# HP USB device not recognized



## DaddyDe (Jan 5, 2010)

Hello... I have an HP 500GB USB Personal Media Drive HD5000s That I have been using for a couple of years or so and I am now getting an error that the USB device is not recognized and the light on the drive just flashes... This same error happens whether I slide the drive into the HP Desktop slot or plug it into the Desktop's or Laptop's USB port via cable... I am a photographer and have over 150,000 important photos on this drive... I have a similar 300GB drive - This sounds mechanical or electrical unrelated to the drive itself so I am wondering if no other answer is known if there might be some way that I can take the drive itself out of it's 500GB case and place it in the 300GB case... I can't see an obvious way to open the cases to try and do the exchange????? Any help at all regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated...
Thank You


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

If it isn't recognized in multiple computers, it is likely faulty. You can open the enclosure and try to directly connect the HDD inside another desktop. That will identify whether the inclosure or the drive itself is faulty.


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## Fergalcatski (Jul 31, 2008)

DaddyDe
You asked for advice on opening the case of your HP Personal Media Drives. I have 2 HP Personal Media Drives with 160GB discs. Assuming the design is similar to the 300 & 500GB drives you own then it is straigtforward (although not obvious!) On each side of the drive you will see a long narrow strip of black plastic. At one end is wraps around the end for about 1cm or less. Using your fingernail or a small, slender screwdriver, gently prise up the short piece of plastic to enable you to pull the complete strip out. It sits in a groove so don't force it. Do the same with the strip on the other side. You should then be able to take apart the the two metal sides of the case. I found with mine that as soon as the plastic strips were removed one of the side pieces came away immediately. The other had to be gently prised off. I hope this helps.


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## Fergalcatski (Jul 31, 2008)

Fergalcatski said:


> DaddyDe
> You asked for advice on opening the case of your HP Personal Media Drives. I have 2 HP Personal Media Drives with 160GB discs. Assuming the design is similar to the 300 & 500GB drives you own then it is straigtforward (although not obvious!) On each side of the drive you will see a long narrow strip of black plastic. At one end is wraps around the end for about 1cm or less. Using your fingernail or a small, slender screwdriver, gently prise up the short piece of plastic to enable you to pull the complete strip out. It sits in a groove so don't force it. Do the same with the strip on the other side. You should then be able to take apart the the two metal sides of the case. I found with mine that as soon as the plastic strips were removed one of the side pieces came away immediately. The other had to be gently prised off. I hope this helps.


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## njineer (May 12, 2010)

How did you make out with your drive? I had the exact same problem with my 500GB HP Personal Media Drive. Tore mine apart and found a seagate Barracuda drive inside which according to multiple searches has a firmware glitch that causes it not to be recognized. Once this happens, no way to access the drive through software on your PC, turning on and off, etc. There is however, a procedure to unlock the drive using a communication terminal program and some relatively simple electronics. Once the drive is unlocked, the data is unharmed and available (although the firmware should be upgraded to prevent the drive from locking up again). I haven't put any details on opening the drive nor the unlocking procedure here, but if you're still interested, let me know and I'll point you to some links that I found useful. cheers.


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