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Samsung S2 external hard drive not recognized or empty

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Yochu Posted messages 4 Status Member -  
jemaxyzt Posted messages 1 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -
Hello,

I have an external hard drive S2, and for the past few days, it hasn't been working.

When I plug it in, I either get a "USB device not recognized" message, or it detects it but shows it as empty...

And the same happens on all the PCs I've tried...

It hasn't been dropped and it hardly moves.

I can't run a CHKDSK, which has saved another one of my hard drives before, because it took a full 7 days (and 7 days is a long time!) to repair it, and I don't have a PC available that could stay on for that long without moving...

So there it is... If anyone has any ideas on what to do!

Thanks in advance!

Configuration: Windows XP / Firefox 22.0

7 answers

  1.
    Hackeek Posted messages 1365 Status Member 107
     
    Hello, I think the hard drive inside the case has died...

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    3
  2. Yochu Posted messages 4 Status Member 6
     
    Re-hello,

    In the end, it was just a weakness in the cable that wasn't supplying enough power to the hard drive...

    I found another one, and it works perfectly again :)
    Apparently, this is a common problem with hard drives that don't have external power, and on top of that, I only had a cable with a single USB that was provided with it.

    So if this happens to others, try changing the cable, using a double USB cable if possible for more power supply.

    Thanks anyway to Hackeek for the quick response :)
    2
  3. Yochu Posted messages 4 Status Member 6
     
    That's ugly...

    Is that the only response? :/
    2
  4. Hackeek Posted messages 1365 Status Member 107
     
    Hello again, yes indeed, the cables for external hard drives can sometimes be really poor quality, and not just those for hard drives but even those for ventilated tablets. Mine for my tablet lasted 3 days!! Outrageous!! So I had to buy a good cable, and for the past 2 years, no problems...

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    1
  6. jzestrong Posted messages 1 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   1
     
    I confirm, with a sturdier cable the hard drive is now recognized.

    By the way, with 3 cables I had 3 different behaviors; at worst, the hard drive would restart cyclically (due to underpowering, I think).

    Thanks for the advice.
    1
  7. Hackeek Posted messages 1365 Status Member 107
     
    Maybe the electronic part of the case, but that is rarer...

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    0
  8. jemaxyzt Posted messages 1 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
     
    Hello
    I had the same problem with my Samsung M3 portable external hard drive not being recognized while it was connected to a USB port at the front of my PC. I plugged it into a USB port at the back, and it was recognized again! Thanks to the previous comments, they made me think about changing the USB location. I want to specify that my USB port at the front works for other things, so it wasn't obvious to question it.
    0