Windows 10: Trouble accessing files on external hard drive

I am am having trouble accessing files from an external hard drive. Getting 0x80004005 error message and other errors "can not access files". I have shared and given permissions for all the files but still no luck


The external hard drive was one of a shared network of hard drives but I have been able to access all the others....


THoughts? Suggestions?

:)

 

Trouble Accessing External Hard drive

I just got an external hard drive for my computer from a friend and I am trying to format the drive to clear the previous data. The drive will not show in file explorer but when I go to devices in settings it shows that it is connected. I cannot even access
any data that is on the drive at all. Does anyone have a fix or suggestions?

The External Hard drive is Western Digital.

 

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.