Code 43 and Vista

[jtrory]

Hi,

I recently bought a new computer with Vista Home 64-bit. The external hard drive that I use for backing up certain files, a 300GB Seagate connected by Firewire 400 (that worked fine when I had XP) is now constantly getting a Code 43 error at some point while I'm using it.

I've tried uninstalling the driver, and Vista will reinstall it on startup, but I will still get a Code 43. I read that unplugging the drive and deleting INFCACHE can work, but it doesn't seem to in this case.

My understanding is that this is a common problem with Vista, and that in some cases there might not be a solution. So my question is two-fold: can I permanently fix the Code 43 error (and how), and if I can't, what should I replace the drive with? Anyone know of external drives that definitely work with Vista? Because I've been reading that even new drives that claim they are Vista compatible actually might not be. According to Seagate's website, my drive "might" be compatible, but I'm convinced at this point that it isn't, and I don't want to waste my money on another drive that doesn't work either.

 

[r_manic]

Could be a driver problem. Does your external HDD have updated ones available on the manufacturer's website? Try installing them.

If you really think you need a new one, may I suggest you get a WD Passport Express?

 

[slickjr169]

My bet its the 64 bit version of Vista you are using and not Vista as a whole. Technically speaking any drive you pick up will work fine under vista but any back software that comes with it will be useless because of the lack of 64 bit support. My suggestion is to buy the drive you like and then reformat and partition it with Vista.

 

[jtrory]

I don't use backup software, I just move things between the C: drive and the external drive. My problem is that the drive itself and Vista do not appear to be communicating properly, and I was under the impression that since Vista provides the driver, there's no opportunity for me to get the two to work together efficiently.

Would simply reformatting the drive in Vista actually make any difference? I wasn't aware that a drive operating under a 32 or 64 bit system that does not actually have the OS installed on it needed to be formatted to one or the other. You can only format to FAT32 or NTFS, and both should in theory work fine under either system.

Of course, I could be very wrong about that. I'm assuming the only fix is to find a newer drive that is compatible with Vista.

 

[r_manic]

Well what you can do is backup your hard disk files to another computer that can read it, hook it up to your Vista 64 rig, and reformat it. If that doesn't make it compatible with your Vista install, I honestly don't know what will! Let us know how it goes

 

[jtrory]

I guess I'll just have to try it. I don't really want to buy a new drive because there is nothing physically wrong with this one. God, I hate Vista. It's been problem after problem ever since I started using it. I wish my old version of XP was 64-bit so it could support my RAM, but it's not