USB hard drive

[Bglad]

I am using a USB hard drive formatted in NTFS for backup storage. Problem is the computers get switched off over the weekend and when it is fired up on Monday, the USB drive has lost all it's share settings so the other computers can't see it.

Is there anyway to make it remember it's share settings?

 

[bluestrobe]

Did you properly disconnect the usb connection from Windows before shutting the computer off? You can't just power off your computer with the hd still connected and live.

 

[Bglad]

No, I didn't. It is not connected to my computer, it is connected to a central machine used by someone who is not very computer savvy. I thought I could set this up and it would just be automatic. I can't ask them to learn about network sharing folders. Argh.

So it is normal that a USB drive loses its shares and there is no way around it?

 

[bluestrobe]

It's a hit and miss operation if you don't follow the proper USB disconnect procedures. USB drives are like any other USB device and Windows hates when you disconnect them (by turning your computer off with the item still connected for instance) and anything could happen. I've seen partition tables go missing after a power cycle of a computer.

 

[Nothinman]

So it is normal that a USB drive loses its shares and there is no way around it?

Shares are stored in the registry and not on the drives themselves. I guess it's possible that Windows automatically deletes shares when the path they point to doesn't exist any more and if that's true, you're screwed. You _might_ be able to avoid that by setting the rights on the registry key holding the share definitions so that no one can edit them, but then you'll have to change the rights back anytime you want to create, amend, delete, etc a share.

I've seen partition tables go missing after a power cycle of a computer.

I'd say that was pure coincidence, the partition tables aren't written during normal operation so there's no chance of data loss there unless something physically bad happens to the drive like the head smacking that portion of a platter. And that's pretty far fetched since any drive made in the past 30+ years is smart enough to avoid that.

 

[bluestrobe]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
I'd say that was pure coincidence, the partition tables aren't written during normal operation so there's no chance of data loss there unless something physically bad happens to the drive like the head smacking that portion of a platter. And that's pretty far fetched since any drive made in the past 30+ years is smart enough to avoid that.

All partition tables are is data that organizes other data. I've seen it happen to more than one drive in more than one situation. Data corruption can happen when you unplug the power or ide cable from an idle hard drive and the same kind of applies to USB drives.

 

[Bglad]

If that info is written to the registry, it should just sit there until needed again. Registry is not changed unless something actively changes it.

Hmmm, wonder why I am losing my shares then.

 

[Nothinman]

All partition tables are is data that organizes other data.

They don't even really organize anything, it's just 512b of data with the offsets and type of the 4 primary partitions on the disk.

Data corruption can happen when you unplug the power or ide cable from an idle hard drive and the same kind of applies to USB drives.

Yes, but only to data that's in memory and was never commited to disk and the partition tables is never 'dirty'.