Windows 10: Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive

Discus and support Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive in Windows 10 Network and Sharing to solve the problem; Hi, Moderators, if I have mis-categorized this question, please re-categorize as needed. I have Win10 on an HP desktop. I've been using a 4TB... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Network and Sharing' started by Ballardguy, Jul 7, 2019.

  1. Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive


    Hi,


    Moderators, if I have mis-categorized this question, please re-categorize as needed.


    I have Win10 on an HP desktop. I've been using a 4TB Western Digital external hard drive to back up my desktop data weekly and have had no problems doing this. The point is that this external drive is not brand new with nothing on it. It has files on it.


    Recently, and while my WD drive was plugged in to the USB on my desktop, I happened to visit Disk Management, a place I do not regularly visit, and saw this information for Disk 7, referring to my 4TB WD drive:


    Left-side pane | Right-side pane


    Disk 7 |

    Unknown |

    3725.99 GB | 3725.99 GB

    Not initialized | Unallocated


    Well, I was hoping it would have said similar to what it says for my other external Backup drive, a 2TB Seagate drive:


    Basic | Seagate Backup Slim (SWin10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive :)

    1862.89 GB | 1862.89 GB NTFS

    Online | Healthy (Primary Partition)



    If I right-click the right-side pane for Disk 7, it only allows me these choices:


    Properties

    Help


    and right-clicking the left-side shows only these options:


    Initialize Disk

    Offline

    Properties

    Help


    Incidentally, I notice it does not let me "Change Drive Letter and Paths..."


    Of course, I do not want to initialize the WD or else I will erase all of its data.


    My question is:


    Is there a problem with my WD external drive forever showing up on Disk Management in the way it does? If so, how do I "fix" it without initializing/reformatting that drive?


    All I can find online that even comes near talking about my concern is this comment referencing a WD drive:


    Like the case above, the issue “disk unknown not initialized” happens not only on removable hard drives but also on internal or external hard drives from major manufacturers like Western Digital, Samsung, etc in Windows 10/8/7.

    https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/disk-unknown-not-initialized.html


    So, maybe this is to be expected for my WD drive and I just need to live with it? Apparently Disk Management has an issue and I'm wondering what of it?


    Thanks for any input.

    :)
     
    Ballardguy, Jul 7, 2019
    #1
  2. vallero Win User

    external hard drive not recognized


    Hello zbook
    #1) I have tested the external drives in three different computers, win10 pro, Win10, and XP. The results are identical. When I plug in the external hard drive windows signals a new device with an audio signal and the light comes on on the external drive. The results on all three pc's is identical in disk manager, file explorer and device manager.
    #2) I have tried all solutions presented to me by FreeBooter, from the simplest solution of uninstalling the external drive in device manager and rebooting windows, to using the various third party software that was suggested, obviously with out success.
    #3) The attached screen shots will only show one of the drives attached because I don't have enough free USB ports to attach two drives and I didn't think it would have been a good idea to use a hub.
    #4) one strange thing about one of the drives is that now device manager lists it as a Toshiba drive although it is a Western Digital.
    #5) Sorry but I have no way of getting a photo of BIOS


    Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive [​IMG]


    Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive [​IMG]


    Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive [​IMG]

    I look forward to reading your comments
     
    vallero, Jul 7, 2019
    #2
  3. backup drive not recognized

    Hi,

    As per the description, I understand that the external backup is not being recognized. I suggest you to follow the steps provided below and run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter and check for status.

    • Type “Troubleshooting” in search box and press Enter.
    • Click on “View All” option on top left pane.
    • Select “Hardware and Devices” from the list and follow the prompts for troubleshooting.

    Hope this helps. Keep us posted on the status for further assistance.

    Thank you.
     
    Eeshwar Kumar, Jul 7, 2019
    #3
  4. Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive

    External usb drive no longer recognized by W10 backup

    Hi Rob,

    Maybe my post was not clear enough. Your suggestions only work when the external drive is actually recognized by the backup program, which is not the case (see the title of my post).

    Do you have any suggestions about how to get w10 backup to recognize my drive? I can use the drive and see it in the file explorer, but the backup program doesn't see it.

    Jo
     
    JoLouvenberg, Jul 7, 2019
    #4
Thema:

Win10 Disk Management not recognizing my WesternDigital external backup drive

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