Verbatim External Hard Drive Not Detected

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If not, you can buy a new external SATA-to-USB adapter dock or enclosure, plug your bare drive into that, then connect that to your PC over USB. If it works, then your old enclosure (or its power. Oct 19, 2020 Summary:Is your hard drive showing light in it when you connect it to pc but not detecting.This comprehensive guide will tell you what you can do about it and how easily you can resolve this issue. I am using 2TB External Hard Drive since last 3 and a half years to store both my personal memories and business critical data. If your external hard drive is not working properly nor recognized in Windows 10 but was fine in the previous OS, then it's most likely because the driver software is outdated or broken. First, run Hardware Troubleshooting and check if it helps. 1) Type ' troubleshooting ' in the search box and open it. Verbatim 250GB External Hard Disk not recognized by PC Almost always, when a USB drive doesn't assign a drive letter in MY Computer the issue is a Mapped network drive using the drive letter the USB drive is attempting to use.With the drive connected, open DISK MANAGEMENT find the USB Drive.

Summary : Is your hard drive showing light in it when you connect it to pc but not detecting.This comprehensive guide will tell you what you can do about it and how easily you can resolve this issue.


I am using 2TB External Hard Drive since last 3 and a half years to store both my personal memories and business critical data. Till yesterday, I have not faced any issue, but today, I cannot access it. Whenever I connect it to my desktop, I get nothing in return apart from a blinking LED light and weak continuous beeps.

I even checked Disk Management, but it is not even detectable over there. The situation is scaring me as the drive includes almost 89.54 GB data and each of bit of this information is crucial for me. Any solution to Fix External Drive Blinking but Not Detectable Issue? I am in a state to handle the data loss. Please help me in external drive recovery. — Tom Webron

If your problem is similar to Tom and you are also looking forward to a solution, then this blog is for you. It entails you about various effective methods to fix the issue and get all lost data.

Getting Started

How to Fix External Drive Blinking but Not Detectable Issue?

Let's take into consideration one by one.

Situation 1: External Hard Drive not Detected Error

Using several approaches you can fix External Hard Drive not Detected Error. Among all, the most common and widely used ways are:

Fix 1: Change USB Port

It is the first port of call. The reason being, there are equal chances of USB Port damage. Thus, plug in your hard drive into another Port to identify the exact cause and confirm whether a problem exists with the drive or not.

Fix 2: Turn On USB Root Hub

Another simple trick to fix the issue. In this, you just have to Turn On all USB Root Hub.

Execution Steps are:

  1. Click Start
  2. Type devmgmt.msc
  3. Press Enter
  4. Click Device Manager
  5. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
  6. Now, right-click on USB Root Hub, choose Properties followed by Power Management
  7. Disable Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
  8. Follow the process for all USB Root Hub
  9. Reboot PC

Fix 3: Clean-up Virus

There are equal chances of virus infection. To resolve it the best solution is to use virus cleaning software. It has a potential to remove the virus from the drive as well as PC and make your drive accessible.

Situation 2: External Drive Not Working but Blinking Wipe usb drive clean.

Solution 1: Unhide all Hidden Devices

  1. Go to Start
  2. Type: devmgmt.msc
  3. Hit Enter
  4. Under Device Manager, choose View followed by Showhidden devices
  5. Click on + sign to expand all notes
  6. Right-click on greyed entries and choose uninstall
  7. Lastly, reboot the PC and try again

Solution 2: Uninstall Driver

  1. Go to Start
  2. Key in devmgmt.msc and press Enter
  3. Expand Universal Serial Universal Serial Bus controllers
  4. Right-click on each USB device and click Uninstall
  5. Verify whether there is an unrecognized device or not.
  6. If there is any, click on Drivers tab and uninstall the drivers
  7. Again, check My Computer/My PC for external drive
  8. If does not show, restart your PC. ( in case if it shows initially but disappear later, then repeat the above step and click on Disk Management -> Change Drive Letter -> Reconnect it)

Solution 3: Change Registry

Modifying the registry is another great approach to fix the issue. Steps to modify Registry are:

  1. Go to Start
  2. Type: regedt32 and Hit OK
  3. Backup Registry
  4. Click Export
  5. In left side, click OK,HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
  6. Delete upper filter or lower filter
  7. Retry External Drive

Now, open your drive to access your data.

Surprised as your data is not there!

Wondering what's next? How can you recover data?

Verbatim External Hard Drive Not Detected

Don't panic, third-party recovery tools like Stellar Data Recovery- Standard for Windows is available to help you. You just have to download, install, register, launch and follow its recovery wizard steps:

Steps are:

External
  1. Select Type of Data and Location
  2. Scan the Drive and Preview the found files
  3. Recover the scanned files and Save them at desired location

Why is it a sure-shot solution?

  1. Firstly, it is a software-directed approach so, there is no possibility of data loss or compromise unlike manual process
  2. Secondly, you don't need any technical expertise to solve the issue
  3. Thirdly, it is secure, reliable and efficient
  4. Fourthly, you might end up fixing one issue but failed to fix another.

Additional information

  • Reasons for Drive Turning Undetectable

Microsoft messenger download for windows 10. There is no any defined reason to turn your drive into the undetectable state. Many factors lead to this error. Some common factors are:

  • Virus attack
  • Partition Issue
  • Dead USB Ports
  • Driver Issue
  • Wrong File System

Hard Drive Death Count on this comprehensive guide to fix the issue and restore the data with 100% data security!

If you are among those who have tried any of these approaches to fix the undetectable external drive, then please let us know which worked for you. Also, if there is any other fix way that worked for you, please share through comment.

Summary :

External hard drive not showing up? Windows doesn't recognize external hard drive? How to make such drives appear in Windows so as to access the files in it? In this post, we show you the most feasible solutions as well as more approaches that could help you recover data from external hard drive not appear.

Quick Navigation :

While scanning forums, we find so many users are bothered with the external hard drive not showing up issue. Here is one typical case we extract from ccm.net:

Verbatim Hard Drive Software

Q: Seagate external hard drive not showing up in my computer
My 320 GB Seagate external hard drive is detected but not showing up in my computer. In cmd> diskpart> list volume it does not show up. In Device Manager it gets detected. In Disk Management it shows up as 'unallocated'. If I initialize it, will I lose all data on the drive? It had 4 partitions. In My Computer also it does not show up. Even BIOS recognizes it. What to do? I don't want to lose any data on the drive. If I initialize it in device manager will I lose data?

Are you also troubled by hard drive not showing up? Have you got the effective workaround? If not, we give you 10 possible reasons as well as solutions to help you address this issue.

A USB flash drive may also fail to be recognized by Windows 10, but don't worry, you can fix the problem and recover data from it in most cases.

You might also be interested in Hard Drive Space Is Missing? Take These Ways to Find It out

Verbatim External Hard Drive Troubleshooting

Tip: The content below also applies to hard drive/USB/flash drive not showing up. We strongly recommend you download and install free partition manager- MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition, which will be of great help for Case 1 - Case 5.

Case 1. The hard drive is not initialized

This usually applies to new hard drive not showing up. If you are using a brand new hard drive, please check out if this hard drive needs initializing. You may go to Windows Disk Management and have a check. If Disk Management shows the disk as 'unknown/not initialized' and pops up a window asking you to initialize it, this new hard drive really needs initialization before you can use it. Then, you will have to create new partitions on it to make the new hard drive appear on computer.

To make things easy, use MiniTool Partition Wizard to help you. Detailed steps are shown below:

Step 1. Run MiniTool Partition and choose Create Partition.

In this main interface of this free partition manager, distinguish the new hard drive by viewing the hard drive information. Since a new drive has no partition, please select the unallocated space and choose Create Partition from the action panel.

Step 2. Customize the new partition.

In the pop-up window, specify the partition label, partition type, drive letter, file system, cluster size, and partition size. Then click OK.

Step 3. Click Apply on the top left corner to start.

Tip: In MiniTool Partition Wizard, all new drives are regarded as MBR disk by default. Hence, you can go ahead and create new partitions on the external hard drive. But if you want a GPT disk, you can select the brand-new external hard drive and employ Initialize to GPT Disk feature at first.

When you have created new partitions on the new drive, go to File Explorer to check. These should remove new hard drive not showing up error.

Case 2. The hard drive has no drive letter

External hard drive not showing up also occurs when the partition on the external hard drive has no drive letter. To make the hard drive show up, you just run MiniTool Partition Wizard and add a drive letter to it.

  1. At the disk map, select the partition that has no drive letter and choose Change Drive Letter from the action panel.
  2. In the pop-up window, drop down the drive letter box and choose a drive letter you like. Then press OK button.
  3. Back to the main interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard, Click Apply on the tool bar to put this operation into effect.

Case 3. Hard drive is hidden

If the hard drive is hidden by some partition manager, it won't appear in File Explorer. However, this time you cannot fix this issue by simply add a drive letter to it. You should use that specific partition manager or MiniTool Partition Wizard to unhide that partition.

But how do you know the hard drive is hidden or not? Usually, hidden drives also have no drive letter, but cannot be fixed by adding a drive letter. You can open Disk Management, right-click the partition that has no drive letter, and see whether the feature 'Change Drive Letter and Path…' is greyed out.

If this feature is greyed out indeed, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard to help.

  1. In the main interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard Free, select the hidden partition and choose Unhide Partition from the action panel.
  2. Select a drive letter from the pop-up window and then click OK. Step 3. Press Apply at the tool bar.

Case 4. Partitions are lost

If all partitions on the external hard drive are lost due to some reasons like virus attack and corrupted partition table, the external hard drive not showing issue occurs. In this case, the first trying is to recover all lost partitions by using MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro (not supported in the Free Edition).

Step 1. Go to Partition Recovery feature.

Run MiniTool Partition Wizard to the main interface. Then right-click the external hard drive and choose Partition Recovery from the tool bar.

Tip: Please observe the partition style of the hard drive which suffers from partition loss. MiniTool Partition Wizard shows all empty drives as MBR disks. If the hard drive should be GPT disk in fact, please use Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk to turn the drive back to GPT before you choose Partition Recovery.

Step 2. Choose scanning range.

Select the scanning range such as the full disk, the unallocated space only or specify the scanning range and click Next. It is recommended to choose 'Full Disk' or 'Unallocated Space' if you do now know the specific starting LBA and ending LBA for the lost partitions.

Step 3. Set the scanning range. Adobe acrobat 10.

Choose Quick Scan first. If this does not work for you, the go back to choose Full Scan.

Step 4. Check all partitions you need.

After a while, MiniTool Partition Wizard will list all partitions it has found. Here you can double-click a partition in the list to check the files in it. After confirmation, check all partitions you want to restore. Please note that partitions not checked will be lost and MiniTool Partition Wizard cannot help you that time.

Step 5. Confirm the operation by hitting Apply.

Tip: To make the recovered partition appear in Windows, you still need to add a drive letter to that partition. Read How to Add Drive Letter to get the detail.

If MiniTool Partition Wizard fails to find the lost partitions for you, you can try professional data recovery software which helps recover data from lost partitions. Luckily, MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Ultimate just comes with such a powerful function. And you may just follow the guide below to have a try.

Step 1. Go to Data Recovery.

After installing this data recovery software, run it to get the main interface. Then right-click the partition of the external hard drive to choose Data Recovery.

Step 2. Check files you need.

MiniTool Partition Wizard will immediately start the scanning process and list the found files as well. During this process, you can unfold each partition folders to check what files are the one you need. Please make use of the Preview feature to help you determine when it comes to TXT files and images. However, to get the best disk recovery result, it is recommended to wait for the completion of the scanning.

Step 3. Save files.

Tick the ones you need and press Save to store the selected files to a safe location. Note that you should choose another disk instead of the external hard drive to be recovered.

When you have finished data recovery, you can recreate new partition on the drive to cope with hard drive won't show up issue.

Case 5. Unsupported or RAW file system

If the external hard drive has unsupported files system or hard disk become RAW, the partition bar won't show up in Windows File Explorer. You can only see the drive icon and drive letter there. If you try to access the drive, Windows requires formatting.

To fix this issue, you need to recover data from the external hard drive first, and then reformat the hard drive with FAT/NTFS file system. Please refer to Case 4 and use MiniTool Power Data Recovery (Damaged Partition Recovery) to help you recover data. Then use MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition to do the formatting.

Case 6. Drive not enabled in the BIOS

If hard drive is not showing up in Disk Management and Device Manager, it may be because it is not enabled in System Setup (BIOS). Some motherboard manufacturers disable unused ports in the BIOS by default, which is the common reason for the 2nd hard drive not showing up in Windows 10/8/7. You will need to enter BIOS to verify their current states and make sure all hard drives are enabled. Note that different computer manufacturers have different methods to enter system BIOS, please check your system documentation for specifics.

Case 7. Faulty cable or port

If the data cable is damaged or the connection is incorrect, the BIOS will not detect the SATA cables and can sometimes fall out of their connection. Be sure to check your SATA cables are tightly connected to the SATA port connection. The easiest way to test a cable is to replace it with another cable. If the problem persists, then the cable is not the cause of the problem.

Case 8. Troubleshoot drivers

Usually, Windows offers hard drive drivers and the manufacturer of your SSD may also have released some drivers to support your disk. However, it is possible that they are the causes of your hard drive not showing up problem. If the driver you use is outdated or problematic, you need to disable or uninstall it. If you are not familiar with the process, use professional driver tool to help you get rid of the worries.

Case 9. Virus attack

Some malware or viruses can lead to hard drive not showing up issue. It is possible that there are such malware or viruses on your computer. In this case, please run security software on your computer to scan out and remove these malicious programs. Then, check if Windows doesn't recognize external hard drive issue still persists.

Case 10. Faulty hard drive

If you have completed the above checks and the external hard drive is still not showing on your computer, you should send the hard drive to repair center and check whether it fails. If it is still in the warranty, please proceed to begin a warranty replacement.

We also recommend reading our guide Quick Fix 'SSD Not Showing up' in Windows 10 without Data Loss.

Summary

Verbatim External Hard Drive Not Detected Completely

Above are the top 10 situations as well as the solutions for new hard drive not showing up/external hard drive not showing up. You may just have a try and see if they are helping. We hope you will never take the last one. If you have any questions or better suggestions, let us know by tying them in the comment section below. Or you can contact us via [email protected].

External Hard Drive Not Showing Up FAQ

Verbatim External Hard Drive

  1. Check if the hard drive appears in Disk Management and all the partitions do have a drive letter.
  2. Check if the hard drive is properly installed.
  3. Check if the hard drive is BIOS detected.
  4. Connect the hard drive to anther interface or another computer.
  5. Check if the hard drive is physically damaged.
How do I fix my WD external hard drive not showing up on my computer?
  1. Check WD external hard drive in Disk Management. Do all the partitions seem normal?
  2. Try another USB port or another computer.
  3. Troubleshoot the driver issue.
  4. Format the hard drive.
Usually, you can access any partition of your external hard drive by opening This PC. Alternatively, you can open Disk Management, select a partition on the external hard drive and click Open from the context menu.
How do I find my external hard drive on Windows 10?
  1. Run diskmgmt.msc. In the pop-up window, you will find all disks connected to your computer.
  2. Open This PC on Windows 10, then you will see all the partitions on your hard drives are shown up there. Be aware that only FAT and NTFS partitions can be accessed normally.




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