external woes

i'm definitely not loving the new external hard drive. in fact, it's back in its box now--it needed a time out. i've had good luck with simpletech externals before so maybe it's more specifically a problem with simpletech drives in blue casings (yuck). had it been gray or black or leopard, i think we would have gotten along much better. it was reformatted (a process that appeared to go successfully) but now it's telling me that it's parameters aren't right. i can't find a help file for that on their site. hmmm. problem is, i hate returning things--especially things purchased online. what's more, i hate waiting for replacements.