Iomega HDD Hard Disk won't Switch Off!

[BillW50]

Hi Bill,

Tried Safely Remove. Strangely when I Stop the Imogea disk in SR it
doesn't kill the power supply to the disk despite this being the setting
in the options. Strange eh?

No, it is actually making more sense now. As it must be getting power
from something else besides the USB port. As Windows XP automatically
kills the USB power from a disconnected device. Vista and Windows 7
doesn't do this. Which I think is dumb! But Safely Remove Hardware
utility fixes this problem.

Don't forget instead of left clicking on a device within Safely Remove
Hardware, you can right click too for more options. There might be
something there that might be helpful.

 

[Ed Cryer]

No, it is actually making more sense now. As it must be getting power
from something else besides the USB port. As Windows XP automatically
kills the USB power from a disconnected device. Vista and Windows 7
doesn't do this. Which I think is dumb! But Safely Remove Hardware
utility fixes this problem.

Don't forget instead of left clicking on a device within Safely Remove
Hardware, you can right click too for more options. There might be
something there that might be helpful.

What else could be powering the thing apart from the mains and the USB port?
You're leading him on a wild goose chase, Bill. I get the same options
with left/right click.

Ed

 

[BillW50]

What else could be powering the thing apart from the mains and the USB
port?
You're leading him on a wild goose chase, Bill. I get the same options
with left/right click.

Ed

It can't be getting power from the USB port if you use Safely Remove
Hardware and have it set to remove power on disconnect. So obviously it
is getting power from the mains.

If I recall the thread correctly, it works under XP. If so, there must
be a special driver for it to send a command to power it down. And
apparently, the Windows 7 driver doesn't have this feature.

Yes, Windows 7 Remove Hardware you can right click too. But don't
confuse the two. Safely Remove Hardware is vastly superior to the
Windows one.

 

[Sumgod]

It can't be getting power from the USB port if you use Safely Remove
Hardware and have it set to remove power on disconnect. So obviously it
is getting power from the mains.

If I recall the thread correctly, it works under XP. If so, there must
be a special driver for it to send a command to power it down. And
apparently, the Windows 7 driver doesn't have this feature.

Yes, Windows 7 Remove Hardware you can right click too. But don't
confuse the two. Safely Remove Hardware is vastly superior to the
Windows one.

Understood Bill. And I think you're correct that there's some difference
driver wise between xp and 7. What the heck it is, who knows?

 

[Sumgod]

I feel for you, pal. I've been on similar journeys. Some of the older
people in this NG will probably give you this same advice;
"Know when to cut your losses and get out!".


Ed

Agreed!

 

[Sumgod]

Haven't you lot anything else "hard" enough to talk about?
-- choro --

E.g?

 

[choro]

I am beginning to think that this has become an Iomega PR exercise!

-- choro --

 

[Sumgod]

I am beginning to think that this has become an Iomega PR exercise!

-- choro --

Lol!

 

[Sumgod]

I am beginning to think that this has become an Iomega PR exercise!

-- choro --

Seriously though Choro: You have a hard disk (of any make!) that has an
on/off switch which - when connected to pc - refuses to function. Any
suggestions about what to do about that apart from the one I'm heading
for: putting the hammer though the dratted thing?

 

[choro]

Seriously though Choro: You have a hard disk (of any make!) that has an
on/off switch which - when connected to pc - refuses to function. Any
suggestions about what to do about that apart from the one I'm heading
for: putting the hammer though the dratted thing?

The wall-plug might have an on/off swtich, ditto the PSU, the computer
certainly has got an off/off switch but I didn't know that the hard disk
itself has an on/off switch. Don't know what it is that is wrong with
your computer or the computer in question, as the case might be, and
frankly I don't care. This thread has been going on for far too long for
such an insignificant subject.

The only reason why a hard disk won't switch off is because it is still
drawing power. Shut off the power supply to it and it will certainly
stop dead in its tracks regardless of whatever brand it might be! No
juice, no action! It is as simple as that.

And just to make a point, there are NO on/off switches. Switches are
only used as OFF switches. You don't need a single ON switch to make
things work. Everything is ON by default unless you turn them OFF.

People spend money to install OFF switches. If you didn't need OFF
switches you'd save quite a few quid or dollars or what have you and
make your wiring far simpler.

It is obvious that something is faulty and it is not switching off when
it needs to. So work your way backwards and find out WHICH switch will
not switch OFF and replace it. Get rid of it. I got rid of my ex for far
less than that! And now we are both better off.

Understand? ¿Comprendéis
-- choro --

 

[Sumgod]

The wall-plug might have an on/off swtich, ditto the PSU, the computer
certainly has got an off/off switch but I didn't know that the hard disk
itself has an on/off switch. Don't know what it is that is wrong with
your computer or the computer in question, as the case might be, and
frankly I don't care. This thread has been going on for far too long for
such an insignificant subject.

The only reason why a hard disk won't switch off is because it is still
drawing power. Shut off the power supply to it and it will certainly
stop dead in its tracks regardless of whatever brand it might be! No
juice, no action! It is as simple as that.

And just to make a point, there are NO on/off switches. Switches are
only used as OFF switches. You don't need a single ON switch to make
things work. Everything is ON by default unless you turn them OFF.

People spend money to install OFF switches. If you didn't need OFF
switches you'd save quite a few quid or dollars or what have you and
make your wiring far simpler.

It is obvious that something is faulty and it is not switching off when
it needs to. So work your way backwards and find out WHICH switch will
not switch OFF and replace it. Get rid of it. I got rid of my ex for far
less than that! And now we are both better off.

Understand? ¿Comprendéis
-- choro --

Thanks for that input there Choro. Really appreciate it. Essentially I
agree with everything you have to say. Apart from the fact that when you
use a switch as an off switch and then you use it again doesn't it then
become an on switch? Or is this a Wittgensteinian thing as in 'The
meaning of a word resides in its use.'? Bit like a switch if you think
about it.

But I agree! Enough said. No more from me. I'll ditch the blinking hard
disk in favour of something I can have much more control over. Maybe a
woman?

All comprendéis and underestood mon ami. Over and out!

 

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

Overridden by being plugged into your PC when it's on!

I used to have major issues with external USB HDs under XP. The ones I
particularly remember were;
1. Boot-up would hang if a 1TB drive was plugged in.
2. Even a 250GB drive could cause problems if it was switched off but left
plugged in at reboot.

Must have been something odd about the PC that was running XP.
I've never had anything like that on my XP computer.

 

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

No, it is actually making more sense now. As it must be getting power from
something else besides the USB port. As Windows XP automatically kills the
USB power from a disconnected device.

Actually the USB power stays on, but most devices go into standby mode when
they lose communications with the PC, as happens after using the XP safely
remove hardware thing.

Vista and Windows 7 doesn't do this. Which I think is dumb! But Safely
Remove Hardware utility fixes this problem.

Yes and no. It could occasionally be useful to put something in to standby
that way but you really need to be able to get at the USB plug anyway since
the only other way to switch that device back on is the re-boot the whole
PC.

Don't forget instead of left clicking on a device within Safely Remove
Hardware, you can right click too for more options. There might be
something there that might be helpful.

In XP right clicking certainly shows you more info but it doesn't let you do
anything different, just helps you work out which device it is you want if
you're not sure exactly what they all are.

 

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

Found this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2401954

Seems to be what's afflicting this Iomega.

However the change to the registry if flummoxing me since I don't know the
USB Device Descriptor of the Iomega disk. I need it to identify the disk
in the registry and modify a dword value.

Look in Device Manager.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, Sumgod

But I agree! Enough said. No more from me. I'll ditch the blinking hard
disk in favour of something I can have much more control over. Maybe a
woman?

All comprendéis and underestood mon ami. Over and out!

I thought the problem was that the hard disc _wasn't_ blinking ... (-:

 

[choro]

On 11/07/2011 16:10, Sumgod wrote:
[....]

Thanks for that input there Choro. Really appreciate it. Essentially I
agree with everything you have to say. Apart from the fact that when you
use a switch as an off switch and then you use it again doesn't it then
become an on switch?

The simple answer is a big NO!

Or is this a Wittgensteinian thing as in 'The

meaning of a word resides in its use.'? Bit like a switch if you think
about it.

But I agree! Enough said. No more from me. I'll ditch the blinking hard
disk in favour of something I can have much more control over. Maybe a
woman?

A woman, did you say? Control over a woman?! Have you gone completely
bonkers, man?

Oh, boi, boi, boi! He now thinks he can control a woman!
-- choro --

 

[me again]

One of my favorites (I must be a masochist) is an LED on a gooseneck,
sold as a keyboard light. Its beam is wide enough to cover three keys of
your choice, as long as they're in a triangular pattern, such as 'fgv'.

Luckily it was very cheap

Mine has now lost 2 of 3 led - time for a new one.