I accidentally dropped my external hard drive. Now, every time I connect via usb I get a 'power surge on hub port' warning. Does this mean my HD is ruined? What can I do to fix this? Thanks.

Possibly. Hard disk don't take to kindly to being dropped. First thing I would do is to take the hard disk out of its enclosure and mount it inside a computer. That will eliminate the USB electronics as being at fault. If the disk works inside the computer then all you may need is a new enclosure which is not that expensive. If the disk doesn't work inside the computer go to the manufactures web site and download their diagnostic programme - they all have one. That will tell you if the disk is recoverable. Stuart

Excellent advice from Stuart (as always). Hard drives are VERY fragile. Do yourself a favor BACKUP! Sorry, I do not check for private messages

Thanks for the posts. ----- StuartS- Now this external is a Western Digital External USB Hard Drive. Not an internal hard drive that I converted into a external. Is this something I can still take apart? ----- ham30- to comment on your signature: yes, I should have backed up my external! <pulling teeth out for punishment> ---- Thanks again for your time.

There is no such thing as a USB drives per se. They are ATA drives with USB adaptors built in. The drive itself is no different than any other hard disk drive. The enclosure is just a metal box with a little extra circuit board to convert the USB signals into ATA signals that go to the drive. There should be some screws that can be removed so the disk slides out on a tray where it can be dismounted. Stuart

Thanks again StuartS!