Windows 10: External Hard Drive does not auto-unlock after a Windows 10 reset

Hello,

I have an external hard drive WD My Passport that I was using with the auto-unlock feature for this computer. The drive automatically recognized the computer and auto-unlocked without the need to insert a password. However, after I made a reset to my Windows 10, the hard drive does not auto-unlock anymore, it is asking for the password and I cant remember the password anymore, so I have lost access to my data. Something changed with the Windows 10 reset that made the drive not recognize this computer as before. I haven´t created a restore point, nor have a backup. I have used the internet option reset from the control panel, without keeping my files and and clean files only, so some files are still recoverable with a data recovery software, if needed.


Could you please tell me how to revert back the configurations to make the drive recognize this computer / user and auto-unlock again?

Is it needed to change back to the previous computer name? Should I place the same username as before? Is it the SID number? How can I find that information and change Windows 10 back to make the drive auto-unlock again, so that I can open my external hard drive and take out my files?


Thank you so much for any help you can give me.

:)

 

unrecognised external hard drive on Windows 10

Since you already reinstalled the drivers of the External Hard Drive, let's run the
Hardware and Devices troubleshooter as it can resolve your concern. You can do that by following these steps:

• 
  Press the Start button.
  
• 
  Type and select Troubleshooting.
  
• 
  Click on View all on the left panel.
  
• 
  Select and run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
  

If the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter doesn’t resolve your concern, we suggest that you change the letter of the External Hard Drive. You can do that by following these steps:

• 
  Press the Start button.
  
• 
  Type and select Control panel.
  
• 
  Select System and Security.
  
• 
  Select Administrative Tools, and a new window will appear.
  
• 
  Double-click Computer Management, and a new window will appear.
  
• 
  Select Disk Management that is located under
  Storage in the left pane.
  
• 
  Right click on the External Hard Drive that is not showing on the File Explorer.
  
• 
  Select Change letter and network path, and a new window will appear.
  
• 
  Select Change, and choose the letter that you want for the External Hard Drive.
  

After changing the letter of the External Hard Drive, we suggest that you reboot your laptop for the changes to take effect.



Let us know how it goes.



Regards.

 

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.

 

Seagate External Hard Drive

Hi Barbara,

Hardware failure or corruption within your system files are some of the possible reasons why you are experiencing an issue with accessing your external hard drive. For us to provide an accurate solution, we would need you to answer the following questions:

• Which build, version and edition of Windows 10?
• Are you experiencing the same issue when you are trying to access the external hard drive using another PC?
• What troubleshooting steps have you done so far?

In the meantime, we suggest running the automated troubleshooter for hardware. Follow these steps to do so:

• Open the Control Panel.
• Using the search box at the upper right corner of the window, type troubleshooting.
  
• From the search results, click on Troubleshooting.
• Click on Hardware and Sound and then choose Hardware and Devices.
• Once done, restart your computer and then check if the same issue persists.

We are looking forward to your response.