[SOLVED] – External Hard Drive Not Showing Up On a Computer

Written By Jyoti Prakash
Approved By Rohit Arora
Updated on 16 Jul, 2024
Min Reading 6 Min
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Summary: Your external hard drive may not be detected on computer for many reasons, such as no drive letter assigned, outdated disk driver, or bad sectors on the drive. Since the external hard drive and its data becomes inaccessible in this case, keep a professional data recovery software handy to recover your files from the drive.

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External drives can be easily connected to your system to help you transfer or backup files. However, there are times when you connect your external hard drive to your system, but it’s nowhere to be found in the file explorer.

An external hard drive may not be detected for several reasons, including missing drive letters, corruption, or bad sectors on the drive. The issue may affect not just old, but newly purchased hard drives and prevent one from accessing their data on the drive. Fortunately, the problem can be solved with the best workarounds shared here. Understanding the underlying causes can also help you learn more about the issue and solutions to overcome it.

Reasons Behind External Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Computer

Numerous reasons tend to make external hard drives undetectable by a computer, such as:

The unexpected system shut down due to a sudden power surge while the external hard drive was still in use.
Physical damage due to mishandling or dropping the external hard drive
Virus/malware infection
Prolonged or excessive usage of hard drive
External hard drive nearing the end of its lifecycle
Bad sectors
Outdated/corrupted drivers
Unsupported file system
Insufficient power supply
Drive appearing RAW/Unallocated in Disk Management

Methods to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing

Now that you know the causes behind external hard drives not getting recognized by your system, try solving this issue using the methods discussed here. Before moving on to the methods, let’s try a couple of quick fixes:

Quick fixes:

Method 1: Check the USB cable and drive connectivity

Try to connect the external hard drive to the same system using a different SATA to USB cable to plug in the external drive and see if it appears. If it doesn’t appear, try to use a different USB cable to connect the external hard drive. Your hard drive might be loosely connected to the motherboard and thus not getting detected by the system.

Method 2: Check USB Port

Even after changing the SATA to USB cable, the hard drive is not detected on the computer. Try connecting the external hard drive to another USB port on your computer. If it works, then it was probably a dead USB port issue. If you use a USB hub, connect the drive directly to the computer instead, as some USB hubs don’t provide sufficient power to the external drive to function properly.

Advanced Methods:

If the quick methods don’t help and the drive fails to appear in Disk Management, the drive itself may be faulty. Let’s try some advanced methods to fix the issues with the hard drive, thus solving the External Hard Not Showing Up problem.

Method 3: Check for the External Hard Drive in the BIOS

Looking into BIOS can help determine whether the computer detects the connected external hard drive. Carefully follow the steps:

Restart your computer and continuously press the designated BIOS key to enter the BIOS. The key is usually displayed on the screen. You can also try pressing ESC, DEL, F2, or F8.
Once inside the BIOS, navigate to the Boot tab.
Locate the boot drive and see if the external hard drive shows up.
If it is displayed, then exit the BIOS and reboot your computer.

If your external hard drive is not showing up in the BIOS, it could be due to a faulty cable or loose connection. This could also happen if your external hard drive is uninitialized or unallocated. For this, move to the next solution.

Method 4: Initialize and Assign a Letter to the External Hard Drive

If you’ve purchased a new external HDD, it might not be listed in the file explorer or computer and needs to be initialized. You also need to assign a letter to the external hard drive so that the Logical Disk Manager can access it and show it in the File Explorer. To initialize a drive –

Press WINDOWS + R, type diskmgmt. msc in the box, and click OK.

Locate your external hard drive in Disk Management. It should be visible as an ”Unknown” drive with the ”Not initialized” tag.
Right-click on it and select ”Initialize Disk.”

select the partition style and initialize the disk to recover data from an external hard drive that is not detected

You will see a pop-up window. In this window, select the partition style you want for the drive and click OK. The external hard drive is now initialized.

Assign a Drive letter –

Since the drive is still unallocated and doesn’t have a drive letter or file system, it will not appear in the File Explorer. Here’s what to do now –

In Disk Management, locate the unallocated external hard drive and right-click on it.
Click on New Simple Volume.
You will see the New Simple Volume wizard. Click Next.
The following window will ask you to specify the volume size. Enter the value and click Next.

enter the volume of the hard drive which is not showing up

Choose a drive letter from the drop-down in the next window and click Next.

In the Format Partition window, select the ”Format this volume with the following settings’ option and choose the File System, Allocation unit size, and Volume label.
Choose the Perform a quick format option and click on Next.

select the file system and format the initialized hard drive and recover data from the hard drive which was not showing up

On the final window, click on Finish to format the drive and assign a letter to it.

Method 5: Update Storage Controller Drivers

If your external hard drive is not showing up in the file explorer but is visible in the Disk Management utility, it could be due to outdated or corrupt storage controller drivers. Try to update the storage controller drivers using the following steps and see if the issue gets fixed.

Press WINDOWS + X and click on Device Manager

Locate Storage Controller and expand it.
Right-click on the entry under it and click on Properties.

update hard drive drivers of the hard drive that is not showing up to fix the issue and recover data from it.

Go to the Driver tab and click on Update Driver.
Follow the steps as prompted by the wizard.
Restart your computer.

Method 6: Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter using CMD

This is a typical situation where the external hard drive connected does not show in either Disk Management or File Explorer. In such a situation, you can troubleshoot device-related issues by running the hardware and device troubleshooter via CMD. To do this –

Press WINDOWS + R and type cmd. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open it with administrator privileges.

open command prompt with administrator rights

Type the following command – msdt.exe –id DeviceDiagnostic and press Enter.

type the command and run it to open hardware troubleshooter

It will open the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
Click on Next.

run the hardware troubleshooter to fix the hard drive that is not showing up on the computer and recover data from it

Let the wizard detect the issues. If it displays any problems, click on them individually and follow the steps as prompted to troubleshoot them. Restart your computer.

Note: Also, expand the ”Disk Drives’ entry and update the drivers of your storage drive.

Recover Data from RAW/ Unallocated/ External Hard Drive

A severely corrupted or bad sectored hard drive may not appear in the File Explorer. However, when you access the Disk Management utility, it may appear as ‘RAW’ or ‘Unallocated’. If so, fix it by formatting it with the NT file system and drive letter to make it accessible. However, formatting the drive will result in data loss.

But don’t worry! You can always rely on Stellar Data Recovery Professional, a powerful yet easy-to-use DIY data recovery software that extracts all types of data types, including documents, files, photos, and more. This DIY software efficiently recovers the data from deleted, formatted, or corrupted hard drive partitions. The software scans the affected hard drive and lists the scan results for you to preview first and then proceed with recovery.

Final Words:

Whether you face external hard drive detection issues with a new or old hard drive, you can fix it using the methods discussed in this blog. However, remember that if the hard drive is physically damaged or severely corrupted, it may not be detected at all. In those circumstances, you’ll not be able to regain access to your hard drive data even after using professional data recovery software. It is recommended to take the physically damaged hard drive to data recovery service providers to restore your lost data.

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About The Author

Jyoti Prakash

Problem solver and Data recovery specialist. Usually share informative articles on data recovery, database corruption and ways to recover lost data.

144 comments

Brent1123 says:

November 7, 2017 at 2:34 am

I was transferring files from my phone to my laptop one morning when all the sudden there was a ticking sound under the keyboard. I couldn’t tell if it was the HDD or fan with a wire stuck in the blades. It was working fine until I turned it off due to the noise becoming annoying. When I turned it back on it began to boot but the screen went blue with a recovery page and an error code. After 10 seconds of not touching anything the computer shuts itself off. The error code is stating the bios can’t be found. When I tried plugging it USB into another computer nothing shows but in the original laptop it states the drive is readable just won’t boot. What on the HDD could it be? I sent it out to a professional what will take it apart and look at it.

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  November 22, 2017 at 3:25 am
  
  Hello Brent,
  
  It might happen due to the physical damage to a hard drive. To confirm results, you can run CHKDSK command. If this command doesn’t run, then there is a sure shot reason that your hard drive is physical damage and you have to consult with a data recovery Service Centre.
  
  Reply
Jaidul says:

October 26, 2017 at 2:41 pm

hello ,I am using Toshiba 1TB external hard disk , all of sudden it stop working . I use this device everyday , It is not detecting in any of the computer , and all my data is in device . please help me I tried all way ,device manager ,device management , recovery tool etc etc . I am just worried about my data that is very important . please help me

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  October 31, 2017 at 9:16 am
  
  Hello Jaidul,
  
  I recommend not to use this drive again and immediately disconnect with the system.
  
  Also, as mentioned by you, that you already use recovery tool and it doesn’t help you. So its best to contact our data recovery service.
  
  Please mail on support[@]stellarinfo.com
  
  Reply
Fadzil says:

September 27, 2017 at 11:58 pm

Hello,
My hard disk can’t be read. Then I had tried to click show hidden devices at device manager and my hard disk appear on device manager but it not appear on ‘My Computer’. Why????? Please help me!!!

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  September 29, 2017 at 5:23 am
  
  Hello Fadzil,
  
  Sorry to hear your issue!
  
  Possible Reasons may be
  
  1) USB Port Issue
  2) Drivers are not updated
  3) Windows sometimes named the drive to a letter that is already in use.
  4) At times the unpartitioned drive is also a reason for becoming invisible or inaccessible external drive
  
  If the above common fixes can’t help to provide the data. We recommend to download the below-mentioned software and try to see the lost files in the preview section.
  
  If you wish to recover the files so we recommend you to try the demo version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional from the below-mentioned link:
  
  Download Link
  
  After installing the software, please follow the below mentioned steps to create an image of the drive as your drive contains bad sectors:
  
  1. Run Stellar Windows Data Recovery software.
  2. From Select What to Recover screen, select the type of data i.e. Everything, Documents, Folders & Emails or Multimedia Files, you want to recover. Click on Next.
  3. On Select Location screen, select Recover from Disk Images from Other Locations and click on Scan button.
  4. Now select Create Image option and click Next.
  5. From Create Image screen, select the drive or partition for which you wish to create an image.
  6. To create an image of the entire drive or partition click on Start Imaging.
  7. In ‘Create Media Image to Save’ dialog box, locate the destination where image file should be saved. In the File Name text box, type name. Click on Save.
  8. Click on Scan to start the recovery process.
  
  Reply
Vishal T says:

September 22, 2017 at 2:05 pm

Hi team,

I have an internal HDD, Im using it external HDD using external casing. I connected HDD to friends laptop and it got affected by .lnk virus. Now it is not detecting in any systems. I have already formatted HDD one year ago and recovered the data but if I format it again I’ll get the old data also. And I don’t want that to happen. I want only the data which is present it right now. Help to get rid of .lnk and get the data. Thanks

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  September 25, 2017 at 3:45 am
  
  Hello Vishal,
  
  Sorry to hear about your problem.
  
  In a current scenario, the old data of yours will not be recovered ( which you don’t wish to get back) since it was overwritten by new data (during the period of 1 year).
  
  We recommend to download the below-mentioned software and try to see the lost files in the preview section.
  
  As you wish to recover the files so we recommend you to try the demo version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional from the below-mentioned link:
  
  Download Link
  
  After installing the software, please follow the below-mentioned steps to create an image of the drive as your drive contains bad sectors:
  
  1. Run Stellar Windows Data Recovery software.
  2. From Select What to Recover screen, select the type of data i.e. Everything, Documents, Folders & Emails or Multimedia Files, you want to recover. Click on Next.
  3. On Select Location screen, select Recover from Disk Images from Other Locations and click on Scan button.
  4. Now select Create Image option and click Next.
  5. From Create Image screen, select the drive or partition for which you wish to create an image.
  6. To create an image of the entire drive or partition click on Start Imaging.
  7. In ‘Create Media Image to Save’ dialog box, locate the destination where image file should be saved. In the File Name text box, type name. Click on Save.
  8. Click on Scan to start the recovery process.
  
  Reply
Aamir Hussain says:

September 9, 2017 at 11:58 am

My device light is being on and making a little noise and beep on startup but not showing on the computer .Device Manager is giving code 10 error on USB universal hub.How I Can recover my data now ? is there any hardware tool or method to recover data?

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  September 11, 2017 at 3:21 am
  
  Hello Aamir,
  
  We would like to know whether there is any clicking or grinding noise coming from your hard drive. If yes then your drive is physically damaged and we recommend you not to connect the drive to the system as it may get further damaged.
  
  You can avail our data recovery services to recover the data from the physically damaged drive. Please write to support[@]stellarinfo.com so that our support team can assist you further.
  
  If there is no clicking or grinding noise coming from your drive then you can download the demo version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional from the below mentioned link:
  
  Download Link
  
  After installing the software, kindly follow the below-mentioned steps to perform the scan on your drive:
  
  1. Run Stellar Windows Data Recovery.
  2. From ‘Select What to Recover screen’, select the type of data i.e. Everything, Documents, Folders & Emails or Multimedia Files, you want to recover.
  3. Click on Next.
  4. On ‘Select Location’ screen, select Can’t Find Drive from Other Locations.
  5. Click on ‘Scan’ button.
  6. In the ‘Select Drive’ section all the hard drives connected to the system are listed with their details. From this section, choose a hard drive you want to scan for lost partitions and click Search. A scan for lost or deleted partitions will be performed in the selected disk or drive.
  7. Any ‘lost partition’ detected, will be listed in the ‘Partition Found’ section.
  8. From the list of partitions found, select any desired partition and click on ‘Scan’ to continue with the recovery process.
  
  Note: If you can’t find your desired partition in the Partition Found section, you can choose Deep Scan option to perform a comprehensive scan of the selected drive for deleted or lost partition.
  
  Reply
Dipankar Sen says:

September 1, 2017 at 6:18 am

Sir, need your help.
Yesterday after Desktop restart, a black screen is coming with big mesage “Try to load boot scanner and then press any key.
Can I get my old data? Plz suggest..

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  September 7, 2017 at 6:42 am
  
  Hello Dipankar,
  
  Sorry to hear about your PC machine.
  
  Assuming you have Windows system, I recommend reading this informative post – Read More
  
  It definitely solves all your queries and recovers your data back.
  
  Best Regards
  Jyoti Prakash
  
  Reply
shibam says:

August 14, 2017 at 7:34 pm

hello my hdd is not detecting.. what should i do now??/

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  August 17, 2017 at 4:58 am
  
  Hello Shibam,
  
  Please try these common fixes
  
  1) Try plugging in the hard drive into another USB port. If it works that means the problem is with your system’s USB port.
  2) Try connecting the hard drive to another computer.
  3) Reassign drive letter to the hard drive. For this:
  Go to Start -> My Computer.
  In the window that opens, take a note of all the letters already assigned to drives.
  Now click on “Map a network drive” and in the window that opens, click on the “Drive” button.
  From the drop-down, choose a drive letter that’s not in use.
  Browse and navigate to the unrecognized external hard drive and then click on “OK”.
  Click on the “Finish” button to close the window.
  Restart the computer and then reconnect the drive and see if it works
  
  Reply
Aakash gupta says:

August 6, 2017 at 1:17 pm

Sir my HD is not detecting,there is most important data in it. When I went to my near computer centre they said that its mbar is not working. Can I get my old data? Plz suggest me..

Reply
Hemant Birare says:

July 30, 2017 at 11:47 am

HI Jyoti Mam
i am using seagate 2TB external Hard drive but now not detected & not showing in Device Manager also.
I want recover all data. please suggest me what should i do.

Regards
Hemant

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  August 10, 2017 at 12:07 pm
  
  Hi Hemant,
  
  Please follow the procedure mentioned in this article: Read More
  
  Reply
Roger says:

July 28, 2017 at 12:27 am

Hi,

My problem is that from one day to another my desktop PC didn’t start, a black screen appears mentioning that no bootable device found. I turned off and then turning it on and off then Windows 10 started normally. Sadly the next day the same thing, but after a lot of tries turning it on and off several times, the PC didn’t start.
Because of the error message, I assumed that it was obviously a problem with the Hard Disk, so I proceeded to extract the Disk and putting in an external 3.5 HD case, connected to my laptop via USB and then the power cable to the power outlet and I was really sad finding that the disk doesn’t show up in My Computer in Windows explorer as normally all external data devices appear.
In the Windows Disk Management interface, the Disk shows up but as this:

In the Disk name column:
Disk3
Unknown
232.89 GB
Uninitialized
And in the Space column:
232.89 GB
Unallocated

Can your Software help me dealing with this, to recover all my data?………. In the event that the answer is yes, do I need the Home or PRO version?..by the way , what is the important differences between them?

It is worth mentioning that I want to recover not only photos, music and videos, but also, .EXE, .AI, .CDR, .JSP files among others.

Thanks in advance
Best Regards….

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  August 14, 2017 at 3:46 am
  
  Hello,
  
  We recommend you to try the demo version of Stellar Windows Data Recovery Professional from the below-mentioned link:
  
  Download Link
  
  Please follow the below-mentioned steps to perform the scan on your drive:
  
  1. Run Stellar Windows Data Recovery.
  2. From Select What to Recover screen, select the type of data i.e. Everything, Documents, Folders & Emails or Multimedia Files, you want to recover.
  3. Click on Next.
  4. On Select Location screen, select Can’t Find Drive from Other Locations.
  5. Click on Scan button.
  6. In the Select Drive section, all the hard drives connected to the system are listed with their details. From this section, choose a hard drive you want to scan for lost partitions and click on Search. A scan for lost or deleted partitions will be performed in the selected disk or drive.
  7. Any ‘lost partition’ detected, will be listed in the Partition Found section.
  8. From the list of partitions found, select any desired partition and click Scan to continue with the recovery process.
  
  Note: If you can’t find your desired partition in the Partition Found section, you can choose Deep Scan option to perform a comprehensive scan of the selected drive for deleted or lost partition.
  
  Once the scanning is completed then you can check the preview of the files to know the possibility of recovery.
  
  The Professional version of the software contains ‘Create Image’ & ‘Add Header’ features which are not included in the Home version. ‘Create Image’ option will allow you to create an image of your drive which contains bad sectors. You can add a header or hex value of a file by using the ‘Add Header’ option.
  
  Reply