What does this hard drive have against my CD drive?

August 1, 2006 12:03 PM

Why the @#$% did this external hard drive do to my computer's CDRW drive!!?!?!?!

So last week I was trying to transfer a slew of pictures from my boss's laptop (HP?, XP) to mine (IBM T41, XP/SP2). The intarweb was being finicky so I bought a 60GB Western Digital USB portable hard drive. The drive seemed to come with some software and junk, but I just used it like a plug n play device.

My boss called me yesterday freaking out because his laptop won't burn CD's. He said it froze every time he tried to. He tried restoring to a previous configuration (or whatever that option is) and it wouldn't let him. Then today I just tried to burn a CD in iTunes, and it locked up on me. WTF?

I put in a message through WD's website but I don't have the serial number of the product in front of me so I can't call them right now. So, hive mind, any ideas?

posted by radioamy to computers & internet (13 comments total)

Could be this.
posted by ed\26h at 12:09 PM on August 1, 2006

Sounds like coincidence only.

But if you're really not sure, restore boss's computer to an earlier date.

This is why one shouldn't touch boss's computer.
posted by k8t at 12:14 PM on August 1, 2006

restore boss's computer to an earlier date

It won't let him do that. And it's both of our computers so I don't think it's coincidence.
posted by radioamy at 12:16 PM on August 1, 2006

man, i cant imagine any possible way a HD to HD transfer might damage a cd burner. if he can access media via the drive but not burn, thats an issue with the drive.

you say you tried to burn via itunes, did you mean you tried to use his laptop to burn via itunes?

try system restore. if that doesnt work try updating the firmware on the burner. in fact, make sure everything is updated bios, driver, ect.

hit us back, i'd like to know how you fixed it.
posted by Davaal at 12:54 PM on August 1, 2006

My guess is that connecting the drive changed your drive lettering.

Back in the bad old days, floppy drives got lettered first (a: and b:), then hard drives (generally c:), then CD drives (d: e: etc). Adding an extra drive tended to knock all subsequent drives up a letter, and break a lot of links and configuration.

My guess is that connecting the drive added a D: to your two computers, knocking the CD-R drive to a higher letter. Your CD-burning software is configured to access the drive at the previous letter.
posted by jellicle at 1:17 PM on August 1, 2006

Most likely virus.

Did u install any of the WD software?


PS> Instead of buying a external drive, you should have just bought a $5 crossover cable to do the transfer.
posted by mhuie at 1:20 PM on August 1, 2006

Jellicle. The external drive would receive a drive letter after the internal cd drive and should not affect the internal burner.

Plus, iTunes wont lock up if it can't find a burner.
posted by mhuie at 1:23 PM on August 1, 2006

Did some windows update patch get applied in the same timeframe? A straight-up USB drive should cause absolutely zero change to windows. You're sure you didn't install the WD software?
posted by GuyZero at 1:52 PM on August 1, 2006

On first read I agree with jellicle. Otherwise, I agree with mhuie.
posted by muddgirl at 1:59 PM on August 1, 2006

I definitely didn't install anything, I just plugged the damn thing in. According to the website, it comes with this WDSync software (PDF specs) that claims to "leave no files behind." I searched my computer for anything named "WD," "Western Digital", "WD Sync" and "WDSync" but came up with nothing. Nothing shows up in the add/remove programs nor could I find anything looking in the "system" section of the control panel.

Jellicle: FWIW, all the drives appear to have the original letter names in "my computer."

Davaal: I haven't touched his computer since, so I am not sure what he used to burn. I think he was trying to burn pictures so probably not itunes. And at the risk of sounding dumb, how do I update firmware?

Also, FWIW, the computer appears to read CDs just fine.

mhuie: I considered buying one, but couldn't find it at Office Depot, and we wanted to have a backup of the files anyways. Also, what virus would mess with my CD burner? And could I really transfer a virus between computers just by plugging in a drive and transfering photos?
posted by radioamy at 7:47 PM on August 1, 2006

You may have stopped the USB drive prior to removing it. Could you have also stopped the cd drive?

In Device manager, remove the cd drive, then let windows rediscover it and reinstall it. You may also want to go to the vendor's website and see if there's a newer driver.
posted by theora55 at 8:12 PM on August 1, 2006

Scan for viruses, then uninstall the CD drive in device manager, reboot, and let windows rediscover and re-install. It's probably a fluke, as unlikely as it seems.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 8:49 AM on August 2, 2006

yeah, Gunn's got the right idea. just reinstall the entire drive. no problem.

as for viruses, you could definately get a virus during a photo transfer.

if the burner acts up, go to the manufacturers site. you can look for drivers or you can look for firmware. make sure the burner's firmware is up to date.

this is prolly a complete coincidence.
posted by Davaal at 10:08 PM on August 2, 2006