My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on a
Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with Vista
Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed these up
but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I would have to
format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of course, then all
my backups would be lost.

Question:
How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups from
the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry these
backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.

Thank you

"Tom Kelly" <tkelly01@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:OmWFXPRzJHA.2084@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on
> a Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with Vista
> Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed these
> up but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I would
> have to format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of course,
> then all my backups would be lost.
>
> Question:
> How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups from
> the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry these
> backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.
>
> Thank you[/color]


If you have or can get access to another machine running XP, then I'd first
try accessing the device using that operating system. If you format it, as
you say, you will lose the lot.

If you can access it fine using XP, you could then consider setting up your
laptop to 'dual boot' with XP, while you troubleshoot the issue, or transfer
the projects via other means, eg via CD or DVD etc, to the new Vista
machine. A 'dual boot' is technically more advanced, but once set up it
enables you to enjoy the best of both the Vista and XP worlds.

--
Jon

On Mon, 4 May 2009 19:55:50 -0400, Tom Kelly wrote:
[color=blue]
> My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on a
> Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with Vista
> Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed these up
> but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I would have to
> format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of course, then all
> my backups would be lost.
>
> Question:
> How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups from
> the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry these
> backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.
>
> Thank you[/color]

There should be no problem reading the drive form Vista. Something else is
wrong.

All I can think of is power: perhaps the USB port of your laptop lacks
enough power to run the external drive. Try using the extra plug on the USB
cable (If you have one of those cables) or using an external power supply
on the drive.

Or did you use encryption? If so install the encryption software on the new
computer.

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom

Jon, your suggestion is what I would choose to do but when I try to install
WinXP for a "dual boot" it won't install. The Vista says I have a version of
Windows installed newer than the one I'm trying to install. It won't
install.
I've done this on my XP without a problem. So I'm stuck here wondering how I
can get this to work. - Thanks for your suggestion.

Tom

"Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
news:%23CXcNgRzJHA.1420@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> "Tom Kelly" <tkelly01@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:OmWFXPRzJHA.2084@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on
>> a Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with
>> Vista Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed
>> these up but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I
>> would have to format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of
>> course, then all my backups would be lost.
>>
>> Question:
>> How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups
>> from the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry
>> these backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.
>>
>> Thank you[/color]
>
>
> If you have or can get access to another machine running XP, then I'd
> first try accessing the device using that operating system. If you format
> it, as you say, you will lose the lot.
>
> If you can access it fine using XP, you could then consider setting up
> your laptop to 'dual boot' with XP, while you troubleshoot the issue, or
> transfer the projects via other means, eg via CD or DVD etc, to the new
> Vista machine. A 'dual boot' is technically more advanced, but once set up
> it enables you to enjoy the best of both the Vista and XP worlds.
>
> --
> Jon
>
>
>[/color]

Jon
I had the opportunity last night to try the Free Agent Storage Device on a
WinXP system. Sorry to say it did not work. So, I imagine, that trying to
arrange a "dual boot" situation on my laptop with Vista would not do me any
good.

It still mystifies me that a storage device cannot be moved from one
computer to another or from one system to another. Doesn't that defeat the
use of a storage device for backup purposes?

Tom

"Jon" <Email_Address@SomewhereOrOther.com> wrote in message
news:%23CXcNgRzJHA.1420@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> "Tom Kelly" <tkelly01@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:OmWFXPRzJHA.2084@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on
>> a Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with
>> Vista Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed
>> these up but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I
>> would have to format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of
>> course, then all my backups would be lost.
>>
>> Question:
>> How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups
>> from the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry
>> these backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.
>>
>> Thank you[/color]
>
>
> If you have or can get access to another machine running XP, then I'd
> first try accessing the device using that operating system. If you format
> it, as you say, you will lose the lot.
>
> If you can access it fine using XP, you could then consider setting up
> your laptop to 'dual boot' with XP, while you troubleshoot the issue, or
> transfer the projects via other means, eg via CD or DVD etc, to the new
> Vista machine. A 'dual boot' is technically more advanced, but once set up
> it enables you to enjoy the best of both the Vista and XP worlds.
>
> --
> Jon
>
>
>[/color]

Gene
The storage device has an external power supply and I did not encrypt the
files. - Thanks for responding.

Tom K

"Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message
news:e26ldmnmx90k$.qyh2xx14j5g2$.dlg@40tude.net...[color=blue]
> On Mon, 4 May 2009 19:55:50 -0400, Tom Kelly wrote:
>[color=green]
>> My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on
>> a
>> Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with Vista
>> Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed these
>> up
>> but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I would have
>> to
>> format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of course, then
>> all
>> my backups would be lost.
>>
>> Question:
>> How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups
>> from
>> the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry these
>> backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.
>>
>> Thank you[/color]
>
> There should be no problem reading the drive form Vista. Something else is
> wrong.
>
> All I can think of is power: perhaps the USB port of your laptop lacks
> enough power to run the external drive. Try using the extra plug on the
> USB
> cable (If you have one of those cables) or using an external power supply
> on the drive.
>
> Or did you use encryption? If so install the encryption software on the
> new
> computer.
>
> --
> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom[/color]

From what you said below & from your other posts, I deem this thing a
mystery.

AFAICT, the only thing left to try is a different USB cable. I have had
situations where a perfectly good cable isn't perfectly good... But make
sure it says HI-Speed or USB-2 in almost invisible markings along the cable
:-)

It really shouldn't be failing like this...

I'm down to only being able to wish for a miraculous recovery :-(

On Wed, 6 May 2009 11:14:36 -0400, Tom Kelly wrote:
[color=blue]
> Gene
> The storage device has an external power supply and I did not encrypt the
> files. - Thanks for responding.
>
> Tom K
>
> "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message
> news:e26ldmnmx90k$.qyh2xx14j5g2$.dlg@40tude.net...[color=green]
>> On Mon, 4 May 2009 19:55:50 -0400, Tom Kelly wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>> My desktop with WinXP installed seriously crashed. I had backed up all on
>>> a
>>> Seagate Free Agent storage device. I started using my laptop, with Vista
>>> Home Premium installed, for all my computer projects. I had backed these
>>> up
>>> but when I added the storage device to the laptop it told me I would have
>>> to
>>> format the drive before I could use it with the laptop. Of course, then
>>> all
>>> my backups would be lost.
>>>
>>> Question:
>>> How can I get around this in order to install and/or reach my backups
>>> from
>>> the storage device to the laptop. I thought I'd be able to carry these
>>> backups from computer to computer but I find that is not the case.
>>>
>>> Thank you[/color]
>>
>> There should be no problem reading the drive form Vista. Something else is
>> wrong.
>>
>> All I can think of is power: perhaps the USB port of your laptop lacks
>> enough power to run the external drive. Try using the extra plug on the
>> USB
>> cable (If you have one of those cables) or using an external power supply
>> on the drive.
>>
>> Or did you use encryption? If so install the encryption software on the
>> new
>> computer.
>>
>> --
>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom[/color][/color]


--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom