The portable hard drive is connected to the laptop. If the computer does not see an external hard drive

Often, the hard disk installed in the computer or laptop is not enough, and users are forced to acquire external drives to store information on them. External hard drives There are different in volume and speed, and they are able to eliminate the need for expansion internal drive. But the user risks to face the problem in which the external hDD does not open. This can be caused by both software and hardware problems, and within this article we will look at what to do if an external hard disk on a computer or laptop does not open.

Insufficient food of the external drive

The greater the volume and speed hard disk, the more demanding of the incoming nutrition. If the drive can not get required nutrition From the computer, it will not work incorrectly - not to display in the system or errors will begin to appear.

Almost everyone external hard Disks are connected to the computer through the USB protocol, with more modern models Used to transfer USB 3.0 data. We give several tips how to avoid a breaking problem for a USB drive:

When you connect a hard disk to a computer, the indicator should light up on it, and you can hear how the magnetic disk is unchecked. If no sounds drive out of the drive, most likely the problem is in nutrition - it is not enough.

Hard disk hardware malfunction

In addition to food problems, do not give signs of life when connected to computer hard The disc may be due to other hardware problems. The most often occurring the following storage faults:

It is worth noting that the average resource of the external hard disks - 5-7 years. If the drive is older than this age, it is not recommended to post important information, whose loss can cause problems.

Lack of drivers

If an external hard disk does not open on one computer, and the rest works without any problems, most likely the reason for this software. Most often, if there are no drivers for a hard disk on the computer, it will not even be displayed in the list of connected devices. Install or reinstall the external hard disk drivers as follows:

If in the process of updating the drivers arose problems with installation software For a hard disk, expand the "Disk Devices" and "Other Devices" sections. Pay attention to the elements marked with yellow exclamation familiar - These are the devices with which problems arose. Click on the devices found in the specified sections with the right mouse button and select "Update Drivers".

Hard disk restoration

If the update of the drive drivers has not led to anything, or the hard disk is not displayed on all computers to which it is connected, you need to recover the drive. Make it is the easiest way as follows:

After executing the above, the data storage area will be marked by the storage area, as a result of which the hard disk should start working normally with the system.

Troubleshoot hard disk errors

If the program plan fails, because of which the hard drive stopped working with the system normally, it may be necessary to check it on errors and eliminate them if they are. The Windows operating system provides for this special utility. Do the following:

1. Run;
2. Push the following command on the command prompt hard checks Disk on errors and their elimination if they are found: chkdsk c: / f

Please note that in the command described above, it is specified to check the hard disk C. If the problem drive is identified by another letter in the system, it must be replaced when the command is inserted.

An external hard disk is used to store data. If when connected to a PC, the system does not recognize it, perhaps the cable is incorrectly connected, the driver was not automatically installed, the free space is not distributed or a software failure occurred. Also do not forget about the physical disk breakage. Therefore, to solve this problem, it is worth it to reconnect removable drive or HDD and SSD and find out why the system stopped seeing it.

Ways to solve a problem with an external hard disk

There are cases when the system does not recognize HDD or SSD due to the fact that the BIOS itself does not see the rusting disk. In this case, you must check the correctness of the firmware settings, connect the hard drive re-and only then test other methods.

On Windows 10, if the laptop does not see an external hard disk, methods for solid failure will be as follows:

• Click "Win + R" and enter "diskmgmt.msc".

• The "Disk Management" utility opens. It will displays information about all connected drives, images and virtual disks. If your computer does not see an external hard drive and you do not know what to do on Windows 10, it is worth seeing, there is no notation "There are no data, not initialized" or "not distributed".
• You need to right-click on the disk and select "format". Next you need to choose again context menu And choose "initialize".

• A small window will open. Here it is necessary to set the partition structure. For Windows 10 is GPT.

• A unallocated area will appear. It is necessary to make a new section. Click on the disk the right mouse button and choose "Create a simple volume".

• On Windows 10 will start the "Wizard of creating simple volumes", performing whose tips, you need to set the letter of the volume (so that this is not on the PC), specify the size and click "OK".

In case, after performing this action, the Windows 10 system does not see an external hard disk, it is worth using the DiskPart utility.

IMPORTANT! If you are an inexperienced PC user and have not set the exact cause of displaying an external hard disk, resort to this method We do not recommend. All data from the disk will be deleted!

• Carefully study the volume of the disk.
• Run the command prompt with administrator rights.
• We enter the following commands:

• Determine which disk is not displayed. I remember his letter.

sELECT DISK X - where x, this is a letter of non-reflected disc.

clean - Cleaning the disk.

cREATE PARTITION PRIMARY (It is possible to specify Size \u003d S, the size of the site in the MB, in the case of the requirement of the presence of several sections).

format FS \u003d NTFS Quick

aSSIGN Letter \u003d D - where D is the letter that the problem disk is set.

If, after performing these actions, the external disc was not prominent, it is worth checking it on the performance and availability of broken sectors.

What if the computer does not see an external hard drive? First, it is advisable to carefully consider the situation and try to understand the cause of the fault.

If it is quite voluminous, then the cause of its absence in the file manager may be insufficient nutrition. USB interface, depending on the type, issues various power. You can start to try to insert the connecting cable sequentially in different USB sockets. As a rule, the current of the current in them varies somewhat and it is possible that one of the USB connectors will be able to provide sufficient food for normal operation of the device.

Today the market presents a wide range of such accessories. All of them have different parameters and can have a completely different connection. Some for power supply have a separate cable. It needs to check technical Description. The possibility that it is in this that all and the case - the disk was connected as usual using USB, and about an additional power cable forgot.

If electricity is not enough, the disc can partially work, vibrate, it will seem to see that everything is normal. Sometimes the USB cable itself is a bit of another type - if there is a replacement, you need to try other connectors.

It is advisable to choose a cord for connecting as thicker and shorter in length. All this significantly affects power transmission. Sometimes insufficient power supply can be solved by connecting the cable with two connectors at one end. These two contactors are included in different housing nests. system Block And thus get electricity from two sources.

If the USB connection manipulation does not give results, it is useful to check the performance of the device by connecting to another computer. It is possible that it is faulty.

Problem in settings

Enter the control interface and see if the disk does not have a name, so the computer cannot be identified. Then you need to ask him any letter.

It happens that the device is not detected due to the incorrectly assigned configuration in the BIOS. Go to the BIOS settings and if an external disk is present there, try changing the configuration to another of the proposed list. After that you need to restart the computer.

Problems often arise after working with software such as Alcohol, Acronis and the like applications for control, creating virtual disks. Sometimes in the process of working with such programs, the computer switches to communication with virtual disks, and the real physical storage drives stops. The danger of using such powerful applications is that they are very deeply introduced into the system registry and change the internal installation of the computer.

In this situation, the system roll back to the previous state can help when the program for disc management has not yet been established and did not have time to change in the system. Or so - to completely delete the program together with all the settings. And do not forget to check - whether they were left in the computer system previously virtual disks. They also need to be removed. After that, restart the computer and reset the CMOS settings before the default settings.

File System Conflict

Often problems appear after updating the operating system. Especially when moving with Windows XP on Windows 7 or 8. If the device has been working normally with Windows XP for a long time, and after a new windows installations 8 stopped discovered, change could occur file System Computer and now disk and operating system as they say in different languages.

In such a situation, if it is forced to appoint him a name and try to start something to do, the system will most likely say that the disk is not formatted and will be offered to immediately make formatting. If the data on the disk is not particularly important, you can do this. Then the new operating system itself will set the considerable configuration to the external hard drive.

The situation is especially unpleasant if it is important working documents or valuable files. The simplest solution - to re-install the previously stood operating system, rewrite information from external disk, format this disk and change the file system.

After that, install again windows Update And then he will work with a computer without any problems.

Another option - change the file system with special utilitywhich download on one of the software portals. Or use all the same aforementioned Alcohol or Acronis applications for changing the file system.

Malfunction can sometimes be determined by ear.

1. If you do not hear any movement when you turn on, then the power indicators are shined, the disc may be faulty.
2. If unusual sounds, knock, ticking, intermittent blows, something happened to the internal mechanism.

With suspicious behavior of the device, it must be disconnected immediately from the computer and attributed to check in the workshop.

As you know over time, the computer's memory is filled with various information, such as favorite films or music. And then the time comes when they have to delete since you have no free space on your computer to download new files. But what to do if you do not want to delete the files you need or favorite movies?

There is a way out of this situation, you only need to buy an external hard drive. On a portable hard drive, you can always move the files important for you and thereby free the memory of the computer.

But unfortunately, not all people know how to install external hard drives and that they are personal Computer Does not see the drive they begin to accuse the seller that he sold the non-working device. Do not hurry and count the instructions for installing an external hard disk, and in case this instruction you do not have to read this article to the end.

So, if your computer does not see an external hard drive you need to do several simple actions described slightly below.

Step-by-step plan

1. We bring the mouse pointer to the "My Computer" label and click on the right button, in the list that appears you will need to select the "Management" item. Next, you should open the same as I have a window:

2. Now click on the "Disk Management" item as shown in the screenshot and find "disc 2".

3. I click on it with the right mouse button and you will have a list in which you need to choose "Create a simple volume" and then follow the instructions for creating a simple volume.

4. After you have done all these actions, go to "My Computer" and see your external hard drive. If there is nothing there, it means the problem really in the drive itself and, in this case, I recommend immediately running to the store to change it to a new one. And the actions listed above should always be performed when connecting a new rigid external drive.

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External removable media in the form of USB drives has recently become the same popular as ordinary flash drives. There are more spaces on them, but they are not insured against problems and mistakes. There may be a lot of reasons for this. However, they are not always possible to fix them manually. That is why it is recommended to use system utilities if the system does not see an external hard disk.

Causes of trouble

First, consider the main reasons that may lead to the fact that an external hard disk is not defined in the operating system. They can be quite a lot: system errors, incorrect access adjustment, power shortage and even physical damage to the surface of the removable media.

BIOS settings

Before contacting the use of utilities, it is worth saying that no program to check the hard disk can determine it if the device is simply not included in the system. Often, the reason may consist in bIOS settings. For example, if you go to the "Device Manager" in the "Control Panel" and set the display of hidden devices that present in the system displays the list, but the system itself in the device properties will give a message about the need to reconnect.

Connecting an external hard disk is usually made in the BIOS settings that are called on computers or laptops by pressing the Del, F2 or F12 key. It all depends on the manufacturer of the BIOS and the most computer terminal. In the Boot or Advanced section, you can select priority boot devices and other components of the equipment. In this case, the external USB hard drive must be connected to the connectors before turning on the terminal. In some embodiments, it may be necessary to enable disk availability using the Enable parameter.

Problems with driver

If the external hard disk is not defined, reinstalling drivers may be required. You can do this in the same "device manager" or use the original drive with drivers, which comes with a removable device.

Non-food

Sometimes the cause of errors can be a shortage of food. If you have two power cables, you need to turn on both. In some cases, if an external hard disk is not defined, you can disassemble it and connect to computer terminal directly. But if a person is not a specialist in this area, it is not recommended to produce such a procedure.

Incorrect disk identifier

When the system does not see an external hard disk, the reason may also be imprisoned in the wrong letter of this disk or disk partition. It may very much that it is already used by another device. In this case, it is worth entering the computer management system (drive control) and simply change the letter of the removable media.

Fixing errors with standard Windows tools

In Windows operating systems, there are own tools and utilities for checking or formatting discs and media of all types of information. Connect hard uSB disk produced standard method. But sometimes there may be a situation when a removable hard drive is visible in the system, for example, in the "Device Manager", and access to it from the "Explorer" or any other file Manager not. In other words, the external hard disk does not open. In this case, you can correct errors with standard tools of the operating system.

Creating Toma

First you need to go to "Disk Management" and select a removable medium to which there is no access. The right mouse click you can call the volume creation utility. But allows you to use the "Create a Simple Tom" and "Settings Wizard" command, in which the media size is specified first, then the letter is assigned, and then format an external hard disk with a preliminary choice of file system type. Please note that in this case all data on the removable hard drive will be automatically destroyed. Upon completion of the "Wizard", it remains only to click the "Finish" button, after which the removable media with all its characteristics will automatically appear in the system.

If you need to restore an external hard disk, you can use special applicationswhich allow you to restore the data on the removable hard drive even after complete formatting. But even in this case, it is not always possible to restore the information.

Disc Check

One of the easiest standard tools Operational windows systems is a program for checking the hard disk. The right mouse click on the disk icon you need to call the "Properties" menu and select the "Service" tab, where you can find the "Check" button. At the beginning of work, you can ask automatic correction damaged sectors.

The program can be caused using command linewhich sets CHKDSK and an external carrier parameter. But it is the easiest and not always an effective way. In this case, it is better to turn to professional utilities that are offered for operating systems. Windows side manufacturers.

HDD SCAN program

To date, there are quite a lot of specialized programs for checking hard disks of all types, including removable media. One of the most popular and most powerful utilities is the HDD SCAN software product.

The first advantage hDD programs Scan is that it does not require installation, that is, it is produced in the form of the so-called portable version (Portable). The folder with the program can be placed in any place on the hard disk or on the same flash drive. To start, an executable file of the same name with extension is used, after which you can go to the main operations.

For inexperienced users, the most preferred mode may be the system of "smart" scanning of the removable media and the error correction on it, called s.m.a.r.t. After selecting the hard drive, you just need to click on this button. Then the utility will issue detailed features In the form of a table with parameters in which the attributes within the normal range will be marked with green. Yellow and red colors report errors or some incorrect parameters.

Enough an interesting feature It is the Surface Test command at which the surface of the removable hard drive is checked. The error correction is that the clusters of the file system are transferred to intact disk areas, and the damaged surface is blocked and not used in the future.

In general, in this utility there are quite a lot of tools for working with disks of all types. But without knowledge of English language In the interface will have to dig. This is due to the fact that in the application itself there are too many functions designed for experienced users.

Norton Disc Doctor Program

No less an interesting program To work with hard disks is the portable version of the Norton Disc Doctor application (NDD). It does not require installation and does not create absolutely no entries in system Registry. It is also noteworthy that the size of the application is only 15.7 MB.

The work of this application is very similar to the principles used in other programs, but this utility is maximally automated and is designed even on inexperienced users.

After starting the program, the main window appears in which all hard drives and removable media are available in the system. You can check all or choose some one component. In this case, we are interested in an external hard drive. We put a tick on it and run a check, after checking the checkbox in the "Fix errors" field on the left side.

For more advanced users to the right there is a setting button, in which you can configure the program at your discretion. But in most cases it is not required, since the factory settings are built in an optimal way for all types of hard drives.

Conclusion

Of course, this is just a small share of those programs and opportunities that are designed to help users and laptop users, if the external hard drive is not defined.

If you compare some programs with each other, then it is impossible to give preference to some one utility. Each program, though practically the same algorithms for working with hard drives, still has its differences, advantages and disadvantages.

For example, with the HDD SCAN software, a beginner or inexperienced user will be difficult to work. The interface itself may seem somewhat overloaded. Yes, and opportunities for thin setting There are a lot of here.

To provide effective work With removable media, it is better to use applications such as Norton Disc Doctor or Ashampoo HDD Control 2. True, it is worth paying attention to that in the second case we are dealing with a paid program.

What concerns free utilitiesthen it is better to use software products from famous manufacturerswhich in the market of technologies with hard drives are leaders for quite a long time. In addition to using individual programs, you can give preference to whole complex solutions. But they will have to be installed on the Winchester, and the places they occupy quite a lot, not to mention the fact that they have special "inspectors", working in real time. As a rule, the icon is constantly hanging in the system tray (System Tray), and the processes of the applications themselves strongly load the system, occupying rAM and using the resources of the central processor.

Finally, it is worth noting that if the use of all these popular utilities does not lead to the desired result, problems with a hard disk can be much worse. Most likely, this is physical damage to the removable media. So you have to carry it into repair.