External disk problem

[Stasou]

I have a Maxtor basics external disk,which worked fine on my laptop until yesterday when i used some programs to clean my computer.The disk seems to work but i can't open it since it is not shown on my computer.I tried it on a friends computer and it works just fine but not on my laptop.Could someone please help me how to solve the problem?I use vista 32 bit.

[MidnightCowboy]

I appreciate that I have a particular viewpoint about this topic, but to me incidents like this only re-enforce my thinking. A dirty computer can be cleaned safely and effectively using a soft damp cloth and an appropriate cleansing agent. Internally, most so called "cleaners" are only of any benefit to users with the knowledge level to run them safely.

It appears that your Windows system has been corrupted by these things.

Have you tried plugging in any other USB connected items to see if they are recognized?

[wdhpr]

The disk seems to work but i can't open it since it is not shown on my computer.I tried it on a friends computer and it works just fine but not on my laptop

You may have deleted a entry in your registry. You could try to restore to a point prior to the cleaning. Most good system maintenance software create restore points prior to carrying out operations. You may want to check there.
You may also try your Windows restore.
In the future you may also consider a rather old but good registry backup program called ERUNT. It also has a auto backup feature and its FREE
ERUNT has saved my bacon in the past.
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

Good luck
Wdhpr

[Stasou]

Yes i pluged in another usb devise and it was ok.As for system restore i have it disabled because i use backup images that i store on that harddisk.Also i delete the backups made from those programs due to the fact that i use image backups.I could never imagine that those backups could be needed (foolish of me)

[moserw]

Go to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Storage - Disc Management.

Do you see the HDD here? Another thing to try is to update all USB drivers, that might help.

[Stasou]

Originally Posted by moserw

Go to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Storage - Disc Management.

Do you see the HDD here? Another thing to try is to update all USB drivers, that might help.

Yes i it is there

[Stasou]

Also i tried to update from device manager but it said that drivers are up to date

[moserw]

Originally Posted by Stasou

Yes i it is there

Can you rename it to another drive letter or just rename it and then check again.

Also do restart the system and check it out.

[moserw]

Originally Posted by Stasou

Also i tried to update from device manager but it said that drivers are up to date

Device Manager will always say up to date because it looks in the wrong place. Try a free option like DriverMax. Just Google it. It works great but you have to register with DriverMax, still I will recommend it because it works and is free.

[Anupam]

Before performing a driver update, I would suggest turning on the System Restore, which can be very helpful, in case of a problematic driver update. Personally, I am not in favor of driver updates using third party softwares like DriverMax. I would prefer downloading updates from the manufacturer's site, if available, and if necessary. Wrong driver updates can cause problems.

Until now, the drive was working well. I think the problem lies somewhere else. Probably, it happened because of the cleaner programs that were used. Can you give more details as to what cleaner programs did you use, and what did they clean?