Some some reason, my external HD is causing my computer to beep, whenever it is turned on during pre-windows booting. If I leave it plugged in, the boot up will stall, and then beep continuously with a warning that says CPUID :0F33 PATCH ID:000C. Once windows boots, I can access the external, but it won't be able to shut down until I power the external down... The external is a Comstar platinum 500gb.

And ideas?

try going into the BIOS and taking it out of the boot order or put it fourth or something like that!

I doubt a USB connected drive appears anywhere in bios boot order. More likely, the USB device is placing a strain on the powersupply during bootup. This may be because of a weak powersupply or a motherboard problem. Have you tried a different USB port? What are the exact specifications of your powersupply? ie what wattage rating and how many amps is each voltage rail rated? What brand? How many drives and what other devices are connected?

I used to have a signature but it disappeared and I just couldn't be bothered writing another so please feel free to ingore this.

430 watt thermalake I think. I'm not near it now. Anyways, I've found out decisively that it's the external. It crashes my laptop on boot as well, and it's entirely inaccesible on any computer I've connected it to... What could've caused that???

PS: The external has it's own PSU.

If it was me, I would try copying everything off the drive, and then repartitioning and reformatting it.

Can you remove the drive from the external enclosure? If so try connecting it as an internal drive to see if the problem is with the drive itself or the enclosure. ( Only do this if the Comstar is outside warranty. If it is still under warranty then RMA it

I used to have a signature but it disappeared and I just couldn't be bothered writing another so please feel free to ingore this.