no external HDD will work on PC

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by neilcolt, May 29, 2015.

  1. neilcolt

    neilcolt Regular member

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    Hi,Whenever I plug an external HDD in 500g 1TB etc you can hear a constant clicking noise from the respective drive.However when i plug in a small usb drive 4g 8g or 16g into the USB port they work.Could this be a power problem as the external HDD will need more power to work ,thanks.Ive tried other usb slots on the PC and get same results.
    PLease note my external HDDs do not have external power they take it from the usb slot itself.

    NeilC
     
  2. tongs007

    tongs007 Active member

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    have you checked in disk management to see if it is there? maybe just needs a letter assigning to it
    also are they 2.5s as 3.5s require power from your sockets, 2.5 will run off usb alone
     
  3. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    the clicking noise means you need more power.
     
  4. scorpNZ

    scorpNZ Active member

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    check voltage requirements of the hdd compared to voltage out put of your usb port you may need a double usb cable,one of mine requires one.check ext hdd's on a desktop usb port as well as there's no telling if the ext housings you have are any good
     

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