Limit to how many hard drive disks at once?

[degenerex]

I recently tried to hook up my Ipod to my new computer running Vista, and just figured that is wasn't working because of a compatibility issue.  I found the update and installed it, and still, nothing.  Itunes would not recognize my Ipod, Windows would not safely remove my hardware, and my computer would not shut off or restart without me manually pressing the button.

On a whim, I disconnected an external hard drive connected to my computer and plugged in the Ipod.  It worked instantly! 

I did some investigating and noticed that, when my external hard drive is plugged into the USB port, all of my media drives also disappear (SD, MS, SmartMedia, etc).  Is there some sort of limit to the amount of drives a computer could handle?  I'd appreciate any help.  Thanks!

[soybean]

Is your external hard drive powered just by the USB connection or does it have an AC adapter that plugs into an electrical outlet?  Sounds like your system may not be able to provide enough juice , i.e. electrical power, to multiple USB devices. 

[degenerex]

yes my external hard drive has its own power source.  I've also tried to switch up the USB ports I plug into and same result.

[patio]

Front ports or Rear ? ?

[quaxo]

Well, to answer your question, a computer can only have as many drives as there are available letters.

A & B are usually reserved for floppy devices.

That leaves you with C-Z, or 24 other options for physical hard drives, partitions, USB memory devices, optical drives, virtual drives, etc.

...provided you can supply the needed power and connections for all those drives...

If you don't have a total of 24 of those devices, then you haven't reached your limit. If you have, you've got way too much plugged in.

But it sounds to me like Soybean said. Sounds like your drive is pulling too much power causing other things to shut off.

[degenerex]

I don't have 24 devices, but I do have 10 (2 internal hard drives, an external, a DVD drive, an Ipod (when it works), and then 5 media drives that came pre installed on the PC).

The first time I had a problem, I was using a front USB port for both devices, but have since tried every combination and still nothing. 

When I get home from work, I am going to try to uninstall and reinstall Itunes, and see if that sparks anything.

[patio]

What exactly are the 5 Media drives ? ?
What brand PSU is in that machine and what is the wattage info ? ?

[degenerex]

What exactly are the 5 Media drives ? ?
What brand PSU is in that machine and what is the wattage info ? ?

Sorry, they are Media devices, not drives.  I'm at work and I don't remember offhand, but here is the computer I recently bought:

Gateway - E2140 Desktop
Model: GT5620 SKU: 8540251

and I've since added a 80 GB WD Internal Hard drive and I have a 200 GB External hard drive (I forget the brand).  And just for fun, my Ipod is a 60 GB Video. 

Thanks again for any help!

[quaxo]

The media devices he's refering to are most likely one item. Most likely it's similar to a computer I was working on the other day which had a multi-card reader with each type of card requiring a drive letter, whether it's in use or not.

I still say it sounds like a power problem.

Degenerex, have you tried the USB ports in the back of the system? Also, try unplugging some unneeded USB devices and see if it will work then.

Could you list everything that is plugged into a USB port and how it is powered? (especially the hard drive)

Also, how many USB ports to do you have and where are they located on the system? (don't forget to check the back, keyboard, etc.)

One solution might be a powered USB hub (one that comes with an adapter to provide extra power when the system doesn't provide enough). But before you rush out and buy one, let's look at what your current configuration is. There might be a way to sort this out and save you some money.

[degenerex]

ok, just to answer a previous question my computer has 6 USB ports (3 sets of 2).  2 in the back, and one in the front.  I've tried every combination of plugging the ipod and external HD in, so I really don't think this is a power issue.

I have realized that, as soon as I plug in my external HD, it causes all of the "devices" to disappear from my computer.  And when I plug in my Ipod, it recognizes it as a device, so this probably has something to do with the problem.  Is there any way I could make windows recognize the ipod as a drive so it doesn't make it vanish? 

[degenerex]

it now appears my girlfriend has bought me the new 160 GB ipod for christmas so I really need to figure this out now!  It'll be hard to fake excitement opening a gift I won't be able to use!

[soybean]

Like quaxo, I still think this may be a power problem.  And, one solution may be a USB controller card such as  SYBA PCI USB 2.0 4+1 shared port controller card Model SD-VIA-5U.  This card installs in a PCI slot and adds 4 USB ports to the back of your computer.