What to do if the computer does not see the external hard drive?





External hard drives are becoming more and more popular with PC users every day. The thing is that very often there is a catastrophic lack of space on the built-in information storage device, and in order not to change the media, you can use the HDD (external hard drive). The modern model of such a device is a small box containing 1-2 TB of information. But what to do if the computer does not see the external hard drive, and, right after buying a new device. Today we will try to understand the situation and tell you what to do if the computer does not see a removable hard drive, depending on the cause of the malfunction.

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The computer does not see the external hard drive. Causes

Before solving a problem, it is necessary to understand the cause of the malfunction. Consider the main ones.

Malnutrition

If the hard drive is large enough, then its absence in the “File Manager” can be caused by insufficient power. This situation occurs if you are using a USB hub on which other devices are already connected. All USB interfaces, depending on the type, give out different power.

Important! Try plugging the connection cable into different USB sockets. Perhaps one of the connectors can provide enough power for the device to work. Or connect the media directly to the port.

Cable break

Correcting the situation will help replace the cable.

The model of the hard drive has a different connection, not USB

Today on the market there are a huge number of devices that have various parameters and connectivity. Some power devices require a separate cable. All these nuances must be checked at the time of purchase according to the technical description.

Important! Perhaps you connected the device, as usual - via USB, but you had to use an additional power cable.

Settings problem

If the computer does not see the external hard drive, the reasons may also be as follows:

• The problem with the drivers. If the operating system cannot correctly determine the drivers for the external drive, then you should download them from the official site. If you have new media, then the drivers must be recorded on it.

Important! Remove them on another computer that was able to recognize the device.

• BIOS does not include USB support. If the other computer recognizes the external drive, then check if USB support is enabled on your PC.
• Device malfunction. If manipulations with the USB connection do not give a result, then check the operability of the device by connecting it to another computer, the drive may be malfunctioning. In case of mechanical breakdowns, contact a service center.

Important! To prevent and resolve these problems:

• Choose a cord to connect the device as short as possible in length and as thick as possible. All this significantly affects the transmission of power.
• The problem with a lack of power can be solved this way: connect the cable with two connectors at one end to different sockets on the system unit case. Thus, the device will receive electricity from two sources.

What to do if the problem is in the settings

For the computer to identify the device, the removable storage medium must have a name in the control interface.But sometimes it happens that the disk is not detected due to incorrect configuration in the BIOS. You can correct the situation by going to the settings and changing the configuration to another one suggested from the list. After these manipulations, restart the computer.

Detailed instructions:

1. Click the Start menu.
2. Click “Computer Control Panel”.
3. Make sure that you browse items by category (in the upper right corner is the inscription “View”).
4. Click on “System and Security”.
5. Find the “Administration” item.
6. In the window that opens, find the item titled “Computer Management”.
7. In the left window that opens, select “Disk Management”. You should see all the drives connected to the system, including external ones. Your task is to change the letter of the removable drive to one that is not in the operating system.
8. Locate your external information source in the window, then right-click on it and select “Change drive letter or drive path”.
9. In the window that opens, select "Change."
10. Choose any letter you like.
11. Click “OK.”

Important! If you are connecting a new drive to your computer for the first time, most likely it is not formatted, therefore it will not be displayed in the “My Computer” window. In this case, you cannot change the letter. Right-click on the external drive and select “Create a simple volume”, but remember that during this process all data on the storage medium will be deleted.

Application Issues

Problems with the fact that the computer does not see the external hard drive often arise after working with programs such as Acronis and Alcohol, and other similar applications for creating virtual storage devices. In the process of working with such programs, the PC switches to communication with virtual disks, but ceases to see real ones.

In this situation, it is necessary to return the system to its previous state or completely remove the program along with all the settings.

Important! Check if there are any previously created virtual disks in the system. If available, delete them and restart the computer, resetting the CMOS settings to the default settings.

We solve a problem with drivers

If the external drive is new, and it is not in the “My Computer” window, then this phenomenon is 99% related to the drivers. Proceed as follows:

1. From the control panel, go to the “Device Manager” tab. Make sure that you are viewing the menu with small icons (upper right corner).
2. Click the “Disk Devices” tab.
3. Note whether an exclamation mark is displayed in the yellow triangle opposite the drive. If a triangle is present, then update the driver.

Important! If you did not find your drive, then try to find it in “Other devices”.

4. Remove the old driver by right-clicking on the device and select the “Delete” task.
5. Unplug the device and plug it back in a minute later into the USB port. The driver should automatically detect and install.

Important! Typically, the operating system Windows 7 and 8 when you connect any new device automatically installs a driver for it. If this does not happen, then click “Actions” -> ”Update Hardware Configuration” in the device manager or download the driver from the official site of the manufacturer of the HDD device.

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If the old external hard drive is not visible

If the external media previously worked on your computer, and then stopped, then proceed as follows:

1. Check the USB through which you connect the drive by connecting any other device (phone, player, printer, etc.). If necessary, reinstall the USB controller driver.
2. Check the cords for damage. The wire should not be damaged, and the USB plug should be firmly connected to the computer and HDD. If necessary, replace the cord with a new one.
3. Go to the control menu and change the drive letter, as described above. Do this if you created new partitions on your hard drive.
4. Check the external HDD for viruses. Some viruses block disks and disable the ability to see them.
5. Go to the “Device Manager” and find out if the device is correctly detected. There should not be any exclamation points in yellow or red that indicate errors.
6. Check the hard drive on another computer or laptop. In this case, reinstalling the operating system may help.

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Useful Tips:

• Failure can sometimes be identified by ear. For example, if the power indicators light up when turned on, but no movement is heard, then the drive is malfunctioning. If unusual sounds, intermittent beats and knocks are heard, then there are malfunctions with the internal mechanism of the device.
• If the hard drive is still not visible in disk management, there may be a conflict between the disk controller and the computer, or the reason lies in the hard drive itself.

Important! The health of the hard drive can be checked as follows: disconnect the HDD and connect directly to the motherboard. The motherboard detects drives much more stable than controllers. Turn on the computer: if the disk is detected, then the controller is to blame, if not, the problem is in the disk.

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Stock footage

Buy removable drives and other devices only well-known companies. Failures are much less common. If all the tips and recommendations above did not help to fix the situation, then disconnect the device from the computer and contact the service center.