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maxwelltf
31 Oct 2008, 9:01pm
I just picked up an additional hard drive to add to my existing desktop system. I am mounting it in an external case, connected via 1394 to the PC. Problem is, windows hasn't recognized it. I'm not sure, but I think this might be because it too is also named C. Any suggestions how to change the drive letter of a drive that you can't see in windows? The drive was wiped, as I understood from the party I purchased it from. Thanks so much.
jared
31 Oct 2008, 9:35pm
What the drive is 'named' shouldn't affect the drive letter it is assigned.

Try going into the control panel -> administrative tools -> disk management (its on the left)

See if your drive shows up there. It might just need to be formatted (again) depending on how the owner before you chose to erase the data.
maxwelltf
31 Oct 2008, 11:32pm
What the drive is 'named' shouldn't affect the drive letter it is assigned.

Try going into the control panel -> administrative tools -> disk management (its on the left)

See if your drive shows up there. It might just need to be formatted (again) depending on how the owner before you chose to erase the data.

The drive does not appear under windows disk management. that is what I meant by windows doesnt recognize it. The issue is I think this new drive is also a C drive so it conflicts with the internal C drive that my PC boots from. Does this make sense?
Thrax
31 Oct 2008, 11:56pm
No, because Windows is responsible for assigning drive letters. A drive cannot come out of the box as a "C:\" or a "D:\." It is whatever Windows says it is. Something else, possibly hardware-related is at play.
maxwelltf
1 Nov 2008, 12:00am
No, because Windows is responsible for assigning drive letters. A drive cannot come out of the box as a "C:\" or a "D:\." It is whatever Windows says it is. Something else, possibly hardware-related is at play.

Wonderful - so it's a bad hard drive? Anyway to run some diags on it or do some process of elimination?
jared
1 Nov 2008, 12:27am
Check the bios to see if it is even showing up there.

Also, you can try running some tests on the drive (if it even shows up).
Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test will do the job.
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#DFT

cheers :jared:
troll
1 Nov 2008, 3:48am
If the drive is IDE make sure it is set to Master in the FW case, not Cable Select as most drives are set for internal use.
maxwelltf
1 Nov 2008, 8:38pm
It was set for master (as an external drive) and was not working. I changed it to cable select (the opposite of the suggestion) and then it worked. Does that make any sense? It is an external drive with an IEEE 1394 connection.
Thrax
1 Nov 2008, 10:57pm
It's random. Every drive I've used seemed to want a different jumper setting.
troll
1 Nov 2008, 10:57pm
It was set for master (as an external drive) and was not working. I changed it to cable select (the opposite of the suggestion) and then it worked. Does that make any sense? It is an external drive with an IEEE 1394 connection.

I have a half a dozen FireWire / USB cases, every one of them (Except for the FW800 Dual) requires the drive to be master... Strange...
troll
1 Nov 2008, 11:00pm
The true test is to hook the drive up inside your computer case and see if it works.
maxwelltf
2 Nov 2008, 1:01am
Gents - it seems to be working as cable select. BUT it is "acting" up and I'm not 100% confident. Question: is there a size limit to connecting a large external drive to a PC, similar to that size limit of a boot disk? Maybe I can run some tests on it? Any suggested software tools for that?
Leonardo
2 Nov 2008, 6:46am
"acting" upPlease be more specific.
is there a size limit to connecting a large external drive to a PCNo, assuming you're running XP SP2 or newer. If it's an older drive enclosure, the enclosure itself could be limited to a certain size. How old is the enclosure? What's the volume of your new drive?
maxwelltf
2 Nov 2008, 8:16am
Please be more specific.
No, assuming you're running XP SP2 or newer. If it's an older drive enclosure, the enclosure itself could be limited to a certain size. How old is the enclosure? What's the volume of your new drive?

The new drive is 400gb. The oldr drive was 100GB. The enclosure is about 4 years old.
Leonardo
2 Nov 2008, 5:47pm
It's my bet your enclosure does not support drives up to 400GB. To be certain though, test your hard drive in your computer. Then we'll know for sure whether it's the drive itself or just the enclosure.

If you need assistance, just ask.
maxwelltf
2 Nov 2008, 5:50pm
It's my bet your enclosure does not support drives up to 400GB. To be certain though, test your hard drive in your computer. Then we'll know for sure whether it's the drive itself or just the enclosure.

If you need assistance, just ask.

Thanks. Is there another way to know if my enclosure does not support the larger drive?
Leonardo
2 Nov 2008, 5:57pm
Is there another way to know if my enclosure does not support the larger drive?Yes, find its specifications through an Internet search (if available). Use both brand name and model, then the serial number for your searches.
yagga
2 Nov 2008, 7:01pm
Sometimes there is a jumper on the drive itself that will limit its capacity, check on that, too.