Responses in line...
Ok, i've checked every possible power setting of every hard drive and
USB item in the device manager. Nothing relates to this drive, or a
USB port where this drive could be connected to.
I have a Maxtor One Touch 250GB external. If I don't disable power options
for the USB hub that it's connected to, it goes into standby. This does not
keep me from using the drive. It just means I have to wait for it to come
back from standby OR I can disable standby, it's available all of the time.
My preference is to have it always available when it's connected/powered
on, so I do disable USB from standby so that it stays "awake." This works
for me. I don't know why it isn't working for you unless there is a
physical (hardware) problem with the drive itself.
I've also tried identifying the manufacture of the drive, without luck.
I thought perhaps there is a home page where a specific driver must be
available ....
Some hstory: this is my second drive like this. The first one had the
exact same characteristic. It failed after about 4 months operating.
The drive stored everything just fine, only with this characteristic
that it would disconnect from time to time. I first noticed it, when
after disconnecting, it connected again and my PC opened a window and
checked through all folders etc. on the drive, and then opened the
window asking me what to do with this device that "was just connected".
I just thought this was "normal". But, then the drive failed after 4
months (no response to anything any longer). I returned it, and they
sent me a new one. I was hoping this would not be the case with this
one, but now i'm getting suspicous ......
Having autoplay appear is normal if you connect/activate the drive while
there's a current Windows session. The operating system sees these things
as "removable storage" so Autoplay is offered.
One thing I am careful about: If I am going to disconnect the drive, I use
the "safely remove hardware" tool down by the clock. Or I turn off the
computer and then power it down. Data corruption can occur if care is not
taken when disconnecting.
Aside: There is a setting to allow quick removal. I don't mind using that
with a little USB stick but I shy away from using it with a larger drive
that contains data that is important to me.
Does all this seem strange? Shoudl i be overly suspicous about this
behaviour of the drive? Having said that, two drives in a row, with
the same "problem" seems unlikely also?
Getting real frustrated now .....
Based on the experiences I've had with external USB hard drives, yes it
does sound strange. Which is why I keep hinting at possible hardware
trouble. Unfortunately, since you can't determine the manufacturer, you
can't contact them for technical support. If that was possible, you might
find out there was a firmware update for the drive that corrects this
problem (out of reach because the mfr is unknown) or they could tell you
without a doubt that the drive needs to be replaced.
