Windows 10: Move HDD from USB2 to USB3 enclosure, Windows sees drive but not files

Discus and support Move HDD from USB2 to USB3 enclosure, Windows sees drive but not files in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware to solve the problem; I have 3 external 2TB HDDs, each in their own USB2 enclosure (Dynamode), used as part of my archiving arrangement. I've used those enclosures for 3 or... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware' started by tpriest, Mar 25, 2021.

  1. tpriest Win User

    Move HDD from USB2 to USB3 enclosure, Windows sees drive but not files


    I have 3 external 2TB HDDs, each in their own USB2 enclosure (Dynamode), used as part of my archiving arrangement. I've used those enclosures for 3 or 4 years with no problems. I decided to move to USB3 for performance improvement. So to see what the real world improvement was I bought the USB3 version of the enclosure and moved the HDD to it. All straightforward.

    When powered it all up my PC could see the drive, but not the label nor any data, it said it need formatting. Looking in Disk Management it showed the drive as having a small partition, around 380GB, the remainder of the space was unallocated. Rechecking everything, and knowing I could readily recreate the contents, I extended the partition, reformatted the drive and copied everything to it from alternative backups. The real world improvement I am seeing is a 60% reduction in copy times. That'll do me.

    I'm not particularly concerned about the incident but I am curious as to what might have caused this oddity.

    Any thoughts?

    :)
     
    tpriest, Mar 25, 2021
    #1

  2. USB3 problem with 3 TB external hard drive.

    After doing a good bit of research I've created this table of results.

    Device `````` `` Win 7 ` Win 10

    2TB HDD in USB2 `` Yes `` Yes

    2TB HDD in USB3 `` Yes `` Yes

    3 TB HDD in USB2 `` Yes `` Yes

    3 TB HDD in USB3 `` Yes `` No <----

    Edit: OK, as of today Sept. 20 my problem is resolved. I bought a new Inland enclosure, removed the Toshiba 3 TB drive from the old Inland enclosure, put it in the new one, and bingo, it works. It's strange that it worked in the old enclosure with Windows
    7 on USB3 and Windows 10 on USB2, but maybe there was a microcode change in the enclosure I bought yesterday. Both enclosures look identical, so that's all I can think of to try to explain it. Whatever, the problem was with the old enclosure and not Windows
    10.

    I'll just add that now that re my OP post I don't know about the grits, eggs, and Mona Lisa!

    Move HDD from USB2 to USB3 enclosure, Windows sees drive but not files [​IMG]
    I've seen things with USB3 and Bluetooth both that I can only say sure seem strange to me.
     
    Hula_Baloo, Mar 25, 2021
    #2
  3. jimbo45 Win User
    USB3 HDD slower in USB3 socket than powered USB2 socket


    Hi there

    crazy --I have a laptop with 1 USB3 socket and 2 USB2 sockets. The USB3 socket is also a "charging" usb socket.

    Now if I plug a USB3 HDD (Toshiba) into a USB2 socket where I've connected a powered USB2 hub I'm getting copy speeds of around 76 mb/s. The same HDD plugged into the USB3 socket is only giving me speeds of around 30 mb/sec. I'm copying the same file from an internal SSD.

    So far I haven't seen any advantage in using the USB3 socket over a USB2 powered hub -- is this W10 not having proper USB3 support yet,

    Cheers
    jimbo
     
    jimbo45, Mar 25, 2021
    #3
  4. jimbo45 Win User

    Move HDD from USB2 to USB3 enclosure, Windows sees drive but not files

    USB3 HDD slower than ext laptop HDD USB2==>SATA cable


    Hi there

    WD passport (small self powered 2 TB USB3 drive) has appalling performance compared with an OLD laptop HDD that I connect via a USB2==>SATA cable to USB2 port.

    Same file (2GB mp4 video) copied to a directory on the SSD.

    External laptop HDD connected via USB2==>SATA cable to a USB2 port -- 41 Mb / sec on average -- Ok for a USB2 device of this type

    USB3 device connected to the laptops USB3 port = 31 Mb / sec on average. Same file !!!

    So obviously there are USB3 devices that don't perform at anything like the rated USB3 speed -- so don't buy a USB3 self powered portable drive and assume it will give you much better speed than USB2 - it won't.

    Some might do but a lot of the smaller self powered "passport" types will leave you less than impressed - especially as Laptop HDD's aren't renowned for their speed anyway !!!!. So a USB3 drive performing worse than a laptop HDD -connected externalyy via a USB==>sata connector ??.

    Is USB3 really that good or are we just being conned to buy "newer hardware"

    Cheers
    jimbo
     
    jimbo45, Mar 25, 2021
    #4
Thema:

Move HDD from USB2 to USB3 enclosure, Windows sees drive but not files

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