drive enclosure does not work with USB2

[fungipami]

I just bought a Bytecc ME-320 Series external drive enclosure, Model No. ME320U2 IDE to USB 2.0. I then put a 200GB hard drive in there. The problem is, when I plug the device into the USB 2.0 port, the system does not see it. It only sees it when I plug it into the old USB 1.1 port.

I tried this in both Windows 2000 and Windows XP (I have dual-boot), and I get the same results in both operating systems. Neither system can see the drive on USB 2.0. I tested the port and I know that it's functioning properly, because I can plug in my digital camera and my mp3 player and both systems can see those devices. If anyone has any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate some advice on what to try next.

 

[paparazi]

Strange!
Forgive me if I state the obvious.

USB2 needs SP1 or later for XP
And SP4? for W2K

Did the enclosure come with any third party drivers?

Is the drive partitioned and formatted?


Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[fungipami]

Ah, that's the problem! No I didn't realize I had to apply service packs in order to get USB 2 to work, but that makes sense. At the same time I installed USB 2 and the new external drive, I also installed both XP (for the first time) and Win2k (due to a crash), and no service packs have been applied yet. This seems to be exactly my problem.

The enclosure came with drivers for Win98 and Mac, but they said no drivers were needed for Win2k and XP, though I applied them anyway while trying to get it to work.

The drive was partitioned and formatted, and running fine with USB 1, but oh so slowly.

Thank you.
Fungipami

I'll be happy to help others when and if I can

 

[fungipami]

I'm still having a problem. I installed Service Pack 4 but Windows 2000 still does not see an external drive that is plugged into my IOGEAR USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller Card. I also have USB 1 on my system, connected to a USB hub, and the drive can be seen that way.

I was told that Windows 2000 originally did not include support for EHCI host controllers, so I updated with SP4, thinking that would resolve the problem, but the external drive is still not seen on the USB 2 port. Device Manager shows that it is installed with the correct driver, and I even tried reinstalling the driver. It does not show an exclamation point in a yellow circle with status code 28. Everything looks fine, and it does recognize things like my digital camera and my mp3 player.

So I found this website with a "workaround" on it:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;319973#kb2

I do NOT experience any of the symptoms listed:
• Your Hi-Speed Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 device does not operate in Hi-Speed mode.
• An Enhanced Host Controller Interface-compliant (EHCI-compliant) USB host controller appears in Device Manager with an exclamation point in a yellow circle, or with status code 28.

The workaround (shown below) says to click the "Windows Update Catalog" at

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

so I went there and found "Windows Catalog" (without the word "Update"). The workaround then says to click on the "Find driver updates for hardware devices". But I can't find anything that says that so I can't complete steps 3 thorugh 8.

WORKAROUND
To install USB 2.0 support in Windows 2000, follow these steps:
1. Visit the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

2. Click Windows Update Catalog. If Windows Update Catalog does not appear, click the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article, and then follow the instructions to add it:
235263 WINUP: How to Use the Personalize Button on the Windows Update Site
3. Click Find driver updates for hardware devices.
4. Click Other hardware.
5. In the Manufacturer name box, click Microsoft Corporation.
6. In the Operating System box, click Windows 2000 Professional RTM.
7. Click Search.
8. Download the driver that is named "NEC usb software update released on June 01 2001."


Also at the bottom of the page it does say the following
APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

Is it possible that if I don't have Windows 2000 Pro that I can't use USB 2.0 for external disk drives? I find that hard to believe!

Any help would be appreciated,
FungiPami

 

[micker377]

Are you using the USB cable that came with the drive? There are 1.1 and 2.0 USB cables.

 

[garebo]

Thats what i was going to ask. I have seen some people post that it these cables are all the same, while others say that a usb1.1 cable is just that and a usb2.0 cable is just that. If thats the case a usb1.1 cable wont run at usb2.0 speeds, it will only run at usb1.1. perhaps not even run at all without the correct cable.
I dont know for sure, actually i have been wondering about this myself.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[micker377]

Supposedly, it's like Cat5 and Cat6 cable - same connections, different shielding. Cross-over interference at higher speeds.

 

[garebo]

Gee, micker377, that was the contents of a future post i was going to make. I will still do that so this post can stay clean!

This isnt the same thing, but this reminds me of 40 pin and 80 pin cables. Supposedly, and i have read this a dozen times, a drive will work no matter what cable you have on it, but the 40 pin cable will slow a faster hard drive down.
Well, i disagree. I have had more than one time where an older hard drive just wouldnt work with an 80 pin cable. Or should i say perhaps the bios wouldnt play nice, i dont know.
But i do think this applies to the usb question in this post. I do believe you have to have a usb2.0 cable to run a usb2.0 external box. So maybe you arent using a usb2.0 cable?



Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[micker377]

Garebo: go ahead and do your research, I would like a definitive answer also.

 

[fungipami]

The drive is just a regular internal drive, but I bought a Bytecc IDE to USB 2.0 enclosure and put the drive inside. And yes, the cable is the one that came with the enclosure. I do have Windows 2000 Professional, so that's not an issue. I tried using the Microsoft USB 2 driver, but that didn't work either.

 

[garebo]

Any chance you can contact the mfgr about this problem?
Are there any markings on the cable you got with the external box? Does it say "Hi speed" on it?
Perhaps you could borrow a usb 2.0 cable from someone or get one from a store and test it, see if maybe there is a problem with the cable you got with the box?

Sometimes our problems have the simplest solution, like in this case it could be just replacing a cable.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[fungipami]

Thanks. I will try using a different cable, and I will also call the manufacturer. A friend suggested that my power supply may not be up to snuff, so I'll see what happens after I replace that. I'll report back any results, pos or neg.

 

[garebo]

Your power supply may or may not be up to snuff, but i dont think that would affect your ability to go from usb1.1 to usb2.0.
On the other hand, between a cheap multimeter that you can buy for $5 to $10, and a power supply testing guide that you could google or get from toms hardware via the net, you could test the 3.3, 5, and 12 volt rails or lines on your power supply, right from the top of the connector where the power supply connects to the motherboard.



Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[fungipami]

I told my friend that I didn't see why it would work with USB 1 if it were the power supply, but he said that it's possible that the USB 2 card could be just enough to push it over, if it was that close to the edge. I agree that it doesn't seem that likely, but since he knows hardware I'm willing to go along with what he says and buy a new power supply. Probably could use one anyway, since I do have a lot of drives, and don't know what I have, but it's probably 350. What would the test that you suggest tell me?

 

[garebo]

Well, the test would tell you if all the rails (lines) are pushing the power they are supposed to be pushing. And if they are then you power supply may very well be good enough.
Course that depends on what you are running as well, you would have to tell us your whole system. For instance, i go with very low power drain on the vid card as i dont do gaming. On the other hand, i have 6 hard drives!
Lets face it you dont usually have every hard drive and every cdrom and burner going at once, so you dont need a really hefty power supply. On the other hand, i have learned a good power supply is like the engine of a car. For that reason i run an Enermax, but if i recall its only 350 watts, but its a good quality 350 watts so its far better than a cheap 400 or 500 watt unit. You pretty well have to spend about $40 to get a good one from newegg.
Still, i suggest you buy a multimeter, we should all have one in our toolkit anyway for work around the house (wiring) and around electronics for repairs, and then for computers. A multimeter does all that. You can get one for $5 to $10. And there are tutorials, i think toms hardware has one you can download and it shows you how to test your lines to see if they are pushing out the power they are supposed to. Some dont and some get older and lose their ability to do so. We cant advise you yet til we know what make and model power supply you have and the contents of your computer system. But like i said, i have a ton of stuff on a 350 watt power supply, just not heavy on the video, but i do have a 22 in monitor and quite a few hard drives, dvd burner, dvdrom, fans, P4 3.0. Again, though, i never have all my hard drives going at the same time, usually just 2, 3 when i am doing a backup.



Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[fungipami]

Thanks for all the good info. When you say you don't have all your hard drives going at the same time, does that mean they are external drives that are offline or at least turned off? If they're internal, then of course they must all be on whenever your computer is on, no? I currently have 4 drives (did have 5 but just took 1 offline) a cd player and a new DVD burner which I've been afraid to try out for fear of blowing the power supply! I also have an Nvidia graphics card and home theater speakers and a NEC multiSync monitor and 1 fan, which also needs to be replaced.

 

[garebo]

Well, without knowing the make and model of your power supply, i can only guess.
However, i woudnt fear a bit in trying out my dvd burner, im sure it wont overdo your power supply.

I have 2 hard drives on my ide lines and the rest are usb1.1 and usb2.0.

Go ahead and try your burner.
I dont see why you are worried about your ppower supply, is there something you havent told us, some glitch or something that happened to make you suspicious of your power supply?
Again, though, tell us the make of the power supply. Did it come with your case? If so its likely a cheap generic but they still do the job, they just dont do it for as long as a real good one, and they fail more often, but if its working fine then its working fine, lol.

I can almost bet your power supply has nothing to do with the usb problem you have. My bet is that its either a bios setting not entered right or its the cable and you may need to make sure you get a usb2.0 cable. Heck, maybe you got the wrong cable with your external case right from the start, stranger things have happened.
Now i dont think your bios has been mentioned and i think it should be. There are different usb settings for different bios setups so have a look in your bios and tell us what usb settings are there, maybe you can play around with the bios usb settings and get it going that way.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

To micker377

I went ahead with a new thread:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1009577&page=1

I havent had time to check out the site that is mentioned.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[fungipami]

Garebo,

There actually is something I failed to mention regarding the power supply. I bought a bay cooler with a couple of small fans because I was worried about over-heating, and after installing it the system lost its mind when booting up - on one boot it would not recognize any of the drives, and then after another boot it would, then it wouldn't, and so on. Uninstalling the bay cooler took care of that flaky problem, and my friend concluded (once again that this was probably a power supply problem.

Two years ago my power supply got blown and I ordered a new one, but they installed a smaller one than what I ordered, because they didn't have the larger one in stock! They assured me that it would be sufficient for my needs, so I accepted it. However, I had fewer devices running then, and recently I've been running up to 5 internal disk drives. I'm now down to 4, but I just added the new DVD burner!

I tried another cable that came with a case from a different manufacturer but still got nothing. So I guess that eliminates the cable as being the problem. I tend to agree with you that a new power supply is not going to solve this problem. Perhaps you're right about a bios setting, although the quick start manual didn't mention anything about that. I'll see what I can find out about that-- I'm waiting to hear back from IOGEAR support. I'll keep you informed, and thanks much for your help.

 

[garebo]

I have run 6 ide internals at one time, with promise pci ide card of course, but i dont now, only a few ide and the rest are usb. but when i did i had no prob with power supply but then i have an enermax so i cant compare it to your power supply, probably.

"cheap multimeter that you can buy for $5 to $10, and a power supply testing guide that you could google or get from toms hardware via the net, you could test the 3.3, 5, and 12 volt rails or lines on your power supply, right from the top of the connector where the power supply connects to the motherboard." I just copied that from my previous post, lol. For a few dollars you get to check out your power supply, its easy, we'll help you. Then you have the multimeter for future use! Go get one and try it out!
Then we will know if your power supply is up to snuff or not.




Good advice + great people = tek-tips