Windows 10: Unable to initialize external hard drive

Discus and support Unable to initialize external hard drive in Windows 10 Ask Insider to solve the problem; Hi, I was using an external hard drive on my PS4 however it just randomly stopped working after well over a years use. I plugged it into my PC but i... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Ask Insider' started by /u/Budski52, Jul 6, 2020.

  1. /U/BUDSKI52
    /u/Budski52 Win User

    Unable to initialize external hard drive


    Hi, I was using an external hard drive on my PS4 however it just randomly stopped working after well over a years use. I plugged it into my PC but i could not see it.

    When i open disk management and do a disk scan i can then see it appear in the disk management section however it says uninitialized. When i try to initialize it, it says 'The request failed due to fatal device hardware error'.



    Does anybody have any advice on how to get this hard drive working? Thanks

    submitted by /u/Budski52
    [link] [comments]

    :)
     
    /u/Budski52, Jul 6, 2020
    #1
  2. REMON ONT
    Remon Ont Win User

    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.
     
    Remon Ont, Jul 6, 2020
    #2
  3. MRITYUNJAYAKUMAR
    mrityunjayakumar Win User
    initializing an external hard drive

    whenever I initializing my new silicon power a80 2 TB external hard drive then virtual disk manager shows data error(cyclic redundancy error). how can i solve this problem and able to initialise such external hard drive
     
    mrityunjayakumar, Jul 6, 2020
    #3
  4. TWYNOG
    twynog Win User

    Unable to initialize external hard drive

    External hard drive not recognised

    Thanks for this. I've done what you suggested and been through all the steps mentioned in the article. The hard drive works fine on a Mac computer, and I've managed to copy the information on it. It must be a Surface issue so I'll try to get a chat line tomorrow.
     
    twynog, Jul 6, 2020
    #4
Thema:

Unable to initialize external hard drive

Loading...

  1. Unable to initialize external hard drive - Similar Threads - Unable initialize external

  2. External hard drive shows up as "Unknown" and "Not initialized"

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    External hard drive shows up as "Unknown" and "Not initialized": I have an external hard drive that I mainly use to store games, among other things, and it's been working just fine until now. Whenever I plug it in, I am not able to access any of the files that are on it through File Explorer neither am I able to download things onto the...

  3. External hard drive shows up as "Unknown" and "Not initialized"

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    External hard drive shows up as "Unknown" and "Not initialized": I have an external hard drive that I mainly use to store games, among other things, and it's been working just fine until now. Whenever I plug it in, I am not able to access any of the files that are on it through File Explorer neither am I able to download things onto the...

  4. Initializing a new hard drive

    in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade
    Initializing a new hard drive: I am trying to initialize a new hard drive. I get "Access Denied" Virtual Disk Manager. What is the solution to this? https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/initializing-a-new-hard-drive/f29a0ab3-1ab2-4485-9763-e10ee27cd0ca

  5. laptop not recognizing external hard drive, says it is unallocated and not initialized

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    laptop not recognizing external hard drive, says it is unallocated and not initialized: brought home a fully functioning external hard drive that had data on it....but when I plug it into my laptop, it does not appear in Windows Explorer....I checked Disk Management, and it says the disk is working properly, but has no assigned disk letter, and the disk place...

  6. Initialize Hard drive

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    Initialize Hard drive: Hi all, A friend of mine asked me if I can help him get his laptop back into working order. It is a Samsung model NP740U3L When I turn it on, after about a minute, it tells me: All boot option tried Press F4 for repair After pressing F4 it comes back to the same screen as...

  7. Unable to eject external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Unable to eject external hard drive: My new computer came with a previous version of windows 10 home a couple weeks ago. I had to download the newer version of Windows 10 in order to use the newest versions of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Not long after downloading this I started to notice that I was unable...

  8. Unable to detect external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    Unable to detect external hard drive: I have been attempting to download files from my external hard drive on my surface but cannot seem to find it. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/unable-to-detect-external-hard-drive/80f9a17b-73ac-4cc6-8d42-74714afeb773

  9. Unable to read external Hard Drive

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    Unable to read external Hard Drive: I have Windows 10. I am trying to retrieve data from a Western Digital hard drive which has worked on this system in the past. I now find that the system is unable to recognise the drive and I get a message "incorrect parameter" Some help would be apreciated. Regards...

  10. Unable to see external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    Unable to see external hard drive: Hi, When I look in my computer or device manager my external hard drives are not visible. However, when I connect the hard drives it makes the usb connection sound. The drives are visible when connected to a different computer. But not when connected to a different usb on...