Hi there I'm having a real problem with an 120GB external hard disk that I bought new online a month or so ago. I was using it as the main storage space for documents and pictures, and it functioned fine on a number of different machines. However, just in the last two days, while the computer still recognises that I have plugged the drive in, it no longer appears in My Computer with its own drive letter. This is the same on all computers I have plugged it into. When I plug it in, I get the FOUND NEW HARDWARE message in the bottom left - it says FOUND: USB DEVICE which then changes to USB MASS STORAGE DEVICE then GENERIC USB DISK DRIVE and finally it says Your New Hardware is installed and ready to use. But then it never appears in My Computer. Could someone start me off on working out what the problem could be - are there any utilities I can use to see what's wrong? All help welcome, as I'm afraid there are some documents and things on the disk that I added just before it stopped functioning and which I don't want to lose. Thanks in advance Jeremy

Do you always first invoke the Safely Remove Hardware feature built in XP before you disconnect the external HD? In my case I always do with all external HD & flash drives and other USB peripherals. This assures me of its long & continuing trouble-free usages over the years. i_XpUser

Also, you obviously haven't backed up your files. USB drives are even less reliable than internal drives. It isn't a question of "if the harddrive fails, but when the harddrive fails". I use my external as a backup but also burn my mission critical files to optical media. I use drag to disk, Ghost, external drive and My documents. I know you don't want a lecture right now but that is what you need. Most likely you have corrupted the file allocation table. Is the drive formatted FAT32?

I don't mind a lecture at all, but with it a little practical advice would be great about what I can do. Yes, I always did remove the drive properly. As for backing up - the drive itself was a backup (I am pretty efficient at backing up) of a laptop that then subsequently went completely crazy on me. So essentially, the main source and the backup have both gone wrong on me at the same time. I had no idea that USB HDDs were less secure than optical. Not much a fallible human can do about such freak situations! So, now I've had my telling off, any suggestions for how to move forward? Many thanks Jeremy

sorry - should have said that the drive is formatted Fat32, yes. How do I un-corrupt file allocation tables? Jeremy

Do I understand that the critical files are also on your computer, which also has problems? If so, describe the problems with your computer. FAT32 only has 2 copies of the allocation table by design. If both get trashed Windows can't do anything with it. I do believe that a distro of Linux can see the files though. Linux works differently than Windows and MAY be able to see and copy the files. I recommend you get a copy of Knoppix linux. This version of linux runs off a single CD. You can either DLoad or for a small fee purchase a premade CD online. Google for Knoppix. YOu boot to the CD and Knoppix will install some drivers so it can access your hardware, including optical drives and USB drives. Then you should be able to access the files. The procedure to access if the drive is formatted NTFS is slightly diferent. Maybe I am wrong about the FAT table on the drive being repairable. I suggest you get Knoppix and in the meantime perhaps someone more knowledgeable than myself will know how to repair the FAT tables. There is a slight possibility the external drive enclosure could be the problem, in which case the drive would need to be removed and connected internally to a computer. Since the enclosure is recognised by Windows IMO this isn't the problem.