![\"hard](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/USB_device_not_recognised.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- External USB Device Not Recognized: Reason<\/a><\/li>\n
- 5 Ways to External Hard Disk Not Working 10, 11<\/a><\/li>\n
- How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Up: Expert Tips<\/a><\/li>\n
- Frequenlty Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Why External Hard Disk Not Detected?<\/h2>\n
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- Connection Issues: <\/b>Make sure the hard drive power and data cables are properly connected.<\/span><\/li>\n
- File System Compatibility: <\/b>Check if the file system on your hard drive is compatible with your operating system.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Drive Letter Conflict: <\/b>Make sure the drive letter assigned to the hard drive does not conflict with another drive letter.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Update Drivers: <\/b>Always update your hard drive drivers through Device Manager.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Initialize the Disk:<\/strong>\u00a0Make sure the hard drive is initialized and does not appear as unallocated in Disk Management.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Physical Damage: <\/b>Please note that physical damage or corruption may render the hard drive invisible.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Read More: Unhide Hidden Files in External Hard Drive<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Methods to Fix External Hard Disk Not Recognized Windows<\/h2>\n
If your system does not recognize an external HDD, then it is quite likely that your computer might have a faulty USB port or maybe an outdated driver, or worst of all, your HDD might be dead.<\/p>\n
1: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up – Disconnect Power Failure<\/h3>\n
Sometimes a very easy trick can fix the issue of an external hard disk not working Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7. Follow the instructions below to apply this trick.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Turn off your computer.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Unplug the power cord from the computer and wait a few minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n
- connector attached the power cable and opened the computer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
# Disconnect USB Devices<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Disconnect<\/strong> USB devices from your computer<\/span><\/li>\n
- Restart<\/strong> your computer<\/span><\/li>\n
- Reconnect<\/strong> the USB<\/strong> device<\/strong> to your computer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
2: Hard Disk Not Working: Update USB Device Drivers<\/h3>\n
If all USB ports are working correctly, you should check if your computer has the latest USB drivers. Because sometimes old drivers do not allow the drive to connect to the PC and show the \u201cHard disk not detected\u201d error. To check the driver’s status, follow these steps:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Choose<\/strong> the Windows + R<\/strong> button together, then write or type \u201cdevmgmt.msc<\/strong>\u201d in the Run dialog box and then press OK.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"external](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/type-dev.png\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- Expand Drives<\/strong> and right-click<\/strong> on your connected external USB drive.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Click Properties<\/strong> and select<\/strong> the Driver<\/strong> tab.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"properties\"](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/perporties.png\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- Click “Update Driver Software<\/strong>” and follow further instructions to update the driver<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"hard](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/update-drive.png\")
\n(Note):<\/b> If this method does not work, download and install the updated USB HDD Undetected driver from the computer manufacturer’s website. This is useful if you are trying to install a driver for a printer, scanner, or other USB I\/O device.<\/p>\nRead More: How to Recover Dead Hard Disk<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
3: Hard Disk Not Recognized : Change the Drive Letter<\/h3>\n
Check if you can see your external USB drive in Disk Management<\/strong> and change the name or drive letter. To do this, follow these steps:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Right-click<\/strong> This PC or My Computer, select Manage<\/strong>, and open Device<\/strong> Manager<\/strong>.
![\"click](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/manage.png\")
<\/span><\/li>\n- Select Disk Management<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"hard](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/disk-manag.png\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- Right-click<\/strong> on the connected external hard drive and select Change Drive Letter and Paths<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"change](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/change-path.png\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- Press Add<\/strong>, assign a new drive letter<\/strong> from the drop-down list<\/strong>, and click OK<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"external](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/change-a-b.png\")
<\/p>\n4:\u00a0 Fix USB Device Not Recognized – USB Root Hub<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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- Press the Windows + R<\/strong> keys simultaneously, type devmgmt.msc<\/strong>, and click OK<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Expand universal serial bus<\/strong> controllers.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Right-click \u201cUSB Root Hub<\/strong>\u201d and select \u201cProperties<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
- Select Power Management and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Choose the OK tab and save your changes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\n(Note): <\/b>Again, this procedure applies to all available USB root hubs. Save changes for each process and restart your computer. If you still see the problem with USB devices not being recognized, go back to the Power Management tab for each device and check the box again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
5: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up: Change USB Selective Suspend settings<\/h3>\n
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- Select<\/strong> the Control<\/strong> Panel<\/strong> and select Power Options<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"power](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/power-options.png\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- \u00a0Under<\/strong> your desired<\/strong> plan, select Change plan settings<\/strong>. Recommended balance).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"change](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/change-plan.png\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- \u00a0Click Change Advanced Power Settings<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"hard](\"https:\/\/www.systools.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/change-advanced-power.png\")
<\/p>\n6: Apply USB and USB selective Suspend Settings<\/h3>\n
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- Select Disable<\/strong> from the drop-down<\/strong> menu.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Select Apply<\/strong> and then click the OK<\/strong> button to save the settings<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
(Note): <\/b>If you are using a laptop, you will see two options: on battery and connected. Therefore, select “disable” for both settings.<\/div>\n7: USB Device Not Recognized – Format External Hard Drive to NTFS<\/h3>\n
To make your external hard drive compatible with other systems, you may need to format it to NTFS.<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Open Disk Management<\/strong> by right-clicking This PC, selecting Manage<\/strong>, then Disk Management.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Find or search<\/strong> your external drive, right-click it and choose Format<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Choose NTFS<\/strong> as the file system and then follow the instructions to complete the format.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Remember that formatting will erase all data on the drive, so make a backup first.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nWhat Will you do if your Data is Accidentally Deleted?<\/h4>\n
Important Tips:<\/strong>\u00a0If, while performing the manual method, you lost your data , then use a professional\u00a0HDD Recovery Tool<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to recover deleted files from an external hard drive. This hard drive recovery software can recover unlimited-size partitions (c:\/d:\/e:\/f:\/k:, etc.) from formatted or reformatted hard drives. The wizard will automatically detect all available partitions when you launch the software on your computer.<\/p>\n
- Find or search<\/strong> your external drive, right-click it and choose Format<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Select Apply<\/strong> and then click the OK<\/strong> button to save the settings<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Select Disable<\/strong> from the drop-down<\/strong> menu.<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u00a0Click Change Advanced Power Settings<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \u00a0Under<\/strong> your desired<\/strong> plan, select Change plan settings<\/strong>. Recommended balance).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Expand universal serial bus<\/strong> controllers.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Press the Windows + R<\/strong> keys simultaneously, type devmgmt.msc<\/strong>, and click OK<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Press Add<\/strong>, assign a new drive letter<\/strong> from the drop-down list<\/strong>, and click OK<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Select Disk Management<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Right-click<\/strong> This PC or My Computer, select Manage<\/strong>, and open Device<\/strong> Manager<\/strong>.
- Click Properties<\/strong> and select<\/strong> the Driver<\/strong> tab.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Expand Drives<\/strong> and right-click<\/strong> on your connected external USB drive.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Restart<\/strong> your computer<\/span><\/li>\n
- Unplug the power cord from the computer and wait a few minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n
- File System Compatibility: <\/b>Check if the file system on your hard drive is compatible with your operating system.<\/span><\/li>\n
- 5 Ways to External Hard Disk Not Working 10, 11<\/a><\/li>\n