How do i install simpletech external hard drive unto my windows operating system?

SOURCE: SimpleTech PininFarina external hard drive - site to download drivers

the hard drive you have is plug n play.
if windows does not recognize it, you may have to uninstall the hard drive.
right click your computer. click properties.
click on the "Hardware" tab. Click on "Device Manager".
open the category of "Disk Drives".
If you see your drive with a yellow exclamation point or a red "X", continue. If it does not, either it was dropped or its a faulty drive.
Right click your drive and click "Unistall". Click OK.
Now, unplug the drive and plug it in again.
it will install by itself.
Go to my computer and check that its there. If its not, you may have a bad drive. either send it for a new one (if still in warranty) or replace it.

SOURCE: SimpleTech 320 GB hard drive not recognized by PC

Windows likes to play with drive letter assignments, especially when you remove a device without using the "safely remove hardware" icon. When you plug it back in, Windows may think that you've plugged in a new one and assign it a new drive letter. Try this:

Your computer can use up to 26 drive letters, from A through Z. Use drive letters C through Z for hard disk drives. Drive letters A and B are reserved for floppy disk drives. However, if your computer does not have a floppy disk drive, you can assign these letters to removable drives.

Before you modify drive-letter assignments, note the following items:

• Changing the drive letter of the system volume or the boot volume is not a built-in feature of the Disk Management snap-in.
• Many MS-DOS-based and Microsoft Windows-based programs refer to specific drive letters for environmental or other variables. If you modify the drive letter, these programs may not function correctly.

Back to the top

1. Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Performance and Maintenance.
   
   Note If you do not see Performance and Maintenance, go to step 3. Performance and Maintenance appears in Control Panel only if you use Category view. If you use Classic view, Performance and Maintenance does not appear.
3. Click Administrative Tools, double-click Computer Management, and then click Disk Management in the left pane.
4. Right-click the drive, the partition, the logical drive, or the volume that you want to assign a drive letter to, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
5. Click Add.
6. Click Assign the following drive letter if it is not already selected, and then either accept the default drive letter or click the drive letter that you want to use.
7. Click OK.

SOURCE: My SimpleTech 320GB external hard drive is no longer recognized

trying using it on another system and and see if it happens like that. if it does, you may want to get a driver for the hard drive. it is likely the driver is corrupted. try it on another port also.

SOURCE: computer does not recognize simpletech

I have a simpletech external drive that was working, but after i disconnect it unproperlly, i was getting the message <usb not recongnize>. I called simpletech, but customer service is ****, and anyway the drive inside is a hitahi, i have another simpletech and the drive inside is a western digital, whatever...
They told be to go to best buy to make a recover, so i called and they told me it s 250$, and if they cant do it, they will send it to a labotory witch cost 1700$, crazy ******* hein?
I red about getting drivers, putting the hdd in a fridge and much more stupid thing, BUT THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE, OPEN THE CASE, UNDER THE ALLUMINIUM STICKER THERE IS 2 SCREWS, REMOVE THEM, OPEN THE CASE, TAKE THE HDD INSIDE OUT AND REMOVE THE ADAPTER CONNECTED TO THE HDD(WHERE YOU CONNECT THE USB CABLE) CAUSE THIS IS THE PART CAUSING THE PROBLEM, THE HARD DRIVE IS OK AND YOU DIDN T LOOSE NOTHING. So now what you can do is just buy a new case for laptop hard drive (with a new usb adapter included), or buy another simpleshit hdd and switch the adapter part or just buy an adapter to make your hdd an usb hdd and Voila, and after that i suggest you buy yourself a better hdd than simpleShit and make a new backup.

SOURCE: Computer won't recognize hard drive and I have a lot of data

I devised these simple steps that tend to remedy quite a few issues with most portable / external hard drives (though not always)
A few things to check but assumes USB and Windows for other interfaces / operating systems similar steps may be adapted to suit.

1. Ensure it is connected directly to the computer to a USB 2.0 port not a USB 1.0 port as this can have effects on performance and reliability
2. Use only the cables that came with it NOT one that fits that may have been lying around or is longer. Not all USB cables are equal even though they should be)
3. Do not connect through an external USB HUB unless that hub is USB 2.0 AND has its own power supply.
4. Use ONLY the power supply that came with it if it has an external power supply
Don’t use any other unless you know it has both the same voltage and current rating e.g. 12V 500mA anything rated below that would not work properly.
5. Always use the same port for connecting your devices. Some devices do not like being switched about. If switched they may want to install software / drivers again.
If you checked and fixed anything there and still have issues carry on reading.
Go to your control panel and then administrative tools, select Computer Management.
Now select Disk Management and expand the window.
Your drive should be listed here, if not then you need to check your computer hardware has not got any issues before proceeding.
If your drive is listed and says healthy then right click on it an select Properties, click Tools and then Error Checking, Check now, tick the two boxes and then Start.
This will attempt to fix most minor / common errors on the drive. It may also ask you to restart which is fine. Allow it to finish its work or you could corrupt the drive. If all went well you should be able to use it normally again.
If you drive was listed but did NOT say healthy then right click and select Format. Choose NTFS as the file system and do not tick any boxes you do NOT want quick format. Again start and let it do its thing. When it is done restart your computer and you should be good to go.
If you still have problems with the drive you might want to look at other areas.