Windows 10: External hard drive not recognized by Windows

Discus and support External hard drive not recognized by Windows in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware to solve the problem; Earlier today, when starting my computer, my WD 4TB Elements Desktop external drive was recognized. I was able to access the drive. Now, it is not... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware' started by Doc-Westin, Oct 13, 2021.

  1. External hard drive not recognized by Windows


    Earlier today, when starting my computer, my WD 4TB Elements Desktop external drive was recognized. I was able to access the drive. Now, it is not recognized. It is listed in Disk Management as Disk 2 Unknown Disk, Not Initialized. Windows 10 does list the drive under Device Manager, but is not listed with the other drives. What can I do to initialize the drive and regain access?Thanks for your help.

    :)
     
    Doc-Westin, Oct 13, 2021
    #1
  2. Zaki_j Win User

    Toshiba external hard drive not recognized

    Hi Philip,

    Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

    I understand that the external hard drive is not recognized by the PC. I appreciate your efforts in trying to resolve the issue.
    It would be great if you can answer these questions to assist you in a better way.

    • Did you try connecting the Hardrive to different USB Port?
    • Does the Hardrive get detected if you try connecting it to a different PC?
    • Are you aware of any changes made to the computer recently?

    I suggest you refer and follow the steps mentioned in the KB article and check if that resolves the issueError:
    “USB Device not recognized” when you try to access a USB external hard drive


    Note: Ignore method 2 & 5 from the above article.

    Let us know how it goes.

    Regards,

    Zaki
     
    Zaki_j, Oct 13, 2021
    #2
  3. vallero Win User
    external hard drive not recognized

    Hello zbook
    #1) I have tested the external drives in three different computers, win10 pro, Win10, and XP. The results are identical. When I plug in the external hard drive windows signals a new device with an audio signal and the light comes on on the external drive. The results on all three pc's is identical in disk manager, file explorer and device manager.
    #2) I have tried all solutions presented to me by FreeBooter, from the simplest solution of uninstalling the external drive in device manager and rebooting windows, to using the various third party software that was suggested, obviously with out success.
    #3) The attached screen shots will only show one of the drives attached because I don't have enough free USB ports to attach two drives and I didn't think it would have been a good idea to use a hub.
    #4) one strange thing about one of the drives is that now device manager lists it as a Toshiba drive although it is a Western Digital.
    #5) Sorry but I have no way of getting a photo of BIOS


    External hard drive not recognized by Windows [​IMG]


    External hard drive not recognized by Windows [​IMG]


    External hard drive not recognized by Windows [​IMG]

    I look forward to reading your comments
     
    vallero, Oct 13, 2021
    #3
  4. External hard drive not recognized by Windows

    External Hard Drive Not Recognized by Windows 10

    Hi Thomas,

    Sometimes, PCs fail to recognize the External Hard Drive even after confirming a successful connection. This is usually due to a corrupted or outdated device driver. However, for us to isolate the issue, we need additional information. Kindly answer the
    questions below:

    • Have you tired to plug your external hard drive to another port or to another device to make sure that it is working properly?
    • Are you getting any error messages when you plug in your external hard drive?

    In the meantime, we suggest that you run the Hardware and Device Troubleshooter. This automated tool will check the hardware/USB connected to your PC for any known issue and resolve it automatically. Refer to this link to access the troubleshooter:
    Find and fix problems with devices and hardware.

    Update us on how it goes.
     
    Jennifer Bri, Oct 13, 2021
    #4
Thema:

External hard drive not recognized by Windows

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