How To Fix External Hard Disk Drive Not Recognized In Windows?

Summary: USB devices like External Hard Drives, Pen drives, Memory cards, etc. are an easy way to store and transfer data from one computer to another. These USB drives are portable and easy to handle, but sometimes you might face the Hard disk not recognized a problem with Windows PC. This happen when the USB port did not recognize the external USB drives. Get FREE Quote

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Table of Content

• Signs of “External HDD Recognition Error”
• Causes for “Hard Drive Not Recognized Issue”
• Solution for External Hard Disk Not Recognized Error in Windows
• Case Study – Data Recovery From External Hard Drive Not Detecting
• Conclusion
• FAQs

When you try to access the data from the hard drive or USB device or any operating system, you see the following Hard Drive is not Showing or USB Device Not Recognized error message:

Signs of “External HDD Recognition Error”

Errors can be access denial, file system errors, device not formatted alerts, unsupported file system messages, or indicating fatal hardware issues that may indicate that the hard drive is not being detected properly.

Causes for “Hard Drive Not Recognized” Issue

1. Connection Issues: Ensure the hard drive’s power and data cables are securely connected.
2. File System Compatibility: Check if the hard drive’s file system is compatible with your operating system.
3. Drive Letter Conflicts: Make sure the hard drive’s assigned letter doesn’t conflict with other drives.
4. Driver Updates: Keep your hard drive’s drivers up to date through Device Manager.
5. Drive Initialization: Ensure the hard drive is initialized and not showing as unallocated in Disk Management.
6. Physical Damage: Be aware that physical damage or corruption can prevent a hard drive from being detected.

Additional Common Causes

Several other common problems can cause a hard drive not to be recognized:

1. USB Driver Issues: Unstable, outdated, or corrupt USB drivers can lead to detection problems. Ensure your USB drivers are current and functioning correctly.
2. Faulty USB Ports: Faulty, physically damaged, or broken USB ports can prevent the hard drive from being detected. Test different ports to rule out this issue.
3. Partition Issues: Partition issues on your external USB device can lead to recognition problems. Ensure the partitions are intact and properly configured.
4. Malfunctioning USB Devices: Malfunctioning or damaged USB devices can cause detection errors. Test the device on another computer to verify its functionality.
5. Incorrect File System: An incorrect file system on the connected external hard drive can prevent it from being recognized. Ensure the file system is compatible with your operating system.
6. Virus-Infected PCs: Virus infections can cause various issues, including hard drive recognition problems. Scan your system for viruses and malware to rule out this cause.

Solution For External Hard Disk Not Recognized Error in Windows

Below, we are sharing 8 important steps to resolve the “Windows hard drive not recognized” error.

Step 1. Disconnect the Power Supply

Sometimes, a very simple trick can fix an external hard disk not detecting a problem. Follow the below steps to apply this trick.

• “Shut Down” your computer
• Disconnect the power cable from your computer and wait for a few minutes
• Reconnect the power cable and “Start” your computer.

Now, check if the error is resolved.

Step 2. Disconnect USB Device

• Disconnect the USB devices from your computer
• “Restart” your computer
• Reconnect USB devices to your computer

[NOTE]: If the current USB port doesn’t detect the hard disk drives then, try to connect external hard drive with another USB port. If it is recognized by another USB cable or SATA cable then, there could be a hardware problem with one of the USB ports. And if no USB cable recognizes the device then, try another solution. Don’t use any USB hub to connect the device to the computer.

Check if the USB hard disk case is resolved.

Step 3. Update USB Device Drivers

If all USB ports are working fine then you need to check for the latest USB driver installed on the computer. Because sometimes old drivers can prevent the drive to connect to the PC and show the HDD not detecting an error. To check driver status follow the below steps.

• Press  Windows + R key  together and then, type  devmgmt.msc  in the run dialogue box and click on OK.
• Expand disk drives and right-click on the connected external USB drive.
• Click on  Properties  and select the  Driver  tab.
• Click on  Update Driver Software  and follow further instructions to update the driver.

[NOTE]: if this method doesn’t work, then download and install the updated USB HDD drivers from the computer manufacturer’s website. This is useful in case if you are trying to install a driver for a printer, scanner, and other input/output USB device.

Now, boot your hard disk PC and check if the ‘USB device not recognized‘ error is fixed. If not, proceed with the following steps.

Step 4. Change Drive Letter

Check whether you can see your external USB Drive in Disk Management, then rename or change the drive letter. To do this follow the below steps.

1. Right-click on  This PC  or  My Computer  and click on  Manage  and open  Device Manager .

2. Select  Disk Management .

3. Right-click on the connect external hard drive and choose  Change Drive Letter and Paths .

4. Click  Add , and then assign a new drive letter from the drop-down list and click  OK .

Step 5. Fix USB Root Hub

• Press  Windows + R key  together and then type  devmgmt.msc  and click on  OK .
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
• Right-click on  USB Root Hub  and click  Properties .
• Select  Power Management  and uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save the power checkbox. Click  OK  and save changes.

[NOTE]: Repeat this process for all available USB Root Hubs. Save changes for each process and then restart your PC. If still you see a USB device not showing problem then go back to the power management tab for each one and check the box again.

Step 6. Change USB Selective Suspend Settings

1. Go to  Control Panel  and click on  Hardware and Sound .

2. Click on  Power Options .

3. Select  Change Plan Settings  under preferred plans. Balanced (recommended).

4. Click on  Change advanced power settings .

5. Expand USB settings and USB selective suspend settings.

6. Select  Disable  from the drop-down menu.

7. Click  Apply  and  OK  to save the settings.

[NOTE]: If you use the laptop, then you’ll see two options: On Battery and Plugged in. So, select disable for both settings respectively.

Step 7. Run Troubleshooter for Hard Drives

Windows comes with a tool that can check and fix hard drive issues. Here’s how to use it:

• Open  Command Prompt  as an administrator by searching for it and right-clicking to select  Run as administrator .
• Type  msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic  and press  Enter . This starts the troubleshooter.
• Choose  Advanced  and make sure  Apply repairs automatically  is selected.
• Follow the prompts to run the scan and fix issues.

If issues persist, consider contacting the hard drive’s manufacturer for further help.

Step 8. Formatting an External Hard Drive to NTFS

To make your external hard drive compatible with more systems, you might need to format it to NTFS:

• Open Disk Management by right-clicking  This PC  and selecting  Manage , then  Disk Management .
• Find your external drive, right-click it, and select  Format .
• Choose NTFS as the file system and follow the prompts to complete the format. Remember, formatting will erase all data on the drive, so back up first.

I hope the above steps help you resolve the hard drive not detected error on Windows; if your external hard drive is still unrecognized, here’s what to do next:

If none of the steps work, the issue is likely due to physical problems with the drive, such as damaged platters, heads, or scratches. Recovering data is still possible, but it requires a detailed diagnosis in a Class 100 clean room to prevent further damage. It may also involve replacing parts, followed by cloning and performing a logical analysis using specialized tools to recover the data.

At a professional data recovery service center, they have the infrastructure, technical expertise, and tools necessary to recover data from an external hard drive that isn’t detected.

You can also check the successful data recovery performed by Stellar Data Recovery when a customer was facing an issue with an external hard drive not being recognized. Check this Case study given below:

Case Study – Data Recovery From External Hard Drive Not Recognizing

Client Name: Individual

Goal: To recover data from External Hard Disk not Recognized

Approach: Stellar Data Recovery successfully recovered data from the External Hard Disk which is not detecting and also Broken.

The challenges faced by the Client:

• The external hard drive was broken, not detecting, and not usable on the client end.
• The client has personal data on a 1 TB external hard disk, but he is unable to access it.

Stellar Data Recovery Process:

• During the initial analysis, we detected that the external hard drive was in a working condition. However, the external hard drive was found with few Bad Sectors.
• After an examination of the external hard disk, it was determined that the client’s required data could be recovered. Stellar Data Recovery got the requirement from the client and the data was successfully recovered from the external hard drive which was not detecting.

Client Feedback: “The client was extremely happy with the resolution of the external HDD case by Stellar Data Recovery and fully satisfied with the data recovery process and with the cooperative staff.”

Conclusion

I hope this blog helped you resolve the “External hard disk drive not recognized” error in Windows. For future prevention tips, it’s important to regularly back up your data to avoid facing similar issues. If you have any questions related to this topic or would like to suggest topics for future coverage, please feel free to comment below.

Although this blog is not specific to any brands, if you are experiencing issues with brands such as Seagate, Dell, Toshiba, HP, or WD, you can explore more fixes related to the ‘not detected’ error in our blogs.

Here are a few:

1. Seagate External Hard Disk Light Not Blinking Not Detected [2024]
2. Fix WD My Passport Hard Drive Not Detected, But LED is Blinking
3. Recover Data From SSD Not Detecting
4. Recover Data From SD Card Not Detected

FAQs

1. What should I do if my computer says USB device not recognized when I connect my external hard drive?

Try disconnecting and reconnecting your external hard drive. If the issue persists, use a different USB port or cable.

2. How can I fix a USB device not recognized error and access my external hard drive?

Update your USB and hard drive drivers through Device Manager, and ensure the drive is properly connected to your PC.

3. What steps should I follow to connect an external hard drive that my computer doesn't detect?

Check the drive’s connection, try a different USB port, and ensure the drive is powered on. If unsuccessful, the drive may need troubleshooting.

4. How do I recover an undetected external hard drive?

For how to recover data from an external hard disk which is not detecting, use data recovery software or consult a professional service.

5. How do I fix an undetected hard drive?

To fix a USB device not recognized error, check your drive’s connections, update drivers, and try the drive on another computer.

6. How do I fix my external hard drive not detected by Windows?

Ensure your external hard disk not detecting is properly connected, try different USB ports, and check Disk Management to see if the drive appears.

7. How do I get Windows 10 to recognize my external hard drive?

If no hard drive detected or hard drive not showing up in My Computer, connect the drive to another port and check the Device Manager for issues.