The computer no longer sees the removable disk. Why doesn't my computer detect my removable hard drive?

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It so happened that I needed to format it. Just this one HDD from the laptop and when I gave the laptop to warranty repair, then instead of the SSD drive I installed the HDD back. Yesterday I picked up my laptop from repair and put the hard drive back in my pocket.

I connected it to the computer on which the information was stored in order to upload it to external HDD, but it is not determined. Or rather, it is detected, Windows signals that the device is connected, and an icon appears on the notification panel indicating that it is connected USB device and there is even an opportunity to extract it.

In the device manager, the external HDD is also displayed and works properly. But the whole problem is that the disk does not appear in Windows Explorer. You go to my computer, but it’s not there.

I connected this external hard drive to the laptop, still the same. It is detected, but it is not visible in the explorer. Yeah, that means it's the disk itself.

I thought a little, then I googled it and realized that the disk was simply not allocated and it was necessary to create a partition on it. We will create the standard Windows tool to work with hard drives which I wrote about.

This could have been the end of the article, but I took a few screenshots, so I’ll show and tell you everything on real example and how you like it – with pictures :).

We need to open the Disk Management tool. To do this, open Start and press right click on Computer. Select Control.

On the left, select Disk management. And this is the picture I saw (screenshot below). Disk 0- This is my SSD drive, there are created sections there. A Disc 1, this is already my external hard drive, which was not displayed in Explorer. It says Not distributed. Now we'll distribute it :).

Right click on it and select Create a simple volume...

We need to specify the size for the partition we are creating. If you want to create one section, then you can not change anything, but simply click Further. In the size field simple volume already specified maximum size for the section we are creating.

In the next window you need to assign a drive letter. I advise you to just click next and not change anything.

Formatting a volume. I advise you to leave everything as is. You can change the volume label (this is its name). Click Further.

We check the correctness of the parameters we entered and press the button Ready.

Hard drive in the form external device has become a familiar device for many. In this case, situations are possible when the computer does not see it for one reason or another. This is exactly what we will try to figure out, that is, we will determine what may hinder normal operation the mentioned type of storage device.

Cable

The external hard drive and the computer are connected via a USB cable, the functionality of which may be impaired from a physical point of view. For example, there was a loss of contact. To check this, just use a different cable or connect another device to it instead of hard drive. If it works, then the problem is in the cable, and not in the external drive itself.

USB port

A problem with USB port may vary: the connector is damaged or there is not enough power. In the first case, everything is solved simply. If for some reason the computer stops seeing external hard drive, you must first try connecting the drive to another USB port.

In the second case, we can assume that specific port experiencing nutritional deficiency. This is possible, for example, if you use the connectors located on the front panel of the system unit, or external hard drive connected via a USB splitter to which other devices are connected.

To solve the problem:

use one of the rear ports;
connect external storage directly, that is, bypassing the USB splitter.

Drivers

The likelihood that the reasons why the computer refuses to see the external hard drive is due to a lack of drivers or driver conflicts is quite low. Although it should be excluded. Typically, operating systems automatically recognize the connected gadget of the type in question and install necessary drivers. If this did not happen due to any circumstances, then the situation must be corrected.

To update drivers, you can:

use a special program, for example;
solve the problem online using DriverPack Solution;
visit the official website of the external hard drive manufacturer, where you can download the required driver;
Open the "Device Manager" tab and find your hard drive in the " Disk devices" It can also be found in the “Other devices” section. Use the right mouse button and select “Update Drivers”. In Windows 10, the mentioned tab is found in the following path: “Control Panel”, “Hardware and Sound”, “Devices and Printers”, “Device Manager”.

Drive letter

Sometimes a so-called drive letter conflict may occur. This type of phenomenon is not very common, but it does happen.
Windows assigns the external hard drive wrong letter, which leads to the invisibility of the drive. We must try to eliminate this type of problem.

To do this, you need to reassign the drive letter:

open the “Run” window using Win + R;
enter diskmgmt.msc in the field and click OK, which will cause the “Disk Management” window to appear;
select the required drive and use the right mouse button;
choose from those that become available context menu the line “Change drive letter...”;
use the “Change” button and set the required letter.

File system

In order for the computer to be able to see the external hard drive, the latter must be formatted in accordance with one or another file system. Some manufacturers choose not to carry out this step. As a result, the computer does not see new hard disk, and the user is faced with information that says “Not allocated.”

This message is available if you open the Disk Management window, which you can do as explained earlier. After which you will need to do right click mouse and select “Create a simple volume...”. Then specify the drive letter, file system, for example, NTFS, and confirm starting the formatting process.

Important! Formatting a disk destroys all data on it. In this regard, it is necessary to carefully approach this process. If the disk was previously "breathing" and you wrote something important to it, then try to correct the disk errors first. This will allow you to pull out the necessary information.

It is also possible that the hard drive may not be turned off correctly. For example, pulled out of the port during use. This makes it impossible to access information on the hard drive.

To fix this you will need to check the disk:

call command line by Win + R and enter in the field cmd commands followed by clicking OK;
enter in command line chkdsk l:/f (l is the letter of the drive being checked) and use Enter key to start the scan.

Attention! The proposed check does not pose any danger. You can safely use this method to make your computer see the disk again. All information on the drive remains unharmed.

If the above methods for restoring visibility external hard disk did not help, then perhaps it “died”. If this one is the case, you'll have to visit service center for the purpose of resuscitation of this device.

Section: November 11, 2017 10919

In the era of digital storage of information, users are increasingly expanding the memory of their computer with the help of additional devices - external hard drives, which allow you to add from several gigabytes to several terabytes of auxiliary storage. In this article, we will take a closer look at solutions to the problem when an external hard drive connected via USB is not detected by the computer.

Problems connecting an external hard drive via USB can occur for a variety of reasons, maximum amount which will be discussed in this article.

Reason 1: USB cable faulty

First of all, if the device does not want to be detected via USB, you should make sure that the USB cable connecting the computer to the hard drive. The easiest way to do this is to connect via this cable to the computer any other device - if it is not detected, the cable should be replaced.

Reason 2: driver problems

If the problem is not with the cable, you should make sure that the external hard drive drivers are working correctly.

Reason 3: lack of nutrition

A hard drive is a much more complex device than a flash drive. Due to the fact that it contains many mechanical elements, it accordingly requires more nutrition. Usually, similar problem appears if you connect an external hard drive not directly, but through splitters (USB hubs). In some cases, the problem may occur due to the use of a cheap Chinese USB cable.

IN in this case you should connect the device to your computer directly. If you are unsure of the quality of the cable, replace it, preferably using solutions from reputable manufacturers.

Reason 4: Hard drive failure

The hard drive itself is a fragile device, so there is a high probability that it has mechanical damage, which cannot ensure its correct operation.

If the device was just purchased, we recommend that you immediately return it under warranty. If the hard drive suddenly begins to behave this way, you should submit it for diagnostics under warranty.

Reason 5: USB port conflict (USB port malfunction)

If you connected your external hard drive to USB 3.0, try reconnecting it to another USB 2.0 port. The same applies to the possibility that the port is faulty.

Reason 6: USB support is disabled in BIOS

This is a rare cause of the problem, because in this case, none of your USB-connected storage devices will work.

If this is the case in your case, you will need to go to BIOS settings to activate USB operation.

To do this, you will need to turn on your computer or force it to restart. At the very early stage of startup, you should start repeatedly pressing the button responsible for entering the BIOS (in most cases, F1, F2 and Del are used as such keys).
The further progress of BIOS setup depends on the version installed on your computer. In most cases you will need to find the section "Integrated Peripherals" and activate the parameter in it "USB EHCI controller" or "Legacy USB storage detect". If you make changes, be sure to save your settings before exiting.

Reason 7: Incorrect drive letter assignment

There are situations when Windows mistakenly assigns a hard drive a letter that is already assigned to another drive on the computer. In this case, the device will be detected as connected via USB, however, you will not be able to use the storage.

Reason 7: Hard drive is not formatted

If the device is detected normally by the computer, but the storage cannot be used, we can conclude that the device is not prepared for use on the computer.

These are the main reasons that affect the operation of an external hard drive connected to a computer via USB. If you know other ways to solve the problem, share them in the comments.

External hard disks have become quite firmly established among modern PC users. Having quite impressive volumes, they are used for working with large amounts of data, while being quite convenient to store and carry. But there are also situations in which an external hard drive no longer appears among the drives connected to the computer. In this material, I will tell you what to do if the external hard drive does not appear in my computer, what reasons cause this dysfunction, and how to fix it.

In many cases, the connected external drive is simply not displayed among the available drives in “My Computer”. This often happens in situations where this disk I connected to the computer before, and it worked until now without any problems.

If you also have problems with this, then follow the link and read the instructions for solving it.

The reasons why the external hard drive is not visible in my computer could be:

Incorrect assignment of a given drive letter (for example, it coincides with a drive already on the PC);
The new drive you are connecting is not yet formatted;
Malignant activity of virus programs;
For some reason, the operating system does not have drivers that support the operation of this disk;
The specific USB port through which this drive is connected to the computer does not work;
Registry operating system damaged;
The cord connecting the external hard drive to the PC is damaged.

After we have dealt with the reasons why the computer does not see the external hard drive, let's move on to detailed instructions to solve this problem.

Enable display of external hard drive on PC

What to do in a situation where Windows does not see the external hard drive. I recommend following the following procedure:

Try simply restarting your computer, sometimes this may work;
Need to use another one USB connector to connect your device (perhaps the previous one is simply damaged and does not work correctly);
It is necessary to use a different cord, perhaps the previously used one is damaged;
Make sure your external drive is turned on (if it has battery power);
Assign external drive correct letter;
Click on the Start key, type diskmgmt.msc in the search bar and press enter.

A disk management window will open in front of you, which should display your disk. Hover your cursor over it, right-click, select “Change drive letter...”, and assign your drive a letter that is not used on your system. This must be done to display the external hard drive in My Computer;

If your disk is not visible in the disk management menu, then it is either physically inoperable, or there are no drivers for it in Windows. Go to Device Manager (click Start, type devmgmt.msc in the search bar and press enter), and check if there are any unidentified devices with yellow exclamation mark. If there are any, you need to install drivers for it.

To do this, do the following:

A) Click on the “Action” option at the top and select “Update hardware configuration” there;

B) Use special programs For automatic installation drivers (level DriverPack Solution), which will automatically select required driver to your device and install it on your PC;

C) Use the device's unique identifier to search for drivers for it on the network. Go to Device Manager, right-click on the unidentified device and select “Properties”. In the properties menu, go to the "Details" tab, select the "Hardware ID" property, copy the longest bottom value and try to search for the driver by entering given value to a search engine;

D) Run the command prompt as administrator, and there enter:

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1

Then go to Device Manager, click on “View” and select the option “Show hidden devices" If your device appears among such devices, try right-clicking on it and selecting “Delete.” Then turn off your computer, unplug your devices, turn your PC back on, let the system boot, and then try connecting your device again;

D) If you are having problems connecting the USB, then go to Device Manager, remove all devices under the “USB Controllers” option, and then reboot the system. These controllers will be reinstalled, and it is quite possible that the OS will see your external drive.

Conclusion

If the external hard drive does not appear on my computer, then it is worth following the entire set of tips I listed above. Please note that if the disk has just been purchased, it is necessary to format it and assign the correct letter to it; in the case of a previously used disk, it is worth checking the physical functionality, starting from the USB socket and cord, and ending with the device itself. In some cases, the latter may require major repairs at the nearest service center.

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