Windows 10: Is there a way to plug in a USB disk drive and have file explorer open in "this PC". I had...

Is there a way to plug in a USB disk drive and have file explorer open in "this PC". I had the option in 11 Home but can't replicate in 11 Pro 23H2? I mean, it's not a big deal. I have found the means to have the plugged in storage device open in file explorer as if double clicked not by going to view>options, by the way...bad instruction...get that a lot. That will suffice but not what I want. Thanks for your time

:)

 

USB drive not detected in Windows Explorer when plugged in

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



It’s really strange to see that the D Drive is not showing up in file explorer, even though it’s listed under disk management and you are able to open D drive using the navigation bar.



In this scenario, we would suggest you to perform these methods and check if that fix the issue.



Method 1: Restore File explorer to default.

1. Open File explorer and click on View.
   
2. Select on Options and click on Change folder and search options.
   
3. Select on View tab and click on Restore Defaults.
   
4. Click on OK and re-plug the USB and check.

Method 2: Registry change

1. Press Windows + R key to launch Run command. Type Regedit and click Ok.
   
2. Navigate to this location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices
   
3. On the right pane look for D drive, right click on it and delete.
   
4. Restart the PC and then re-plug the USB to check.

Method 3: New user account

This issue may be due to a profile corruption. Hence, in order to eliminate possibilities, I would suggest you to create a new user account. Follow the steps from the article
Create a local user or administrator account in Windows 10
to create a new user account.



​If issue persists, update chipset and storage drivers from

HP manufacturer website.



Regards,



Aditya Roy

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

Toshiba External USB drives not showing in Explorer or Disk Management Plug-in

Thank you for the update.

Looks like your system is unable to detect your external hard drive. Let's see if scanning for new hardware will fix the issue. Follow these steps:

• Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
• Type in Device Manager and press Enter.
• Under Device Manager, select Action tab > Scan for hardware changes.
• Wait for your system to install the generic driver for your device and follow the on-screen instructions.

If the issue still persists, we suggest that you perform the following recommendations below:

• Plug in your external USB drives to other USB device port of your system.
• Use other USB cables for your external device to connect to your system.

Keep us updated and we will be glad to assist you further.

 

My USB Backup drive does not show in My Computer window.

Hi Meran,

A few possible reason can cause your external drive to not show in File Explorer. To diagnose and fix this issue, we suggest that you check the Disk Management window. To open it, follow the steps below:

• Right-click on the Start button.
• Select Disk Management.
• Alternatively, you can search diskmgmt.msc in Cortana.

Examine the list of drives in the Disk Management window and look for your external drive. Even if it doesn’t show up in File Explorer, it should appear here. If the drive appears, it may not be appearing in File Explorer because it needs to be assigned
a drive letter. To do this, right-click the partition on the drive in Disk Management and select
Change Drive Letter and Paths.

If you don’t see the drive in the Disk Management window at all, we suggest that you try connecting the drive to a different USB port or use a different USB cable. We also recommend that you avoid using USB hubs, and connect the drive directly to your computer.

If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to post a reply.