# Seagate expansion drive not detected correctly



## CurlyGirly (Mar 16, 2011)

Hello, 

I have a Seagate Expansion drive 500gb (FAT32) USB2.0 that I am using for about a year now that needs help. Just this month I had a problem with my desktop due ti the typhoon that hit my area and I had to make an old pc work for me. This is an old Asus P5L-VM 1394 DualCore Intel Pentium D 925, 3000 MHz (15 x 200). Ram is at 4gb (formerly with 2gb DDR2 667). Vid card is a Palit GT520 1gb. Problem is when I insert the expansion drive Windows 7 seems to have a hard time reading it. It would go for a long time and when it does read it (install driver) it will not show in Windows explorer. If I log-off and I unplug the usb connector of the expansion drive and insert it again it says, "USB not recognized". 

Sometimes I see it in Device Manager>Disk Drives but it does not show in the explorer as mentioned. Sometimes it's in the "unknown device". Sometimes I see it as 'USB Mass Storage Device' but with a triangle-exclamation point sign. 

At times it is detected but it's marked Local Disk:M but the 'Total Size' and 'Free Space' ion My Computer is blank and the explorer seems t read it forever. 

On the other XP partition(I dual-boot) it's the same. The system seems to be having a hard time reading detecting it. 

I tried with another pc and the expansion drive was fine. It was like that when I was using my former desktop. Allow as fine until the darn typhoon...

Now this is crucial as when I need it, I often recover image from that expansion drive via the Linux cd of Acronis True Image or Macrium. That expansion drive contains mostly clean system image backups I use. Now with this problem I cannot even see it when I boot to Acronis. 

Have not tested yet in Macrium though. 

I also have experienced freezing when rebooting while the expansion drive is left inserted(when it's detected). Or when I can boot the bios post seems to go on forever detecting the usb devices. Darn it's slow and long! I am beginning to suspect something in the bios setting. I see the 'Seagate portable' when it reads it in the bios post and when I check it the "emulation" is in "auto". I do not have the data as I am in the office right now but the mobo bios is AMI bios(the stock bios it came with the mobo). 

I sometimes leave that same drive inserted for a long time on my previous desktop and no problems. This mobo is so so..but I have no choice now I have to use it. 

I am not at home so I can't post screenshots of it. I will when I get at it at home

Can someone please help.....maybe steps to do (safely please) as I am not really tech-oriented gal and I fear for the expansion drive that it might get damaged during this trial and error dilemma. 

Help!


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

You can download Seatools for Windows and run the short and long tests on the drive. 
The USB controller inside the Enclosure may be failing. You can remove the drive from the Enclosure and attach it via a USB Adapter or put it in another *USB Enclosure* with a power adapter. 
Then Run *Check Disk* on the drive to fix any errors.


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## CurlyGirly (Mar 16, 2011)

Hi, 

Im back here to post some pictures of the system. Please bear with me as it's quite a read but the data here is relevant 

I must have confused, the Seagate Expansion Portable Drive I am using is not in an enclosure that can be opened. It's working fine as I tested it in another pc at the office and it passed the Seatools for DOS. This system I rebuilt(resurrected) seems to be the naughty one. 

Info HERE and HERE

I also just prepared the system for Triple Boot as I arrived earlier. I wanna see if this will be alt least be average to the previous desktop that I was using. System has 2 internal hdd drives:

WD320_XP (System, Active, Primary partition -- Windows XP SP3)
WD320_W7(Default boot as set in EasyBCD -- Windows 7 x32)
WD320_K7 (-- Windows 7 x32 --tentative, will be replaced with Win7 x64)
WD320_Y (-- empty drive)

WD500_2 (-- logical drive)
WD500_1A (-- logical drive)
WD500_1B (-- logical drive)
WD500_Image Backup (-- logical drive / for image backup)

For the WD320_K7(images as marked with blue border as marked):
 
After backing-up the bios via creating a profile I disabled Legacy USB Support in the bios. See bios.jpg. Booted to Windows 7(WD310_K7 with blue border). 



Windows is having a hard time reading the Seagate portable and the USB plug-it modem(wireless). See image 1.jpg.



Uninstalled both Seagate portable and the USB plug-it modem(wireless) in Device Manager. After uninstall and reboot, I plugged-in the Seagate portable. Windows began reading the drive. See 2.jpg. 



4. Changed the drive letter of the Seagate portable to 'Q'. See 3.jpg.



Inserted the USB plug-it modem(wireless). Windows did not recognize the plug-it. See 4.jpg. 



Uninstalled the 'Unknown Device' in Device Manager. Unplugged the USB plug-it modem(wireless) and rebooted. 

After reboot, inserted again the USB plug-it modem(wireless). It was detected and a pop-up to open the application of the USB plug-it modem(wireless). BUT when I checked the Device Manager, it's in the 'Disk drives' with the Seagate portable. 

How is this so?

Kindly see the Disk Management. The Seagate portable is there as marked 'Q'. The USB plug-it modem(wireless) is Removable drive (L). See DM.jpg. 



It's detected as a 'Disk drive' in Device Manager, so why is it not shown as 'Volume'. Disk Management says it's a 'Removal drive'. See DD.jpg. 



Is Windows correct in detecting the Seagate portable expansion drive and the USB plug-it modem(wireless)...?

I went on to reboot to the next partition and left the Seagate portable / USB plug-it modem(wireless) plugged in. The system went on to the post "Shutting down" but it took >5 minutes I had to hit the reset button. 

It seems that the system will not boot if the Seagate portable / USB plug-it modem(wireless) plugged in....(I unplugged both from the system). 

For the WD320_W7(images as marked with cyan border as marked):

So the boot to the second partition was successful. I plugged-in the Seagate portable and it was detected and seen in explorer. See wd320_w7_partitionSG.jpg.



There was no need to set the Seagate portable as drive 'Q' like the WD320_K7 partition as it detected it the same. Kindly also see pictures of the Device Manager and Disk Management for the WD320_W7 partition. w320_w7_DVEx.jpg and w320_w7DM.jpg. 





One thing I saw that was different is that in the Device Manager it says there "Disk Drive" only and not "Seagate Portable USB Device" as detected in WD320_K7 partition. 

How come they are different? 

WD320_W7 and WD320_K7 are the same except for the realtime security software installed. WD320_W7 is a recovered image from a clean backup image of WD320_K7. I just replaced the security setup. 

When I plugged-in the USB plug-it modem(wireless) it detected it without problems. See USBpostdetect.jpg. 



Kindly also see pictures of the Device Manager and Disk Management with both the Seagate portable / USB plug-it modem(wireless) plugged-in. See w320_w7_DVExUSB.jpg / w320_w7DMUSB.jpg





There was no problem for the detection here so far. 

The reboot to the XP partition was also surprising as it did not went on like the other. It booted to the XP partition without problems (even when I did not unplug both the Seagate portable and USB plug-it modem(wireless) hmmmm......

For WD320_XP(images as marked with green border as marked):
 
So I booted and the XP partition began to detect it as such. Checking the Device Manager / Disk Management was different. 

Device Manager shows the Seagate portable and USB plug-it modem(wireless) in the "Disk drives'. Disk Management does not show both. The same was for Windows explorer. The usb icon in the tray is present. See xpDMDD.jpg



Getting confused and tired here...

Will I uninstall both again in the Device Manager>unplug>reboot and plug it in again? 

Or will I uninstall both leave it plugged-in>reboot? 

What is the correct way to do it?

On the motherboard bios, what is the best setting for this system in terms of USB. I do not remember the last time I had set something in the USB section of my former motherboard..and as mentioned, never experienced this before. Disabling the Legacy USB Support seems to have placed some sense to the mobo...Is it safe to leave it disabled? 

My motherboard details are here Asus P5L-VM 1394 

I am also using an add-on USB module with 4 slots. I am using the second slot in the USB78. See usb1.jpg


picture sharing

For the Seagate Portable I am using the onboard usb slot as seen in usb2.jpg. 


upload photo

Well this is quite long now and I have to prepare for work now. Please bear with me on this questions and please do share some thoughts on this issue of mine. 

Thank you soooo much for helping me and will wait for further replies


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

The Seagate drive can be taken apart. it is a little tricky, you have to pry the seams apart with a thin tool. But, since it works on another computer, and different OS, this is not the problem.
One thing I noticed, is that there is a green border around the drive in *Disk Management* which indicates that this is a *Logical drive*. It should have a Blue border and be labeled as* Primary *Partition. If there is no data on the drive, I would right click the Partition/Volume and* Delete* *Volume.* Then Right click the *Unallocated Space* and create a new* Simple Volume.* 
As for it not getting recognized. Download the *Bios* Update and *Chipset *driver for the OS in question from the Asus site. This will improve USB performance. 
*USB Legacy* in the Bios is used to recognize a USB Keyboard at bootup and in the Bios. Turning this off may not allow your computer to recognize the USB keyboard at bootup.


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## CurlyGirly (Mar 16, 2011)

Hi, 

Sorry for the late reply. 



> One thing I noticed, is that there is a green border around the drive in Disk Management which indicates that this is a Logical drive. It should have a Blue border and be labeled as Primary Partition. If there is no data on the drive, I would right click the Partition/Volume and Delete Volume. Then Right click the Unallocated Space and create a new Simple Volume.


-- This is the Seagate Portable right? Okay will do when I get home and report back here. Are all external drives supposed to be "Primary"..? How about USB sticks? (Sorry for the noob questions there --not a techy really).

I have downloaded the latest chipset driver for the mobo. Windows showed a pop-up warning saying it isn't for this system. Afterwards it suggested to install using recommended settings and I did. 



About the bios update, honestly I never did have experience updating the bios as I am scared I might bork the system....this is a rebuild and am using this one because I ain't got the funds to buy a new one at the moment. 

How can I do that? What are the safety points to consider when doing it?

Thanks again


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

If you are having problems with _all _of your USB devices, it is suggested you first try the *Chipset* driver. If that is still a problem on _All _USB devices, then try the* Bios *Update. As long as you are running the correct update, and the computer doesn't shut down or restart during the 5 minute or so update, there isn't any risk. 
If the *Seagate* drive is the_ only_ USB device you are having problems with, then there isn't a need to run the *Bios *update.
A *Logical* drive is created when it is a second partition/volume on a Drive. If there is only one partition on a HDD or Flash drive, it should be listed as *Primary* partition. Attached is what a Flash Drive looks like in Disk Management.


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## CurlyGirly (Mar 16, 2011)

spunk.funk said:


> If you are having problems with _all _of your USB devices, it is suggested you first try the *Chipset* driver. If that is still a problem on _All _USB devices, then try the* Bios *Update. As long as you are running the correct update, and the computer doesn't shut down or restart during the 5 minute or so update, there isn't any risk.
> If the *Seagate* drive is the_ only_ USB device you are having problems with, then there isn't a need to run the *Bios *update.
> A *Logical* drive is created when it is a second partition/volume on a Drive. If there is only one partition on a HDD or Flash drive, it should be listed as *Primary* partition. Attached is what a Flash Drive looks like in Disk Management.


Hi spunk.funk,

Thank you for the reply and explanation. I hope it's okay because sometimes my questions are a bit noob. On the Chipset drivers, as stated I ahev installed the latest from the Asus site with Windows re0installing using recommended settings. I was to use 'Compatibility Mode' on it but I believe Windows already did that. 

Currently there are two image backups in the Seagate portable, one for Acronis and the other a converted Acronis backup-to-Windows Backup. 

Currently the usb sticks are being detected now. The detection of my Kingston 8gb is correct right? (in comparison to the image you posted).



The issue now is when I boot into a a rescue media the Seagate portable is not detected. I do not understand that since on boot-post I see that the bios detects the Seagate portable. 

'USB Configuration'>emulation type is 'auto' I see when the USB Legacy is 'enabled'. 

I do not see 'USB Configuration' when USB Legacy is 'disabled'. 



When I set 'USB Legacy' > 'enabled'. I have a 'USB Configuration' from which I can select emulation type. Is 'Auto' correct or will I select 'Hard Disk'..? 

Well either way, the portable is still not seen when using the rescue media of Acronis or Paragon. Even the Seatools for DOS does not detect the portable - I have not used the Seatools for DOS on a portable so I do not know if they are really detected using the cd media or not. (Have used Seatools for Windows on the Seagate portable and all are 'PASS'). 

Same location of usb ports are used as in the second post. Later on I will use a stick with ready-boost and I fear that this will cause another issue as it's supposed to be always inserted/plugged-in right...?

On the non-detection when using rescue media, might you have any idea why is this so? 

Might you know any test that I can do for it?

Thanks again


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

> The Seagate drive has a green border around the drive in *Disk Management* which indicates that this is a *Logical drive, *I would right click the Partition/Volume and* Delete* *Volume.* Then Right click the *Unallocated Space* and create a new* Simple Volume.*


Acronis probably can't backup or restore from a *Logical Drive*. Move the backup files to a different drive from the *Seagate *drive, or if there is nothing on the drive, then in *Disk Management.* Right click the partition/volume and *Delete Volume.* Then Right click the *Unallocated Space* and choose *New Simple Volume*, format the Drive NTFS. When it is done, it should be a *Primary Drive*, Like the Kingston Flash drive is (not a logical drive) and Acronis should recognize it. You then can move the backups back to that drive. Acronis Backup & Recovery 10: Imaging and Restoring LVM Volumes | Knowledge Base


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## CurlyGirly (Mar 16, 2011)

spunk.funk said:


> Acronis probably can't backup or restore from a *Logical Drive*. Move the backup files to a different drive from the *Seagate *drive, or if there is nothing on the drive, then in *Disk Management.* Right click the partition/volume and *Delete Volume.* Then Right click the *Unallocated Space* and choose *New Simple Volume*, format the Drive NTFS. When it is done, it should be a *Primary Drive*, Like the Kingston Flash drive is (not a logical drive) and Acronis should recognize it. You then can move the backups back to that drive. Acronis Backup & Recovery 10: Imaging and Restoring LVM Volumes | Knowledge Base


Thanks there. Will check it out later when I get home


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## CurlyGirly (Mar 16, 2011)

Hello spunk.funk, 

Thank you for your assistance here. The Seagate drive is now recognized an is a "New Simple Volume" now. Great! Thanks again!


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

You are welcome! If this solved your problem please mark this thread Solved in the Thread Tools at the top.


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