Problem consolidating data

[blafteus]

I have 2 WD 2TB Passport usb 3.0 drives that are powered by usb. I am trying to consolidate folders in common between the two, but my laptop/desktop only has usb 2.0. When I plug in just one drive, there is no issue, however when I plug both in using Windows 7, it will not show the contents of the most recently plugged in drive. I'm betting there just isn't enough power coming out of the USB 2.0 ports to make this happen. My question is can I purchase a piece of hardware from NewEgg/Cyberguys/etc. (other than a new pc with USB 3.0 built-in) that will allow me to connect 2 of these drives simultaneously and view the folders on both so I can transfer files?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fzabkar]

Assuming that you do have a power problem, you could try a powered USB hub.

 

[blafteus]

Correct, my only concern with the powered USB hub is will it be dumbed down to USB 2.0 speed? Also it's bulky/more wires. I think what I may end up doing is buying a pci express card for my desktop and connecting a spare molex power plug into the interface.