Topic: If anyone here has a computer problem.....
Jhavez's photo
Mon 03/13/17 08:10 AM

Okay, I have a computing issue that would be nice to be resolved.

My PC came with 8 USB 2.0 ports. Mouse and keyboard are on two of them.

I bought two My Book 4 TB external harddrives.

If I connect both at the same time, one will not read. My Computer (Win7) will not pick it up until I unplug the other and reboot the My Book power.

I also have a BlacX dual hard drive dock with a 2 TB and 1 TB drive in each slot. The BlacX will boot up with one My Book okay but the 2nd My Book will not read if all are connected at the same time.

I've reformated both My Books and set partitions on each. Both work but not at the same time. I want to transfer files between the two but I am forced to use a 3rd drive as a go between.

My machine is a HP h8-1214 Pavillion HPE
AMD FX-6100 6 core processor 3.30 GHz
10.0 GB memory
64 bit
Mainboard is a 2AC8 Gigabyte
BIOS is AMI Ang_713 12/29/2011
Graphics is a AMD Radeon HD 7450
Storage Controller is AMD AHCI Compatible Raid Controller
There are no problems in my Universal Serial Bus Controller list on my Device Manager.
As Far as I know, There are no services suspended or disabled that affect the ability to read devices.

Could there be a conflict in the MFT of the two similar drives that prevent aquisition? I'm thinking that the MFT may be the same so it only picks up one or the other?


Try this:

http://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=6571

Tom4Uhere's photo
Mon 03/13/17 12:04 PM


Okay, I have a computing issue that would be nice to be resolved.

My PC came with 8 USB 2.0 ports. Mouse and keyboard are on two of them.

I bought two My Book 4 TB external harddrives.

If I connect both at the same time, one will not read. My Computer (Win7) will not pick it up until I unplug the other and reboot the My Book power.

I also have a BlacX dual hard drive dock with a 2 TB and 1 TB drive in each slot. The BlacX will boot up with one My Book okay but the 2nd My Book will not read if all are connected at the same time.

I've reformated both My Books and set partitions on each. Both work but not at the same time. I want to transfer files between the two but I am forced to use a 3rd drive as a go between.

My machine is a HP h8-1214 Pavillion HPE
AMD FX-6100 6 core processor 3.30 GHz
10.0 GB memory
64 bit
Mainboard is a 2AC8 Gigabyte
BIOS is AMI Ang_713 12/29/2011
Graphics is a AMD Radeon HD 7450
Storage Controller is AMD AHCI Compatible Raid Controller
There are no problems in my Universal Serial Bus Controller list on my Device Manager.
As Far as I know, There are no services suspended or disabled that affect the ability to read devices.

Could there be a conflict in the MFT of the two similar drives that prevent aquisition? I'm thinking that the MFT may be the same so it only picks up one or the other?


Try this:

http://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=6571


This issue is caused by the two drives having identical signatures, leading to a Signature Collision. This is different from the drive's serial number, which is always unique.

I suspected as much!

Dang.

I have checked disk management as directed and the drives do not appear to it. I have two drives on one My Book and 4 Drives on the other.
I also downloaded a partition manger (minitool partition wizard) program that allows me to disect and investigate all the physical drives present. The 2nd My Book does not show on that program either. (When connected at the same time) Each drivve individually reads perfect it is only when they are connected at the same time that one does not read. It does not read at all. The system doesn't pick up the hardware its as if I never pluged it in.

I have tried different USB ports, Unplugged all but my interface devices (mouse and keyboard) and tried it with just the two books but it still only finds one. The other does not exist till I unplug one of them and rescan for hardware changes.

From the link you gave I decided to try taking one drive offline and connecting the 2nd my book. The second my book never shows. I tried making it online again with the 2nd my book connected and the 1st one comes on but the 2nd one still never shows. There is nothing there to click on.

Now I am thinking that my Universal Serial Buss Controller has a hardware limitation of some kind. I know that I can fill all my USB ports with thumb drives and every one will show. I have two exact same thumb drives and both show.
I have tried switching cables (didn't expect a change) and no change was made. If the signatures are the same it does explain it but the fix on the link should work.

Is there a plug and play tweak or a hardware discovery tweak I am missing?

Tom4Uhere's photo
Mon 03/13/17 12:18 PM
Oh, note:

I connected both my books to a power strip and plugged them both in. When I hit the power button to energize both drives at once, both drives light up at the same time for a second. One drive light goes out and then I hear the new hardware found sound and only one drive initializes.

I did this with the partition manager program running and only one drive shows, ever. I don't get a flash of both presence at all. I was expecting a flash of both drives.

Its like one drive senses the other and never spins up. Could this be a hardware protection in the My Book itself? I'm basing these questions on the fact that both units light when energized by the power strip 'on' button. Neither drive flashes until one light goes out but one drive always works.

I watched over 3 energizes and the same drive always initializes. The first (oldest) drive with the most data. The new one always shuts down. I'm not sure if that is significant or not?

Jhavez's photo
Mon 03/13/17 08:08 PM



Okay, I have a computing issue that would be nice to be resolved.

My PC came with 8 USB 2.0 ports. Mouse and keyboard are on two of them.

I bought two My Book 4 TB external harddrives.

If I connect both at the same time, one will not read. My Computer (Win7) will not pick it up until I unplug the other and reboot the My Book power.

I also have a BlacX dual hard drive dock with a 2 TB and 1 TB drive in each slot. The BlacX will boot up with one My Book okay but the 2nd My Book will not read if all are connected at the same time.

I've reformated both My Books and set partitions on each. Both work but not at the same time. I want to transfer files between the two but I am forced to use a 3rd drive as a go between.

My machine is a HP h8-1214 Pavillion HPE
AMD FX-6100 6 core processor 3.30 GHz
10.0 GB memory
64 bit
Mainboard is a 2AC8 Gigabyte
BIOS is AMI Ang_713 12/29/2011
Graphics is a AMD Radeon HD 7450
Storage Controller is AMD AHCI Compatible Raid Controller
There are no problems in my Universal Serial Bus Controller list on my Device Manager.
As Far as I know, There are no services suspended or disabled that affect the ability to read devices.

Could there be a conflict in the MFT of the two similar drives that prevent aquisition? I'm thinking that the MFT may be the same so it only picks up one or the other?


Try this:

http://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=6571


This issue is caused by the two drives having identical signatures, leading to a Signature Collision. This is different from the drive's serial number, which is always unique.

I suspected as much!

Dang.

I have checked disk management as directed and the drives do not appear to it. I have two drives on one My Book and 4 Drives on the other.
I also downloaded a partition manger (minitool partition wizard) program that allows me to disect and investigate all the physical drives present. The 2nd My Book does not show on that program either. (When connected at the same time) Each drivve individually reads perfect it is only when they are connected at the same time that one does not read. It does not read at all. The system doesn't pick up the hardware its as if I never pluged it in.

I have tried different USB ports, Unplugged all but my interface devices (mouse and keyboard) and tried it with just the two books but it still only finds one. The other does not exist till I unplug one of them and rescan for hardware changes.

From the link you gave I decided to try taking one drive offline and connecting the 2nd my book. The second my book never shows. I tried making it online again with the 2nd my book connected and the 1st one comes on but the 2nd one still never shows. There is nothing there to click on.

Now I am thinking that my Universal Serial Buss Controller has a hardware limitation of some kind. I know that I can fill all my USB ports with thumb drives and every one will show. I have two exact same thumb drives and both show.
I have tried switching cables (didn't expect a change) and no change was made. If the signatures are the same it does explain it but the fix on the link should work.

Is there a plug and play tweak or a hardware discovery tweak I am missing?


I didn't look into the procedure to correct the issue. I just found what the issue was. I would not be surprised to find out if the drivers for your hard drives could be the problem. Not always, do Generic Windows drivers work correctly. Did you have drivers that were part of your set up from WD for each of the hard drives? Are they the same drivers? If not, there could be a conflict if you are running to different drivers at the same time from WD. I will look at the procedure to correct your issue tomorrow and see if I can figure something out. I have always used WD Hard Drives. I run them 24/7 and usually have no problem. However, using a 2TB drive vs. 4TB drives could cause problems if your hardware is not compatible. Are either or both of your drives designated for 3.0 USB? Or are both or one designated for 2.0 USB? Drivers may create issues if one driver is set up for 3.0 USB. If you are using plug and play, then you are using generic Windows drivers for both drives. From what you posted, it looks more like a driver issue than a hardware, software or operating system issue. I run Windows 10 Professional on an I-7 intel processor and have run into Windows 10 driver issues with hardware. Most hardware issues have been driver issues. Have you tried contacting WD Support? They are really good at providing support for hard drive issues. Let me look at the steps to correct the issue that is provided from WD. I might not get back to you for several days. If I have a question, I will post it here. If you correct the issue, let me know.

Tom4Uhere's photo
Tue 03/14/17 07:30 AM
Thanx Jhavez, for the kind reply.
Please note that this is not much of a problem as it is a mild inconvenience.
Please note that both my book units and all the drive partitions on each work perfectly by themselves. The issue is only when trying to use both at the same time.

Both my book units came with a USB 3.0 cable. My PC is equipped with USB 2.0 ports.

I downloaded WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic and ran it. It finds no problems on either drive separately. It only reads the one my book as well. Never both at the same time.

I still have the original packaging for both units. The specifications for each are the same. Only the S/N are different.

I performed a driver test with both units energized. It found no problems and still only read the one drive.

It could be a simple services issue.
Here is screenshots of my services and their startup states:
(These pics will break this page because I left them full size so you can read them.){1920x1080}







Final one with overlap...


Here is My Computer with both my books 'on' but only showing, in this instance, my book 2.



My System Information Screen:



Driver Details screens: I included the most pertinent. If you need other info, let me know. None have conflicts.



Here is the drive on Minitool Partition Wizard
Note that even it only shows the one drive.



After unmounting & unplugging the one my book and scanning for hardware changes the other my book reads fine



Like I already said, this is not a critical issue. My main reason for wanting to have both drives at once operating is for file transfer between the two. Currently I am forced to mount one my book, move the data to my desktop, unmount it and mount the other and move the data to the other my book. Its a PITA but not a major issue.


Digitallion's photo
Wed 03/15/17 10:01 AM
I do Web Sites and Apps, Let me know if I can help you,,,
Inbox me

xu297's photo
Wed 03/15/17 10:05 AM

.......Please ask me. I usually only do this for friends and family, but seriously, if you have a problem, drop me a msg. I'll do my best to figure it out.

Jhavez's photo
Wed 03/15/17 11:12 PM
I am seeing a couple of things that I would question. I am off tomorrow and will take a look at what you posted. But right off the bat, I see your generic USB Windows driver is from 2006. Also, I was under the impression that additional hard drives such as My Book were "FAT" system and not "NTFS". Yet your K, F, and L drives are showing as NTFS drives.

The reason I questioned your drivers is this. Even though your hard drives are more than likely backward compatible to 2.0 USB, your generic USB Windows driver is from 2006. That driver may not be able to work properly using backward compatibility. I am wondering if you would have this issue if you had both hard drives connected to 3.0 USB ports.

I will get back to you tomorrow. I am not a hardware expert. But usually, one way or another, I do manage to figure out computer problems. However, it usually requires actually talking to someone at technical support for the hardware item. That is why I asked you if you actually contacted WD Technical Support by phone to see if they could remedy this for you.

The info you provided will help me understand your issue better. I still think it is a driver issue.

Later

Tom4Uhere's photo
Thu 03/16/17 05:36 AM
I am deciding on purchasing a USB 3.0 PCI card. Wouldn't hurt.
I did check for and did not find a newer driver for my generic windows driver because I too felt the 2006 one was a bit old. Nothing found.
FAT (File Allocation Table) is primarily designed for Win 95 systems. The New Technology File System (NTFS) is the modern hard disk format. I could have went either/or but I decided NTFS because all my other drives work fine like that. I'm not in a position to wipe the drives. A reformat is not going to happen until I can save the data. Both drives work fine one at a time.

If it is a driver issue that's easy. Just link me to the one I need and I can install it.
If it is a services issue, again easy. Just tell me which one needs turned on or off. I'll set it to automatic.
If it is a hardware issue, that might be a problem for me because while I am a truck mechanic, computer guts are a mystery to me. I can fuddle about with a drive install, memory install or pci card install but motherboards are out of my league.
Everything else works just fine. Like I said, this is an inconvenience not a problem.

Jhavez's photo
Thu 03/16/17 12:00 PM
Plug in both hard drives. Then read this article. It applies to Vista but could have same symptoms on Windows 7.

https://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/39897-two-hard-drives-only-one-shows-up.html

Like it says in the article, check to see if both drives are showing a Designated letter for each drive.

If both drives are showing a letter, then I will continue looking for a solution to your "inconvenience". Ha Ha Ha.

Tom4Uhere's photo
Thu 03/16/17 12:19 PM
404 Not Found
nginx/1.4.6 (Ubuntu)

I had both drives plugged in on those screenshots. Its either or

Jhavez's photo
Thu 03/16/17 12:58 PM
I copied the forum topic. Not sure why the link did not work. Here is the web address to the forum.

https://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/39897-two-hard-drives-only-one-shows-up.html

Copy and paste to see if that works.


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Windows 7: Two hard drives only one shows up?

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
18 Nov 2009 #1
Joker7

Windows 7 Ultimate
22 posts
Essex, England


Two hard drives only one shows up?
I just installed windows 7 ultimate on my main hard drive works great so far havent had any problems so far apart from i cant see my 2nd hard drive which had all my pictures and other files i had on windows vista so i thought if i stored them all on the 2nd hard drive i would be able to keep them safe when i upgraded to vista but i cant see the hard drive when i go to Start > Computer anybody able to help? thanks


My System SpecsSystem Spec
.
18 Nov 2009 #2
Jacee
Microsoft MVP

Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit SP1
8,759 posts


Are you sure it's connected correctly?
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #3
Joker7

Windows 7 Ultimate
22 posts
Essex, England


yeah it worked before i upgraded but as soon as i installed windows 7 it has disappeared
My System SpecsSystem Spec
.

18 Nov 2009 #4
ba5ik

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM
178 posts
Canada


can you see it in computer management?


type Computer management in the search box in start menu(you don't actually have to type the whole thing should come up after com is typed)

select computer management, then navigate to storage>disk management.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #5
Joker7

Windows 7 Ultimate
22 posts
Essex, England


Yeah they are both there
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #6
Jacee
Microsoft MVP

Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit SP1
8,759 posts


Can you see it in "Device Manager"? Is it listed as a storage device? (click on 'view' then click to show hidden devices)

You might also be able to find it by typing disk management in the start search box. click on "create and format hard disks"
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #7
ba5ik

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM
178 posts
Canada


does your second drive have a letter associated with it? if not give it one.
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #8
Joker7

Windows 7 Ultimate
22 posts
Essex, England


I can see the two hard drives in disk management should i try to format the drive i want to appear?
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #9
ba5ik

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 RTM
178 posts
Canada


not if it has all your stuff on it!

just check to see it has a letter
My System SpecsSystem Spec
18 Nov 2009 #10
Joker7

Windows 7 Ultimate
22 posts
Essex, England


It worked! I gave it the letter B and i have access to all my files on that hard drive again thank you for all your help guys =D
My System SpecsSystem Spec
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Two hard drives only one shows up?

Tom4Uhere's photo
Thu 03/16/17 01:33 PM
Well, that was a waste of time.
Thats not even close to the issue.
I'm thinking its because the MBR
Signatures are the same.
I could try rebuilding the MBR on one drive but that would
entail removing the data from the drives.
A fix that is more work than the issue itself.

Jhavez's photo
Thu 03/16/17 01:46 PM
If your drives are showing as letters, then you know it is not that. So, no it was not a waste of time because you just eliminated what it could be. Let me see if I can find a driver from WD. You never answered me as far as did you contact WD Technical Support? Both your drives are WD, they should give you free support.

Tom4Uhere's photo
Thu 03/16/17 01:50 PM
Edited by Tom4Uhere on Thu 03/16/17 01:54 PM
Nah, I already knew that as evident in the screenshots.
Not worth the hassle. Had a problem years back with a
Western Digital drive. Spent 2 hrs on the phone to have
them tell me they will replace the drive and my data is not warranty.
Don't sweat it. If I figure it out good, if not no big loss.

Jhavez's photo
Thu 03/16/17 01:54 PM
Well, if I can think of anything else, I will get back to you. Sorry I was not able to help you find a resolution.

Peace Out

Jesse

Tom4Uhere's photo
Fri 03/17/17 06:27 AM
No worries
Thanx for the time and attempt
Its a curious thing
I'm still happy I can get to the data

mysticalview21's photo
Sat 04/22/17 01:55 PM

.......Please ask me. I usually only do this for friends and family, but seriously, if you have a problem, drop me a msg. I'll do my best to figure it out.
where did u go I needed my ? answered ... u deactivated ...
in a time of need ... lol stay well ...

no photo
Sun 04/23/17 07:21 AM

.......Please ask me. I usually only do this for friends and family, but seriously, if you have a problem, drop me a msg. I'll do my best to figure it out.


Yes, thank you, I do need some help. It seems that I have been getting a large number of pornographic pop ups on my screen lately.


My question is:

How do I increase this amount and get the most up to date ones?

thanks for the help

Greeneyes ( the perv)

no photo
Sun 04/23/17 01:41 PM


.......Please ask me. I usually only do this for friends and family, but seriously, if you have a problem, drop me a msg. I'll do my best to figure it out.


Yes, thank you, I do need some help. It seems that I have been getting a large number of pornographic pop ups on my screen lately.


My question is:

How do I increase this amount and get the most up to date ones?

thanks for the help

Greeneyes ( the perv)


Check your keyboard and mouse first. They can get sticky.