Windows 10: Cannot open an external drive

Discus and support Cannot open an external drive in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware to solve the problem; I was going through my things yesterday and came across a USB to USB external drive but cannot open it it all I get is what is in the picture so any... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware' started by ICIT2LOL, Oct 10, 2020.

  1. ICIT2LOL
    ICIT2LOL Win User

    Cannot open an external drive


    I was going through my things yesterday and came across a USB to USB external drive but cannot open it it all I get is what is in the picture so any ideas anyone please?

    I do get a message from 10 telling me to pick an app to open it but just where to start I have no idea.

    :)
     
    ICIT2LOL, Oct 10, 2020
    #1
  2. REMON ONT
    Remon Ont Win User

    External Hard Drive

    Hi John,

    We suggest that you try the troubleshooting steps below:

    • Open your External Hard Drive file in File Explorer.
    • Type the name of the file you want to search on the search box and click Enter.
    The file will show up in Search Results and you will be able to move it to the correct folder.

    Let us know if you need further help.
     
    Remon Ont, Oct 10, 2020
    #2
  3. JORDAN DOM
    Jordan Dom Win User
    External drive

    Hi Richard,

    There are several factors that can cause your external drive to not read DVDs even though the system is recognizing the device. This could be caused by a driver that needs to updated or corrupted files. For us to resolve your concern, kindly answer the questions
    below:

    • Just to confirm, the device that is not working properly is a external DVD optical drive?
    • Were there any recent changes or updates installed on your computer?
    • Have you tried to plug the external drive to a different port on your computer?

    As a initial recommendation, we suggest that your run the built in troubleshooter in Windows 10. Kindly refer to the steps below:

    • Type “Troubleshooting” in the Search bar and press Enter.
    • Click on “View All” in the top left corner.
    • This will display the list of troubleshooters which are built-in in the computer. You can click on
      Hardware and Devices from the list and you can run the troubleshooter.

    This will check for common errors that affect hardware on your computer and attempts to correct them.

    We look forward to your response after completing the steps.
     
    Jordan Dom, Oct 10, 2020
    #3
  4. WUNGRAILENG VASHI
    Wungraileng Vashi Win User

    Cannot open an external drive

    Windows 10 and External DVD drive

    Hi,

    Thank you for keeping us posted.

    I would suggest you to open the device manager and check if the drive shows up in device manager.

    Follow the steps given below:

    1. Press Windows key + R to open the run command.

    2. Type devmgmt.msc and press enter to open device manager.

    3. Expand DVD/CD-Rom drives and check if the external DVD drive is listed.

    4. If so, right click on it and uninstall it.

    5. Restart the computer.

    Let us know the result.
     
    Wungraileng Vashi, Oct 10, 2020
    #4
Thema:

Cannot open an external drive

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