Cool! Thanks! I'll have to save all those brilliant masterpieces that are just waiting to get finished! lol

CD and DVD can contain all computer data as files, same as a hard drive. Only thing is, XP can write files to CD on the fly, but not DVD. You will need to use Nero or get DeepBurner, which has a free version. Just select the files with the internal explorer-like thingy, and drag to the other side. Program will tell you if it still fits, and all - pretty simple.

http://www.deepburner.com/

Yep, DeepBurner's pretty solid. Will also create perfectly bootable CD's, even for Linux. Good test, that. There's more than one free program that fails horribly there.

One thing i should also mention, is that i always use two HDs internally all audio is on the slave drive, so the external is secondary storage, and the DVD is the third option

Janet - yes, if you archived them in the project.

Rob (roflopter) - freezing didn't work.

daisha,
the drive is an ST380011A Seagate Barracuda 80G EIDE Drive. I could try the mfg site for help, but I really don't think that will work since it will no longer spin up. I am sure any software utilities that the mfg may have would need windows to be able to see the drive. that's not the case. windows will no longer assign it a drive letter. neither will DOS/SAFE mode.

It might!

Beagle, sorry I didn't get back to you last night, got involved with something else. So, let me understand your situation:

(1) You have a Seagate Barracuda 80Gig installed in a USB external case. Question...are you sure that it is not the power supply or the electronics in the case failing which is causing your problem.

(2) I assume the USB cable is like a USB printer cable, is there a chance that the cable has failed. If you have been plugging it in and removing for an extended length of time, the contacts may have become worn. Try another cable for the USB, also, make sure your power supply for the external case is working, also, try using a different USB port on your main system. Really sounds like a failed power supply for the external case though if the drive will not spin up. I have only ever had a HD drive expire on me once in the last 25 years, and it sure gave me lots of advance notice, grinding noises, data loss etc.

If you have done the above, do you have another system you could install the HD from the external case as the primary drive. The utility from Seagate is a stand alone utility, that is, you copy it to a floppy and boot your system from it, then let it do its job.

I think somebody already mentioned the idea of removing the HD from the external and installing it as a secondary drive, although you mentioned that it was not recognized by youir system. Not quite clear on this, was it as a USB external that it was not recognized, or was it as a secondary installed on your primary system. Do not chuck the drive, one may still be able to retrieve your files.

ORIGINAL: daisha

Beagle, sorry I didn't get back to you last night, got involved with something else. So, let me understand your situation:

(1) You have a Seagate Barracuda 80Gig installed in a USB external case. Question...are you sure that it is not the power supply or the electronics in the case failing which is causing your problem.

yes, I've already taken it out of that case, put it into a new case and that didn't help. I also installed it inside the comptuer on the 2ndary IDE cable and that didn't work.

(2) I assume the USB cable is like a USB printer cable, is there a chance that the cable has failed. If you have been plugging it in and removing for an extended length of time, the contacts may have become worn. Try another cable for the USB, also, make sure your power supply for the external case is working, also, try using a different USB port on your main system. Really sounds like a failed power supply for the external case though if the drive will not spin up. I have only ever had a HD drive expire on me once in the last 25 years, and it sure gave me lots of advance notice, grinding noises, data loss etc.

tried that as well when I tried the new external case - I used the new cable.

If you have done the above, do you have another system you could install the HD from the external case as the primary drive. The utility from Seagate is a stand alone utility, that is, you copy it to a floppy and boot your system from it, then let it do its job.

yes, I could install it as the primary drive, and I don't mind trying that, but I still don't believe the IDE bus will even recognize there's a drive there.

I think somebody already mentioned the idea of removing the HD from the external and installing it as a secondary drive, although you mentioned that it was not recognized by youir system. Not quite clear on this, was it as a USB external that it was not recognized, or was it as a secondary installed on your primary system. Do not chuck the drive, one may still be able to retrieve your files.

both. I've tried a new USB cable, a new external case (power supply) and I've installed it as secondary in the primary system.

and yes, I'm sure the files can be retrieved - for a large price that i am not willing to pay (see post above about cost of data recovery).

what do you mean by hotwire it?

Ooh, hot wire. I like the sound of this
Make sure you hook up a webcam and film this, Reece. I wanna watch it sizzle....
Later
Albert

what dll files for what plugin? I don't understand what you mean.

oh - i had forgotten talking about that. had to go back and reread the thread.

what do you mean by hotwire it?

You shove in its molex powerplug with the machine already running, during drive seek. This sometimes helps, but is not the idea with drives not made for it. This is already a goner, tho - considering the alternatives. Strange as it sounds, it *can* work.

beagle are you positive it`s the drive and not the case i had it crash before and it was a short in the case not actually the harddrive so i just bought another case.

Beagle....sorry I didn't get back with the answer.....Yes I still use carbonite....it's a yearly subscription and I signed up for two yrs. It's not on my music computer however, as much pain and misery it would cause me to loose the music files....It would be 1000% worse to loose my business files. I like it because it backs up immediately and without me having to do a thing. When a file is changed...it backs up automatically.

I'm going to check into seeing if I can link the music files through my network ...maybe I can hook my external drive up to the work computer and access that drive through the network...I should be able to load & save over the network...speed is not critical for that. I'll be checking that tomorrow.