Windows 7 W7 won't detect USB hard drive

[simon3030]

Hi, I have tried to use this Link Removed

to connect an old 250 gb Samsung sata hard drive to my PC.

Windows won't recognise it as a hard drive/partition - the USB adapter device is recognised, and via Devices & Printers, it shows the drive, but not as a USB External Drive, (see image) Link Removed so I cannot access it.

Is there a way of changing it's properties, or am I being a real dummy?

Be kind, it's nearly Christmas,

Simon
UK

 

[Trouble]

Hello Simon and welcome to the forum.
Without moving it about too much, with the power attached, can you feel the drive actually spin up?
Have you checked disk management and see if it's reporting any additional drives and the condition or properties of a new drive (online, offline, etc.,)
Just click the start orb and type
disk management
and hit enter
While I have never used that particular model of adapter, I have used several others without any problems with the possible exception of occasionally when using a USB hub, they seem to like being attached using one of the mainboard's USB ports.
Regards
Randy

 

[simon3030]

Hi Trouble...

Yes, it spins, and gets warm...I've tried disk management, as I saw one of your previous replies..it's not found in that, so that was then I posted, to see if there might be an answer.

The adapter is plugged into a USB2 port, straight off the mainboard, not via the front panel. I've also rebooted with the USB drive connected, but no difference.
I have an IOMEGA external USB drive, that is recognised as such, with no issues.

Any other ideas?

Thanks for your response...

What's odd is that Windows recognises the adapter, and then the drive, but not the drive directly.

 

[Trouble]

It would seem that you are left with performing some basic logical troubleshooting steps.
Possibly the first thing to try would be to leave everything connected and turned on and reboot the computer into safe mode, just to confirm that there is no third party software preventing Windows 7 from enumerating the drive correctly.
Failing that then
Test the adapter with another driver on your current computer
or
Test the adapter and samsung drive on another computer.