Data Recovery Blog

The problem is caused by either the user’s PC not supported a USB 2.0 port or
the product not being connected to a USB 2.0 port.

When connected to a USB 1.1, it has a transmission speed of about 1 MB/s which is
very slow.

To solve the problem:

Install a USB 2.0 driver
Connect to a different port
Purchase and use a separate port if the PC is not equipped with a USB 2.0 port.

Also the speed can be decreased when using a USB 1.1 cable that is not shielded.
Use the cable provided with the product or purchase a USB 2.0 cable.

Checking whether USB 2.0 is available

On Control Panel▶Administrative Tools▶Computer Management▶Device Manager click and expand the + sign of the ‘Universal Serial Bus Controller’ on the right window. If ‘USB2 Enhanced Host Controller’ is installed as shown below, USB 2.0 is available for use.

When it is not installed, either check or try following instruction:

1. Install Chipset Driver of Main Board.

2. Re-install the USB Mass Storage Device Driver.
Connect the external hard drive.Then on Start▶Control Panel▶System▶Hardware▶Device Manager, right click the USB Mass Storage Device of Universal Serial Bus controllers and select ‘Properties’.

– When ‘USB Mass Storage Device Properties’ window opens, click Uninstall on Driver tab then click OK when the pop-up opens.

– Disconnect, then reconnect the external hard drive.
When ‘Found New Hardware’ window appears on the bottom right side, wait until the completion message is displayed. (It takes a while to automatically install the driver.)

– Check whether the Samsung External Hard Drive appears on the Disk Drivers of Device Manager.

– USB Drivers are installed separately on each port, so the above process should be repeated as many times as needed by connecting the external disk driver to each USB port.

3. Checking EHCI Mode of BIOS Setup
In case there is an item that sets EHCI mode in PC’s BIOS Setup, check whether the item is Enabled or not.

4. If the problem persists even after trying the above instruction, refer to the link in below or upgrade each OS to the latest version.

– USB 2.0 Support in Windows 2000
– USB 2.0 Support in Windows XP

Hard Disk Repair

Solutions to ‘Safety Remove Hardware’ related problems

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago5 years ago14 mins

To prevent data loss or physical damage of the external hard drive, it’s better to perform ‘Safely Remove Hardware’.

When using the ‘Safe To Remove Hardware’, the icon may disappear or other errors could occur. Following are the solutions to those problems.

1. When ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ icon disappears

Windows 2000: The problem can be solved through the HotFix provided by Microsoft. Download and run the HotFix then re-boot.

Windows XP:
a) Restore Customize Notifications : Enables the icon display.

Right click the ‘Start’ button then select Properties.
After selecting Taskbar tab ▶ Notification area ▶ Hide inactive icons, click Customize.
When ‘Customize Notifications’ window is displayed, either find ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ then select ‘Always show’ or click ‘Restore Defaults’ button on right bottom side then check.

b) Checking the USB Device Registration Information: ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ can be selected directly.

On Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ System ▶ Hardware ▶ Device Manager, double click the ‘Disk Drive’.
When ‘Properties’ window is displayed, click ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ in Optimize for Performance section in Policies tab then ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ window pops up.

Windows Vista: The problem occurs due to incorrect device driver setting and should be solved by updating to the latest Service Pack.

2. External Hard Drive is not visible when clicking the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ icon.

Windows XP: When connected through a USB hub, the problem occurs because the OS recognizes the external hard drive as a non-portable device and also not as a device to remove.Thus it does not display the drive. The problem should be solved by shutting down the PC before removing the USB device. The problem should not occur when using the USB port of the system instead of using the USB hub.

3. ‘Safe To Remove Hardware’ message does not appear when clicking the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ icon.

Windows XP: The problem should be solved by updating to the latest Service Pack.

4. Even after running the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’, the external hard drive does not stop operating.

Windows Vista: The problem could be related to the system feature of continually supplying power to the external hard drive. It can be solved by shutting down the system while the drive is being connected then disconnecting it after the shut down.

5. After right clicking the external hard drive in Windows Explorer then running the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’, data loss occurs.

Windows Vista: The above menu is not available in XP when right clicking the mouse. The problem could occur when using the NTFS file system and can be solved by updating to the latest Service Pack.

Note: If the external drive is connected by the eSATA interface, the icon may not
appear in the system tray.

Hard Disk Repair

How to restore the backup data using Samsung Auto Backup?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago4 years ago02 mins

The restoration function of the Samsung Auto Backup is useful when original data is
damaged/lost due to system malfunction or reinstallation of OS or when copying the
same data to a new system.

Perform the restoration in the following order.

1. Running the AutoBackup Restore Setting Wizard (Download Now)

Click Task▶Restore or the ‘Restore’ button or select folders or files to restore.
Right click the mouse as seen in the figure then select ‘Restore’ in the pop up menu displayed.

(After selecting folders or files to restore in the Backed-up List, the ‘Restore’ menu becomes activated.)

2. On the displayed window, select the Restore location then click Next.

Select the ‘Original Location’ or ‘New Location’.

3. After setting the Restore time and process options of Restore duplicate files, click Next.

a) Set Restore time
Select ‘Most recent time of backup’ or ‘Time of backup most close to a specific time’.

b) Restore duplication files
Select ‘Restore only files that are different from source files’ or ‘Restore all files’.

4. After selecting the type of file to restore, click Complete.

Assign File grouping and Extension to either restore or exclude from the restoration.

When ‘Finish’ is clicked without any setting, all types of selected files are restored.

5. The restoration is complete.

(At the beginning of the restoration, the ‘Backup Engine’ window appears then
continues the restoration. If the same files are in the folder to restore, they are
excluded from the restoration.)

Hard Disk Repair

How to install a FireWire drive in Mac OS X

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago5 years ago02 mins

OS X supports WD FireWire drives without any special software.

If the drive has been working in a prior Mac OS:

Boot the system.
Turn the drive on, leaving the FireWire cable disconnected. Wait 20-30 seconds for the drive to spin up completely and then attach the FireWire cable to the back of the drive.
The drive should mount on the desktop.
To unmount the drive, drag the icon to the trashcan.

If the drive is new:

Boot the system.
Turn the drive on, leaving the FireWire cable disconnected. Wait 20-30 seconds for the drive to spin up completely and then attach the FireWire cable to the back of the drive.
Use Disk Setup in the Disk Utilities folder.
To find Disk Setup, access the Applications folder.
Next, open the Utilities folder.
Click on the Disk Utility icon.
When Disk Utility opens up, you can choose Disk First Aid to test the drive, or select Drive Setup to partition and initialize the drive.

Note: OS 10.0 or 10.1 only supports Firewire hard drives up to 137Gb.

Hard Disk Repair

USB 3.0 adapter card does not show up in Windows after I install it

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago5 years ago01 mins

Problem:
I installed a USB 3.0 Host Bus Adapter (HBA) card, but it doesn’t show up in Windows, or in the Device Manager.

Cause:
Unknown at this time, but it is likely that the PCI express slot configuration information is not updated unless the system has had it’s power completely removed from the AC source. Even if the system is “shut down”, many components in the system might still be powered and could cause unexpected behavior or damage to the card or system. The best way to ensure that the power is completely off is to unplug the computer from the wall outlet.

Solution:
The PCI express card should not be installed in the system while power is still applied. However, you can shut down the system and unplug it from AC power for 30 seconds, then reconnect the power and restart the system. It should now show up.

Hard Disk Repair

Recommended shutdown procedure for Mac systems with a USB 2.0 or FireWire drive

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago13 years ago01 mins

In some cases, shutting down the system without properly unmounting the drive results in data corruption. If the OS stops the device while data remains in the drive cache, data can be lost or file system damage can occur. To avoid possible data corruption, it’s recommended that FireWire and USB drives be properly unmounted from the Mac OS prior to turning off the system.

To safely disconnect the drive, simply drag the drive icon to the trash. This will assure that all data is properly cleared from the drive cache before the drive is removed. At this point the FireWire or USB data cable can be safely removed and the drive and Mac system can be powered off.

Hard Disk Repair

Problems using a USB hard drive with a USB hub, PCI card, or PC card

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago5 years ago04 mins

Causes:

The BIOS and/or driver for the third-party device may be out of date.
There may be too many USB devices connected to the same hub or card, and they may be conflicting with each other.
Windows or Macintosh may have problems communicating with more than one USB device at the same time.
The USB hub or card may be defective and may need to be replaced.
The USB hub or card may not work well enough to allow for the fast data transfer rates that the drive is capable of.
The USB hub may require its own power supply.

Solutions:

Update the system BIOS for the computer/motherboard and the hub or card if possible. There may also be driver updates on the website of the device manufacturer that need to be installed.
Try removing some of the other USB devices connected to the same hub or card to see if the drive can be recognized. Also try moving the drive to a different input after first safely stopping the drive with the Windows system tray icon to prevent data corruption or loss. If that does not work, try connecting the drive directly to the computer’s USB input to determine if the drive will work when it is not connected to the hub or card. If the drive works correctly when connected directly to the computer, technical support for the USB hub or card should be obtained from the device manufacturer.
Install the latest service pack or update for your version of Windows or Macintosh to ensure that any operating system USB updates are installed and running.
If other USB devices will also not work when connected to the USB hub or card, technical support for the USB hub or card should be obtained from the device manufacturer.
If the USB drive works correctly when connected directly to the computer, but not when connected to the USB hub or card, and all the solutions listed above have been attempted, an incompatibility between the devices may exist and the drive should only be used when connected to the computer or another USB hub or card that can support the high-speed data transfer rate of the USB external hard drive.
Verify that you have the USB hub connected to it’s power supply and that it is running.

Hard Disk Repair

What file and partition size limits does the FAT32 file system have?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago5 years ago02 mins

FAT32 offers the best compatibility for PC and Mac operating systems, including cross-platform compatibility with the MAC OS X. However, FAT32 has inherent limitations in regards to file size, partition size, and performance.

Limitations under Windows, Mac OS 9, and Mac X:

A file cannot be transferred to a FAT32 partition if the file is larger than 4GB.
Apple’s Time Machine backup utility will not store data on FAT32 partitions.

Limitations under Windows 2000/XP/Vista:

A FAT32 partition cannot be created that is larger than 32GB.
A file cannot be transferred to a FAT32 partition if the file is larger than 4GB.
FAT32 file system performs more slowly than NTFS (Windows) or Mac OS Extended (HFS Plus, Mac).

Using an external hard drive with Windows:

Note: When using an external drive with Windows 2000/XP/Vista it is recommended that you reformat the drive to the NTFS file system.

Using an external hard drive on a Mac:

Note: It is recommended that you format the drive in the Mac OS Extended file system (HFS Plus).

Hard Disk Repair

Code 10 Error Message “This device is either not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed”

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago13 years ago02 mins

Problem:
Code 10 status is displayed in Windows XP Device Manager for a USB or FireWire device.

Cause:
The device is not recognized or there is a problem with the device drivers. Commonly, the error message displayed will be similar to the following:

“This device is either not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed” (Code 10)

Solution:
Upgrade the device drivers for this device. To resolve this error code, make sure the device is connected to the computer correctly. For example, make sure all cables are plugged in fully and that all adapter cards are properly seated. Follow the suggested solution button provided by Windows and update the device driver. It may be possible to remove the device and redetect it using the Add New Hardware wizard.

Note: If the solution above does not help, the drive may have failed. It is recommended that you try to connect the drive to a second PC running Windows 2000 or XP. If the same error message is shown in the Device Manager of the second PC as well, the drive has failed and needs to be replaced.

Hard Disk Repair

3 Ways to find the serial number of WD Drive

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM16 years ago8 years ago02 mins

There are 3 ways to find the serial number of your WD drive:

Option 1 – If you are using Windows

Use Windows Data Lifeguard Diagnostics. The software can provide the serial and model number of the WD drive in your system. The software will work for all of the following types of drives: EIDE, and Serial ATA. It also works with many USB 2.0 and FireWire external drives.

Option 2 – PC Only

If you have not installed an operating system, use Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (floppy) or Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for DOS (CD). The software can provide the serial and model number of the WD drive in your system.

Option 3

The serial number is located on the label on the back or side of the drive. Please note that the location will vary according to the drive. It is usually proceeded by a “S/N:” or “SN:”. If you are unable to read the serial number, many customers have taken digital pictures of the label and enlarged it on their computer to make it easier to read.

Option 4

You can also check the box packaging on a retail-boxed WD internal or external drive. Usually the serial number is on the sticker that contains the barcode