External HD doesn't show up

Discussion in 'Parallels Desktop for Mac' started by dpxpoz, Mar 12, 2007.

  1. dpxpoz

    dpxpoz Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    I loaded Build 3186 and the Devices shows External HDD but when I open My Computer it's not showing but it keeps popping up on my Mac desktop. How do I get it active in XP? When I first plugged in the HD I got the message saying new hardware detected and is active but...

    iMac Core Duo 2Ghz 2GB ram
     
  2. Ynot

    Ynot Pro

    Messages:
    387
    So, you see that drive in XP Device Manager or not? I did not understand it clearly...
     
  3. Jensen

    Jensen Bit poster

    Messages:
    7
    I have the very same problem. In My Computer - Devices, no external drive is shown but is clearly shown on mac desktop. If I run windows backup software there is no Ex drive showing either. Funny thing is I did think I saw an icon briefly but has since disappeared and could have been wishful thinking!
     
  4. Ynot

    Ynot Pro

    Messages:
    387
    Hmm.. some more questions:
    1. Is it USB harddrive or not ?
    2. How do you want to connect your drive - as USB device or as the physical disk (bootcamp like) ?
     
  5. Jensen

    Jensen Bit poster

    Messages:
    7
    1)Mine is a USB external HD.
    2) Unsure what the difference is or would be. All I want to do back up data from OSX and XP onto the Ex HD. Curently I can from OSX to Ex HD no problem using Personal Backup. But I can't using a windows backup software for reasons mentioned before. Although I can drag and drop from XP desktop to ext HD icon on OSX. So that's how I back up windows data.
     
  6. dpxpoz

    dpxpoz Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    No, mine doesn't show up in Device Manager.
    It is both USB and Firewire-Western Digital 250 GB.
     
  7. Ynot

    Ynot Pro

    Messages:
    387
    USB drive can be connected to Parallels as any USB device. If you are expirienced user, you can connect this drive as a physical drive to VM.

    Diffrence between that connections is that if you connect it as USB drive - you will see it inside Windows as removable storage and can safely plug-unplug it to or from VM. But if you connect your external storage as a physical drive - you will have it connected to VM permanently.

    Do not forget that you can access your external storage as a shared folder.

    Also you should check if your external drive formatted in file system that can be understood by Windows. It can be FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.

    Firewire storages can be connected only as physical drives, sorry.

    You can find information about connecting non standard HDD here.
     
  8. dpxpoz

    dpxpoz Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    I'm not sure what you mean by a "physical drive". It's an external drive connected (now) by USB. Do you mean as an internal drive as in installing it inside the computer?
    Also, it is not showing up in my Shared Folders. Thanx for your patience.
     
  9. Ynot

    Ynot Pro

    Messages:
    387
    Hmmm.. If you look from the VM side you can use your external drive as removable USB storage connected via USB bus or as physical drive connected via IDE bus (VM will see it as IDE drive inside it). To connect it as USB you should rightclick to usb icon in Parallels status bar and select your external drive there. After that is should disappear from Mac side and Windows should see it inside VM.

    Connection as a physical drive is more difficult and described in other thread, which i linked before. In that case VM will take your drive from Mac at start and it will be shown inside as an IDE drive.

    If you connecting USB drive to VM, do not forget to close all Mac applications that use that USB drive before connecting it t VM. Opened applications may prevent unmounting drive from Mac side. And about filesystems too, as i pointed before.
     
  10. dpxpoz

    dpxpoz Junior Member

    Messages:
    14
    OK, I do click on it in the staus bar but nothing happens. Eternal HDD is checked. Nothing shows up either in My Computer. I have a Mighty Mouse-no right click-but I double click.
    Maybe re-install Parallels?
     

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