Hard drive keeps disappearingin Windows?

SSD/hard drive missing after restart?

During the use of computers, hard drive problems arise one after another.

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Today we are going to discuss the problem of computer hard drives or solid-state drives that continue to disappear.

How to Fix if Hard Drive Keeps Disappearing on Windows

Fix 1.

So, it is necessary to check the fan hub or PSU connection.

run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

Fix 2.

In this case, you gotta remove them.

Right-click theStartbutton and chooseDevice Manager.

update the disk driver

Then go to theViewtab and tick theShow hidden devicesoption.

you might run it to troubleshoot the matter of hard drive missing.

Press theWindows + Rkeyboard shortcut to bring up the run window.

change drive letter

In the pop-up window, typemsdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnosticand clickOK.

After that, the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter will appear.

you should probably click theNextbutton to start issue detection and repair.

add a new drive letter

Wait patiently until the whole scanning process ends and the detected problems are resolved.

Fix 3.

In this case, you better update the disk driver.

scan the lost partition

On the taskbar, right-click theStartbutton to chooseDevice Manager.

In rig Manager, expand thedisk drives, then right-smack the target problematic disk and chooseUpdate driver.

Moreover, outdated controller drivers may also cause the problem of hard drive/SSD disappeared from Windows.

filter and search for wanted files

So, it is necessary to update the controller driver.

In rig Manager, expandStorage controllers, right-smack the target controller and chooseUpdate driver.

Fix 4.

preview the picture

The solution to this problem is to assign a new drive letter to the disk.

you’re able to complete this task in Disk Management.

Right-click theWindows logobutton to selectDisk Management.

save all required files

Find and right-tap the drive that lacks a drive letter and choose theChange Drive Letter and Pathsoption.

Then choose a drive letter from the drop-down menu ofAssign the following drive letter.

After assigning a drive letter, the hard drive should be displayed in both Disk Management and File Explorer.

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Fix 5.

Go to theAdvancedsection to find the option related toPCIe ConfigurationorAdvanced options.

Then selectGen3for PCIe x16 and M.2_1 link speed.

click Partition Recovery

Finally, pressF10to save the changes.

Fix 6.

Once the disk becomes unallocated, you are unable to access its data.

choose a scanning range

If there are important files exist in the unallocated space, you should probably recover files immediately.

How to recover data from unallocated space?

Here MiniTool Power Data Recovery is highly recommended.

choose a scanning method

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1.

Scan the unallocated space.

Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free to get its home page.

choose all required partitions

Here all detected existing partitions, lost partitions, and unallocated spaces are displayed.

The scanning duration mainly depends on how many files are in the unallocated space.

If the file size is large, the scan may take a long time.

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Find and preview the needed files.

After scanning, all found files will be categorized by file path.

you could expand each path to find the needed items.

choose what to back up

This will make it easier and faster to locate the wanted data.

Besides, theFilterandSearchfeatures facilitate locating the needed data quickly.

To preview a file, you might choose to double-choose it or opt for thePreviewbutton.

Select and save the required items.

Finally, select all needed files and click theSavebutton.

In the pop-up window, you oughta select a proper file location to store the recovered files.

Once you rescued your vital data, you might create a new partition on the hard disk.

After that, if necessary, you might move all recovered files to the newly created partition.

This is all about how to recover lost data if the disappeared hard drive becomes unallocated.

Some of you may wonder:Is it possible to recover the lost partitions directly?

Fortunately, the answer is Yes.

Now, keep reading to get the detailed steps.

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Now read this post to learn what should you do if your SSD not showing full capacity Windows 11/10.

Fix 7.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is worth a try.

Here are the major steps to recover lost partitions by using this partition magic:

Step 1.

Download, install, and launch MiniTool Partition Wizard Free.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2.

On the main interface of this partition management tool, go for the disk where partition loss happens.

Then click thePartition Recoverybutton from the top menu bar.

Choose the disk from which you want to recover lost partitions and clickNext.

Choose a scanning range fromFull Disk,Unallocated Space, andSpecified Rangebased on your requirements.

Sequentially, click theNextbutton.

In the new window, choose a scanning method based on the on-screen instructions and clickNext.

After scanning, select all lost partitions and existing partitions and click theFinishbutton.

you better finish the registry process and then save the recovered partitions.

To reduce the risk of data loss, you could make a habit of backing up crucial data regularly.

If you are looking for greatdata backup software, you could give MiniTool ShadowMaker a try.

Now download and load the Trial Edition and start file backup.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1.

Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker, then click theKeep Trialbutton to continue.

On the main interface of this MiniTool file backup software, go to theBackuptab.

Next, clickSOURCEto choose which partitions/disks or files/folders you want to backup.

ClickDESTINATIONto choose a location where you want the backup files should be restored.

Finally, click theBack Up Nowbutton located in the lower right corner.

Once the whole process is completed, your files are well protected.

Wrapping Things Up

In a word, there are many causes why hard drive keeps disappearing.

you might fix this issue by applying the corresponding solutions listed above.

By the way, prevention is better than cure.

Always making a backup of important files is the best way to protect files.