Hi

I have windows XP and use an External Hard Drive to back up my files. Recently I have not be able to use my HD. Every time I plug it in it shows on the right hand side as (new hard ware) however it does NOT open or show when I click on my computer. It only takes a few minutes and computer freezes- I can not do anything!! :confused:

I tried plugging the HD to my sisters laptop and it works just fine.

I don't know much about computer so PLEASE be patient.:o

Any changes that either happened or that you perhaps made to your computer around the time that the problem started; particularly any Software or Hardware that you installed or setup.

What OS?

To be honest if there were any changes made I may have made them by accident and have no idea what they are.

Do you know when the last time it worked properly?

I would suggest to do a system restore back to the date when everything seemed to be working all right.

Steps below are the same for Vista

System Restore
-Go down till you see
How to use System Restore to restore Windows XP to a previous state
How to restore Windows XP to a previous state (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084)

Its hard to say when it was working , also we had a virus just recently but I'll try to figure out the time line.

If all fails and I'm unable to determine when it was working- is there any other way to work around this?

First thing to do is try to restore the system back to a date when all was working and go from there

If the exact date of working may not be known, see if you can use system restore back to a date where you would think all was all right, you may have to reinstall some things depending on how far back a system restore is chosen - depends

If system restore is not an option, you can do a Repair Installation

Repair Installation
A Repair Install will replace the system files with the files on the XP CD used for the Repair Install. It will leave your applications and settings intact, but Windows updates will need to be reapplied.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

Would suggest a system restore first then a repair if nec.

I

Hi Seahwk83

Thank you for your time and patience.

I tried the first option which was the "system restore". It partially worked- what I mean by this is,I followed the steps and did the system retore... I left the hard drive plugged in and re booted. Computer recognized the hard drive and I was able to click on my computer and there it was under the J drive. Funny thing is - if I unplu the hard drive it doesn't show however if I restart while its still plugged in - I have no problems.

My only problem is - I don't get the icon (?) near the time to safely remove. This is also true when I plug in my ipod- I usually get the green icon on the bottom.

Follow info here, found same info in a few different places

Safely Remove Hardware: where did the icon go? How do I safely remove hardware without it? - Ask Leo! (http://ask-leo.com/safely_remove_hardware_where_did_the_icon_go_how_d o_i_safely_remove_hardware_without_it.html)

I'll try this when I get home.

Thanks again