Computer Nerds! HALP!

[Soterios]

Upgraded to Windows 7, and now Windows is not recognizing my external (formatted in xp)

Device manager shows it in the drive section, but I can't view it in Windows Explorer.

Any help?

[AaronP]

Assign a Drive letter to it, turn it into a Simple Volume, etc. Most likely just needs a Letter assigned to it. If you can post a screenshot that'd help even more.

Pro Tip:
Pull up the Disk Manager (Right Click "Computer" > Manage > Disk Management) and then go to the START jewel and in the Search type "snip" and hit enter, it'll pull up the Snip Tool that was introduced in Vista, very useful for situations like this.

Example:

[Soterios]

It's the last drive calling itself Utility.

I gave itself J:

[AaronP]

Yeah it's there you need to right-click on it (on the black bar for Disk 2) and tell it to Allocate, or to "Setup a Simple Volume" something like that, if you can post another screenshot of a right click I can help better.

Pro Tip:
Use the "Print Screen" button and copy/paste that into Paint and you can either crop it in there or use the snip tool to take a picture of a picture.

Is there data on it? Because if there is then it isn't being read correctly so you will need to unplug/replug it.

[Soterios]

Yeah it's there you need to right-click on it (on the black bar for Disk 2) and tell it to Allocate, or to "Setup a Simple Volume" something like that, if you can post another screenshot of a right click I can help better.

Pro Tip:
Use the "Print Screen" button and copy/paste that into Paint and you can either crop it in there or use the snip tool to take a picture of a picture.

Is there data on it? Because if there is then it isn't being read correctly so you will need to unplug/replug it.

Question then. I have files I want on the HD, is 'Allocating' it going to 'format' it?

[AaronP]

Question then. I have files I want on the HD, is 'Allocating' it going to 'format' it?

Not necessarily but if it's an external with data then you're better off just unplugging it and trying to replug it in.

[Soterios]

Not necessarily but if it's an external with data then you're better off just unplugging it and trying to replug it in.

I have a few times, comes up the same.

[AaronP]

I have a few times, comes up the same.

If you can post a picture of the options you're given after right clicking then I can give you better advice. I don't see this often enough to do it off memory alone.

[Soterios]

[AaronP]

Do the same thing but right click on the long black bar to the right of "Disk 2". Trust me it gives different options.