Power Surge on Hub Port

[rave]

hello all.

my sisters dell laptop is having some problems. which got me a bit freaked out, since its listed on the dellbatteryrecallprogram (her model number is 510m). howerver her battery is in the clear .

when i plug in a 40 GB 2.5" drive (with external casing) via usb it tells me "Power Surge on Hub Port". the thing is, theres nothing wrong with the drive since it works on other computers and i have the EXACT same drive with the same casing and it still doesnt work.

sometimes it lets My Computer see the drives (when reset or close is clicked) but MOST of the time it doesnt which gets annoying. im guessing the external casing is asking for too much power but shouldnt a laptop be able to handle a USB device?

please shed some light on this. much appreciated. screenshot is below

[glc]

If the housing has an auxiliary power connector - either a second USB port, a PS/2 adapter, or an AC adapter, you need to use it. There is a 500ma limit on each USB port.

What other USB devices are connected?

[rave]

well, most of the time 2 other USB devices are connected. the CD+RW/DVD drive and the mouse. ive tried "safely removihg" these devices but still no luck. i dont understand why its only her dell inspiron 510m that is giving this problem.

there is an AC port but no adapter for the AC was given. it says DC 5v

[glc]

Then you need to find an AC adapter that's compatible.

[mina27]

I am also having the same problem. I have 80GB Ovation Seagate 2.5" external hard disk and when I plug in to the USB port, I got the same error message. However I noticed something written at the bottom of the hard disk:

Model: 2526
Bus power DC 5V/500mA
External power DC 5V/1A

I have already unplug all USD devices, and reset USB port, still the same problem. At first, I plugged it to our server and the power was suddenly shut down. I was very panic. Then I tried it on my PC, and it gives me the "power surge on a hub port" message.

[rave]

i've found a solution. as glc said, if your HDD enclosure has a ac power port (a circular hole) you can find an ac adapter. however an easier solution is to get a split USB cable.
something like this http://www.pexagontech.com/cached/_i...7dbd7d9ba8.jpg

[mina27]

But I am using the split USB and I still got the same message. I will try pluggin in to the adapter but then when i bought the hard disk, it does not come with the adapter.