For those with a Maxtor external HD and Windows 7
***Public post, don't mention anything personal in comments, please.***
For those with a Maxtor (now Seagate) external hard drive who have found this drive useless in Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)...
I got a new laptop, the first I've ever had, and it kicks much ass. (Waits for applause to die down.)
My new Win7 machine didn't notice that I'd plugged in my trusty Maxtor One Touch Mini no matter how or where I plugged it in. Naturally, I went onto various forums trying to find out how to make it work, as it's a good back-up device. Everyone -- I mean everyone -- complained that the Maxtor drives would not work with Win7 and there was no way to hack it to make it do so. So I wrote Seagate who said, "Yeah, we won't support that device anymore, thank you, come again."
So I bought a new external HD to use for backups. And I didn't know what to do with the Maxtor drive other than give it away to someone using a Mac or an older version of Windows.
Still not quite satisfied and feeling that this was now a challenge, I poked around some more and ran across a different forum, one mentioning unlocking the Maxtor to make it work. I plugged mine in to my old Mac which always read it just fine, formatted it Mac again, turned on the Maxtor software that I installed but never used, and found there was no security password, it was already unlocked. Gah. I knew I didn't use a password, but was hoping it was that easy. So on a lark, I added a password using the Maxtor software, then I removed it so it was unlocked again. Plugged it into my new PC, formatted it again for Windows, and voila, IT WORKS.
----Here's the very excited post I read about how to do this.---- I'm sorry I didn't mark the source of this, and normally I don't immediately trust strangers who start sentences with "OMG" and sound like an advertisement, but here it is:
"omg--you won't BELIEVE how simple this fix was for me! Hope it SOMEONE ELSE, TOO!
Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition external hard drive--working fine on XP
upgrade to Windows 7 (32 bit), and suddenly computer doesn't recognize the drive (even though the system DINGS when it plugs in, and even though we can KINDA see it in Device Manager. (it's listed under the USB controllers, but it's a generic drive.)
Maxtor (now Seagate) doesn't offer software install for Windows 7 through their website.
Chatted w techie at Maxtor, and they were ZERO HELP. (basically, their solution was: "your drive is broken. goodbye.")
So bit the bullet and decided to pay Maxtor the $14.99 phone support fee. Dialed in, Steve asked me 1 question, gave me the solution, and didn't charge me a dime!
(wait for it)
Windows 7 won't recognize this particular external hard drive if it's password protected!
WOW! that simple! so plugged it back into XP system, ran the Maxtor EasyManage software, went to settings, removed the Security (took off the password), plugged it BACK into my Windows 7 computer--ET VOILA!
hours and hours and TONS of technical solutions (over my head), and registry key messing around, and USB cables (one worked, one didn't, and one KINDA worked--meaning the drive showed in Device Drivers under USB Controllers--but it had the yellow "!"), and device driver downloads, etc etc etc...and just needed to remove the password! WHO KNEW?!
hope this helps someone. Pay it forward!"
For those with a Maxtor (now Seagate) external hard drive who have found this drive useless in Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)...
I got a new laptop, the first I've ever had, and it kicks much ass. (Waits for applause to die down.)
My new Win7 machine didn't notice that I'd plugged in my trusty Maxtor One Touch Mini no matter how or where I plugged it in. Naturally, I went onto various forums trying to find out how to make it work, as it's a good back-up device. Everyone -- I mean everyone -- complained that the Maxtor drives would not work with Win7 and there was no way to hack it to make it do so. So I wrote Seagate who said, "Yeah, we won't support that device anymore, thank you, come again."
So I bought a new external HD to use for backups. And I didn't know what to do with the Maxtor drive other than give it away to someone using a Mac or an older version of Windows.
Still not quite satisfied and feeling that this was now a challenge, I poked around some more and ran across a different forum, one mentioning unlocking the Maxtor to make it work. I plugged mine in to my old Mac which always read it just fine, formatted it Mac again, turned on the Maxtor software that I installed but never used, and found there was no security password, it was already unlocked. Gah. I knew I didn't use a password, but was hoping it was that easy. So on a lark, I added a password using the Maxtor software, then I removed it so it was unlocked again. Plugged it into my new PC, formatted it again for Windows, and voila, IT WORKS.
----Here's the very excited post I read about how to do this.---- I'm sorry I didn't mark the source of this, and normally I don't immediately trust strangers who start sentences with "OMG" and sound like an advertisement, but here it is:
"omg--you won't BELIEVE how simple this fix was for me! Hope it SOMEONE ELSE, TOO!
Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition external hard drive--working fine on XP
upgrade to Windows 7 (32 bit), and suddenly computer doesn't recognize the drive (even though the system DINGS when it plugs in, and even though we can KINDA see it in Device Manager. (it's listed under the USB controllers, but it's a generic drive.)
Maxtor (now Seagate) doesn't offer software install for Windows 7 through their website.
Chatted w techie at Maxtor, and they were ZERO HELP. (basically, their solution was: "your drive is broken. goodbye.")
So bit the bullet and decided to pay Maxtor the $14.99 phone support fee. Dialed in, Steve asked me 1 question, gave me the solution, and didn't charge me a dime!
(wait for it)
Windows 7 won't recognize this particular external hard drive if it's password protected!
WOW! that simple! so plugged it back into XP system, ran the Maxtor EasyManage software, went to settings, removed the Security (took off the password), plugged it BACK into my Windows 7 computer--ET VOILA!
hours and hours and TONS of technical solutions (over my head), and registry key messing around, and USB cables (one worked, one didn't, and one KINDA worked--meaning the drive showed in Device Drivers under USB Controllers--but it had the yellow "!"), and device driver downloads, etc etc etc...and just needed to remove the password! WHO KNEW?!
hope this helps someone. Pay it forward!"