Very VERY vauge ext. HD question?

Question

A girlfriend has just bought and Ext. HD for her computer.
She has Window's something or other !(Personally I have Mac)
When she plugged it in to her Lap top it came up on the desk top straight away.... But with her normal computer it doesn't show up when plugged in... Surely a format problem... but how can I fix it so they both work with the ext.HD.... Sorry but I dont know which OS are used on the Lap top or the other computer... How would I format one or the outher.

Answer 1

No need to format the Ext. HD. because it is already formatted when purchased, usually FAT. May be the problem is with the USB port or the O/S ,she is using, is an old version of Windows which does not recognize an external drive.

Answer 2

It should work on both, unless its running a really old OS. I have an external HD and use it on Vista 64 and XP 32. Its probably a problem with the usb port on the desktop. Try using a different port.



I personally have mine linked to my desktop and then shared on the network, so my laptop can use it too.



To see if its a problem on the base unit, right click on MY Computer, click properties, click device mangler and it will show up as unrecognised device (A yellow exclamation i think) - http://www.technical-assistance.co.uk/kb/devman.php

Answer 3

Would her "normal computer" be her work machine? If so, some companies are blocking certain USB devices as an anti-virus measure. It might also just be the anti-virus software on her machine if it's her home PC.

Answer 4

You need to figure out the OS before we can help you, makes a difference. Just go to computer/properties and it will tell you.