I have a dynex 2.0 usb external hard drive with files already loaded onto it. One day my computer just stopped recognizing it and since then I have not been able to get this, or any other computer, to recognize it. How can I fix this problem? I have downloaded all the necessary drivers, and I cant even get it to show up under the computer management.

A Hitachi USB external hard drive is a device that acts as portable, removable storage for your personal computer. If you need additional space to house files on your computer but don't want to go to the trouble of installing an internal drive inside the case, a USB external hard drive is your best option. These drives are "plug and play" devices, which means that very little can actually go wrong. If you're having problems, fixing them shouldn't take more than a minute or two.

Check your connections. A USB cable needs to be connecting your Hitachi external hard drive to your computer. Your external hard drive's power cable also needs to be plugged into a functional wall outlet, surge protector, extension cord or power strip. Make sure your Hitachi USB external hard drive is turned to "On." An "On/Off" button is present on the front of the unit. If the indicator light around said button is not illuminated, the drive is "Off" and your computer won't be able to recognize it. Press it to turn it on and then try to access your drive again. Format your hard drive. If your Hitachi USB external hard drive doesn't currently have a file system on it, you won't be able to use it to store data. Open up the "Computer" icon in the "Start" menu. Right-click on your USB external hard drive's icon and click "Format." Click "Start." This will install a file system on your Hitachi USB external hard drive. After this process is finished, you will now be able to use your drive. Restart your computer. Certain models of computers (especially older models) won't recognize new hardware unless your computer boots with the hardware already connected. Leave your USB drive plugged in and restart your computer. Once you do this, your Hitachi USB external hard drive should appear as normal in the "Computer" folder with all of your other drives. Hope this helps.

A Hitachi USB external hard drive is a device that acts as portable, removable storage for your personal computer. If you need additional space to house files on your computer but don't want to go to the trouble of installing an internal drive inside the case, a USB external hard drive is your best option. These drives are "plug and play" devices, which means that very little can actually go wrong. If you're having problems, fixing them shouldn't take more than a minute or two.

Check your connections. A USB cable needs to be connecting your Hitachi external hard drive to your computer. Your external hard drive's power cable also needs to be plugged into a functional wall outlet, surge protector, extension cord or power strip. Make sure your Hitachi USB external hard drive is turned to "On." An "On/Off" button is present on the front of the unit. If the indicator light around said button is not illuminated, the drive is "Off" and your computer won't be able to recognize it. Press it to turn it on and then try to access your drive again. Format your hard drive. If your Hitachi USB external hard drive doesn't currently have a file system on it, you won't be able to use it to store data. Open up the "Computer" icon in the "Start" menu. Right-click on your USB external hard drive's icon and click "Format." Click "Start." This will install a file system on your Hitachi USB external hard drive. After this process is finished, you will now be able to use your drive. Restart your computer. Certain models of computers (especially older models) won't recognize new hardware unless your computer boots with the hardware already connected. Leave your USB drive plugged in and restart your computer. Once you do this, your Hitachi USB external hard drive should appear as normal in the "Computer" folder with all of your other drives. Hope this helps.

1. This could be due to several things.
a. The power supply for the external drive is not working properly
b. A broken power supply connector.
c. The USB drive was disconnected improperly > that is not disconnected safely in Windows
d. The external drive controller in the USB case is defective. A new case is needed.

Step 1: Connect your hard drive to your PC.
Step 2: Create a FAT32 partition on your hard drive. If you’re using less than 32 GB, you can use Windows via “Control panel > Administrative tools > Computer Management”. If you’re using more than 32 GB, you’ll have to use an external program, e.g. Partition Magic.
Step 3: Load all the content you want from your PC onto the external drive. This should consist of files that can be read on the Xbox hard drive.
Step 4: Remove the external hard drive from your PC. Plug it into your Xbox 360 console through the USB port.
Step 5: Go to the Media menu on your Xbox screen. Select "Portable Device" from the menu. All the readable files saved on the external drive should be available to read on your Xbox 360.
N.B. Xbox's connection with an external drive is read-only. You can only read files that are already on the drive after connecting. You can't save game files or anything else on the Xbox main drive onto the external hard drive. Also, USB storage devices cannot be used for Xbox live marketplace content.

I have to say from the sounds you describe the Hard Drive is totally destroyed, the noises you can hear are the mechanical parts inside grinding and clanking together. If the information is critical it may be recovered by a specialist data recovery company, but we are talking £100's even £1000's to do the job, so otherwise I would suggest taking case apart and buying a new hard drive for it.

Sorry its not what you want to hear but it sounds very terminal to me.

The reason the PC can detect a device is that it can see the Interface card that sits between the USB port and the Hard Drive.

Hello jajogeglez,

You may need to use another USB device, be it another flash drive to narrow down if it's just your Simpledrive that's causing this.

You can also update the USB devices under your Device Manger using the CD driver for your motherboard.

Hope this helps.

Is this a new drive? has it worked before? the usual sequence is to connect the external drive to a power source first, and then connect the usb cables to the PC. IF you know the usb cables are good and have verified that they are connected properly, try connect to a different usb port on the PC, sometimes ports go bad. If that still doesn't work, the most likely the hard drive has gone bad.

You can download the drivers from the Dynex website.
External USB 2.0 Multiformat Memory Card Reader Drivers

you can find a program on the maxtor/seagate site maybe you can fix this with that..

Gr Rich

 If your running XP , go to control panal , Admin tools>Computer Management >Storage > Disk Management . Look for it there . If its there see if it says what file system . If none format it . If it isnt there then chack the jumper on the hard drive it self . It should be set to master or cable select .