External drive not registering

[Melanchthon]

I'm running XP SP2, and the drive is a 500GB My Book. It doesn't show up on Disc Management, any windows or drop-down menus, and Add Hardware and removing and replacing the USB cable have no effect (the USB port is fine; the modem works). I'd turn the drive itself off and restart it, but it's busy (even when the computer is off) and I don't know if what it's doing should be interrupted. It's been constantly whirring for at least the last two hours (when I first noticed this; it had been on a lot longer judging by the warmth), making that little Doing Stuff noise at regular intervals. It's thinking about something. Cogitating. Planning. Its power button stares unblinkingly across the room like the world's smallest Eye Of Sauron. Has it cut itself off from the world in order to secretly plot my untimely demise?

[Kariudo]

the WD my book drives are plug and play...so the first time you plug it in you have to wait for windows to recongize a new usb device.

you should get messages in a little bubble like these (in an order kinda like this):
new hardware found
new usb device found
usb drive found
mass storage device
your new hardware is installed and ready to use.

after the last message you should be able to see the drive in the my computer window.

if this doesn't happen you should check to see if pnp and upnp is enabled.
start-control panel-administrative tools-services
scroll down til you find plug and play, if you can't start the service in the left window, right click and select properties.
from there go to startup type and select manual...then click the start button.
repeat process for Universal Plug and play if enabling pnp doesn't solve the problem

I had a friend who recently got a my book drive, and the light seems to always stay on when the power is connected, but it is only active when it is flickering (and busy when the inner light is moving/rotating)

[Melanchthon]

I've had it for about a month and a half, and no problems during that time. I think the problem started today, but since it's (primarily) a video storage drive it sits idle except when I'm working with VDM or watching some of the vids I keep on it.

[Kariudo]

can you check to see if you somehow disabled the pnp service?
other than that you may want to try updating/rolling back drivers

[Melanchthon]

PnP works with the USB modem, but I checked it out anyway. No dice, and whatever the drive was doing wasn't going anywhere, so I switched the damned thing off and restarted (it seemed safe to do so). It's working now, but I would have liked to have known what the problem was.

Thanks anyway.

[gangstaj8]

It's thinking about something. Cogitating. Planning. Its power button stares unblinkingly across the room like the world's smallest Eye Of Sauron. Has it cut itself off from the world in order to secretly plot my untimely demise?

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"


Glad it's working again, but have you defregged that drive any time recently? Or run an Error Check?