Windows 7 problem (hopefully the only one)...please help...

Ok I backup my data just in case (my internal data hdd failed) on to my external western digtial passport hardrive which uses the fat32 filesystem ready for the move to windows 7 from vista (did a fresh install).

anyway Windows 7 will not see any of my files on the passport,just shows some random files with random file names which can't be opened.
Under vista I had it setup so i could unplug/plug in external hdd's with out having to click remove harddrive (or whatever its called) first and until windows 7 was install this never gave me any problems no files were lost or damaged etc.
So when on its first plug in under win 7 has this problem appeared?
I've tried error-checking on it to try and fix it, but it fails to fix the problem.
Is there anything else i can try ? or have i lost the files

thank you

Perhaps you removed the hard drive usb cable before Windows had finished writing to the disk? This may have scrambled the directory details on the drive. If that's the case the data should be there but you will need to download one of the many file recovery programs from the web.

p.s. I'd stop trying to fix the problem with such as chkdsk etc. and it would be best not to attempt to write any files to the disk before using recovery software.

On the previous OS, did you install anything for the WD unit??

Running out of hard drive capacity!The My Passport Essential External Hard Drive from Western Digital solves all your storage needs. It features SmartWare data management and backup software that backs up your data automatically and continuously. Also, this software shows your backup as it happens, and retrieves your valuable data to its original location whether youve lost all your data or just overwritten an important file. This hard drive offers password protection and military-grade 256-bit hardware-based encryption and gives you peace of mind knowing that your data is protected from unauthorized access or theft. Featuring USB interface, Passport Essential provides easy installation and use. Packed with such striking features, this 500 GB portable hard drive is the one to fit in your style.

Perhaps it needs a password?

In reply to a post by wy2k:

Ok I backup my data just in case (my internal data hdd failed) on to my external western digtial passport hardrive which uses the fat32 filesystem ready for the move to windows 7 from vista (did a fresh install).

anyway Windows 7 will not see any of my files on the passport,just shows some random files with random file names which can't be opened.
Under vista I had it setup so i could unplug/plug in external hdd's with out having to click remove harddrive (or whatever its called) first and until windows 7 was install this never gave me any problems no files were lost or damaged etc.
So when on its first plug in under win 7 has this problem appeared?
I've tried error-checking on it to try and fix it, but it fails to fix the problem.
Is there anything else i can try ? or have i lost the files

thank you

pleas check if your passport is one of the following

Specifications  	Order Number  	Capacity  	Interface  	Warranty
WDBABM0010BBK 	WDBABM0010BBK 	1 TB (1000 GB) 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBABM7500ABK 	WDBABM7500ABK 	750 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA6400AWT 	WDBAAA6400AWT 	640 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA5000AWT 	WDBAAA5000AWT 	500 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA4000AWT 	WDBAAA4000AWT 	400 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA3200AWT 	WDBAAA3200AWT 	320 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA2500AWT 	WDBAAA2500AWT 	250 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info

if so please go to http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdsmar...

no no wd software installed, and i deleted it from the hdd when i first got it.

going to try file scavenger data recovery program i found on downloads.com,it's a free to try but if it works i will pay for it to recover some (if not all) of my files

How would installing WD Smartware help retrieve the OP's files ?

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by wy2k:

pleas check if your passport is one of the following

Specifications  	Order Number  	Capacity  	Interface  	Warranty
WDBABM0010BBK 	WDBABM0010BBK 	1 TB (1000 GB) 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBABM7500ABK 	WDBABM7500ABK 	750 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA6400AWT 	WDBAAA6400AWT 	640 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA5000AWT 	WDBAAA5000AWT 	500 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA4000AWT 	WDBAAA4000AWT 	400 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA3200AWT 	WDBAAA3200AWT 	320 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info
WDBAAA2500AWT 	WDBAAA2500AWT 	250 GB 	USB 2.0 	more info

if so please go to http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdsmar...

nope it says on my passport wd2500xms-00 and its 160gb or 250 can't be sure without pluging it in.
thanks anyway

Have you tried the external hard drive on a computer with another Operating System such as Vista or XP just in case it's a problem with your Win 7 installation ?

yes i tried it on a laptop that which had Win XP on it same result. However i hope my files can be recovered as windows reports that the space on the hhd is being used.