DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

Urgent Help Needed:usb Hdd Problem!!!

9 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/urgent-help-needed-usb-hdd-problem.60012/

pushkaraj
pushkaraj Original post #1
Jun 10, 2007 at 7:56 AM
I have a 3.5" internal Samsung SP0411N PATA drive converted into an external one through the ide to usb converter kit. The problem is when i was copying a folder from my pc to the external hdd, the pc froze. So i switched off the power supply to the external hard disk. Suddenly the pc came to life and a message popped up in the taskbar with the heading "Delayed write failed". From then on, the external drive doesn't show up in windows explorer or even in disk management. It however shows up in device manager.

Does this mean i hav lost all data or worse , has the disk failed:cry: ???
Ethan_Hunt
Jun 10, 2007 at 8:43 AM
You'll need to manually remove it from the casing & shift it to your PC & then try to see if it gets detected or not.Also check if the data is intact & can be copied or not.Usually these cheap casings are the main culprits in this department.Not sure what their actual problem is but they fail to consistently transport data after a certain point.In my case,I have 2 of my friends USB HDD's lying around & one of which has crashed due to this poor performance casing & the second one is just coughing up signs of dying.:(
pushkaraj
Jun 10, 2007 at 10:39 AM
As they say, calamity strikes when u least expect it:cry: . I had actually come to my cousin's place to get some data from him and this bloody external thing betrayed me:mad: . Anyways thanx a lot. Will definitely try ur suggestion:D .

Hey allwyndlima, GOOD NEWS. I just kept the external hd for a while to cool it off. And now EUREKA!!! It has started working. U know these electronics sometimes really piss me off.................lol.........................

Hey can sum1 tell , i want to format one of the partitions of my external hd. So is it better to keep a smaller allocation size or should i go for a bigger one??? Also i want to know wat diff does either of them make???
Ethan_Hunt
Jun 10, 2007 at 11:24 AM
Usually depends on the type of data you are about to store.If you ought to put on huge games then you are better off with bigger partitions & please make sure everyone is in NTFS mode.The less the number of partitions the lesser the confusions IMO.;)
pushkaraj
Jun 10, 2007 at 12:15 PM
No i think u misunderstood me. I am talking about the allocation unit size which is an option when we format a particular partition
Ethan_Hunt
Jun 10, 2007 at 12:39 PM
The first partition which would be primarily for the OS then it should be atleast 10GB.The rest could depend on what size of HDD you have.Or am I still missing your point? :confused:
pushkaraj
Jun 10, 2007 at 12:50 PM
You r still missing my point. Check out the screenshot. This is the dialog box u get when u right click on ur partition and click on format.
Ethan_Hunt
Jun 10, 2007 at 1:17 PM
Oh ok now I get it.Just leave it to default & it should be fine.;)
pushkaraj
Jun 10, 2007 at 2:11 PM
Ok Thanx :D