My external hard drive is not recognized due to previous failure. The USB cable came unplugged before I could Safely remove it

SOURCE: External hard drive

Try these steps: - Right-click on "My Computer" - Click "Manage" - Click on the "Disk Management" icon in the left column (Under the "Storage" category" - If your disk appears on the right-hand side, then try to right-click on it and create a partition. The issue may just be that, since the disk is not partitioned/formatted, a drive letter has not been assigned, which would cause it to not show up in the "My Computer" list Good luck!

SOURCE: Can't access my lacie external hard drive

I would first plug it in to a different PC, this will tell you if the problem is the Lacie or Windows Vista.
if it works on a different PC then remove it from Device manager or go to the Lacie website for Vista updates.

If it does not work on a different PC then there are 3 possibilities
1. the drive got cleared data lost
2. the enclosure is bad (I would bet on this)
3. the drive is bad

purchase a USB enclosure, remove the drive and install it in the new enclosure plug in and test.

Hope this helps
thanks for rating

SOURCE: seagate external hard drive problem

I have the same problem with a 500GB HD by the same maker. Fortunately mine started throwing "delayed write failed" errors regarding the MFT. I had enough time to save my data. Your event log should say something to point you in the right direction. Make sure your pc is up to date with the latest service pack too and start looking for a new External HD. Tiger Direct has great deals. I got a 1TB for about $120 Good Luck!

SOURCE: Can I leave my Seagate expansion external hard plugged in

Hello

Yes, you can leave the device plugged in, you do not need to unplug it if you turn off the computer, do remember to safely remove when you plug it out though.

Kind regards
Andrea

SOURCE: SimpleTech 320 GB hard drive not recognized by PC

Hello

Okay , so there are some steps to figure out what is wrong with your external.

Firstly , if your computer makes a sound when you plug in your external , go to Start-Control Panel-Administrative Tools-Computer Management-Disk Management , and see if your external drive is listed here with your local drives. If it is listed , right click on the drive and change the drive letter to make it appear in "my computer".

If your drive does not make a connection sound when connecting to your computer and also does not show up , please follow the next step.

Remove the hard drive from the casing if possible and install it in your computer case or another external case.If the drive works , the problem is with the casing and you can ignore the drive.

Now , if the problem is with the casing , there are still 3 possibilities.

1. The USB cable between the drive and the computer may be damaged.
2. The circuit board which connects your drive to the interface of the external may be blown.
3. The power supply (if applicable) may have a blown transformer.

The latter is the easiest to diagnose , does your external light up at all when you plug in the power? If not , then this is probably your problem. On the bottom of the adapter is a label which you will be able to use to have a new adapter made at your local electronics shop and this will cost about $30 max. They will also be able to test the adapter with a clamp meter to see if this is really the problem and this should be free.

The second component you want to test is the USB cable. If you have a printer , swop out the cables and see if your printer functions normally. Most externals use the same connector so you should be able to test it in this manner. If the cable works go on to the last step. If the cable is defective , replace it with a new one which you can find for about $10 at most electronics and chain stores.

The last component to test is the circuit board. This is a bit of a grey zone as you probably won't be able to spot the blown component unless it failed really badly. With the casing already opened , locate the external's circuit board and check to see if you have any blackened components or fluids leaking from some components. If all the other components of the external worked perfectly , then this is the faulty part. It is not really economical to replace the circuit as most of the time it is out of production by the time you need to replace it and it still costs a lot even if it is available so if your drive is working perfectly when connected via sata or IDE on your computer , the best is to buy a new casing and place your old drive in the new casing.

A casing costs about $50 and you could get it at most tech shops and big chain stores like Best Buy.

I hope this solves your problem and please reply if you need more help.

Kind Regards
Andrea