My portable hard drive works on my tv but i can see any of the files on my lapto

[helpmeplease2012]

Just as ive written in the title, i can see and play all the movies i have stored on my portable hard drive but when i plug it into my laptop i cant see any files.
any suggestions?
ive tried it on laptops running both vista and windows 7

 

[chippies]

The files might be marked as hidden. Go to Tools>Folder Options and select the View tab. Under advanced options, select "Show hidden files and folders". Click "Ok" and now the videos should hopefully be visible.