I purchased a Belkin 4 port USB hub today and connected my Seagate external hard drive. Unfortunately my computer, Toshiba Satellite L655D, doesn't recognise the hard drive when located within the Belkin hub. Other hardware devices such as a wireless mouse, Logitech Powerpoint display control and a Cruzer memory stick have been recognised by my computer. Can you help?

The connection will be the same (desktop or laptop, USB 2.0/3.0). Find an free USB Type A port on your computer. Connect the appropriate end of the USB cable to the Seagate hard drive and the other end to the computer's USB port. If you do not have any free USB ports, then you will need to get a USB hub or add a USB card to the desktop. You may need a powered USB 2.0 hub to ensure that the external drive works properly. (Warning: not all hubs are sold with the power adapter. Hard drives that loose power are often at risk of losing data.)

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

1) Turn off your wireless router and unplug the external hard drive you want to make wireless.
2) Plug an Ethernet cable to the "Network-attached storage" device, and the other end of the cable to an available Ethernet port on your wireless router.
3) Connect one end of the USB cable to the wireless router's available USB port and the other end of the USB cable to your "External" hard drive.
4) Turn on the both the Wireless router and the External hard drive. Make sure that your Internet connection is still working.
5) Insert the installation CD and run it on your computer. Follow the installation instructions and install any utilities related to your external hard drive. There may be special utilities provided for flash drives that are not needed for hard drives.
6) Create a login name and security password for the "NAS" device during the setup process. When the installation process is completed, you will now be able to use your external hard drive.

Connect the cable directly to USB port, don't use a USB port hub because the energy isn't enough.

Are you connecting this high-speed ("USB 2.0") device to a low-speed ("USB 1.1") USB-port on your computer? If so, and your computer has a "USB 2.0" port, connect your device to that port.
If not, then purchase an add-in PCI card for your computer, to add "USB 2.0" port(s).

u can try some hit and trial...
1 - keep ur USB HD off and switch on the PC then switch on the power on USB HD
2 - try another USB port
3 - try another USB cable connector
4 - check ur Device manager/usb root hub settings/power setting, uncheck the box that says" alow computer to switch off power....in Power Mgt tab

I had this same issue. Found it to be a sequencing issue. Plug the USB into the router with the power off to the HDD. Power on the HDD and you should be able to get to it fine. Also make sure you have the latest firmware on the router.

I had the same problem and the Maxtor/Seagate website did not have any solutions. I finally got in touch with Tech Support and got a fix. I was using it with a Dell tower and plugging into a USB port in the front. I also was using an after market cable.

I learned the Maxtor is a power hog and beeps and shuts down when it is not getting enough power. I did not know but the USB ports on the front of a desktop/tower computer do not provide as much power as a port on the back (the back ports are sometimes directly connected to the motherboard). I got a USB extension cable and connected it to a USB port in the back and it solved the problem.

I also learned that most laptop USB ports are not powerful enough to run the Maxtor. Mine would also not work if you attempt to share it by using an unpowered USB hub. I have gotten it to work with a powered desktop USB hub (Belkin).

I believe that this may explain why you get a "Y" cable with the drive. I could not find an explaination for the cable or how to use. There may be an accessory to purchase that attached to the cable and powers it.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF ITEM 3

I devised these simple steps that tend to remedy quite a few issues with most USB portable / external hard drives and OTHER devices (though not always)

A few things to check but assumes USB and Windows for other interfaces / operating systems (mac/ Linux) 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. This can be especially true if you move a HUB to another port

If you checked and fixed anything there and still have issues then check your hardware from CONTROL PANEL / SYSTEM / HARDWARE.
Any exclamation marks by hardware need fixing before you investigate any further

USB flash drives can fail for no apparent reason.
Sandisk Cruzers are especially bad for this.

USB hard drives should be treated with extreme care.
This is a real hard drive ! and knocks and bumps can quite literally kill them.

It is possible to remove drives from the enclosures in most cases and connect directly inside a PC to fully check it.

Note that if you hear a drive clicking or pinging this could be the worst thing you would hear.
Known as "The Click Of Death"

If none of the above steps help look at updating the drivers from the manufacturers web site in the support section.
　
　
　

I've seen this happen with hubs being connected to external hard drives before.

Do you have a free usb port on the back of your computer you can plug it into?

That should fix the problem.

Hello, Did you try to use this drive on another computer? Did you have the same problem? Did you try using a different cable? I would try these things first in order to determine if the problem is with the drive or with the computer. Good Luck! Dr. Know