[dguy01]

i have a hard drive almost a year old;
1 tb
wdc external usb hard drive
with a 3.5 hdd external case
running on vista

and baisically the hard drive keeps disconnecting.. it doesnt even show up in my computer when the computer boots up so i have to switch it on and off by the case or unplugg either the usb or the by the socket serveral times for it to be recognized.
i have uninstalled the usb mass storage device in device manager and resterated the computer but that didnt solve anything (it did reinstall though)
i have tried the usb in different ports and didnt solve anything
and i have tried a different usb wire for the hard drive and nothing solved...
so im wondering what could be the cause? maybe the case?
i know that the hard drive is healthy though, but i need to sort it out incase i loose all my data (because i keep all my files on my external hard drive and use the other one fore vista)

any help? thanks

[pip22]

What have you tested it with to be able to pronounce it healthy?
The definitive test is the drive manufacturer's own diagnostic software. You may already have tested it with this, but you didn't make it clear. WD's diagnostic software is called Data LifeGuard Diagnostics (DLG) and you can download it here:
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?lang=en

Click your drive model or series, then download Data LifeGuard for Windows.

[dguy01]

im going to take it to the shop to see if it can be fixed
i know that the hard drive itself is healthy though because it says so in device manager when its connected.
ive been told though it could be the external case?

[Oddba11]

The status in Device Manager is based upon the the exact time that it's connected. So obviously, if it's recognized and working, it will have a "healthy" status. So again, that is NOT an indication of the drive status.

[dguy01]

ok so it could still be the hard drive itself thats causing the problem? rather than the external case

[DoubleHelix]

Take it out of the case, connect it directly to the motherboard (or with a SATA to USB adapter), and run the diagnostics.

[dguy01]

if i do this will i loose the data in anyway?
cause i could just conect it that way untill i buy a new case. (if thats the cause)
still not taken it to the shop yet and could do with using my hard drive untill then

[dustyjay]

Some of the WD externals have a propriatary Hard drive that does not use standard Sata connectors. I forget which ones though.

[DoubleHelix]

I assumed the term "external case" meant you bought a standard 3.5" desktop computer hard drive and a separate USB enclosure and put the two pieces together yourself.

Start over. Describe the exact external hard drive hardware you have. Did you buy it all in one piece? What make/model? Or did you create your own external drive setup from a drive and an enclosure?

[dustyjay]

Yeah the description is a bit confusing. If it is a Normal 3.5 inch drive in a external enclosure The drive can be tested independantly. If it is one of the Prebuilt WD Externals (again I can remember which models) it may use a propriatary drive.

[dguy01]

i cant even connect the hard drive to let you know which one it is but its a western digital 1 tb hard drive that i bought seperate to the 3.5 external case and then put the two together.
and then connect it by usb.

[DoubleHelix]

Why can't you take it out of the case?

[dguy01]

sorry didnt mean that. i meant when i connect the hard drive with the case its not even showing up anymore, never mind disconnecting.
ill try that now

[dguy01]

i have connected the hard drive to the pc now instead of using the usb external case and it works.
but i have a problem with the booting?
i have to constantly boot the hard disk with vista on first everytime i start the pc...
so im wondering if anyone knows how to sort this out so it does it automatically.
(im going to buy a new case sooner or later but im using it this way for now)

[DoubleHelix]

Go into the BIOS and set the boot order.