Computer thinks it has an extra DVD drive (F) but won't pick up my Maxtor external!

[M. Sage]

Plus, every time I try to get properties or anything on that non-existent DVD drive, my computer tries running Sonic Installer. How do I remove the non-existent DVD drive from my computer so that I can use my external again?

Frigging computers.

[bigmike82]

Windows XP:
Plug in your external DVD Drive.

Click Start. Click Control Panels. Click Administrative Tools. Click Computer Management. Click Disk Management.

See if your Maxtor shows up there. If so, right click on its entry in Disk Management, then click "Change Drive Letter". Change it to something that's available and unused. That sould provide you with access to your external DVD Drive.

Have you tried finishing the Sonic installer to see what happens?

[ldivinag]

or...

right click on MY COMPUTER -> MANAGE.

when COMPUTER MANAGEMENT window comes up, select DISK MANAGEMENT...

[M. Sage]

Hmm, no go. I'll try plugging the drive into my wife's computer to make sure there isn't a problem with the drive itself. If there is, I'm going to be mad, since it's only about a year old!

Windows XP:
Plug in your external DVD Drive.

Click Start. Click Control Panels. Click Administrative Tools. Click Computer Management. Click Disk Management.

See if your Maxtor shows up there. If so, right click on its entry in Disk Management, then click "Change Drive Letter". Change it to something that's available and unused. That sould provide you with access to your external DVD Drive.

Have you tried finishing the Sonic installer to see what happens?

Sonic Installer won't finish, it asks for a disk I've never had.

I might not have been clear - it's not an external CD/DVD drive, it's an external USB HDD. And it contains all my music and pictures.

[sfwdiy]

Have you tried yelling at it and shaking your fist? My computer responds pretty well to threats.

--B

[M. Sage]

I even held a .45 to its processor... no go.

[bigmike82]

AHHH!

Okay, cool.

Do this. Follow the procedure above with the external HD unplugged. Stop before you change drive letters. Take a mental or written snapshot of what is there, both in the box on top and the box below.

Then plug in the external HD and wait about five minutes.

Look at the disk management again. Refresh it if necessary (Right click on Disk Management on the left and click refresh).

Has anything changed?

[JDay]

When you have the external plugged in do this. Right click My Computer, Manage, Disk Management. Make sure the external has a formatted partition and a drive letter assigned (right click partition).

[gravedigger]

One thing you could do ...

A Maxtor external drive is merely an ordinary INTERNAL drive in an external case, with some controller to let you plug it into the USB.

Open the external drive. REMOVE the hard drive. Set the jumpers to SLAVE and install it in your tower just like any other additional hard drive. it should show up as a new drive and you can then copy the files to another medium before formatting that drive to remove whatever file(s) are on it telling your computer is it a DVD. Then reinstall it into your external case and use.