#My external hard drive is not working windows#

If the drive is formatted correctly for Windows you should see the following information: WARNING: Formatting erases all data on the drive.

#My external hard drive is not working how to#

Read our How To Format Your Drive article for instructions on the process. If you do not need any data from the drive, you should be able to reformat the drive to restore accessibility. If the drive shows as RAW or Unallocated and you have already tried a different port, cable, and computer but you need the data, then you will want to consider data recovery.

See this article for more detailed information - One Touch with Hub uninitialised and unallocated Note For One Touch with Hub Drives: For security enabled One Touch with Hub drives, locked drives will show as uninitialised and unallocated until unlocked. Once you have located the drive you will want to look for the following:Дoes it show RAW or Unallocated? Either of these indicates a possible issue with the driveвЂ™s formatting.

In the middle towards the bottom locate the disk number from earlier.

This will allow us to view the driveвЂ™s health.

Now click on Disk Management on the left-hand side.

Document the disk number provided in this window (Disk 1, Disk 2, etcвЂ¦).

Right click on your external drive listed under Disk Drives.

If you see the drive is detected here continue reading.

First check the Disk Drives section in the middle window by double-clicking it.On your keyboard, hold the Windows Key ( ) down and press R.If using a USB adapter, try connecting it without the adapter or use a different adapter.ДЇor advanced troubleshooting steps select your operating system:Д¬heck both Device Manager and Disk Management in the Computer Management console:.If using a surge protector or power strip, plug the power adapter directly into the wall outlet instead.(Desktop Drives).No light could indicate the power adapter is not connected to power. Desktop Drives typically require a power adapter. Try using the drive on a different computer.If possible, try using a different cable.Try connecting the drive to a different port on the computer.If your external hard drive is not accessible please try these basic troubleshooting steps first.

#My external hard drive is not working software#

The external hard drive itself, under normal circumstances, should be detected by your operating system, without the need of drivers, software or firmware updates. While it is possible that your external hard drive may have come with bundled software that may be incompatible with newer operating systems, this is typically just вЂback upвЂ™ software, and the drive is not dependent on that software to function. What to do if youвЂ™ve lost data Sometimes it doesnвЂ™t matter how closely you look for your files, you just wonвЂ™t be able to find them.There are several reasons why an external hard drive may not be accessible or detected when you connect it to your computer. If that solves the problem, you know the drive is safe to continue using. If itвЂ™s an external drive, try a different USB cable or dock, or pop the drive into another USB enclosure-the adapters in external drives are more prone to failure than the drives themselves. status is fine but youвЂ™re still experiencing problems, look at other links in the chain.

Bad sectors may not become a real problem until you fill up the drive with enough data, so if you want to be on the safe side of things, donвЂ™t push your luck and replace the drive soon. If it cautions you that the drive has some bad sectors, itвЂ™s probably time to buy a new one-your drive may keep working for years, but it may also fail when you least expect it. You can do this using utilities built into your computer, but itвЂ™s easier to run a tool like CrystalDiskInfo (Windows) or DriveDx (Mac), which will give you a clear, easy-to-read diagnosis. If you arenвЂ™t sure whether a drive has experienced run-of-the-mill corruption or is on its way to hard drive heaven, check its S.M.A.R.T.