I have an HP 1TB External Hard Drive, but it won't connect to my computer. A blue light continually flashes on the drive when the USB and power source are plugged in. I don't know how to fix this problem. Help!

follow these steps:

1. Make sure the computer and external hard drive are powered on.
2. Safely remove the drive from the computer (if possible).
3. Disconnect the external drive's USB or FireWire cable.
4. Disconnect the power supply plug from the external drive.
5. Power off the computer.
6. Disconnect the computer's power supply cord for 60 seconds.
7. Reconnect the computer.
8. Power on the computer.
9. Connect the power supply to the external drive.
10. Connect the drive's USB or FireWire cable and check for detection.

If that does not correct the behavior, and if the drive is also not detected by your computer, the blinking light is probably a symptom of a larger problem. If those steps do not return the drive to correct function, it is very possible, even probable, that the drive has failed and needs to be replaced

External hard drives not only provide additional storage space on a computer system but also allow data to be conveniently transported from one computer to another.

These drives typically plug right in to a port on the computer and function without any additional setup; however, if you are running into trouble where your external hard drive is not being detected, you must troubleshoot the situation to determine why the drive appears to be missing.

Check the USB connection running from the hard drive to your computer.

If the USB cable is not seated securely in the port, the computer will not detect the external drive.

Disconnect the USB cable from the computer and plug it into a different USB port. Occasionally, a USB port will fail to function with some hardware and changing the USB connection may correct this issue.

Switch from a USB to a Firewire cable connection, if possible.

The USB port on the hard drive may have died; if so, changing to a Firewire connection will resolve this issue.

Install the driver for the external device from the installation disc provided with the product. Older computer systems may require you to manually install this driver.

After inserting the installation CD, follow the prompts from the installation wizard to install the driver on your computer.

Restart the computer.

If you connected the external drive while the computer is powered down, it may not recognize the device when you turn on the computer.

After restarting the computer, connect the external drive to the system.

The drive should now be detected by your operating system.

Connect the external hard drive to a power source and then plug it into your PC computer using a USB or Firewire cable.

Log on to your PC computer using an account with administrative privileges.

Open the Start menu and click on the "Control Panel" icon.

Open the "Administrative Tools" folder and then double-click on the "Computer Management" icon.

Select "Disk Management" from the list of options on left side of the window.

Right-click on the drive you want your computer to recognize and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths."

Select a drive letter for the external hard drive to be recognized as and click "OK."

The drive will now appear in My Computer.

Hope this helps.

possibly could take it apart and connect it to your computer to test it.

Right click "My Computer" >properties> hardware> device manager. Expand "disk drives". Right click your seagate drive and click uninstall. Reboot your computer; the drive should automatically be reinstalled.

have you checked the output on the power adapter when you plugged in? if not, there is no hard reset for the drive. you just have to isolate the board on you external hdd.

Brand new?

Did you follow the instructions in the booklet that were packaged with the external disk-drive?

Did you try connecting the unit to a different computer?

Did you take it back to where you bought it, and ask them to demonstrate attaching it to one of their computers, as a demonstration that it works, or to prove that it is "defective" and the seller must replace it?

If your portable hard drive was set up as the "H" drive, go to My Computer (in Windows XP), or Computer (in VISTA), select your "H" drive and view your files (if there).

sounds like you are using the wrong power supply. Check the amp output on the power plug you plug into the wall make sure its the same as the amp input of your external harddrive

First I had to reseat one of the drives which had worked loose and become unseated during shipping. Then I had to format the hard drive and finally I had a 1TB external hard drive I could use. The light is still red.