Free PC Support

Hawke2103 · Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 3

I have an external HDD that is networkable via ethernet (RJ45) cable or USB. My PC can see the drive and perform file exchange operations using the USB connection, but not via the ethernet cable when connected to my wireless router.
Do I need an IP Address for the HDD to set up the connection? If so, how do I find it's IP Address, or assign the IP Address if one has yet to be assigned.
Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

SoftStag · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 1962 Location: UK

Hi Hawke2103. Nice Avatar Smile

Can you let us know the make and model of the hard drive in question? And also what is the make and model of the router?

The drive will need an IP address to work on the network, usually they would pick one up automatically from your router's DHCP server. That is assuming you have DHCP enabled.
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Hawke2103 · Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 3

Hi SoftStag.
Thanks for the quick response........ (Got Google to thank for the avatar. sort of reflects the confused & hacked off state at the mo)
The HDD is a MAXTOR 6 160GB IDE housed in a Mentor "Sharing Drive" and my wireless router is a Belkin G+

SoftStag · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 1962 Location: UK

Is there any model number on the "sharing drive"?
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"Microsoft programs are generally bug-free. If you visit the Microsoft hotline, you'll literally have to wait weeks if not months until someone calls in with a bug in one of our programs. 99.99% of calls turn out to be user mistakes. I know not a single less irrelevant reason for an update than bugfixes. The reasons for updates are to present more new features."
-- Bill Gates, on code stability, from Focus Magazine

Hawke2103 · Joined: 13 Jul 2009 Posts: 3

Nope..... Nothing visable. Got a web link if that helps????

http://www.csonline.ie/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=425

Steve · Joined: 07 Feb 2006 Posts: 174 Location: Bangalore, India

Silly question maybe, but what do the instructions say about how to access the drive from a network? I had a play with a similar one some time ago, and it was just a normal network share - I think it was \\storage\

Try going to Start - Run and typing in \\storage\

You never know!
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Markb · Joined: 29 Nov 2007 Posts: 166 Location: UK

I had quite a trawl regarding this on the web and there is precious little regarding the brand Mentor and certainly no support that I can find.

My best guess would be that it is configured to pick up a dynamic IP address from your Router. The first place to start is to look at the admin page of your router to find the DHCP leases that it has given out. You should see entries for your computer and any others on your network. (Find your own Ip address) Hopefully you will also see one for the Hard drive. It is most likely that it is configured using a web interface. Once you have found the IP address put it into a browser http://<IP Address> You might also be able to get to the storage by putting \\<IP address> into a run command.