Windows 10: Can't access drives in external USB 3 enclosures

Ever since I switched over to my new Windows 10 PC, I haven't been able to access my external USB 3.0 enclosures. They are all 4-disk enclosures by IcyDock (Black Vortex). On my old Windows 7 PC, all I had to do was turn it on and all 4 drives were detected via USB 3. Now on the new PC none of the drives are detected. I checked their site and they don't list any drivers so I don't think that's the problem. Any idea what I can do? I also have a couple older e-SATA external 4-disc enclosures and those are detected fine through my e-SATA card. So it's an issue with the USB 3.0 enclosures. Also, I have a Mediasonic brand 4-disc USB 2.0 enclosure and that works fine - all drives are detected. So it's just the USB 3.0 enclosures by IcyDock that aren't being recognized.

:)

 

Windows update

An inexpensive solution is to purchase an external USB 2.5" sata enclosure. You remove the drive from the laptop and place the drive in the enclosure and connect to a USB port of a working computer. You need a 3.5" enclosure for a drive from a desktop.



Providing the drive has not “failed” connecting to another computer enables you to read, write to, and copy from the drive. You can scan the drive using the security software installed on the second computer. If the hard drive has failed then it does
not work. You cannot boot the operating system installed on the drive in the enclosure.



Enclosures are reusable and can be used to provide additional external storage for any computer, where you have a discarded drive which worked, but was too small for further use in its existing location.



An illustration of an external enclosure is provided in the link below:

2.5" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 or eSATA HDD Combo External Enclosure.:Amazon.co.uk:Electronics



This is a cheaper alternative:

Screw Less 2.5" sata hdd USB 2 2.5 sata hdd hard drive case Enclosure for pc laptop, 2.5" HDD SATA Enclosure Caddy USB 2.0 For Laptop Hard Drive - XP, VISTA, WIN 7, MAC:Amazon.co.uk:Computers & Accessories

 

Win 10 reboot loop - SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (NETIO.SYS)

An inexpensive solution is to purchase an external USB 2.5" sata enclosure. You remove the drive from the laptop and place the drive in the enclosure and connect to a USB port of a working computer. You need a 3.5" enclosure for a drive from
a desktop.



Providing the drive has not “failed” connecting to another computer enables you to read, write to, and copy from the drive. You can scan the drive using the security software installed on the second computer. If the hard drive has failed then
it does not work. You cannot boot the operating system installed on the drive in the enclosure.



Enclosures are reusable and can be used to provide additional external storage for any computer, where you have a discarded drive which worked, but was too small for further use in its existing location.



An illustration of an external enclosure is provided in the link below:

2.5" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 or eSATA HDD Combo External Enclosure.:Amazon.co.uk:Electronics



This is a cheaper alternative:

Screw Less 2.5" sata hdd USB 2 2.5 sata hdd hard drive case Enclosure for pc laptop, 2.5" HDD SATA Enclosure Caddy USB 2.0 For Laptop Hard Drive - XP, VISTA, WIN 7, MAC:Amazon.co.uk:Computers & Accessories

 

Did you try a new cord with the dock? Have you tried it with a different computer? If the USB hub is not showing in Device Manager as even a Hidden device, you may have to unplug the hub and reboot, then plug it back in. Also if it is not a powered Dock, you should power it, due to your new computer may not be sending enough voltage to power the device.

 

It's not the cords. They all worked on my old Windows 7 PC. The docks run off AC power. I've tried it directly plugged into a USB 3.0 port on my PC, and also the same 3.0 card that I was using on my old PC. Neither way recognizes the drives. I've tried it with 2 different IcyDock enclosures.

 

Again you need to make sure by plugging them into another computer running Windows 10 to see if the dock is recognized. If it is not a powered dock, you will have to use a powered USB hub, since the drivers for 10 may have changed from the previous drivers.

Also a lot of hardware that may have worked up to Windows 7, may not have drivers available for it in Windows 10. So you have to try and install the drivers in compatibility mode for the older OS.

It is your computer and device. Unless you actually go through the steps and make sure where the problem lies, nothing can be done to help you with figuring out, other than giving you the same guesses that you are thinking of.

We can only go by your word. If you come back about what it did in the past and what it is not doing now, this thread will quickly die.

 

I don't know what I"m supposed to say here.

I don't have another Windows 10 PC. That's why I'm on here asking.

The enclosures are new and still available for purchase. They don't list any drivers on their website so it doesn't seem to require special drivers. Beyond that I don't know what else to say. I was hoping somebody in here would be familiar with this issue.

Maybe somebody else can contribute a suggestion who might have experienced this issue with Windows 10?

 

Have you looked in Disk Management to see if they are recognized there? They may just need initializing and adding a drive letter.

 

Try another USB 3 device (go to Staples and buy a $9 flash drive). If it does not work, then the drivers for the USB3 port might have to be updated. These might come from the manufacturer of the port, or from the chipset manufacturer (NEC/Renesas, Intel, VIA, etc).

If the flash drive works in USB3 mode, the chances are that the SATA-to-USB bridge controller inside the drive enclosure is incompatible with Windows 10's power management. It is likely that you would run into the same issues with Windows 8.

This would not be a driver issue, but a firmware issue. The microcode in the interface chip of the controller needs reprogramming, and unless the manufacturer of the enclosure recognizes this and seeks to update it from the chip manufacturer (Jmicron, Sunplus, Prolific, Marvell, etc. etc), you're not going to get them to work.

 

- My USB 3.0 flash drive works fine. Just tested it.

- The USB 3.0 4-bay enclosures that aren't working also include e-sata ports. I tested and those same enclosures run fine when plugged into my esata card. So the enclosures work fine through the e-sata but not USB 3.0

 

you're not alone (from review on Newegg):

 

I just came across that same exact review while searching through Newegg's reviews hoping to dig up some clues. I'm going to contact Icy Dock this morning when they open but this doesn't sound good. I have 3 of those and together they cost over $450! And now they don't seem to work on Windows 10 through USB 3.0. I have no idea what to do now. I already have a 2-port esata card in my new PC to support a couple older e-sata enclosures. They are in use. That's why I bought these Icy Dock enclosures - I needed USB 3.0 support.

 

Unfortunately, like most such reviews, there is no structure and so it is not possible to discern what OS or USB ports the reviewer was using. The fact that the docks work for most folks but not others suggests that they may be using different OS, system and USB drivers; also that there are QC issues with the docks or undocumented differing hardware versions that affect the compatability of the USB interface.

In the case of a single-drive enclosure that stopped being recognized for me after upgrading from Windows 7 to 8, I went for broke - disassembled the enclosure and determined the exact bridge chipset by direct inspection. I then searched around for firmware updates for that chipset - very hard, and carrying inherent risk of bricking the hardware for good. I ended up with a working enclosure, but at the cost of a non-functioning access LED and dramatically reduced throughput vs. the Windows 7 compatible firmware. I you strike out totally and decide to go that route, one place to look for firmware is the French web site, station-drivers.

 

Yeah, I'm not up to that level of expertise. I'm really disappointed that these are advertised as USB 3.0 yet don't work with Windows 10 over USB 3.0. I don't understand how they can sell these and not have something on their site addressing Windows 10 support. I noticed their site has no forum.

At this point it's either:

A) Buy the seemingly only 4-port esata card in existence from Newegg - cost: $100

B) Buy all brand new enclosures - out of the question due to finances.

I already have one 2-port esata card in my system to support my older enclosures that only support esata. I can't believe I have to buy another 4-port card. Both my current 2-port and the 4-port on Newegg is by Highpoint (rocketraid) but I hope there isn't some compatibility issue with running both cards together. I'm really upset Icy Dock has put me in this mess. I really can't afford $100 right now for a new card. Note I'm not running RAID - I just use them as single drives for storage and backup.

 

Well I just talked to Icy Dock's tech support over the phone. We went through a basic set of troubleshooting, but he said this shouldn't be happening. He said they have one running with no issue with Windows 10 and this is the first time they have heard of this being an issue with Windows 10. So he said he'll contact the support team and get back to me.