I know this is a much discussed subject but I haven't yet found a thread with the answers I need.
My problem started with a refurbished PC I bought earlier this year. It had a 500Gb HDD which sounded fine and it is running Windows 7 Ultimate 64. The HDD was formatted with two partitions C: and F:. Everything worked well enough to start with but I soon realised that not enough space had been allowed for the C: drive - only 38Gb. For various reasons I couldn't go back to the supplier so I carried on, thinking it would only be a slight inconvenience as I could direct software that defaulted to C: to install in the F: drive. That worked OK for a time until I downloaded some stuff that would not divert and the provider said it could only run in the C:drive so it was useless to me. I then concluded that I needed to re-partition it. After some unsuccessful searching I found Mini Tool Partition Wizard that was able to tackle my problem. I successfully removed partition F: and merged the space gained with C: thus providing more than enough capacity.
Having done all this I discovered I had "lost" one of my two external HDDs, that I could not connect to my camera or my GPS running watch, and that my memory sticks were not recognised. Probably my Tom-Tom won't connect either but I haven't yet tried it. A Google search found what appeared to be a solution that was published on this site last year that involved uninstalling USB drivers and then plugging the equipment back in as at their first use. This, the instructions said, would enable the equipment to reinstall itself when plugged in. I did it wrong at first and succeeded only in "losing" the second HDD and my Epson DX6000 USB printer. A second shot paying meticulous attention to the instructions restored the HDD but not the printer. I had downloaded a set of Windows 7 drivers for the printer when I acquired this PC and switched from Windows XP Professional to Windows 7, so uninstalling and reinstalling them returned the printer to working order, almost. What that means is that every so often the printer is reported as not being ready to print but rebooting the PC seems to cure the problem.
I am now left with the PC not acknowledging the presence of the camera, the Garmin Forerunner watch, the memory sticks, and one of the two HDDs. The odd thing is that having carried out the USB driver cleanup procedure and plugging the bits and pieces back in, the PC reports that Windows is now installing each item as it is reconnected. But they still don't show up anywhere. I will just add that when I disconnect the devices I do so at the device end, as to reach the back of the computer involves squirming around awkwardly under the built-in desk unit, but I read somewhere that disconnecting at either end is equally good. The camera, the memory sticks and the running watch are usually connected via the front sockets.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Alan
My problem started with a refurbished PC I bought earlier this year. It had a 500Gb HDD which sounded fine and it is running Windows 7 Ultimate 64. The HDD was formatted with two partitions C: and F:. Everything worked well enough to start with but I soon realised that not enough space had been allowed for the C: drive - only 38Gb. For various reasons I couldn't go back to the supplier so I carried on, thinking it would only be a slight inconvenience as I could direct software that defaulted to C: to install in the F: drive. That worked OK for a time until I downloaded some stuff that would not divert and the provider said it could only run in the C:drive so it was useless to me. I then concluded that I needed to re-partition it. After some unsuccessful searching I found Mini Tool Partition Wizard that was able to tackle my problem. I successfully removed partition F: and merged the space gained with C: thus providing more than enough capacity.
Having done all this I discovered I had "lost" one of my two external HDDs, that I could not connect to my camera or my GPS running watch, and that my memory sticks were not recognised. Probably my Tom-Tom won't connect either but I haven't yet tried it. A Google search found what appeared to be a solution that was published on this site last year that involved uninstalling USB drivers and then plugging the equipment back in as at their first use. This, the instructions said, would enable the equipment to reinstall itself when plugged in. I did it wrong at first and succeeded only in "losing" the second HDD and my Epson DX6000 USB printer. A second shot paying meticulous attention to the instructions restored the HDD but not the printer. I had downloaded a set of Windows 7 drivers for the printer when I acquired this PC and switched from Windows XP Professional to Windows 7, so uninstalling and reinstalling them returned the printer to working order, almost. What that means is that every so often the printer is reported as not being ready to print but rebooting the PC seems to cure the problem.
I am now left with the PC not acknowledging the presence of the camera, the Garmin Forerunner watch, the memory sticks, and one of the two HDDs. The odd thing is that having carried out the USB driver cleanup procedure and plugging the bits and pieces back in, the PC reports that Windows is now installing each item as it is reconnected. But they still don't show up anywhere. I will just add that when I disconnect the devices I do so at the device end, as to reach the back of the computer involves squirming around awkwardly under the built-in desk unit, but I read somewhere that disconnecting at either end is equally good. The camera, the memory sticks and the running watch are usually connected via the front sockets.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Alan
