon, or contact Simpletech Support.

I'd suggest you to connect your external hard drive to a different USB port and try copying and check if that fixes the issue. Also, boot into safe mode and try copying the same and check if you can successfully complete the copy operation without any errors. Refer the below link for more details on how to start computer in safe mode: Start your computer in safe mode http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Start-your-computer-in-safe-mode If you're able to successfully copy the file in safe mode, it indicates that one of the third party application or start up item is causing the error. You could put your system in clean boot state and check if any third party application or any services is causing the issue and hence the error. Putting your system in clean boot state helps in identifying if any third party applications or startup items are causing the issue. If yes, you may go ahead and disable or uninstall the same. Follow the below steps to put your computer in clean boot state: 1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights. 2. Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER to start the System Configuration Utility. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue. 3. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the Load startup items check box. (The Use Original Boot.ini check box is unavailable.) 4. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click Disable all. 5. Click OK, and then click Restart. Once the system is in clean boot state, try to copy the files and check if you're able to copy files without any errors. Refer the link below for more details: How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135 After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to reset the computer to start as usual: 1. Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue. 2. On the General tab, click the Normal Startup option, and then click OK. 3. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Restart.

click start control panel administration tools computer management device manager look through all of your devices if you see a yellow question mark?or exclamation mark ! or red xright click to reinstall drivers or

if you can see your usb but its not workingports(com&lpt)right click update driver

if this fails to fix the problem

check usb leads for secure dust free seating

sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable

just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again,

check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red-white-green-black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems hope this helps

click start control panel administration tools computer management device manager look through all of your devices if you see a yellow question mark?or exclamation mark ! or red xright click to reinstall drivers or

if you can see your usb but its not workingports(com&lpt)right click update driver

sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable

just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again,

check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red-white-green-black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems

if this fails to fix the problem type in run "regedit" then press ok then you can see registry editor then locate below key. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11 CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} And remove upper filter and lower filter. Then restart computer then check. Also locate the below key and make sure it's value is 3 not 4. HKLM\system\currentcontrolset\services\usbstor make sure start value is 3 not 4

if still no luckyou might have to install a usb 2 or 3 card they are cheap and easy to install you can buy these on Ebay very cheap hope this helps

click start control panel administration tools computer management device manager look through all of your devices if you see a yellow question mark?or exclamation mark ! or red xright click to reinstall drivers or

if you can see your usb but its not workingports(com&lpt)right click update driver

sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable

just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again,

check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red-white-green-black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems

if this fails to fix the problem type in run "regedit" then press ok then you can see registry editor then locate below key. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11 CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} And remove upper filter and lower filter. Then restart computer then check. Also locate the below key and make sure it's value is 3 not 4. HKLM\system\currentcontrolset\services\usbstor make sure start value is 3 not 4

if still no luckyou might have to install a usb 2 or 3 card they are cheap and easy to install you can buy these on Ebay very cheap hope this helps

which is it if it cant be seen how can it formatedrun the chkdsk utility on it click start control panel administrative tools computer management disk management right click on your drive select properties click tools you should see click check now click start two boxes automatically fix files and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors place then a tick in both boxes then select check now start you might tick one box then return after its finished the first repair then return and tick the second box you should not do anything while the chkdsk utility is in progress any input may damage this drive I found that you get best results by ticking one box then returning after it has finished then tick the other box If you need more help with this post a reply hope this helps you

click start control panel administration tools computer management device manager look through all of your devices if you see a yellow question mark?or exclamation mark ! or red xright click to reinstall drivers or

if you can see your usb but its not workingports(com&lpt)right click update driver

sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable

just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again,

check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red-white-green-black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems

if this fails to fix the problem you might have to install a usb 2 or 3 card they are cheap and easy to install you can buy these on Ebay very cheap hope this helps

click start control panel administration tools computer management device manager look through all of your devices if you see a yellow question mark?or exclamation mark ! or red xright click to reinstall drivers or

if you can see your usb but its not workingports(com&lpt)right click update driver

sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable

just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again,

check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red-white-green-black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems

if this fails to fix the problem you might have to install a usb 2 or 3 card they are cheap and easy to install you can buy these on Ebay very cheap hope this helps

About 1.5 amps

IDE is an interface, used inside your PC, so no, it isn't IDE. This drive is designed to be plugged in to your USB 2.0 port, and that is its interface. So unless you want to take it apart and use the HDD from inside, you will not need to know.

Hello Juli,

Just format the hard drive from the operating system you want to use. Then you are able to use the hard drive again.

Your hard drive is probably dead. However there are stillhopes for hard drive datarecovery.
Put the hard drive in a plastic bag to be compatible for the freezer. Freezingsometimes works to revive a dying hard drive, at least for a shorttime(Probable just about 20 minutes), but be sure that the bag is sealedtightly so that condensation and ice crystals don't form. Put it in yourfreezer for 24 hours that will do the trick. While it's still cold, plug itinto your computer. And you may be able to view it in 'my computer'. And youmay act quickly, because you may only have 20 minutes to recover your data offit and after that the hard drive is completely dead.
If it fails, you will have to go to a recovery office where supply datarecovery service but let's hope not because it will cost you a lot of money andwhether they can recover data is not guaranteed.
Here is a tutorial to guide you how torecover hard drive data.

You will need a 12V, 2A tip positive power supply. You can easily find one at Radio Shack or Best Buy, etc.