Solve : At risk of restarting or shutting down??

1.	Solve : At risk of restarting or shutting down??
Answer» I’ve bought a 500 GB Western Digital external USB HDD but I haven’t yet plugged it into my desktop’s USB socket because I fear it will lead me to an irreversible situation from which I can only leave by shutting down or restarting my desktop computer and I don’t want to do that. Have my fears any technical foundation? Thank you in advance. Vigaenson I don't understand your question. You bought an external drive and you're afraid to connect it - is that what you are saying? It's going to be kind of hard to use if you don't connect it.Hi Allan! You missunderstood me. I'm not afraid of connecting it. My computer is on and I'm afraid of NEEDING to shut it down or restarting it if want to use the external USB HDD. In other words: I want to use it but I don't want to shut down or restart the computer as a condition for that. I've heard some people say it's necessary and others say it's not. What's your opinion?If it's a usb connection, as I assume it is, you do not need to shut down the system - usb was designed to be hot swappable. More important, what's the issue with shutting it down or restarting?Hi Allan Some days ago, at bed time, after I had ordered my computer to shut down, I discovered that instead of shutting down as usual it had turned into a blue screen where there was a complex and threatening message I hadn't enough time to read because while I was trying to find a paper and a pencil to take notes the computer went off. By threatening I mean that it said something like "A severe error has occurred that may compromise what's stored in your computer. If after the next boot and shutdown it happens again you shall have to follow ...” and here there was complex description of several steps I should follow and had no time to record “...so that the loss does not occur." After restarting my computer and because I have never MADE a complete backup of my HDD, files I decided I would not shut down nor restart my computer until I hadn't done one. I bought the external USB HDD with the idea of transferring all the contents of internal HDD to it. But as the moment of using it approaches I remembered I'd heard some people say you must restart the computer before you use an external USB HDD for the first time and I want to be sure that is not true because if that is the case I don't want to run the risk of losing data and I will have to look for an alternative way of backing up my internal HDD. Does this information change your previous statement? Thanks for your time Vigaenson PS: It is a USB connectionQuote from: Vigaenson on September 04, 2011, 05:54:12 PM Hi Allan Some days ago, at bed time, after I had ordered my computer to shut down, I discovered that instead of shutting down as usual it had turned into a blue screen where there was a complex and threatening message I hadn't enough time to read because while I was trying to find a paper and a pencil to take notes the computer went off. By threatening I mean that it said something like "A severe error has occurred that may compromise what's stored in your computer. If after the next boot and shutdown it happens again you shall have to follow ...” and here there was complex description of several steps I should follow and had no time to record “...so that the loss does not occur." After restarting my computer and because I have never made a complete backup of my HDD files, I decided I would not shut down nor restart my computer until I hadn't done one. I bought the external USB HDD with the idea of transferring all the contents of internal HDD to it. But as the moment of using it approaches I remembered I'd heard some people say you must restart the computer before you use an external USB HDD for the first time and I want to be sure that is not true because if that is the case I don't want to run the risk of losing data and I will have to look for an alternative way of backing up my internal HDD. Does this information change your previous statement? Thanks for your time Vigaenson PS: It is a USB connection What OS are you using? I've never heard of Vista or 7 doing this, but I know Windows XP asks to restart with my Western Digital Passport (and ONLY that drive, I have several of various makes). For some reason, it just doesn't like that one drive. HOWEVER, I just tell it "Restart later" (skipping the restart), go to "My Computer", and the drive is already there. I had to do this on every XP computer I've plugged it into. Like I said, never had a drive do that to me on Vista or 7. In each of the OSes, you can usually skip requested restarts if you need to. I can't think of a case where any of them will force a restart without asking first. I would say for the most part, you're safe to plug it in.Thank you for post quaxo!! I'm using Windows XP SP3. So, must I understand that 1st: If I were to use that specific Western Digital Passport drive of yours with my Windows XP SP3 computer, it would most likely ask me to restart the computer? 2nd: In that case, if I skip the restart by telling it to "Restart later" I would most likely be able to find the drive in "My computer"? 3rd and most important: In that case, and no matter I haven't restarted the computer yet, I would most likely be able to make a full back up of my internal HDD on your Western Digital Passport drive and rescue all the data I'm concerned about? 4th: After I'm sure I've got the backup on the USB external drive I can choose the time that suits me best to shutdown/restart the computer? I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time Vigaenson PS: By the way, I think that on the blue screen these words were written: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL I don't know the significance of that. If I remember something else I'll let you know.Quote from: Vigaenson on September 04, 2011, 09:14:15 PM I'm using Windows XP SP3. 1st: If I were to use that specific Western Digital Passport drive of yours with my Windows XP SP3 computer, it would most likely ask me to restart the computer? 2nd: In that case, if I skip the restart by telling it to "Restart later" I would most likely be able to find the drive in "My computer"? 3rd and most important: In that case, and no matter I haven't restarted the computer yet, I would most likely be able to make a full back up of my internal HDD on your Western Digital Passport drive and rescue all the data I'm concerned about? 4th: After I'm sure I've got the backup on the USB external drive I can choose the time that suits me best to shutdown/restart the computer? 1st: It has been my experience with this particular drive and Windows XP SP3 that it asks, yes. Or it tries to install a driver for it and fails. 2nd: In both cases, if I tell it to restart later or cancel out of MANUALLY installing a driver, if I open My Computer, the drive appears there. 3rd: The drive has in both cases worked fine without a restart or manually installing a driver. 4th: Yes, once your files are backed up, you can pretty much do whatever you need to do, be it restarting or reinstalling the OS. I don't know what it is with this particular drive (it's the only WD Passport I own), but none of my other drives do this (I have a portable Maxtor 80GB external, this Western Digital Passport 500GB external, a Hatachi 160GB drive in an external case (taken from a dead laptop) and a Western Digital ELEMENTS 1TB external). Out of all my drives, the Passport is the only one that does this with Windows XP SP3 (and SP2 for that matter). None of them do it with Vista or 7. I can't guarantee that the exact same thing will HAPPEN for you if you're using a Passport or any other drive, but very few devices actually require a restart when plugged in, even if it tells you it needs a restart. Again, even if it does tell you that, you usually have the option to restart later. This Passport has been plugged into several Windows XP systems and this happens every time.Download BlueScreenView: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html unzip downloaded file and double click on BlueScreenView.exe to run the program. when scanning is done, go to EDIT - Select All Go to FILE - SAVE Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all of the content, and paste it into your next replyHi quaxo and Allan! Today at 3:30 P.M UTC , when I was getting ready to thank you for your posts, a long outage in my area increased the stress I was feeling and delayed my message and many other things as well. Fortunately, when the lights came back, I restarted my computer and.... nothing unwanted happened!! So, now that the stress I was supporting has decreased to the levels it had before the blue screen appeared I will postpone the subjects of this thread ‘till I solve some other problems that have been exerting pressure and have increased it after the outage. As soon as I have cleared them out I'll write back. In the mean time, again, thank you both Vigaenson

Answer»

I’ve bought a 500 GB Western Digital external USB HDD but I haven’t yet plugged it into my desktop’s USB socket because I fear it will lead me to an irreversible situation from which I can only leave by shutting down or restarting my desktop computer and I don’t want to do that.

Have my fears any technical foundation?

Thank you in advance.

Vigaenson
I don't understand your question. You bought an external drive and you're afraid to connect it - is that what you are saying? It's going to be kind of hard to use if you don't connect it.Hi Allan!

You missunderstood me.

I'm not afraid of connecting it.

My computer is on and I'm afraid of NEEDING to shut it down or restarting it if want to use the external USB HDD.

In other words: I want to use it but I don't want to shut down or restart the computer as a condition for that.

I've heard some people say it's necessary and others say it's not.

What's your opinion?If it's a usb connection, as I assume it is, you do not need to shut down the system - usb was designed to be hot swappable.

More important, what's the issue with shutting it down or restarting?Hi Allan

Some days ago, at bed time, after I had ordered my computer to shut down, I discovered that instead of shutting down as usual it had turned into a blue screen where there was a complex and threatening message I hadn't enough time to read because while I was trying to find a paper and a pencil to take notes the computer went off.

By threatening I mean that it said something like "A severe error has occurred that may compromise what's stored in your computer. If after the next boot and shutdown it happens again you shall have to follow ...” and here there was complex description of several steps I should follow and had no time to record “...so that the loss does not occur."

After restarting my computer and because I have never MADE a complete backup of my HDD, files I decided I would not shut down nor restart my computer until I hadn't done one.

I bought the external USB HDD with the idea of transferring all the contents of internal HDD to it.

But as the moment of using it approaches I remembered I'd heard some people say you must restart the computer before you use an external USB HDD for the first time and I want to be sure that is not true because if that is the case I don't want to run the risk of losing data and I will have to look for an alternative way of backing up my internal HDD.

Does this information change your previous statement?

Thanks for your time

Vigaenson

PS: It is a USB connectionQuote from: Vigaenson on September 04, 2011, 05:54:12 PM

Hi Allan

Some days ago, at bed time, after I had ordered my computer to shut down, I discovered that instead of shutting down as usual it had turned into a blue screen where there was a complex and threatening message I hadn't enough time to read because while I was trying to find a paper and a pencil to take notes the computer went off.

By threatening I mean that it said something like "A severe error has occurred that may compromise what's stored in your computer. If after the next boot and shutdown it happens again you shall have to follow ...” and here there was complex description of several steps I should follow and had no time to record “...so that the loss does not occur."

After restarting my computer and because I have never made a complete backup of my HDD files, I decided I would not shut down nor restart my computer until I hadn't done one.

I bought the external USB HDD with the idea of transferring all the contents of internal HDD to it.

But as the moment of using it approaches I remembered I'd heard some people say you must restart the computer before you use an external USB HDD for the first time and I want to be sure that is not true because if that is the case I don't want to run the risk of losing data and I will have to look for an alternative way of backing up my internal HDD.

Does this information change your previous statement?

Thanks for your time

Vigaenson

PS: It is a USB connection

What OS are you using?

I've never heard of Vista or 7 doing this, but I know Windows XP asks to restart with my Western Digital Passport (and ONLY that drive, I have several of various makes). For some reason, it just doesn't like that one drive.

HOWEVER, I just tell it "Restart later" (skipping the restart), go to "My Computer", and the drive is already there. I had to do this on every XP computer I've plugged it into. Like I said, never had a drive do that to me on Vista or 7.

In each of the OSes, you can usually skip requested restarts if you need to. I can't think of a case where any of them will force a restart without asking first. I would say for the most part, you're safe to plug it in.Thank you for post quaxo!!

I'm using Windows XP SP3.

So, must I understand that

1st: If I were to use that specific Western Digital Passport drive of yours with my Windows XP SP3 computer, it would most likely ask me to restart the computer?
2nd: In that case, if I skip the restart by telling it to "Restart later" I would most likely be able to find the drive in "My computer"?
3rd and most important: In that case, and no matter I haven't restarted the computer yet, I would most likely be able to make a full back up of my internal HDD on your Western Digital Passport drive and rescue all the data I'm concerned about?

4th: After I'm sure I've got the backup on the USB external drive I can choose the time that suits me best to shutdown/restart the computer?

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you for your time

Vigaenson

PS: By the way, I think that on the blue screen these words were written: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
I don't know the significance of that.
If I remember something else I'll let you know.Quote from: Vigaenson on September 04, 2011, 09:14:15 PM

I'm using Windows XP SP3.
1st: If I were to use that specific Western Digital Passport drive of yours with my Windows XP SP3 computer, it would most likely ask me to restart the computer?
2nd: In that case, if I skip the restart by telling it to "Restart later" I would most likely be able to find the drive in "My computer"?
3rd and most important: In that case, and no matter I haven't restarted the computer yet, I would most likely be able to make a full back up of my internal HDD on your Western Digital Passport drive and rescue all the data I'm concerned about?
4th: After I'm sure I've got the backup on the USB external drive I can choose the time that suits me best to shutdown/restart the computer?

1st: It has been my experience with this particular drive and Windows XP SP3 that it asks, yes. Or it tries to install a driver for it and fails.

2nd: In both cases, if I tell it to restart later or cancel out of MANUALLY installing a driver, if I open My Computer, the drive appears there.

3rd: The drive has in both cases worked fine without a restart or manually installing a driver.

4th: Yes, once your files are backed up, you can pretty much do whatever you need to do, be it restarting or reinstalling the OS.

I don't know what it is with this particular drive (it's the only WD Passport I own), but none of my other drives do this (I have a portable Maxtor 80GB external, this Western Digital Passport 500GB external, a Hatachi 160GB drive in an external case (taken from a dead laptop) and a Western Digital ELEMENTS 1TB external). Out of all my drives, the Passport is the only one that does this with Windows XP SP3 (and SP2 for that matter). None of them do it with Vista or 7.

I can't guarantee that the exact same thing will HAPPEN for you if you're using a Passport or any other drive, but very few devices actually require a restart when plugged in, even if it tells you it needs a restart. Again, even if it does tell you that, you usually have the option to restart later.

This Passport has been plugged into several Windows XP systems and this happens every time.Download BlueScreenView:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html
unzip downloaded file and double click on BlueScreenView.exe to run the program.
when scanning is done, go to EDIT - Select All
Go to FILE - SAVE Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all of the content, and paste it into your next replyHi quaxo and Allan!

Today at 3:30 P.M UTC , when I was getting ready to thank you for your posts, a long outage in my area increased the stress I was feeling and delayed my message and many other things as well.

Fortunately, when the lights came back, I restarted my computer and.... nothing unwanted happened!!

So, now that the stress I was supporting has decreased to the levels it had before the blue screen appeared I will postpone the subjects of this thread ‘till I solve some other problems that have been exerting pressure and have increased it after the outage.

As soon as I have cleared them out I'll write back.

In the mean time, again, thank you both

Vigaenson

Solve : At risk of restarting or shutting down??

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