You_Too said:

Ok, from what you're saying, it does seem like the drive is failing, but the cable could be bad. Do you have any other USB cable that you could try connecting it with?

I am not sure, I have anything to connect it with. I have cords with a USB end to it, but not with the end that would go into the back up drive.

edit: I just found away to test this. Its turns out that my printer also uses a USB connection that the part that plugs into the printer matches the part on the other cord that plugs into the back up drive. I unplugged the cord from the printer and plugged it into my back drive. My computer still did not recognize the back up drive.

bkev said:

As stupid as this sounds with my old Western Digital, which I think is about the same age as yours, it was VERY easy to plug the cable into the unit upside down by mistake; the lights would even go on, the computer just wouldn't register it. Make sure you're not doing that.

I apologize for assuming you'd make the same dumb mistake I would. I just had problem after problem with the cables - the plug on my unit itself is actually very loose and it's a struggle to keep a cable in.

there is no way to plug it in upside down. I just checked. and no need to apologize.

Bingowings said:

Does the drive have other connection options (some have firewire sockets as well as USB)?

If so giving that a try might get through to it.

If you can get thing to be acknowledged by a machine you can reformat it which would probably give the drive another lease of life.

it looks like there is another way to connect it to a computer, but I have no idea what I did with whatever cord it would take to do so, it such a cord came with the device. This is also assume my computer can take such a connection, being a few years older than the device, that is far from certain.