external drive issue

[genfool]

I just found this strange, will try to explain it as best I can.

I have a 32 bit system that is fresh and fully updated.
I find the drive has many errors and needs to be tossed.
Am working on backing up the drive, plug in a external usb drive for back ups... it is ntfs file system, It does not show with fdisk -l the drive does not exist. I plug it into another sabayon computer and no issue.

My first plan of attack was to add it to fstab and see if it would show up, mount it and back it up.
I did not have a network connection during this time. I thought I would connect it to the internet with a cat5 and update it... just confused as why the drive is not showing up in kde dolphin. Why would I need internet installed to do what I want, back up the drive that is failing to a external usb drive?

I thought before messing with fstab, would just upgrade and get current. As soon as I plugged in the cat5 and connected it to the internet, the external drive, it showed up in the notifier icon and dolphin.
Help me understand, what could a internet connection have to do with installed drives, or one connected by a usb cable?

I have rebooted to replicate the error, just do not see why a external drive needs a internet connection.

[Fitzcarraldo]

I wonder if it's an electrical/physical problem, rather than anything to do with software? Perhaps you have got a floating ground. Do you have a voltmeter? If you do, I suggest you unplug both the external USB drive cable and the Ethernet cable, and then check the PC's USB socket with the voltmeter to see whether or not you have +5 VDC between the +5 VDC pin and the Ground pin, and also relative to Earth (e.g. central heating radiator pipe). Then insert the Ethernet plug into the PC's network RJ45 socket and check again. Just a thought.

http://pinouts.ru/Slots/USB_pinout.shtml

[genfool]

Just did it for the 3rd time, and is consistent. I unplug the cat5 and reboot and the drive does not show up.
I plug in the cat5 and besides the eth0 connection showing up, the external drive shows up at the same time.
Just a strange issue to trouble shoot.
I will play with it some and see what comes out.
Something just sounds really wrong here, maybe the bad ground as you suggested, but if I move the usb cable to another sabayon box, works fine.... could the ground have something to do with this? When I plug in the cat5 it gives it a proper ground and works?

[Fitzcarraldo]

Possibly. The fact that it works fine on another machine means the USB cable is not the problem.