Need Help with External HDD

Ok guys, I've got a new external hard drive that's giving me headaches. I bought used off eBay.

It's an Acomdata RocketPod drive, 120GB. Windows XP, according to Acomdata, is supposed to already have the drivers for it to run on it.

I plugged the drive in via USB2.0, plugged in AC adapter, powered up the drive. Windows detected new hardware. USB mass storage unit detected, and ready for use. All is well now eh? Nope. I go into My Computer, and there's no sign of the drive.

I then go into the Computer Management console to see if any hint of the drive is detected there. Nothing.

Then I checked out Device Manager, and it is detected there.

So, I'm at a loss. Restarted both the computer and the drive and it's still not showing up for use. Any ideas? Is anyone familiar with this particular drive?

Hi AK,

I took this off their troubleshooting site...hope it helps...

My computer does not recognize the DrivePod.
A: Make sure all of your connections are secure. If you have an add-on card, make sure it is working properly and/or update the driver. Also, make sure you have all the latest updates for your Windows operating system.

I do not see my DrivePod listed in the My Computer window, but it does appear in the Device Manager list.
A: Solution: Right-click on My Computer. Select Manage in the pop-up menu. In the Computer Management window, select Storage, then select Disk Management. In the Disk Management window, you should see a list of available storage devices. Look for the Disk that has a capacity closest to your DrivePod. Right-click on the right-hand box; in the pop-up menu select Delete Partition. Once you do this, it will say “Online" & "Unallocated”. Right-click on the box and select Create New Partition in the pop-up menu. When the Partition Wizard appears, select Primary Partition and click on Next. You will see a default value for the DrivePod; click Next. You will then see a drive letter (you can change this drive letter if you wish); click Next. You will then be asked to format the DrivePod.

Eg :)

Yep, already been there.

This is what I was talking about:

Quote:

---

A: Solution: Right-click on My Computer. Select Manage in the pop-up menu. In the Computer Management window, select Storage, then select Disk Management. In the Disk Management window, you should see a list of available storage devices. Look for the Disk that has a capacity closest to your DrivePod.

---

Nothing of the sort shows up in Disk Management. Just my internal hard drive.

Hmm, well, it sounds like windows just comes with enough software so that it recognizes it in the device manager, so you don't have to run the add/remove new hardware wizard. It's like getting a new video card, you install it, windows has enough software preinstalled to recognize it, but you still need to load drivers... You should try looking for drivers at the HDD's manufacturers website. If it still doesn't work then honestly I don't know, maybe I'm overlooking something?? Normally I would say it's not formatted or something, but you can't even format it if the computer doesn't recognize it!

No drivers. They say XP has the necessary drivers, so there are not XP drivers on the website.

Yep, can't format, can't do nuthin'! It's a nusance!!

Well, check the windows xp HCL, I saw it like 2 days ago on microsfts site, but now I can't find it! I'll edit this post when/if I do...

//edit

Stupid idea, it would have to be compatable if there are installation instructions for windows xp... It's late, i'm tired, long day at work, i'm sure you guys understand ;)

Hey Angelic~ are you losing it or what?

Quote:

---

I bought used off eBay.

---

I wonder why it was for sale on e-bay? :D

Quote:

---

I wonder why it was for sale on e-bay?

---

Indeed. It was a power seller with a positive feedback rating in the high 90's, so I figured it relatively safe a purchase...but I'm having second thoughts about that now! I went back to find the company's acquired 60+ negative feedback entries over the last month. Unfortunately for me it's been longer than 14 days since I received the drive, so I'm stuck with it.

Darn.

Angelic,

Since you cannot return it, I say "Open the enclosure to remove the drive, and if possible put it in a desktop computer or another enclosure for testing. If the drive still does not show up at all, then:
Find out what harddrive brand it is, and let me know.
Also I need to know if it's SATA or IDE drive end connector.

The drive's embedded firmware may need a refresh, which on some drives I can do.