Windows 10: Why won't my external hard drive work?

Discus and support Why won't my external hard drive work? in Windows 10 Software and Apps to solve the problem; I took the hard drive out of an old Windows laptop and used a hard drive case to connect it to my computer for storage. It worked fine, until one time... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Software and Apps' started by Samuel Fox Jones, Mar 3, 2024.

  1. SAMUEL FOX JONES
    Samuel Fox Jones Win User

    Why won't my external hard drive work?


    I took the hard drive out of an old Windows laptop and used a hard drive case to connect it to my computer for storage. It worked fine, until one time it just didn't work. I had used it on both Mac and Windows, but I don't think it's a Mac filesystem compatibility thing because it doesn't work on either OS.Windows disk management shows the drive, but it shows "No Media" and there is no space on it. I'm pretty sure there is. MacOS Catalina immediately says "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer."Can anyone tell me what happened ? Maybe it's corrupted

    :)
     
    Samuel Fox Jones, Mar 3, 2024
    #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, Mar 3, 2024
    #2
  3. TWYNOG
    twynog Win User
    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, Mar 3, 2024
    #3
  4. BARRYTOL
    barrytol Win User

    Why won't my external hard drive work?

    Photos on my external hard drive won`t show

    I have an external hard drive on which I loaded all my pictures but now I can`t se them.What should I do?
     
    barrytol, Mar 3, 2024
    #4
Thema:

Why won't my external hard drive work?

Loading...

  1. Why won't my external hard drive work? - Similar Threads - Why won't external

  2. Why won't my external hard drive work?

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    Why won't my external hard drive work?: I took the hard drive out of an old Windows laptop and used a hard drive case to connect it to my computer for storage. It worked fine, until one time it just didn't work. I had used it on both Mac and Windows, but I don't think it's a Mac filesystem compatibility thing...

  3. external hard drive not working

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    external hard drive not working: I've been messing around with my external hard drive because I tried to put it in my xbox one s and I didn't really need it in there, i mostly need it for my laptop. I formatted the hard drive on the xbox and now i've put it back into my laptop, the noise comes on when its...

  4. external hard drive not working

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    external hard drive not working: I've been messing around with my external hard drive because I tried to put it in my xbox one s and I didn't really need it in there, i mostly need it for my laptop. I formatted the hard drive on the xbox and now i've put it back into my laptop, the noise comes on when its...

  5. external hard drive not working

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    external hard drive not working: I have a 5TB seagate external hard drive, I damaged the pcb usb port and got a replacement and everything works just fine. I'm trying to set up my external storage drive. I plugged it in, noise comes on that it is plugged into the computer, the enclosure power light is on and...

  6. external hard drive not working

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    external hard drive not working: I have a 5TB seagate external hard drive, I damaged the pcb usb port and got a replacement and everything works just fine. I'm trying to set up my external storage drive. I plugged it in, noise comes on that it is plugged into the computer, the enclosure power light is on and...

  7. My external hard drive won't stay connected!

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    My external hard drive won't stay connected!: Since I updated to Windows 11 my hard drive has been disconnecting in the middle of use. I have to restart my laptop just to get it to reconnect. I'm losing a lot of work because of this and I have no idea how to fix it, any help is appreciated. I've already unchecked the...

  8. My external hard drive won't stay connected!

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    My external hard drive won't stay connected!: Since I updated to Windows 11 my hard drive has been disconnecting in the middle of use. I have to restart my laptop just to get it to reconnect. I'm losing a lot of work because of this and I have no idea how to fix it, any help is appreciated. I've already unchecked the...

  9. external hard drive. Why won't file manager see it.

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    external hard drive. Why won't file manager see it.: I want to see what,s in my hard drive but when I power the external drive on no G: is shown in the file manager. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/external-hard-drive-why-wont-file-manager-see-it/315d1b36-4929-4491-90ec-f5f3cc509684

  10. external hard drive not working

    in Windows 10 BSOD Crashes and Debugging
    external hard drive not working: my external hard drive is not working and idk how to fix it, it is detected it just doesn't do anything... https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/external-hard-drive-not-working/65f9db49-d585-48c4-b39c-5f14565207ca