Windows 10: cant create backup as external hard drive is not recognized as "removable"

Hi there,


I am at my wits end... I got a new laptop recently (HP Zbook 15 G4 - 64 bit) with Windows 10pro as I lost my old one in a house fire (with all the backups to) - so I have been trying to configure backup settings - one drive and external hard drive as this laptop only has 500MB storage space.


I bought a Seagate 2TB external hard drive (Seagate Backup Plus drive) and the laptop recognizes it - but when I try to set up back up - add new drive - it says not available drives. I tried Disk Management and it does show there but not as removable disk but as disk 1. I have changed the drive letter thinking that might help and also swapped USB ports but still can't back up to this external hard drive for some reason.


After what happened to me with losing all my data recently I am super paranoid and do not want to rely on just one system of back up - ideally what I would like is to back up in 2 different cloud systems AND this hard drive but it seems that is not that easy.


Anybody out there can help with this? Thanks!

:)

 

Converting an internal hard drive to an external backup

I want to remove a 3.5 inch internal hard drive from a problematic (dying) desktop and use it as an external backup for a different PC via a USB 2 connection. How do I prepare this hard drive for removal and re-use?

My (few) friends frequently tell me that I know only enough to be dangerous. You folks are apparently very knowledgeable individuals, and I would very much appreciate any assistance you can provide. Perhaps you could just point me in the right direction for reference material, tutorials, etc.

The hard drive in question is a 100GB Seagate ST3100011A (Barracuda 7200.7). According to Seagate's instructions on how to interpret their model numbers, the drive has a 2MB cache and an ATA (IDE?) interface.

I've found a fairly highly-rated external enclosure (Rosewill RX355-U) from a reputable retailer that seems to fit my needs, but I am open to any alternatives you might suggest.

I am completely ignorant as to what I need to do to the hard drive before removal from its sick host. Caches, partitions and the like are totally Greek to me.

I assume the Windows XP operating system installed on the drive will have to be removed at some point in the process, but there is data on the drive that I would like to preserve if possible. The PC for which the hard drive will serve as a backup is running Windows 7.

 

external hard drives

Hello, After win 10 updates, my comp no longer recognizes my external hard drive/backup. Any suggestions as to how to fix the issue?

 

external hard drive not recognized


Hello zbook
#1) I have tested the external drives in three different computers, win10 pro, Win10, and XP. The results are identical. When I plug in the external hard drive windows signals a new device with an audio signal and the light comes on on the external drive. The results on all three pc's is identical in disk manager, file explorer and device manager.
#2) I have tried all solutions presented to me by FreeBooter, from the simplest solution of uninstalling the external drive in device manager and rebooting windows, to using the various third party software that was suggested, obviously with out success.
#3) The attached screen shots will only show one of the drives attached because I don't have enough free USB ports to attach two drives and I didn't think it would have been a good idea to use a hub.
#4) one strange thing about one of the drives is that now device manager lists it as a Toshiba drive although it is a Western Digital.
#5) Sorry but I have no way of getting a photo of BIOS










I look forward to reading your comments