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- The BIOS and/or driver for the third-party device may be out of date.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.