xbox slim data transfer (old hard drive cant be detected!)

ok this problem is driving me NUTS

originally i bought a 3rd party data transfer cable which comes with this really tiny disk. it recognizes my hard drive but it read it as a "USB Storage". and then i played around with it and went to the option "customize" and then set the option to 16GB (i dont know if anyone is familiar with this process).

I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING WITH IT.

so ok, it did not DO ANYTHING, im not sure what i have done.

now, recently i got fed up and bought a Micrsoft data transfer cable from GS. problem is, the POS wont detect the external hard drive.

everytime i plug it in with either the 3rd party or the official cable, i hear a sound.

with the 3rd party cable, it detects it as a USB, but with the official cable, it wont detect the hard drive at all.

is there anything wrong with the slim or the hard drive itself?

please help, i dont wanna go through the first 8 chapters of dead space again. i wanna beat it, trade it in on goozex, and move on to other games.

you guys are awesome for helping me! btw i have to hit the sack since im working tomorrow, so ill check back tomorrow morning before work.

but if anyone has a clue or advice on what i should do please leave a post, thanks a million fellow gamers :)