The external hard drive on the computer does not start. External hard drive is detected but won't open (doesn't show up in explorer)

Often users are faced with a problem when an external hard drive does not open, what should I do in such a situation?

To bring a non-working device back to life, you need to follow a series of very simple steps.

Restoring a new drive

If you don't see the new HDD in My Computer, you just need to.

Such a function will allow you to correctly configure hard disk partitions and markup the data of the storage area. Follow instructions:

1. Open the control panel menu;

2. Then in the administration tab, click on "computer management";

Rice. 1 - system window "computer management"

3. On the left, click on the disk management menu and wait for the data window to appear on the right side. This may take several minutes;

Rice. 2 - drive management menu

4. In the window that opens, you will see absolutely all the drives that are available on the computer;

5. In the context menu of the HDD, click on Shrink Volume. The compression process allows you to allocate an additional unallocated area;

Rice. 3 - volume compression process

6. Wait a few minutes before the system automatically determines the maximum available space that can be compressed. In the new window, check the parameters and click on the confirmation button.

Rice. 4 - space compression

Notice! Often the HDD is not displayed in the explorer due to the incorrect name of its letter. In the disk management window, you can change this option (right-click on the name of the HDD and select "change letter or path"). Remember that the operating system cannot have 2 disks with the same symbol. Then you need to restart your computer and everything will work fine.

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Driver software update

Due to the lack of necessary drivers and settings, it may not appear at all in the disk management menu. What to do in this case?

To fix the problem, just install the drivers using the standard Windows Device Manager.

We advise you to connect the hard drive to any other computer and test its operation. If everything is functioning normally, there is a 100% chance that the first computer simply does not have the right drivers.

Follow these steps:

1. Right-click the mouse on the Start button. In the context menu that appears, find Device Manager and open it;

Rice. 5 - opening the dispatcher

2. In the new window, wait for the appearance of all components connected to the PC. Right-click on the top line - the name of your computer. . You will need an internet connection to automatically download and install drivers. The configuration update may take some time;

Rice. 6 - hardware upgrade

3. If errors occurred during the installation of the drivers, go to the "Other" sections and "Disk Devices". In case of errors, the hierarchy element will be marked with an exclamation point. by clicking on the corresponding item in the context menu.

Rice. 7 - update the configuration of disk devices in the manager

In this way? You can very easily set up the HDD. After updating, restart your operating system for the changes to take effect.

HDD not showing up after formatting

Often a situation arises when, after deleting data and formatting partitions, the disk stops connecting to the PC.

The user connects the device, but there is no . In this case, the computer detects the disk in the partition "Devices and Printers".

It is possible that the file system of the disk was damaged during the formatting of the partitions. It can be restored using the command line.

Open this system utility using the Win + R keyboard shortcut and type cmd in the text box. Click on the "OK" button.

Rice. 8 - open command line

In the window that appears, enter the command chkdsk and drive letter. Press Enter. The system will automatically detect all errors that have occurred on the drive and eliminate them by changing the file system.

The result of the command execution is shown in the figure below:

Rice. 9 - run the chkdsk command

Can't start disk

If the drive does not react at all to connecting to a PC, you can disassemble it and check the device for defects in the printed circuit board.

Its elements can burn out due to a sharp voltage drop. As a rule, special TVS type diodes protect the board elements from combustion (they are marked in the figure below).

One of the diodes may be broken due to the same voltage drop. Check the two TVS components with a voltmeter.

If zero resistance is detected, we can talk about the burnout of the diode. Replace the part with a new one.

Rice. 10 - hard disk printed circuit board

Strange sounds during HDD operation

If you hear strange sounds (crackles, clicks, hisses) while the drive is running, turn it off as soon as possible.

The device should be shown to a specialist, because most likely the magnetic disk or its head is damaged. It is not worth turning on the disk again until the repair is carried out.

This can lead to its final failure. The specialist must replace the broken head and clean the device from contamination, as well as restore all data.

Rice. 11 - damaged drive

External drive power issue

If you are using a powerful external drive, it is likely that it does not have enough power, which is why the PC does not detect the device.

Due to insufficient power, the disk may also spontaneously turn off, freeze.

The external device works by connecting to a computer via a USB connector. Since the electrical current in such ports is limited, the disk may not have enough charge.

A few tips:

• Use a short USB cable. The most common reason for poor performance is the use of wires that are too long. Most of the charge received from the port simply does not reach the drive, as it is lost along the way. We advise you to use only short wires that are supplied by the official manufacturer of your HDD;
• Does an external drive have two connection connectors? In this case, it would be more expedient to use them simultaneously, since one port is enough for data transfer, but a second port is needed to obtain the necessary charge;
• It is possible that your computer's power supply is simply not compatible with the external drive you purchased. In this case, the only way out is to replace the outdated power supply.

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

Detailed information for quick recovery of the HDD.

External HDDs and SSDs are becoming more and more popular every day. This is not at all surprising, because this small box can contain a huge amount of information - up to 1-6 terabytes! For comparison, today not every PC even has an internal 1TB hard drive.

But what to do when your computer or laptop does not see the external hard drive? In this article, we will understand why this happens and how to properly solve this problem.

If a new external hard drive is not detected

In this situation, we mean a portable drive that you just purchased and for a PC. First thing to do:

1. Go to Control Panel / Make sure that the “View” menu item is selected “Small Icons” / Administrative Tools.

3. In the left column, go to the "Disk Management" menu.


4. We wait 5-10 seconds until the configuration is updated, after which both internal and external media that are connected to a computer or netbook are displayed. Quite often, the PC may not read media due to incorrect letter assignment.

That is what should be changed. To do this, right-click on our device and select "Change letter".

Another option why the laptop does not recognize the new hard drive is that it is not formatted

In this case, you will not even be able to change the name to any other. You need to right-click on the disk again, a menu will appear, then click "Create Volume". However, be careful! This will delete all information from the HDD.

A not so common problem is that the chip responsible for the usb ports has failed on the motherboard. In 99% of cases, the solution to the problem is to repair the board.

Lack of drivers is another most common reason

If the hard drive is not visible either in Disk Management or in My Computer, but at the same time it functions fully on other equipment, this is the problem. Of course, modern windows 7, 8, 10 are smart operating systems that themselves search for and install drivers in a fully automatic mode. However, sometimes they make mistakes.

In this situation, it is necessary:

1. Check the operation of USB ports (2.0/3.0). If other devices will work through them, then it's not about them at all.

2. If everything is in order with the USB ports, but the hard drive still does not work:

We go to the Control Panel / We make sure that the item “Small icons” / Device Manager is selected in the “View” menu and select the sections “Other devices” and “Disk devices”.

There you can find out if the drivers for the connected media are installed.

If there are red or yellow identifying icons next to the name of the connected device (see screenshot above), then the drivers were not installed or installed with errors, in order to fix this, you need to do one of the following options:

1. Click "Update hardware configuration", after which the installation will take place in automatic mode.

2. Use a special program to install the necessary drivers "DriverPack Solution, Driver Booster or others"

3. Reinstall Windows OS.

After performing simple steps, the HDD will work normally.

If the old external HDD is not displayed

In this case, we mean a hard drive that previously functioned on your PC, but it stopped seeing it. In such a situation, you should:

Now you know how to find out the reason why the computer does not show a removable drive, and you can solve it yourself!

AT last years external hard drive is very popular among users. This is due to mobility and a large amount of additional memory. But sometimes problems arise in its work, of which the most common can be called one when an external hard drive via USB is not detected. In the article, we will consider the most popular causes of this problem and its solution.

Connecting a new device

If you just bought a hard drive, then you should format it before starting work. Otherwise, it will not be displayed. For complete cleaning and configuration, it is more reliable to use the Acronis utility.

1. Download the utility from the site and run it.
2. Select an external drive.
3. By clicking PMK, select "Format".

Mechanical damage

First of all, when asked “Why doesn’t it work?” it is necessary to inspect the hard drive for the presence of chips, traces of impact. This is often the root cause of a device failure.

Sometimes you can find out about disk problems by sound when connected to a computer or laptop:

1. If you hear crackling, intermittent beats, knocking, then this indicates a malfunction of the device.
2. If the power indicators are lit, but the sounds of the spindle and magnetic head movement are not heard, then this also indicates a breakdown.

In such cases, it is necessary to replace the device or give it to the master for repair.

Nutrition problems

There are many different models of external HDDs, and some of them either do not work or malfunction when there is a lack of power. To fix the problem, use a separate cable to connect the power.

It is worth studying the instructions for your drive model and, if necessary, connect an additional power cable.

If the HDD uses a USB 3.0 connector, you may experience problems using the USB 2.0 port on your PC

Driver update

If the drivers are outdated or missing, then the disk may not be displayed in Explorer. To fix the problem:

If these steps did not help, you need to check the drivers in a comprehensive way (see how to do this) and, if necessary, remove them in the same window, restart the computer and install again by downloading from the manufacturer's website.

Legacy file system

Most often, this problem occurs after upgrading from Windows XP to new version. It turns out that the file system of the external disk is of the old version and this does not allow you to fully work with the OS.

To resolve the conflict, you can format the external drive if it does not contain important data. Or reinstall an older one Windows version, overwrite files from the hard drive. And then update the OS and format the disk.

A more difficult option would be to change the file system yourself. To do this, you can use special utilities.

Changing the file system type in Acronins:

Problems with the designation of the disk in the system

Perhaps the hard drive is not detected due to the fact that the OS assigned it the letter of an existing drive, or there is no letter at all. To solve the problem, you need (for example, Windows 10):

1. Go to "Administrative Tools" through the "Start" menu.
   
   
2. Go to "Computer Management" → "Disk Management".
   
   
3. Select an available letter.

Usually, the suspects in this case are software failures, incorrect operating system settings, outdated drivers, malfunctions of the computer's USB ports, adapters, or the drives themselves.

Depending on the causes in each case, the problem manifests itself in different ways. It happens that the computer does not react at all to a USB flash drive or hard drive. In other situations, the sound of connecting a new device is heard, but the drive icon does not appear in the explorer. And sometimes the computer just freezes immediately after contact with the USB device.

What to do if a Windows computer does not see a USB flash drive or external hard drive

First, figure out what exactly the problem is: with a computer, an adapter (if the connection is via a cable), or a drive. Try connecting the USB device through other ports. If that doesn't help and you're using a cable, try replacing it with a spare one. If unsuccessful, check if the drive can be opened on other computers.

If the device works on another PC or you do not have the opportunity to check it

Connect your hard drive or flash drive to your computer and follow these steps in order. If the first fails, move on to the next, and so on.

If another PC also does not see the drive or all of the above tips did not help

In this case, most likely, the problem is in the drive itself.

If you have a flash drive and not a hard drive, you can use special utilities to fix software errors. Such software can usually be found on the manufacturer's website. For example, the JetFlash Online Recovery program is for Transcend drives. And USB Flash Drive Online Recovery is for flash drives of the ADATA brand. But keep in mind that during the recovery process, these utilities erase all data from flash drives.

If none of the above helped, then the problem is probably a physical malfunction of the hard drive or flash drive. Then it is better to show the device to a specialist or return it to the store under warranty.

What to do if Mac does not see a flash drive or external hard drive

On Apple computers, the verification procedure is somewhat different, but follows approximately the same algorithm. We will assume that you have already tried restarting the computer, disconnecting and connecting the USB flash drive, and also made sure that the connection is reliable. If this does not help, you need to do the following:

Open the built-in disk tool ("Programs" → "Utilities" → "Disk Utility") and check if the problematic flash drive is displayed there. If the drive is still visible, try it by clicking the "Erase" button and reconnect it. Keep in mind that all data from the flash drive will be permanently deleted.

A dedicated Mac diagnostic program provides detailed information about all software and hardware components of your computer, including USB devices. Open the Apple menu, then, while holding down the Option key, click "System Information" and go to the USB section in the menu that opens.

If there is a flash drive there, then the problem lies in the software and you can try to restore the disk by referring to the manufacturer's recommendations. If there is no information about the flash drive, then the matter is a physical malfunction, and you should contact the store or service center if the repair makes sense.

External removable media in the form of USB drives have recently become as popular as regular flash drives. There is more space on them, but they are not immune from the occurrence of malfunctions and errors in work. There can be quite a few reasons for this. However, it is not always possible to correct them manually. That is why it is recommended to use system utilities if the system does not see the external hard drive.

Causes of problems

First, let's look at the main reasons that can lead to the fact that an external hard drive is not detected in the operating system. There can be quite a lot of them: system errors, incorrect access settings, lack of power, and even physical damage to the surface of removable media.

BIOS settings

Before turning to the use of utilities, it is worth saying that no program for checking a hard drive will be able to determine it if the device is simply not included in the system. Often the reason may be precisely in the BIOS settings. For example, if you go to the "Device Manager" in the "Control Panel" and set the display of hidden devices, the disk present in the system will be displayed in the list, but the system itself in the device properties will display a message about the need to reconnect.

Connecting an external hard drive, as a rule, is done precisely in the BIOS settings, which are called up on computers or laptops by pressing the Del, F2 or F12 key. It all depends on the manufacturer of the BIOS and the computer terminal itself. In the Boot or Advanced section, you can select priority boot devices and other hardware components. In this case, an external USB hard drive must be connected to the connectors before turning on the terminal. In some cases, you may need to enable disk availability using the Enable parameter.

Driver Issues

If the external hard drive is not detected, you may need to reinstall the drivers. You can do this in the same "Device Manager" or use the original driver disk that comes with the removable device.

Lack of nutrition

Sometimes the cause of errors can be a lack of power. If you have two power cables, both must be turned on. In some cases, if an external hard drive is not detected, you can disassemble it and connect it directly to a computer terminal. But if a person is not a specialist in this field, it is not recommended to perform such a procedure yourself.

Incorrect disk ID assignment

When the system does not see an external hard drive, the reason may also be the incorrect assignment of the letter of this drive or disk partition. It may very well be that it is already being used by another device. In this case, you should go to the computer management system (disk management) and simply change the letter of the removable media.

Correcting errors using standard Windows tools

Windows operating systems have their own tools and utilities for checking or formatting disks and media of all types. Connecting a USB hard drive is done in a standard way. But sometimes a situation may arise when a removable hard drive is visible in the system, for example, in the Device Manager, but there is no access to it from Explorer or any other file manager. In other words, the external hard drive won't open. In this case, you can correct errors using standard operating system tools.

Volume creation

First you need to go to "Disk Management" and select a removable media that is not accessible. By right-clicking the mouse, you can call the volume creation utility. But it allows you to use the "Create a simple volume" command and the "Settings Wizard", in which the media size is first set, then a letter is assigned, and then the external hard drive is formatted with a preliminary selection of the file system type. Please note that in this case, all data on the removable hard drive will be automatically destroyed. Upon completion of the "Wizard", it remains only to click the "Finish" button, after which the removable media with all its characteristics will automatically appear in the system.

If you later need to restore an external hard drive, you can use special applications that allow you to recover data on a removable hard drive even after a full format. But even in this case, it is not always possible to recover information.

Check disk

One of the simplest standard means of operating Windows systems is a program to check the hard drive. By right-clicking on the disk icon, you need to open the "Properties" menu and select the "Tools" tab, where you can find the "Perform check" button. At the beginning of the work, you can set the automatic correction of bad sectors.

The program can also be called using the command line, which specifies chkdsk and the external media parameter. But this is the simplest and not always effective way. In this case, it is better to turn to professional utilities that are offered for Windows operating systems by third-party manufacturers.

HDD Scan Software

To date, there are quite a few specialized programs for checking hard drives of all types, including removable media. One of the most popular and most powerful utilities is the HDD Scan software product.

The first advantage of the HDD Scan program is that it does not require installation, that is, it is available as a so-called portable version (Portable). The folder with the program can be placed anywhere on the hard drive or on the same flash drive. To start, an executable file of the same name with the extension .exe is used, after which you can proceed to the main operations.

For inexperienced users, the most preferred mode may be the "smart" scanning of removable media and fixing errors on it, called S.M.A.R.T. After selecting the hard drive, you just need to click on this button. Then the utility will issue detailed characteristics in the form of a table with parameters, in which in green attributes that are within the normal range will be indicated. Yellow and red colors report errors or some incorrect parameters.

A rather interesting function is the Surface Test command, which checks the surface of a removable hard drive. The bug fix is ​​that the clusters of the file system are transferred to undamaged areas of the disk, and the damaged surface is blocked and not used in the future.

In general, this utility has a lot of tools for working with disks of all types. But without knowledge of English language the interface will have to dig. This is due to the fact that the application itself has too many functions designed for advanced users.

Norton Disc Doctor

An equally interesting program for working with hard drives is the portable version of the Norton Disc Doctor (NDD) application. It does not require installation and creates absolutely no entries in the system registry. It is also noteworthy that the size of the application is only 15.7 MB.

The operation of this application is very similar to the principles used in other programs, however, this utility is as automated as possible and is designed even for inexperienced users.

After starting the program, the main window appears, in which all hard drives and removable media available in the system are listed. You can tick all or select one component. In this case, we are interested in an external hard drive. We put a tick on it and start the check, having previously checked the box "Fix errors" on the left side.

For more advanced users, there is a settings button on the right, where you can configure the program to your liking. But in most cases this is not required, since the factory settings are optimal for all types of hard drives.

Conclusion

Of course, this is just a small fraction of those programs and features that are designed to help users of computers and laptops if an external hard drive is not detected.

If you compare some programs with each other, then it is impossible to give preference to any one utility. Each program, although it uses almost the same algorithms for working with hard drives, still has its own differences, advantages and disadvantages.

For example, it will not be easy for a novice or inexperienced user to work with the HDD Scan software product. The interface itself may seem somewhat overloaded to many. Yes, and there are a lot of opportunities for fine-tuning here.

To ensure efficient work with removable media, it is better to use applications like Norton Disc Doctor or Ashampoo HDD Control 2. True, it is worth paying attention that in the second case we are dealing with a paid program.

As for free utilities, it is better to use software products from well-known manufacturers that have been leaders in the hard drive technology market for quite a long time. In addition to using individual programs, you can give preference to the whole complex solutions. But they will have to be installed on the hard drive, and they take up quite a lot of space, not to mention the fact that they have special "inspectors" that work in real time. As a rule, the icon constantly hangs in the system tray (System Tray), and the processes of the applications themselves load the system quite heavily, occupying RAM and using the resources of the central processor.

Finally, it is worth noting that if the use of all these popular utilities does not lead to the desired result, hard drive problems can be much worse. Most likely, this is physical damage to the removable media. So you have to take it in for repair.