I have just bought a Maxtor Basics 500GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive and when I connect it to a USB Port on my PC running XP Pro SP3 nothing happens. No error message or any acknowledgment of connection. I have tried another USB Port and the same thing occurs (or doesn't in this case!)
There LED does light indicating power and there is some noise if I stick my ear to the box.
When I connect other devices (Ipod, Mp3 players and other storage devices, everything works OK)