Strange error in Disk Management

I have an IDE to USB dongle that works fine with all my spare disks save
one. When I try to get it to install I get the "USB device installed
correctly" tone but nothing shows up in the Computer panel.

I then go to Computer Management and check on the disk. It is showing
with a tiny red mark of some kind (very hard for my eyes to see) and the
word "unknown" under Disk1. In addition, 'not initialized' is under the
unknown notification.

Right click on the disk and choose Initialize Disk. The pop up shows
Disk 1 as checked and the radio button for MBR is pushed. Clicking "OK"
produces the error "Incorrect Function" - which is what baffles me. How
can it be an incorrect function if it is the only one selected? Is this
a bug or an indication of some esoteric error that the disdk manager
can't deal with?

Questor

An option to initializing the disk - format.
"Questor" <> wrote in message
news:%23N7t5ao$...
>I have an IDE to USB dongle that works fine with all my spare disks save
>one. When I try to get it to install I get the "USB device installed
>correctly" tone but nothing shows up in the Computer panel.
>
> I then go to Computer Management and check on the disk. It is showing
> with a tiny red mark of some kind (very hard for my eyes to see) and the
> word "unknown" under Disk1. In addition, 'not initialized' is under the
> unknown notification.
>
> Right click on the disk and choose Initialize Disk. The pop up shows Disk
> 1 as checked and the radio button for MBR is pushed. Clicking "OK"
> produces the error "Incorrect Function" - which is what baffles me. How
> can it be an incorrect function if it is the only one selected? Is this a
> bug or an indication of some esoteric error that the disdk manager can't
> deal with?
>
> Questor

Nope. When I click the OK button I immediately get the error. There
are no further options displayed.

Questor

--->
> An option to initializing the disk - format.
> "Questor"<> wrote in message
> news:%23N7t5ao$...
>> I have an IDE to USB dongle that works fine with all my spare disks save
>> one. When I try to get it to install I get the "USB device installed
>> correctly" tone but nothing shows up in the Computer panel.
>>
>> I then go to Computer Management and check on the disk. It is showing
>> with a tiny red mark of some kind (very hard for my eyes to see) and the
>> word "unknown" under Disk1. In addition, 'not initialized' is under the
>> unknown notification.
>>
>> Right click on the disk and choose Initialize Disk. The pop up shows Disk
>> 1 as checked and the radio button for MBR is pushed. Clicking "OK"
>> produces the error "Incorrect Function" - which is what baffles me. How
>> can it be an incorrect function if it is the only one selected? Is this a
>> bug or an indication of some esoteric error that the disdk manager can't
>> deal with?
>>
>> Questor
>
>

On 5/28/2010 5:28 PM, Questor wrote:
> Nope. When I click the OK button I immediately get the error. There
> are no further options displayed.
>
> Questor
>
> --->
>> An option to initializing the disk - format.
>> "Questor"<> wrote in message
>> news:%23N7t5ao$...
>>> I have an IDE to USB dongle that works fine with all my spare disks save
>>> one. When I try to get it to install I get the "USB device installed
>>> correctly" tone but nothing shows up in the Computer panel.
>>>
>>> I then go to Computer Management and check on the disk. It is showing
>>> with a tiny red mark of some kind (very hard for my eyes to see) and the
>>> word "unknown" under Disk1. In addition, 'not initialized' is under the
>>> unknown notification.
>>>
>>> Right click on the disk and choose Initialize Disk. The pop up shows
>>> Disk
>>> 1 as checked and the radio button for MBR is pushed. Clicking "OK"
>>> produces the error "Incorrect Function" - which is what baffles me. How
>>> can it be an incorrect function if it is the only one selected? Is
>>> this a
>>> bug or an indication of some esoteric error that the disdk manager can't
>>> deal with?
>>>
>>> Questor
>>
>>
>
Can you identify the make & model of the disk drive, and perhaps the
approximate date of mfr?
A few drives were/are subject to a firmware update.
Jumpers may also come into play.

--->
> On 5/28/2010 5:28 PM, Questor wrote:
>> Nope. When I click the OK button I immediately get the error. There
>> are no further options displayed.
>>
>> Questor
>>
>> --->
>>> An option to initializing the disk - format.
>>> "Questor"<> wrote in message
>>> news:%23N7t5ao$...
>>>> I have an IDE to USB dongle that works fine with all my spare disks
>>>> save
>>>> one. When I try to get it to install I get the "USB device installed
>>>> correctly" tone but nothing shows up in the Computer panel.
>>>>
>>>> I then go to Computer Management and check on the disk. It is showing
>>>> with a tiny red mark of some kind (very hard for my eyes to see) and
>>>> the
>>>> word "unknown" under Disk1. In addition, 'not initialized' is under the
>>>> unknown notification.
>>>>
>>>> Right click on the disk and choose Initialize Disk. The pop up shows
>>>> Disk
>>>> 1 as checked and the radio button for MBR is pushed. Clicking "OK"
>>>> produces the error "Incorrect Function" - which is what baffles me. How
>>>> can it be an incorrect function if it is the only one selected? Is
>>>> this a
>>>> bug or an indication of some esoteric error that the disdk manager
>>>> can't
>>>> deal with?
>>>>
>>>> Questor
>>>
>>>
>>
> Can you identify the make & model of the disk drive, and perhaps the
> approximate date of mfr?
> A few drives were/are subject to a firmware update.
> Jumpers may also come into play.

It is, or was, a Maxtor 80Gb drive. I have determined that it has
crashed - permanently. The heads will not load. All they do is cycle
to the disk and then snap back. No hope for it now. Since they never
loaded, I figure the error was Disk Manager's way of telling that
'something went wrong' by giving me the first error that popped into
it's little mind.

My thanks to the folks who answered me.

Questor