External hard drive not recognized on Windows XP Solved

Question

Hello, Could someone explain to me why the 500 GB external hard drive from Western Digital that is specified on the box (yes, I am blonde!!) for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 does not work on my Windows XP? The advertisement from the supermarket says it's also for XP, but it's the box that counts!! Thank you in advance for your explanations and have a good evening. Raymonde     Configuration: Windows XP SP3 IE 8 OE 6

Sannin_WD · Accepted Answer

@Raymonde57, hello :)  I’m only just now discovering your message… that’s why this response is a bit late.  As for detecting the HDD under an older version of Windows, there’s a possible avenue we could explore… Windows XP doesn’t read GUID partitions. I understand that all these acronyms might seem a bit obscure, but to generalize, I would say it’s a question regarding the evolution of communication between the operating system and the external drive (the HDD).  For this reason, and to better understand what’s happening, I suggest you take a look at Disk Management and see if there is a GUID partition (GPT Protective Partition) mentioned. This article http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=y4zLJ0 (in English) provides good ideas and describes the path to remedy it. To summarize a bit here:  Normally, for an HDD to function across different versions of Windows (both older and newer), the partition table of the HDD should be MBR (Master Boot Record) and not GUID. Before proceeding, I recommend that you back up any data that this HDD may hold (if there is any) and store it on another storage medium.  Once the data is backed up, with the HDD connected to the PC, it would be necessary to delete the partition (from Disk Management) to clear the HDD of all content. Then click on Disk 2 (if the HDD in question appears under this number) and select Convert to MBR Disk. Once this is done, a right-click on the HDD will allow you to select New Simple Volume to format the HDD.  Keep me updated, please! I’m following the topic :) See you later   -- ----- If you found the answer to your question, feel free to click on Resolved to help other members with the same issue ;)

Raymonde57 · Answer

Hello Sannin_WD,As you said, this message is a bit outdated; and since then I've looked into it. I wanted to ask WD since they are the first concerned, and I found something interesting. Check out this link; it explains how to do it: https://community.wd.com/t/my-passport-ultra-1-to-napparait-pas-dans-lexplorateur-de-windows-xp/173220 It just took a bit of courage to dive into the unknown (but in French!), I did it last night and it works very well now. This explains why this message is not yet marked as resolved.Thank you very much for looking into my problem and I hope my experience will help others.We might meet again for another problem with another hard drive: a 1TB external Seagate that is riddled with errors and out of warranty for a few months now!!Catch you later!

Sannin_WD · Answer

@Raymonde57, thank you for your feedback and for coming back to share the solution :) The community would be grateful! Indeed, Windows XP does not read GUID partitions.  I just want to add one more thing. Formatting is destructive to data, and any attempt to reformat a hard drive that has already been used on a PC running another version of Windows will result in the deletion of the contents that this hard drive stores. In this line of thought, I encourage any backup strategy that includes various storage media: keeping backup copies of essential data on different drives (just for caution and precaution).  @Raymonde57, I tried to look for the topic you mentioned (regarding the other external 1 TB hard drive), but I couldn't find it... If you have already created this topic on the Forum, could you please send me the link so I can check it out :)  As for marking the topic as "resolved"... you made an effort to search for and find the solution by yourself. Moreover, you came back here to share it with the community. It seems to me that you could (if you want) notify other users looking for solutions by adding the mention "resolved" to this topic :) Regarding the other hard drive, since its issue is of a different nature, I think it would be better to create a new topic specifically dedicated to it (so as not to mix up shared ideas and proposed solutions).  Looking forward to hearing from you, @Raymonde57 :) See you soon on the Forum :)   -- ----- If you found the answer to your question, please feel free to click on Resolved to help other members with the same concern ;)

Raymonde57 · Answer

@Sannin_WD, for my other issue with the external hard drive on a 1 TB Seagate, the problem is the time it took to defragment: 9 days and 12 hours!!! Do you think that's normal? My problem is that I thought it would be much faster because my antivirus was finishing on Saturday (48 hours after the start of the defrag) and since I didn't want to risk getting a virus, I unplugged the internet until it was done, which was yesterday!!  Thank you for everything, and I look forward to hearing from you if you pass by.

Sannin_WD · Answer

@Raymonde57, I must admit that I don't find 9 days of defragmentation normal! It's true that it's 1 TB, but 9 days... that's 9 days O_o  By the way, have you recently diagnosed this 1 TB HDD? I suggest you do so and pay attention to the S.M.A.R.T. values that would be reported (a screenshot here would be welcome :) ). Before posting it, make sure that the screenshot is free of any personal data (serial number of the HDD, for example). For diagnostics, you could use the manufacturer’s HDD utility or alternative software, like the suggestions here https://www.commentcamarche.net/faq/39851-disque-dur-etat-de-sante-et-garantie .  @Raymonde57, is the USB cable OK? Are you noticing any other anomalies or concerning things on this PC?  Feel free to always have a backup of your important contents on another storage medium (just in case) :)  I'm following the topic, @Raymonde57 :) Keep me updated! Have a great week!  -- ----- If you found the answer to your question, feel free to click on Resolved to help other members with the same concern ;)

Raymonde57 · Answer

@Sannin_WD, how can I send you the results of Crystal disk info?  Sorry, but I'm having trouble.  @ see you soon and have a good week.

Sannin_WD · Answer

@Raymonde57, sorry for the delay in my response.  To post an image on the Forum, I recommend following one of the suggestions provided in this article: https://www.commentcamarche.net/infos/25913-ccm-inserer-une-image-dans-une-discussion/  Sorry to insist so much, but before posting the image, please check it and mask personal data such as the hard drive serial number, for example.  Do the diagnostic results show any issues? I'll wait for your reply :) See you soon  P.S. Regardless of the results, make sure to get a backup copy of your data on another storage device, just in case.  -----If you found the answer to your question, please click on Resolved to help other members with the same issue ;)

Raymonde57 · Answer

@Sannin_WD, here is finally this file: http://www.cjoint.com/c/FIuhG553Elq If you can reply to me today, that would be great, otherwise it will be by the end of the week. See you and thanks for everything.

Sannin_WD · Answer

Thank you, Raymonde57 :)  Just a note to share with you: the screenshot is partial: part of the data is hidden because you need to scroll down to see it: in the image, I only see the parameters that stop at 0B – Number of recalibrations. If you come back here, please scroll down the S.M.A.R.T. and post them, please :)  As for the information I see so far, the health status of the HDD is reported as "Caution"... One of the critical parameters (namely 05 - Number of reallocated sectors) does not report discouraging values (this parameter indicates bad sectors on the HDD).  I assume that the parameter reporting values not to be neglected is C5 – Number of unstable sectors, but I prefer to wait for your return to be sure.  @Raymonde57, have you backed up the data from this HDD on another storage device? If not done yet, I advise you not to delay.  See you later  ----- If you have found the answer to your question, feel free to click on Resolved to help other members with the same issue ;)

Raymonde57 · Answer

I understand quickly, but I am not an IT specialist!! Here is the link that should give you more details: http://www.cjoint.com/c/FIulmvkbKxq Thanks again for everything you do. See you!

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