External hard drives are portable for carrying out, expanding storage capacity, and transferring files.

But they are also prone to various problems.

External hard drive not showing up or recognized in computers is a common problem.

Fix: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up Or Recognized

This article puts forward several ways to fix it.

This is not a rare problem.

But you should know that any fixes are possible to cause secondary damage to your data.

set scan settings

Therefore, retrieving data from the malfunctioning hard drive should be the primary thing.

Besides, types of files are supported by this software.

you could restore photos, videos, audio, documents, and archives.

choose a partition to scan

For more practical features, it’s possible for you to attempt them when using it.

Step 3: This is an optional step.

Step 4: Return to the This PC page.

use functional features

Step 5: it’s possible for you to browse the found file list during scanning.

The scan process might take a few minutes.

c’mon wait patiently and do not interrupt it manually for the best data recovery result.

save files

you could expand the different folders listed on the left sidebar to find your wanted files.

Now, move on to the next part to start fixing your hard drive.

you might follow the instructions to find out a work one.

How to Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Up Without Data Loss

Besides, changing another USB port might be helpful to resolve this problem as well.

you might also attempt to connect this hard drive to another computer.

you’re able to perform a virus scan on your gear to check the problem.

perform a virus scan

Step 1: PressWin + Ito open Windows tweaks.

Step 2: Navigate toUpdate & Security>Windows Security, then clickVirus & threats protectionon the right pane.

Step 3: Click onScan optionsunder theCurrent threatssection.

Virus & Threat Protection in Windows 10/11 Scans for Threats

Step 4: ChooseFull scanand click onScan now.

Virus & threat protection in Windows Security helps you scan for threats on your Windows 10/11 computer.

Check the details in this post.

update the driver

An outdated driver can be another cause of this problem.

you might update the driver to have a go at deal with the problem.

Step 1: PressWin + Xand selectDevice Managerfrom the WinX menu.

run command line to open the troubleshooter

For example, the external hard drive can be found inDisk DrivesandOther devices.

Step 3: Right-tap on the drive that needs to be updated and chooseUpdate Driverfrom the context menu.

Step 4: Select theSeach automatically for driversoption.

run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

you might work with the following steps.

Step 1: PressWin + Rto initiate the Run window.

Step 2: Typecmdinto the text box and pressShift + Ctrl + Enterto run Command Prompt as administrator.

Fixed! Hardware and Device Troubleshooter Is Missing Windows 10

Step 3: Typemsdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnosticand hitEnterto fire up the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter window.

Step 4: choose theNextbutton to detect problems and follow the on-screen instructions to fix the problem.

Is Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter missing from your Windows computer?

run the CHKDSK command

In this post, we will show you how to open it using the command line.

Bad sectors can be divided into two types: physical damage and logical damage.

Step 3: TypeCHKDSK x: /f /rand hitEnter.

format the partition

You should replace x with the drive letter of the disk you want to check.

You should typeYand hitEnter.

your setup will check the disk during the boot process.

apply the change

After this, you could format the disk to fix the bad sectors.

Part 2: Repair Bad Sectors

Step 1: Download and installMiniTool Partition Wizardon your system.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Launch the software.

run the Diskpart command lines

Step 4: SetPartition Label,File System, andCluster Sizeaccording to your needs.

After this, press theOKbutton to save the changes.

After you confirm all the information, you should punch theApplychoice to fully apply the change.

Actually, most problems will be addressed by formatting the unit to start fresh.

But formatting will erase all your data on this hard drive.

You should recover data from a spinning but not detected hard drive first with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

you might read this post to learn how to make ahard drive recovery.

Afterward, you’re able to run commands in accordance with the next steps.

Step 1: PressWin + Sand typeCommand Promptinto the search box.

Step 2: ChooseRun as administratorfrom the right pane.

Step 3: bang out the following command to clean the hard drive and format it.

You should pressEnterafter each command line to execute it.

If the formatting process is stuck at 0 percent, you might readthis postto find solutions.

Bottom Line

Hard drive spinning but not detected is a common problem when you use it.

This post provides you with many methods to fix the problem.

Hope one of them can help you fix the problem.

You are welcome to tell us your problem about using MiniTool software via[email protected].