External hard drive HELP!!!

[dabbers041272]

Hi guys
Hope someone can help me here..
I have a buffalo 1TB external hard drive..and i'm using vista.
I've had it for 2 weeks...i formatted it...put ALL my precious stuff on it..it worked fine...and now i can't access it.
When i plug it in it makes the sound that means it's recognized that i've plugged something in.
It doesn't show in my computer..it shows in device manager tho.
Please help...i think i've lost everything!!

[Seymour Clearly]

Might be related to this

[http://www.randomfix.com/2007/04/12/win ... rom-drive/]

[Guilbert]

>You need to make DVD backups of anything you are serious about keeping

VERY VERY GOOD POINT.

A hard disk is NOT a good place to store the only copy of important files.

A hard disk is a mechanical device where the platter spins round at thousands of revolutions a second, and an arm flies over the top of it fractions of an inch away from the platter.

If the disk is knocked and the arm "crashes" into the platter the disk is ruined and you will never get the data off it.

Also a PC or laptop or external disk can easily be stolen, or ruined in a fire or flood.

ALWAYS make sure that important files are backed up on DVD.

And if they are REALLY important buy yourself a fireproof safe, or maybe make a spare DVD and keep it at a relatives house for extra safe keeping.

You can NEVER have too many backups.

[johnsix]

The trouble is with 1Tb to back up there isn't a big enough medium that isn't going to run into 100s of disks.
With sub ?100 price for a 1Tb external drive you HAVE to buy 2 and use one for back up. Or get an NAS and configure a couple of 500 or 750Gb drives as a RAID.

If the drive spins up and comes ready then it may be the USB interface at fault,Worth taking the drive from the caddy and connecting to another PC (I assume SATA interface) to make sure the drive is OK.

[dabbers041272]

Thanks for the replies guys..i'm gonna try johnsix's idea