Windows 10: My External Hard disk is suddenly changed FAT32 from NTFS and shows no data in my hard...

My External Hard disk is suddenly changed FAT32 from NTFS and shows no data in my hard disk. But previous format 1.4TB data available out of 2TB storage. My External Hard disk showed in NTFS for drive letter path is 'K' but now letter path shown in 'G' and drive formate is FAT32 in windows 10 OS. How to solve this? In my hard disk past 5 years important data are stored. Please help this how to solve FAT32 to previous formate of NTFS with my data.

:)

 

external hard disk format changed from NTFS to FAT32, cannot view the files on Windows 10.

Original Title: external hard disk format changed from NTFS to FAT32

I tried to access a laptop hard disk using an adapter from a laptop. Once or twice It was successful but last time I checked it showed me files and folders with unreadable characters and it's partitions are also gone. When I checked its format I found out
that it has changed from NTFS to FAT32. When I try to open any file or folder it gives an error message saying
it's not accessible and the filename or directory name is incorrect. I tried reading another hard disk to see if it's something to do with my adapter but they are all working fine. Any clue on what
happened or to recover the data unharmed?. Thanks

 

external hard disk format changed from NTFS to FAT32, cannot view the files on Windows 10.

Hello Ishan,



Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. We regret the inconvenience caused and will assist you in resolving the issue.



You may be facing the above issue due to the change in the drive format from
NTFS to FAT32. Reverting the changes might help in resolving the issue.



To change the drive format of the external hard drive, follow the steps below:

• 
  Connect the external drive to the PC and check if the drive shows up in
  File explorer by pressing Windows logo + E keys on the keyboard and selecting
  This PC from the right side panel of the window.
  
• 
  Press Windows logo + X keys on the keyboard and select
  Command prompt (Admin) from the context menu.
  
• 
  Enter the command: chkdsk X: /f (where
  x is the external drive letter) and press Enter key on the keyboard. This checks the drive for the errors and fix it automatically.
  
• 
  After the check disk is complete, check for the errors and missing components of the drive from the window.
  
• 
  Enter the command: convert X: /fs:ntfs and press
  Enter key on the keyboard for starting the conversion process. Wait until the drive is converted to NTFS file format.
  
• 
  Close the window and check if you are able to access and view the contents in the external hard drive.
  

Write to us with the status of the issue on the same post for further assistance. Your reply is most important for us to ensure we assist you accordingly.



Thank you.

 

External Hard Drive not showing under Settings > Storage

An external hard drive is not shown in Windows 10 Pro > Settings > System > Storage. It can also not be selected to save new content on it (Storage > More storage settings > Change where new content is saved.

The hard drive does show up in the disk manger, file explorer and even as Backup (Settings > Update & security > Backup).

Unsuccessful attempts to fix:

• Troubleshooting (hardware & device) as advised in Secondary 1TB Hard Drive not showing up under Storage in PC Settings after OS Reinstall
• Checked status of disk drive in device manager: nothing unusual found
• Changed drive letters in device manager
• Re-formated drive, including different formats (NTFS, ReFS, FAT32)

Info:

• System: Windows 10 Pro
• Version: 1703 (Build 15063.877)
• Hard Drive: WD Elements 2TB, USB 3.0
• Format: NTFS, ReFS, FAT32 (tried all)