BleepingComputer.com: Trying to clone drive using USB adapter, its unseen

Hi,
I have searched everywhere on here before I posted and I still need help.
I am try to upgrade my Dell Inspiron B130 laptop's HDD from 40 GB to 160 GB. I bought a Samsung HM 160 HC internal hard drive. I connected it through my USB port using a cable with an adapter on the end for pluging into IDE and SATA HDDs.
I am running Windows XP. I put in the new unformatted Samsung HDD and put my original Dell disk into the DVD RW drive. I had to go to the BIOS to change the boot sequence so that the DVD drive booted first. I was able to format the new drive, but Windows XP installed automatically and I did not get the option of just formatting. When I put my original HDD back into the computer and connected the new HDD thru the USB port using the adapter and cable, XP would not see the Samsung HDD connected using the USB cable in the 'My Computer' section of Windows XP.
I went into device manager and it sees the cable and calls it "USB to IDE/SATA Device USB device" if you click on 'Properties' and the 'Volume' followed by 'Populate' it says its unreadable and gives no further information. Now, when I placed the new Samusung drive into the computer and booted up the computer. It boots to windows XP fine, and when I go to 'my computer' and open 'Properties' it properly identifies the drive as a 'Samsung HM160HC'. Next if I go to 'Device Manager' it also properly identifies it. If I then right click, as with the other drive, and go to 'Properties' then 'Volume' and finally 'Populate' it gives allot of information about the drive. So in this case 'Device Manager' see the new HDD when its IN the computer and and identifies it properly.
Now I went back and put in my original HDD and hooked up the new HDD drive with the USB cable. I found some free clone drive software and it does not see the new Samsung HDD when connected thru the USB port. Just like XP does not see it. I took some forum advice and went back into the BIOS and did not see any settings to change 'SATA' to 'IDE' or anything else, anywhere. I have the current BIOS version of my computer as well. I even tried to change the C: drive to another letter on the new drive in case the computer was seeing two C: drives when I had the new drive connected to the USB port. XP would not let me do this.
I have read forums all day and last night, downloaded all the new drivers for my computer model from the Dell website, put in the new HDD and tried to just format it (XP would not let me), and nothing has allowed me to see the new HDD using the USB adapter. I even when to Samsung and downloaded info and some diagnostic software. Nothing worked.
Can anyone help. Other I know have had this problem. I m not a computer guy, but love to learn and will not quit. So please give em some advice. I got the cable from my brother and it has no identifying marks, so I am thinking it has no drivers I would need, plus it was seen in device manager?

Thanks for reading this.

This post has been edited by hamluis: 04 September 2010 - 07:13 AM
Reason for edit: Moved from XP to External Hardware forum ~ Hamluis.

Hi .

<<Now, when I placed the new Samusung drive into the computer and booted up the computer. It boots to windows XP fine, and when I go to 'my computer' and open 'Properties' it properly identifies the drive as a 'Samsung HM160HC'. Next if I go to 'Device Manager' it also properly identifies it. If I then right click, as with the other drive, and go to 'Properties' then 'Volume' and finally 'Populate' it gives allot of information about the drive. So in this case 'Device Manager' see the new HDD when its IN the computer and and identifies it properly.>>

OK...so you have a new hard drive with XP installed on it...and XP was installed via the USB adapter cable...but the new XP install is not recognized when the new drive is attached as a secondary drive.

I would ditch the cable...buy a USB 2.0 enclosure...and then use appropriate software to clone the old drive. I would read the specs for the cloning software, since all may not clone to USB-connected drives (just as some data-recovery software won't save to USB-connected drives).

I view this as a hardware problem.

Louis

Thanks Louis,
The problem was me not knowing, but loving to learn what I am doing. The cable I borrowed from someone and I noticed a plug on the top of it after I plugged in the new drive. The person I borrowed it from forgot that laptops do not have a place on their power supplies to plug in this adapter. so even though power was getting to the attached HDD, because the cable was not getting power the XP software could not see the drive. He gave me an enclosure drive next and everything worked fine.

Thanks

Glad you successfully resolved it, happy computing .

Louis