- Portable Hard Drive Reviews 2020
- External Hard Disk Drive Case
- External Hard Drives On Sale
- External Hard Disk Drive For Computer
- External Hard Disk Drive Problem
An external hard disk drive is a device that stores documents, audio, video, and other files from your computer. The difference between this and the hard drive in your computer is that it is attached on the outside. Kept separately, a floppy disk drive can back up files that do not need to be on the computer at all times, and the drive is. Jul 31, 2020 Anyone who uses a PC should have an external drive. It’s both a useful means of data backup and storage, and a way to transport files from your desktop or laptop to another device. Anyone who uses a PC should have an external drive. It’s both a useful means of data backup and storage, and a way to transport files from your desktop or laptop to another device.
Nov 23, 2020 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions
When you plug in your external hard disk to your computer, you may find that your hard drive is detected by the operating system, but you're not able to open.
Such a problem can occur due to multiple factors, and if you're worried that you won't be able to reaccess the drive and thinking 'how to fix the external hard drive, not opening?'
There is no need to start panicking! You can follow our complete guide to learn the reason behind your hard disk inaccessibility, and we will also guide you through the process of how to repair that external hard drive and recover the erased data along the way too.
Part 1. Why External Hard Drive Recognized But Not Accessible?
There could be several reasons why your external hard drive may fail to respond to your Windows PC. It can be caused by some technical glitch in your operating system, or it might be due to the drive's internal hardware failure. It can also occur when you fail to plug in the device through the USB port properly.
Most of the time, such an issue gets resolved when you re-plug the drive into the PC or restart the system again entirely. But if such a problem with your hard drive persists and it remains visible on the system but doesn't open, even if you connect it to another computer system. Then there might be a deeper problem at play with the hard drive. Here is the list of issues that could be behind the problem with your external Hard Drive.
- Presence of bad sectors caused by inappropriately removing the drive from PC without following the removal protocol.
- Mechanical failure is caused by dropping the drive on the ground.
- Virus or Malware is caused by opening an ill-conceived website or file.
- Driver issue caused by some software glitch.
Whatever may be the reason behind this problem, in this article, we will help you repair your hard drive, which will allow you to access the important files within.
Part 2. How to Fix External Hard Disk Detected But Not Opening?
Before initiating the process to fix the issues with your hard drive, some external drives have power cables or a physical power switch, which should be ON at all times for you to perform operations on the disk. It is a simple step, but you should check it before anything.
After checking the ON/OFF switch, you can proceed further to perform other solutions to fix the inaccessibility problem.
Solution 1. Check the External Hardware:
Before performing any step, it is advised that you check the health of the external hardware of your system and the drive's accessories, which are as follows:
1. USB port.
2. Power/Data cable.
Please follow these steps to check whether the problem is with your drive or with your computer.
- It is advised that you plug in the external hard drive on some other System to check whether there is some kind of issue with your PC.
- Please try to Re-Plug the device on some different USB port, as the frequent usage of one port might have caused some wear and tear which could have loosened the hinges.
- Try the Data Cable of your external drive on some other device to see that it is functioning correctly. The casual and repeated use of the power cable may cause it to lose its functionality.
Solution 2. Restart your PC:
Restarting is perhaps the most natural solution to our hard drive being unresponsive. This fix usually solves the error half of the time. There are many ways to restart your computer, but we will try it the conventional way, so please follow our guide to perform this solution.
- Open Start menu.
- Click on Restart.
- After restarting the system, try plugging the device into the PC to review the issue at hand. If the problem persists, then hop onto the next solution.
Solution 3. Update Driver of the Disk:
If you continue to remove your device casually from the computer, it may cause some sort of damage to the driver of your hard drive. This hassle can be fixed by reinstalling or updating the external hard drives, which can fix any problem with your storage device.
The Hard Drive's Driver:
The driver of the external disk is very similar to, the internal HDD on a computer, which consists of a rotating platter with a magnetic surface that rapidly stores digitally encoded data. It also provides the means of communication between the drive and the computer to which it is connected. It functions by giving the hard drive's serial/model number as well as physical information (sectors, heads, and the storage capacity) to the operating system so that it can recognize it.
Follow our step-by-step solution guide to check your drivers.
- Open Device Manager on your computer by entering the name in the search bar.
- Right-click on your Hard Drive's driver.
- Click on Properties.
- Click on the Driver tab and click on Update Driver.
- Click on 'Search automatically for updated driver software', or you can click on 'Browse my computer for driver software' if you have the driver file on your PC.
- The system will start searching for your diver software, you can also uninstall the device and reinstall it, using the same utility.
- Your PC will automatically update the software if there is a new update. Otherwise, it will notify you that 'The best drivers for your device is already installed'.
- If the issue persists after that, click on Close and jump to the next solution.
Solution 4. Fix it by Disk Management and Format it:
You will be able to access the properties and storage of your external storage drive with the help of the Disk Management utility. It can create a new partition within the device, if there is unallocated space and assign it a new letter to enable access. Follow our solution below:
- Open Disk Management through the Start menu.
- Right-click on your external drive's icon.
- If you find unallocated space, then click on New Simple Volume and click on Next.
- Assign a letter to the drive and click on Next.
- Select the Do not Format option and push Next.
- Click on Finish.
- You can also format the device by right-clicking on the icon of the drive and selecting Format.
Solution 5. Run Windows Troubleshooter:
You can fix specific problems through the Windows troubleshoot utility, which automates the diagnosis and repairs the problem with your computer system. Follow our guide to use the windows troubleshoot utility, which may fix the hard drive inaccessibility issue.
- Open the Start menu and click on Settings.
- Click on Troubleshoot and find Hardware and Devices.
- Click on Run the Troubleshooter.
- The troubleshooter will start scanning for irregularities in the PC.
- It will notify you after finishing the scan and will advise you to apply the fix if any problem is detected. Choosing the option will prompt you to restart the computer.
Solution 6. Run CHKDSK to Repair Disk:
You can use the CHKDSK facility by using the command prompt on your PC. Before using the check disk command, it is important to know what type of functions it performs to fix specific disk-related problems.
1. It scans the integrity of the file system and file system metadata on a disk volume.
2. It fixes all types of logical file system errors that it finds during the scan.
3. Through its disk scan, CHKDSK detects the good and the bad sectors of the selected disk.
Follow our procedure to run the check disk command on your external hard drive to detect problems.
- Open Command Prompt on your PC through the Start menu.
- Run the program as an administrator.
- Your Command prompt window will open, type the following command inside the display, and hit Enter.
chkdsk X: /r /f where X is the external hard drive letter and /r & /f are the parameters of CHKDSK.
- The command will run its scan. Once the scan is complete, remove the drive and re-attach it again with the PC to see whether the procedure worked or not.
Part 3. How to Recover Data from Hard Drive Not Detected?
If you select the solution of formatting the external drive, then it will erase all the data. If the files inside your hard drive are irreplaceable and you intend to use those again, then you can recover all of your data. The data can be recovered until you overwrite the drive's memory with new data. To retrieve the files, you are required to perform a recovery operation by using a data recovery tool for Windows, and there is none better than Recoverit Data Recovery Tool by Wondershare.
Features of Recoverit:
- Works on every type of portable device (USB, HDD).
- It recovers data in more than 1000 file formats known in the tech world.
- Recoverit supports all types of File system formats like exFAT, FAT32, HFS, NTFS.
- It keeps your data secure and retrieves it with 96% efficiency.
- It is available on both macOS and Windows PC.
To recover all of your files, you are required to follow our three-step process to recover deleted files after installing the app.
1. Select the Location:
Please follow the steps mentioned below to begin.
- Launch it from the Start menu.
- Select the 'Location' of your external hard drive.
- Click on the 'Start' button for the process to begin.
2. Scan for Lost Data:
- The scanning process will start. It will take some time for the scan to finish, depending on the storage space of your external hard disk.
- A scan completion pop up will appear on the screen with a beep tone.
- There is also a Pause and Stop button, which enables you to stop the scanning process.
- The results will be displayed, which you will be able to view them from the File Type and File Path section.
- You can pause or stop the disk recovery scan by clicking the Pause/or Stop button.
3. Recover the Lost Data:
- Recoverit allows users to Preview the recovered files, which will enable you to check the authenticity of the erased data.
- You can select your files and retrieve them by clicking on the 'Recover' button to reclaim your data back.
Closing Words:
It is entirely up to your personal maintenance, and handling of your computer's hardware and how you keep your PC protected by using some good antivirus. You are advised to check the way you plug in the drive inside the USB port. You are also required to press the eject button before removing the disk from the computer. It is also important that you check the health of your external storage device regularly by scanning it through the CHKDSK utility.
Now you know six possible solutions to fix the hard drive if any such issue ever arises. However, if you still aren't able to access your files or have formatted the drive entirely, then you can recover those files by using the Recoverit Data Recovery program to gain access and recover all the important data.
What's Wrong with Drive
- Recover Your Drive
- Fix Your Drive
- Format/Wipe Drive
- Know Your Drive
Summary :
How to use an external hard drive? In this article, you can know how to add an external drive to your computer. In addition, you are offered the way to manage, use and maintain an external hard drive. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good tool to help you to manage the drive.
Quick Navigation :
What Is an External Hard Drive
An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer wirelessly,or through a USB FireWire connection. It becomes more and more popular in computer users for the following benefits:
- It is portable. An external hard drive can be connected to almost all computers because they have a USB port. Therefore, you can easily pick up your external hard drive, take it out and connect it to another computer.
- It comes with a high storage capacity. An external hard drive can store much larger data than a USB flash drive. It helps a lot if you are found of videos or audios, whichtake up a large amount of disk space. In addition, you can use it to store lots of photos, entire programs, and more on it.
- It is a safe Backup Device. To avoid data loss, you can use an external hard drive to back up your files and programs. After system crashes, you can easily connect the external hard drive to another computer so that you can recover important data.
- It is easy to be upgraded. If your external hard drive is running out of storage space for your backup files, you can easily replace it with a bigger one.
- It can prevent your computer from getting clogged up with downloads and large files. You could transfer large files from your computer to an external hard driveto improve
How to Add an External Hard Drive to Your Computer
If you get a new external hard drive, you need to add it to your computer before you can use it. Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Plug one end of the external hard drive’s cable (usually the larger end) into the USB port on the housing to see whether it works.
Tip: There are three types of USB port: USB-A, USB-B and USB-C. If the cable shipped with the external hard drive is not matched with the USB port on your computer, you can solve it by buying a USB adapter, for example, a USB-C to USB-A adapter.
Step 2: Plug the other end of the cable into your external hard drive.
Step 3: Now you need to format the external hard drive.
- Double click This PC.
- Right-click your external hard drive and choose Format..from menu.
- Uncheck Quick Formatand select a file system. Then click Start.
Tip: Unchecking Quick Format means that you choose Full Format, which will scan the drive for bad sectors while formatting. Click quick format vs. full format to know more.
After formatting the external hard drive, you should partition the drive reasonably for better management. As for partitioning tool, you can choose freeware MiniTool Partition Wizard.
How to Use an External Hard Drive in Windows 10
Extra Storage Device
It has been mentioned that an external hard drive has many benefits. The basic one is to use it as an extra storage device, especially when you need to free up disk space. Mount and blade warband damage types.
You can transfer files to an external hard drive after you connect it to your computer. Here is a tutorial on how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10.
Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Step 2: Select the folders or files you want to move and press Ctrl + X to cut them.
Step 3: Click your external hard drive from the left action panel to access the external hard drive and press Ctrl + V to paste the folders and files.
Data Backup Device
Do you know your data is in danger? If you don’t have more than one backup solution, plenty of critical information includes photos, music, videos, financial and official documents could be lost when your computer dies due to hardware failure, natural disaster, system crashes or viruses attacks.
Clearly, the more copies you have, the less risk of data loss you face. Thus, just create as many copies as you entail. In other words, you’d better protect the original data with two backups.
Usually, cloud backup can be a good choice,such as Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Onedrive, etc.
However, they are not the best solutions.They may cost you much. Some cloud services such as iCloud and IDrive just offer you a storage capacity about 5 GB for free, and most cloud services need you to pay for month. What’s more, it will be troublesome if you decide to shift among these services.
In addition, it may take much time to download everything from a cloud-based backup service if you want to manage large files or large quantities of files.
On the other hand, data stored in a cloud service is possible to be attacked by a hack. So, you can store your backup in an external hard drive, which is portable and safer. Some external devices come with security features like fingerprint recognition, which prevents other people from gaining access to the stored data.
To buy the right backup drive, here are some tips you need to know.
With MiniTool Partition Wizard,a free backup tool, you can easily back up your partitions or the whole disk to your external hard drive. Here is how to use an external hard drive for backup.
Step 1: Free radionics software for mac. Click the following button to download and install the tool.
Tip: If you need to back up the system disk, you need to upgrade to MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro Edition.
Step 2: Make a backup.
- To copy disk, just right-click the disk you want to back up and choose Copy from menu.
- To copy partition, you can click the Copy Partition Wizard from action panel and choose the partition you want to back up.
- Then follow the instructions to finish the copy
Tip: Please make sure there is no important data in the external hard drive because the disk coping process will erase all the data on the destination disk.
Create a Windows To Go Workplace
Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to boot and run Windows from USB flash drives or external hard disk drives so that you can take it to anywhere.
Note: You need to pay attention that the Windows To Go feature is only available in Windows 8/8.1/10 Enterprise, Education versions.
To create a portable Windows, you need to prepare a device with requirements as follows:
- With 32 GB capacity at least
- With USB 2.0 and faster USB connections.
With an external hard drive, you can easily achieve it. Here is how to do it.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to the computer.
Step 2: Search for Windows To Go in Windows and click it from the results.
Step 3: Choose your external hard drive to create a Windows To Go workplace and follow the guide to complete the process.
Then you can connect the external hard drive to another computer and boot Windows from the external drive when you go out.
How to Use an External Hard Drive for Longer
You may be aware that an external hard drive is necessary for you. However, it is easy to be broken if you don’t maintain it in the right way. To avoid decreasing the life of it, you can read these tips on how to use an external hard drive for longer.
- To protect your external hard drive, you’d better place it on a stable, flat and hard surface. Considering that the hard disk is a mechanical device, it can be damaged by vibrations. And you should also be careful to prevent it from falling off the table.
- You need to make sure that it will not be banged around or treated roughly. Since the external hard drive is a portable device, you should treat it carelessly when you take it out.
- You have to avoid getting your hard drive wet or exposing it to liquid.
- Do not place your external hard drive in a restrictive area where there is no air flow. Similar to the internal hard disk in your computer, the external hard drive also gets hot when it works too long. To avoid overheating, which can damage the disk, you need to place it in an open area to dissipate the buildup of heat.
- Check error before you transfer files to an external hard drive. It can fix disk errors and ensure that you are starting with a well-functioning drive.To do that, you can use the error checking tool in Windows.
- Always eject the drive before you unplug it from your computer. It ensures data still stored in the cache memory will be removed, which prevents existing data on the disk from being damaged.
- The best way to protect your data in the external hard drive is to back up it as much as possible. Hard drive failure may happen to your external hard drive.To ensure the security of your files, you’d better prepare a second external drive to back up it.
Save Lost Data from an External Hard Drive
Similar to internal hard drivers, an external hard drive may also lose data due to various reasons, such as mistaken deletion or hard drive failure when you manage it.
Ted bundy child. If you have a backup for the data in the external hard drive, you can restore your data with the backup.
If you unfortunately find that your files or programs stored in the external hard drive is lost and you have no backup for the drive, you need to stop using it right now and try to recover files from the external drive with a third-party software as soon as possible.
MiniTool Partition Wizard is powerful in recovering deleted files and data from formatted or virus attacked disk. It is worth trying.
Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Step 2: Click Data Recovery from the tool bar and select your external hard drive in This PC. And then click Scan.
Step 3: Now you just need to check the files you want to recover and then click Save to place the recovered files into a safe position.
Tip: Make sure that you save recovered files in another disk to avoid a secondary data loss.
If it is the first time to recover files from an external drive, you may be a little confused. To know more details, you can read the following article: The Full Guide to SSD File Recovery on Windows 10/8/7/XP.
Bottom Line
You can benefit a lot from an external hard drive. With the high storage capacity, you can store a huge number of videos, photos and programs, and it is a proper device for data backup.
This article helps you to know how to add an external hard drive to your computer, how to use an external hard drive in Windows 10, and how to maintain it to use it longer.
If you still have any questions about the external hard drive, you can contact [email protected] or post it in the comment section below.
Portable Hard Drive Reviews 2020
Do you want to try it now?
How to Use an External Hard Drive FAQ
An external hard drive, which can be connected to a computer through a USB or wirelessly, is a portable storage device. It’s usually used to serve as extra storage or back up computers.
What are the advantages of an external hard drive?
External Hard Disk Drive Case
- It has large storage capacity.
- It’s portable so that you can take it anywhere.
- It’s a safe backup device.
- It can be used for a long time.
How do I download a program to an external hard drive?
External Hard Drives On Sale
- Plug the external hard drive into the computer.
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
- Navigate to your program setup file and double-click it.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program, and when you are asked where you want to save the program, choose on location on your external hard drive.
External Hard Disk Drive For Computer
What do I do when my external hard drive is not detected?
External Hard Disk Drive Problem
The reasons for external hard drive not recognized or not showing up could be various. If you are facing the problem, you can try the 10 solutions mentioned in the following article: 10 Cases: External Hard Drive Not Showing up & Best Fixes.