How to Mount a Drive Over a USB 2

A USB drive connects to a computer through a cable plugged into a USB 2.0 port, which transfers data. The USB drive needs to be recognized by the computer's operating system -- or "mounted" -- for its icon to appear on the desktop and be accessible. A software program built into the operating system accomplishes the mounting of the drive. No special expertise about how a USB drive works is required.

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USB cable, 6 feet

Instructions

- 1
  
  Plug one end of a USB cable into the USB port on the back of the USB 2.0 hard drive. If the USB cable is permanently attached to the drive, or the drive comes equipped with its own USB connector (for example, a USB flash drive), ignore this step completely.
- 2
  
  Plug the other end of the USB cable into the USB port on the front or back of the computer. If the drive comes equipped with its own USB connector, insert the connector into the USB 2.0 port instead.
- 3
  
  Click the "X" in the upper right corner of the "Adding New Hardware" window when it pops up. The drive is now mounted on the desktop.
- 4
  
  Click on the USB drive icon in the lower right of the screen when it is time to unmount it. Select "Safely remove USB Mass Storage Device - Drive" from the pop-up window. When it appears, close the USB drive removal confirmation window by clicking the "X" in the upper right corner. Remove the USB cable or USB connector from the USB 2.0 port.

Tips & Warnings

Plugging a USB 2.0-compatible device into a USB 1.0-version port will slow the speed to that of 1.0's specifications.
Avoid bending a USB cable; this could cause it to short out the wires inside its insulated sleeve.