Cannot access WD 1 TB external disc when PC is in operation

[Madgri]

In order for me to get access to that disc I must to turn it on and restart my PC; or while the PC is off, turn the disc on and restart the PC afterwards. In both cases the disc works then perfectly.

Whenever I try to turn on the disc while the the PC is on, I hear the typical sound of an USB device (printer, scanner, etc.) when turning it off, and my Windows freezes.

I'm not sure, but it seems to me that the first two times I used that disc I could access it with only turn it on while my was running..

Any explanation and solution for that?

[Geek-9pm]

It would help if you provide some more information.
How old is your PC, band and model.
What model Western Digital do you have and is it still under warranty?
Is there anything out of then ordinary about your system? For example, are you using other external devices that might interfere with eh USB connection. Such as a USB Hub.

[Madgri]

Thanks, Geek.

• My PC is a clone. It was assembled June/2010.
• The external disc is a Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA  3.0Gb/s 3.5", I bought from NewEgg on July/2011. Forget about warranty since I'm not in the States.
• My USB devices are a Samsung Multifunctional, a web camera and the mouse.
• When I want to turn on the external drive it's for making backups and there's no other USB device active.
• The only USB hub I'm aware of is internal. Please, see attached file for complete details.



[regaining space - attachment deleted by admin]

[Geek-9pm]

Thanks for coming back. I don't see anything that would conflict with the drive.
Maybe somebody else here has some idea.
You say you are outside the USA. Still, you might want to contact Western Digital to see if that drive is one that needs a firmware update.

Also, how do you power your system? Do you have a 240 to 120 auto transformer? Isolation transformer?
Or maybe all your devices have auto switch.

In some parts of the world the 240 mains float above ground and you ought to have a separate ground wire to reduce noise. And a good EMI filter. But that is not likely the real problem.

[Madgri]

Thanks again, Geek.

I'm in Venezuela. We use, like in the US, 110-120V.

There's something estrange here.

I connected the external drive to a different USB port, and the same thing. Then I connected it to my old laptop and the "New device detected" shows up, and then the "Disk drive",.... and end of the story: it frozen.

Then, having the external drive 'on', I restarted the laptop and it could "see" that external drive but only one of its two partitions. The partition where I have the image of my desktop Windows XP didn't show up. The data partition did.

QUESTION.- Is it possible that when connected to my desktop the external drive doesn't start because the desktop Windows XP requires to "see" itself in that external drive image partition?

This would explain why it worked fine when I first connected it to my PC. By that time there was not XP image partition.

[Geek-9pm]

This would explain why it worked fine when I first connected it to my PC. By that time there was not XP image partition.

No, I don't think so. Normally XP does not try to boot from USB.

As I  dimly recall, the Western Digital and others of that gene require a special driver to work properly. Wait. That is a standard drive your mounted in a generic enclosure? Somehow I was thinking is was a package from Western Digital. If nit is an home brew and you some way got it  to working, consider yourself  lucky.

Tot put it another way, large hard drives in generic enclosures using a USB interface are subject to issues. This is from personal experience. Even the manufactures have had some struggle with this. What drives you crazy is that is seems to work most of the time and then it don't.

At this pint In don't have any ideas. If you have found a power on sequence that works right, then best tuning to do is just accept that is how it wants to work.

You might consider a sequence that includes insertion and removal of the USB port from the PC.
Power on to external device.
Insert USB cable.
Wait for recognition of device. Which make take up to 90 seconds. Do you updates. Then when you are done. do the safe removal thing. Wait a bit. Remove USB cable, , power off the external drive
That is the best I can think of..

[Madgri]

Geek-9pm, since that external disk is doing what I want it used in the proper way, I have no problem in turn it on before starting my PC the day I decide to make cleaning and backup tasks.

As log as it can do that, It'll be fine to me.

Thanks for all once more. Have a happy weekend.

[Madgri]

LAST MINUTE. Just in case it could be useful for someone else.

About one hour ago I started working with my PC and while typing a long text in my Outlook 2007 I turned on the external disc but didn't try to open "My PC" nor to use the "Safely remove hardware", and I could continue typing.

After about 10 minutes my typing activity frozen and I noticed that the external disc light was flickering and that the PC disc light was working like crazy.

When both lights stopped I suddenly could recover the typing activity. Then I open "My PC" and, eureka!: there were, ready for use, the external disc two partitions.

I think this a case of my PC USB *censored* dysfunction: they need stimulation for a longer time in order to respond.  The 1 TB disc size seems to be too heavy for them.

[patio]

I think you need to find out what apps are running in the background...sounds like a protection app scanning the external to me....

[Madgri]

Thanks, Patio.

This is maybe one of the first thing I did. I use "What's Running" and, according to it, when I try to start the external disc I previously close all programs but the ESET Security Suite (ESS-5).

Then I deactivated the ESS-5 but the result was the same.

[Madgri]

NEW LAST MINUTE. Just in case it could be useful for someone else, or, as it used to say: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

Believe it or not, all facts indicate that the culprit of my external disc problem is ESET Smart Security 5 (ESS-5).

Looking for a solution to that problem, besides contacting Computer Hope I have contacted a lot of people.

A relative of mine, who also use Windows XP Professional and ESS-5, told me, just minutes ago, that he had same problem, but his neighbor, who uses ESS-5 and Windows 7, has not.

So my relative contacted ESET support in San Diego (USA), allowed its technicians access to his PC and they couldn't find or solve anything. But when my relative uninstalled ESS-5 and reinstalled ESS-4 the problem disappeared completely.

So, he reinstalled back the ESS-4 and contacted the ESET technicians again.

They did their job, after entering my relative's PC, unistanlled ESS-5, reinstalled ESS-4 and when the external disc problem disappeared immediately they asked my parent to stay with ESS-4 while they submit that problem to the technical people at ESET European HQ.

What worried to me is that this happened middle of last October and ESET hasn't provided any solution till today.

Consulting my registers I found out that my external disc problem showed up just when I upgraded from ESS-4 to ESS-5. The funny thing is that if I disable ESS-5 now the problem doesn't disappeared, and same thing happened to my relative. The solution required to completely uninstall ESS-5.

I'm a bit sad because I have been a fan of ESET for years, but I don't understand why ESET hasn't solved this problem yet. Did they forget about their Windows XP customers?

[Madgri]

Good news!

I've just downloaded and installed ESS-5 version 5.0.95.0 and I finally could connect my external disc having Windows XP in operation.

It seems the problem is solved,... so far. Congratulations to ESET people!

[Madgri]

False optimism! Problem is back again.

It disappeared immediately after I installed the new ESS-5 version, but reappeared today.

I'm really disappointed with ESET. This problem seems to overcome their technical capacity.

[TheShadow]

Most likely, ESET got an auto update that changed something and caused your problem to return.

May I suggest, as a computer tech myself, I use only AVG 2012 Anti-Virus program and share it with all my customers.
We all stay 100% virus free.  It's FREE, an easy download and a simple install.  You can set it up for an auto update and an auto scan once each day. 

Obviously, it's time to retire ESET permanently.

It's not uncommon, as we upgrade to newer OS's, for some of our old favorite programs to stop working.
I'm testing Windows 8/DP right now on another system, and it won't run any version of AVG AV software or even Avast.
So for the time being, I'm using only Malware Bytes Pro on that PC, and backing it up with Spybot Search & Destroy.
I'm pretty sure that by the time the final version hits the store shelves, all those little problems will be solved.

Cheers Mate!
Happy Holidays!

 

[Madgri]

Thanks, The Shadow, but in a pros & cons analysis, ESS is still a winner.

Once a week I use to install and run another reputed anti-virus and no one has found anything in months.

The external disc problem is almost meaningless because, except in an infrequent case, I use that disc once a week, when I perform cleaning and backing up tasks.

Since I do that first thing on Saturday morning, it's no problem at all to turn on the external disc before turning on my PC.

I prefer to deal with only one program rather than dealing with four, and ESS has, besides the NOD32, a good anti-spam module and a good firewall,... and I really don't fully trust free anti-virus programs.