An external hard drive is a portable storage device containing a storage device (HDD or SSD) and a controller for interacting with a computer via USB. When connecting such devices to a PC, sometimes some problems are observed, in particular, the absence of a disk in the “Computer” folder. We will talk about this problem in this article.
There are several reasons causing this problem. If a new drive is connected, then perhaps Windows “forgot” to report this and offer to install drivers and format the media. In the case of old drives, this may be the creation of partitions on another computer using programs, the presence of a blocking virus, as well as the usual malfunction of the controller, the disk itself, cable or port on the PC.
Another reason is lack of nutrition. Let's start with it.
Reason 1: Nutrition
Quite often, due to the shortage of USB ports, users connect several devices to one socket through a hub (splitter). If connected devices require power from the USB connector, a power shortage may occur. This leads to a problem: the hard drive may not start and, accordingly, may not appear in the system. The same situation can arise when ports are overloaded with energy-intensive devices.
In this situation, you can do the following: try to free up one of the ports for an external drive or, as a last resort, purchase a hub with additional power. Some portable drives may also require additional power supply, as evidenced by the presence of not only a USB cord included, but also a power cable. Such a cable may have two connectors for connecting to USB or a completely separate power supply.
Reason 2: Unformatted disk
When connecting a new blank disk to a PC, the system usually reports that the media is not formatted and prompts you to do so. In some cases this does not happen and it may be necessary to perform this procedure manually.
- Let's go to "Control Panel". You can do this from the menu "Start" or press the keyboard shortcut Win+R and enter the command:
- Next we go to "Administration".
- Find the shortcut with the name "Computer Management".
- Go to the section "Disk Management".
- We are looking for our disk in the list. You can distinguish it from others by its size, as well as by the RAW file system.
- Click on the disk RMB and select the context menu item "Format".
- Next, select the label (name) and file system. Place a checkmark opposite "Quick format" and press OK. All that remains is to wait for the process to complete.
- A new disk has appeared in the folder "Computer".
Reason 3: Drive letter
This problem can arise when performing disk operations - formatting, partitioning - on another computer using special software.
In such cases, you must set the letter manually in the snap-in "Disk Management".
Reason 4: Drivers
The operating system is very complex software and that is why various failures often occur in it. In normal Windows mode installs itself standard drivers for new devices, but this is not always the case. If the system does not start driver installation when connecting external drive, then you can try restarting your computer. In most cases this is enough. If the situation does not change, you will have to “work with your hands.”
If the software for the disk cannot be installed, you need to check the branch "Disk devices". If there is a drive with a yellow icon, this means that the OS does not have such a driver or it is damaged.
A forced installation will help solve the problem. You can find software for the device manually on the manufacturer’s website (perhaps it came with a driver disk) or try to download it automatically from the network.
Reason 5: Viruses
Virus programs, among other nasty things, can prevent the initialization of external drives in the system. Most often they are located on the removable drive itself, but they may also be present on your PC. First, check your system for viruses and, if so, second hard disk.
Using the means given in the article above, check external storage will fail because it cannot be initialized. Only help here bootable flash drive with an antivirus scanner, for example, . You can use it to scan your media for viruses without downloading system files and services, and therefore the subject of attack.
Reason 6: Physical problems
Physical malfunctions include failure of the disk or controller itself, failure of ports on the computer, as well as banal “breaking” USB cable or food.
To determine the problem, you can do the following:
- Replace cables with known good ones.
- Connect the drive to others USB ports, if it works, then the connector is faulty.
- Remove the device and connect the drive directly to motherboard(don't forget to turn off your computer before doing this). If the media is detected, then there is a controller malfunction; if not, then the disk. You can try to restore a non-working HDD to service center, otherwise it will go straight to the trash bin.
Often users encounter a problem when the external hard drive does not open, what should they do in such a situation?
To bring a non-working device back to life, you need to perform a series of very simple actions.
Recovering a new drive
If you don’t see the new HDD in the “My Computer” folder, you just need to.
This function will allow you to correctly configure sections of hard disk and mark up the data in the storage area. Follow the instructions:
1. Open the control panel menu;
2. Then in the administration tab, click on "computer control";
Rice. 1 – system window “computer management”
3. On the left, click on the disk management menu and wait until the data appears on the right side of the window. This may take a few 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. B context menu HDD click on “Shrink Volume”. The compression process allows you to select additional unallocated area;
Rice. 3 – volume compression process
6. Wait a few minutes for the system to automatically determine the maximum available space that can be compressed. In the new window, check the settings and click on the confirmation button.
Rice. 4 – space compression
Notice! Often the HDD is not displayed in Explorer due to the incorrect name of its letter. In the disk management window, you can change this option (right-click on the HDD name and select “change letter or path”). Remember that the operating system cannot have 2 disks with the same symbol designation. 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 a standard manager Windows devices.
We advise you to connect 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 necessary drivers.
Follow these steps:
1. Click right click manipulator on the Start button. In the context menu that appears, find the device manager and open it;
Rice. 5 – opening the dispatcher
2. In a new window, wait for all components connected to the PC to appear. Right-click on the top line - the name of your computer. . To automatically download and install drivers, you will need an Internet connection. The configuration update may take some time;
Rice. 6 – hardware update
3. If errors occurred during driver installation, go to the “Other” sections and "Disk devices". In case of errors, the hierarchy element will be marked exclamation point. by clicking on the corresponding item in the context menu.
Rice. 7 – updating the configuration of disk devices in the manager
Thus? can be set up very easily HDD operation. After updating, restart your operating system for the changes to take effect.
How to speed up your computer: Optimization tips
HDD does not show up after formatting
A situation often 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".
The file system of the disk may have been damaged during the formatting of the partitions. It can be restored using command line.
Open this system utility using the Win + R keyboard shortcut and in the text field enter cmd command. 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 occurring on the drive and eliminate them by changing the file system.
The result of the command is shown in the figure below:
Rice. 9 – running the chkdsk command
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 insured against malfunctions and errors in operation. There can be quite a lot of reasons for this. However, it is not always possible to fix them manually. This 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 an external hard drive not being detected in the operating system. There can be quite a lot of them: system errors, incorrect setting access, lack of power and even physical damage to the surface of the removable media.
BIOS Settings
Before turning to using utilities, it is worth saying that not a single program for hard checks The disk will not be able to detect it if the device is simply not turned on in the system. Often the reason may be precisely 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 appear in the list, but the system itself will display a message in the device properties about the need to reconnect.
Connecting an external hard drive, as a rule, is done 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 BIOS manufacturer and the computer terminal itself. In the Boot or Advanced section you can select priority boot devices and other equipment 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 problems
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 errors can be caused by lack of power. If you have two power cords, you need to turn both on. In some cases, if the external hard drive is not detected, you can disassemble it and connect it directly to the 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 that the letter of a given drive or disk partition is assigned incorrectly. 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 drive.
Correcting errors using standard Windows tools
IN operating systems Windows has its own tools and utilities for checking or formatting disks and storage media of all types. Connecting hard USB drive produced 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”, and can be accessed from “Explorer” or any other file manager No. In other words, the external hard drive will not open. In this case, you can correct errors using standard operating system tools.
Creating a Volume
First, you need to go to "Disk Management" and select a removable drive that you cannot access. You can right-click to open the volume creation utility. But it allows you to use the “Create a simple volume” command and the “Setup Wizard”, in which you first set the media size, then assign a letter, and then format the external hard drive with a preliminary selection of the type file system. Please note that in this case, all data on the removable hard drive will be automatically destroyed. Upon completion of the “Wizard”, all that remains is to click the “Finish” button, after which the removable media with all its characteristics will automatically appear in the system.
If you need to restore your external hard drive in the future, you can use special applications, which allow you to recover data on a removable hard drive even after full formatting. But even in this case, it is not always possible to recover information.
Disk check
One of the simplest standard means Windows operating systems is a program for checking the hard drive. Right-click on the disk icon to call up the "Properties" menu and select the "Service" tab, where you can find the "Run check" button. At the beginning of work, you can set the automatic correction of bad sectors.
The program can also be called using the command line, in which chkdsk and the external media parameter are specified. 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 program
Today there are quite a lot specialized programs to check all types of hard drives, including removable media. One of the most popular and most powerful utilities is the HDD Scan software product.
The first advantage HDD programs Scan is that it does not require installation, that is, it is available in the form of a so-called portable version (Portable). The program folder can be placed anywhere on your hard drive or on the same flash drive. To launch, 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 preferable mode may be the system of “smart” scanning of removable media and correcting errors on it, called S.M.A.R.T. After selecting the hard drive, you just need to click on this button. The utility will then display detailed characteristics in the form of a table with parameters in which green Attributes that are within normal limits will be indicated. Yellow and red colors indicate errors or some incorrect parameters.
Enough interesting function is the Surface Test command, which checks the surface of a removable hard drive. Error correction consists of moving file system clusters to undamaged areas of the disk, and the damaged surface is blocked and not used in the future.
In general, this utility has quite a lot of tools for working with disks of all types. But without knowledge English language You'll have to dig around in the interface. This is due to the fact that the application itself contains too many functions designed for experienced users.
Norton Disc Doctor
No less interesting program There is also a portable version of the Norton Disc Doctor (NDD) application for working with hard drives. It does not require installation and creates absolutely no entries in system registry. It is also noteworthy that the application size 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, which lists all the hard drives and removable media available in the system. You can check all the boxes or select just one component. In this case, we are interested in an external hard drive. We put a checkmark on it and start the check, after checking the box in the “Correct errors” field on the left side.
For more advanced users, there is a settings button on the right where you can configure the program as you wish. 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 the 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. Although each program uses almost the same algorithms for working with hard drives, it still has its own differences, advantages and disadvantages.
For example, the HDD Scan software product will not be easy for a novice or inexperienced user to work with. The interface itself may seem somewhat overloaded to many. Yes, and opportunities for fine tuning there's a lot here.
To ensure effective work with removable media, it is better to use applications like Norton Disc Doctor or Ashampoo HDD Control 2. However, it is worth noting that in the second case we are dealing with a paid program.
As for free utilities, then it is better to use software products from well-known manufacturers who have been leaders in the hard drive technology market for quite some time. In addition to using individual programs, you can give preference to whole complex solutions. But they will have to be installed on a 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, and the processes of the applications themselves load the system quite heavily, taking up RAM and using CPU resources.
Finally, it is worth noting that if using all these popular utilities does not lead to the desired result, the problems with your hard drive can be much worse. Most likely this is physical damage to the removable media. So you'll have to take it in for repairs.
As you know, computer memory fills up over time. various information, for example your favorite movies or music. And then the time comes when you have to delete them because you no longer have them on your computer free space to download new files. But what to do if you don’t want to delete the files you need or your favorite movies?
There is a way out of this situation, you just need to buy an external hard drive. On portable hard disk, you can always move files that are important to you and thereby free up computer memory.
But unfortunately not all people know how to install external hard disks and what they are personal computer does not see the drive, they begin to blame the seller for selling them a non-working device. Take your time and read the instructions for installing an external hard drive, and if you don’t have these instructions, read this article to the end.
So, if your computer does not see the external hard drive, you need to do a few simple steps described below.
Step by step plan
1. Place the mouse pointer over the “My Computer” shortcut and click on the right button; in the list that appears, you will need to select “Management”. Next, you should see a window similar to mine:
2. Now click on the “Disk Management” item as shown in the screenshot and find “Disk 2”.
3. Right-click on it and you will see a list in which you need to select “Create a simple volume” and then follow the instructions of the simple volume creation wizard.
4. After you have completed all these steps, go to “My Computer” and you will see your external hard drive. If nothing appears there, then the problem is really in the drive itself, and in this case, I recommend immediately running to the store to exchange it for a new one. And the actions listed above should always be performed when connecting new hard external storage.
As usual, you can ask your questions in the comments and by the way, don’t forget to subscribe to updates on our website.
People who use removable storage devices sometimes encounter situations when the computer (PC) does not see hard drive(HDD). Discs such as Transcend, Western digital, Seagate, Samsung, Ide are gaining more and more popularity and demand among people of different ages and are used for personal purposes, in study and work. Their main purpose is to store and exchange information between people and, due to their minimal size, are practically commensurate with the parameters mobile phone, it can be easily stored among personal belongings taken with you, while storing thousands of gigabytes.
It’s worth saying right away that cases when the computer does not see the hard drive occur quite often and turn out to be very unpleasant, especially when there is not much time. Let's try to understand the reasons and possible solutions this problem.
First of all, it is necessary to separate whether the disk is new or already previously used– this is essential in solution methods.
hard HDD drive on Windows 7, 8, 10
Under new hard drive What is meant, as is already clear, is not his age, but the fact that he was never recorded and, accordingly, was not connected to a computer or laptop.
- Click on the shortcut " My computer"right click and select " Control«.
- Find and click on “ Disk management", a window will open displaying the drives connected to the PC.
Drive letter value
A common cause of an error displaying a connected drive is the incorrect assignment of the drive letter, as a result of which the computer does not display it. Necessary detect the connected external hard drive HDD, detected by its name, size in MB (details are located at the bottom of the window) and distinguishable from the disk registered by the system, C, D and or other local disk, marked during installation of the operating system.
You can be sure that you have identified exactly the connected HDD: without closing the “Disk Management” window, unplug it and reconnect it to the computer; accordingly, it will disappear from the list and appear.
- Then right-click on it and select another sequential letter after those available in the system.
The disk is not formatted
Very often, connected hard drives are not visible on the computer due to the fact that they are new and have not been previously formatted. If you find them in the menu " Disk management“, changing the letter value will not work for such a disk, due to the lack of such a function. Here you need to select the value “ Create a simple volume«:
Please note that during volume creation, formatting will occur - along with the markup, the disk will be completely erased. As a result, the information stored there (if you are not sure exactly) will be completely deleted.
Lack of drivers
Another common reason that a hard drive connected to a PC is not visible is the lack of drivers for it. Even though Windows system takes such cases into account and reacts by trying to select from the available ones or by showing a window with the necessary search for drivers for the connected device. But still, failures occur and it may be that no information from the computer regarding this will appear.
- In this regard, you first need to make sure that the USB port to which you connected is working. This can be done by connecting something else that is accurately detected by the computer (for example, a flash drive).
- Then go to “ device Manager" (menu " Start" ->» Control Panel» -> « System and Security" or the key combination " Win+Pause Break" and select "Device Manager").
- Open tab " Disk devices«.
- « Other devices» and see if a device not recognized by the system is displayed with a yellow icon with an exclamation mark. If there is such a name or an undefined device (for example, the inscription “My passport”), right-click on it and select “ Update drivers«.
- You can search and update drivers V automatic mode , by using special programs in the article (identifying a suitable driver by hardware ID and a link to finding it on the Internet).
- You can also try selecting the command “ Update system configuration" in the " tab Action". After that, the existing devices will be searched and the corresponding drivers will be installed.
The connected HDD is not visible previously used
If a disk that was previously used or, moreover, information is already stored on it, is not displayed, then you definitely need to make sure (if you don’t know for sure) that this disk is working. hard drive, by connecting it to another computer or laptop. The USB port to which the connection was made must also be in working order, and if you need to check it by connecting another device (flash drive) or check it by connecting the drive to another connector.
- If you are sure that the HDD along with USB port is working, then you need to open the menu “ Disk management"(Clicking on " My computer» right key and selecting « Control" and then press " Disk management") and look at the available disks and their affiliation with letter value (determined by name and size). If there is such a disk, then right-click on it and select “ Change drive letter", then the button " Change" and set the next letter after the drive letters already available on the computer.
- There are cases when such disks may contain viruses and prevent them from being displayed correctly in the system or be blocked by some antiviruses (budget free antiviruses, they can do this) as a result, the hard drive is not visible on the computer.
Decide this problem you can connect again or try to find this disk in the menu " Disk Management"(above) and also change the letter value, perhaps some message from the antivirus will appear (about the presence of viruses or its blocking or “access denied”) and decide to check for viruses or check for viruses on another computer. After that, reconnect to the computer - if the viruses were really present and were removed as a result of the scan, then now this hard drive should start without problems (unless, of course, it was blocked for this reason).
