Why is a local hard drive defined as portable? Replaceable USB drive as a hard drive in Windows

External HDD– a portable storage device containing an information storage device (HDD or SSD) and a controller for interacting with a computer via USB. When connecting such devices to a PC, sometimes some problems are observed, in particular, the absence of a disk in the “Computer” folder. We will talk about this problem in this article.

There are several reasons causing this problem. If connected new disk, then perhaps Windows “forgot” to report this and offer to install drivers and format the media. In the case of old drives, this may be the creation of partitions on another computer using programs, the presence of a blocking virus, as well as the usual malfunction of the controller, the disk itself, cable or port on the PC.

Another reason is lack of nutrition. Let's start with it.

Reason 1: Nutrition

Quite often, due to the shortage of USB ports, users connect several devices to one socket via a hub (splitter). If connected devices require power from the USB connector, a power shortage may occur. This leads to a problem: the hard drive may not start and, accordingly, may not appear in the system. The same situation can arise when ports are overloaded with energy-intensive devices.

In this situation, you can do the following: try to free up one of the ports for an external drive or, as a last resort, purchase a hub with additional food. Some portable drives may also require additional energy supply, as evidenced by the presence of not only USB cord included, but also a power cable. Such a cable may have two connectors for connecting to USB or a completely separate power supply.

Reason 2: Unformatted disk

When connecting a new blank disk to a PC, the system usually reports that the media is not formatted and prompts you to do so. In some cases this does not happen and it may be necessary to do this this procedure manually.

Let's go to "Control Panel". You can do this from the menu "Start" or press the keyboard shortcut Win+R and enter the command:
Next we go to "Administration".
Find the shortcut with the name "Computer Management".
Go to the section "Disk Management".
We are looking for our disk in the list. You can distinguish it from others by its size, as well as by the RAW file system.
Click on the disk RMB and select the item context menu "Format".
Next, select the label (name) and file system. Place a checkmark opposite « Quick formatting» and press OK. All that remains is to wait for the process to complete.
A new disk has appeared in the folder "Computer".

Reason 3: Drive letter

This problem can arise when performing disk operations - formatting, partitioning - on another computer using special software.

In such cases, you must set the letter manually in the snap-in "Disk Management".

Reason 4: Drivers

The operating system is very complex software and that is why various failures often occur in it. In normal Windows mode installs itself standard drivers for new devices, but this is not always the case. If the system does not start driver installation when you connect an external drive, you can try restarting the computer. In most cases this is enough. If the situation does not change, you will have to “work with your hands.”

If the software for the disk cannot be installed, you need to check the branch « Disk devices» . If it has a drive with yellow icon, this means that the OS does not have such a driver or it is damaged.

A forced installation will help solve the problem. You can find software for the device manually on the manufacturer’s website (perhaps it came with a driver disk) or try to download it automatically from the network.

Reason 5: Viruses

Virus programs, among other nasty things, can prevent the initialization of external drives in the system. Most often they are located on the removable drive itself, but they may also be present on your PC. First, check your system for viruses and, if so, second hard disk.

Using the means given in the article above, check external storage will fail because it cannot be initialized. Only help here bootable flash drive With antivirus scanner, For example, . You can use it to scan your media for viruses without downloading system files and services, and therefore the subject of attack.

Reason 6: Physical problems

TO physical malfunctions This could include a failure of the disk or controller itself, failure of ports on the computer, as well as a banal “breaking” USB cable or food.
To determine the problem, you can do the following:

Replace cables with known good ones.
Connect the drive to others USB ports, if it works, then the connector is faulty.
Remove the device and connect the drive directly to motherboard(don't forget to turn off your computer before doing this). If the media is detected, then there is a controller malfunction; if not, then the disk. You can try to restore a non-working HDD at a service center, otherwise it will end up in the trash.

This problem happens the computer doesn't see removable drive . It doesn't show up anywhere, even though it worked fine until recently. The information there is very important and needs to be saved, so I want to restore access to the removable hard drive without turning to specialists service center.

Read the article carefully and perhaps it will help solve the problem.

The easiest way to check the serviceability or save information on another medium is to connect removable hard disk to another computer. If on another computer hard disk is detected, then the problem is in your computer.

Another way is to try recover removable hard drive on our own using your computer. To do this, click right click Click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Management” from the context menu.

In the window that opens, select “Disk Management”, here you will see all the disks connected to the computer and if your disk is working, it will definitely be displayed here.

To open a removable hard drive, it is enough to rename the drive and restore access to it. To do this, click on to the desired disk right-click and select “Change drive letter or drive path” from the context menu.

In the window that opens, select a letter and click “OK.” Sometimes a reboot is needed, but most often it is not.

If your removable hard drive is not visible in Disk Management, then there is probably a problem with the hard drive itself or a conflict between the controller and the computer.

Here's a little about the removable device hard drive. Simply put, this regular hard disc in box. The box also contains a controller responsible for input and output of information.

If you have skills in working with computer components, then the health of the hard drive itself can be checked. To do this, disassemble the removable disk and disconnect the HDD, then remove the cover from system unit and connect the hard drive directly to the motherboard. Practice shows that the motherboard detects disks many times more consistently than controllers. We turn on the computer, if the disk is detected, then the controller is at fault.

If the above remedies do not help, then it is better to contact a service center

And finally, if you decide to buy a removable hard drive, buy devices from well-known companies, their failures are much less frequent.

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19 thoughts on “ The computer does not recognize the removable hard drive”

Nobel
I have a problem that the computer does not see the removable hard drive, but the laptop does. Can I reinstall the operating system?
Nikolay
Disassembling the removable disk and connecting it to the motherboard helped.
Azamat
Thank you! Previously, such a problem seemed simply insoluble to me.
It helped!
Alexander
Thank you!!!
Kamil
Thank you! Everything worked out!
Dmitriy
I can’t initialize the hard drive, it says: The request was not completed due to an I/O error on the device
admin
Dmitry, here’s what they write about this on the Microsoft website:

“This problem may occur if Windows is using a transfer mode that is not supported by your CD-ROM drive.
To resolve the issue, you need to change the transfer mode for the CD drive in the IDE channel properties. To do this, follow these steps:
From the Start menu, right-click My Computer and select Manage.
In the Computer Management (Local) group, select Device Manager.
In the right pane, expand IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.
Right-click the channel that your CD-ROM drive is connected to and select Properties. This is usually the Secondary IDE Channel.
On the tab Extra options Select PIO Only in the Transfer Mode field for the CD drive. This is usually Device 1. Then click OK.
If you change the transfer mode for Secondary IDE Channel Device 1 and the problem persists, it is probably not the correct device for the CD drive. Use the following procedure to change the transfer mode back to DMA if available. Then repeat the steps to change the transfer mode for IDE devices in the following order until the problem is resolved.
Primary IDE channel, device 1
Secondary IDE channel, device 0
Note. Primary IDE channel, device 1 matches boot disk. This is the hard drive on which you usually install operating system.»
Andrey
The 4TB removable hard drive works non-stop for the second day, regardless of whether the computer is turned on or not, whether it is connected via USB or not. Not a single computer sees it (I logged in with both XP and 8; I searched through “disk management”, turned on the display of hidden and system files, even restored the system just in case, rebooted the computer several times: I can’t stop it). If I disconnect it from the network, I’ll kill the hard drive (judging by the sound and temperature, it’s working as hard as it can). How can you stop it so that it does not lead to mechanical damage?
admin
Andrey, why are you so sure that you will kill the disk when disconnected from the network? It is also possible that there is nothing left to kill.
andrei
Thank you!!! It helped!!!)))
Sergey
It wouldn’t help if it were all that easy), the computer also doesn’t see the hard drive, although when connected to the computer it detects it and the light is on (works), there’s a virus on it, I threw the films onto the hard drive and stopped opening, the same films were thrown onto the Windows laptop a little did not fly, the antivirus saved it. Maybe there is some other way to open it or format it?
Uncle Apo
Thank you. Renaming helped!
Irina
Switched to another usb port, it helped - he sees it!
Denis 02/10/2015
Good afternoon Problem with External Seagate drive FA GoFlex Desk USB Device. In the “Devices and Printers” menu, the computer sees the disk; when you call up the context menu, it says that it is working normally and that drivers do not need to be updated. The disk cannot be seen through “Computer”. Through “Computer Management” in the “Disk Management” field in the upper part it is also not there (that is, you cannot change the letter), but it is in the lower part with the status “Not initialized”. When I try to initialize it gives an error. It is also displayed in the “Device Manager” in the “Disk Devices” submenu.
I tried to connect it to another connector, and old computer- there is no result. When you try to turn it off and on again, it starts to make noise, as if something is twisting and cannot turn it all the way, and then goes quiet.
I tried, as written above, to deploy the controllers, I only have one: Intel (R) 8 Series.... and in its properties there is no “Advanced parameters” tab, and in those tabs that exist, they do not have “Transfer mode”.
Please tell me what can be done.
Tatiana
Good afternoon Problem with External Drive ADATA HDD CH94 USB Devise
In the “Devices and Printers” menu, the computer sees the disk; when you call up the context menu, it says that it is working normally and that drivers do not need to be updated. The disk is not visible through “Computer”... And it is also displayed in the “Device Manager” in the “Disk Devices” submenu.
When I try to turn it off and on again I get no results. I updated the drivers. Please tell me what else can be done. It doesn't open on another computer either. It shows that the disk is working, but I can’t open it. Requires formatting when loading, but I have it there important information, I'm afraid it will be erased. Help me please. And also about the shutdown it writes: “the device is not removable and cannot be removed”
Irina
Thank you so much!!! You helped me a lot! Everything was explained simply, clearly - and everything worked!!!

Good afternoon.

External hard drives (HDDs) are becoming more popular day by day, sometimes it seems that very soon they will be more popular than flash drives. And it’s not surprising, because modern models are some kind of box, the size of cellular telephone and contain 1-2 TB of information!

Many users are faced with the fact that the computer does not see external hard disk. Most often, this happens immediately after purchasing a new device. Let's try to figure out in order what's going on here...

If the new external HDD is not visible

Here, new means the disk that you connected to your computer (laptop) for the first time.

1) First what are you doing - go to computer control .

To do this, go to control Panel , then in system and security settings -> administration -> computer control . See screenshots below.

2) Please note to the column on the left. It has a menu - disk management . Let's move on.

All drives (including external ones) connected to the system should be displayed in front of you. Very often, the computer does not see the connected external hard drive due to the incorrect drive letter assignment. You need to change it!

To do this, click on external drive right click and select " change drive letter... ". Next, assign the one that is not yet in your OS.

3) If the disk is new, and you connected it to your computer for the first time - it may not be formatted! Therefore, it will not appear in “my computer”.

If this is the case, then you will not be able to change the letter (you simply will not have such a menu). You just need to right click on the external drive and select " create a simple volume... «.

Attention! During this process, all data on the disk (HDD) will be deleted! Be careful.

4) Lack of drivers... (Update from 04/05/2015)

If the external hard drive is new and you don’t see it in “my computer” or “ disk management“, and it works on other devices (for example, a TV or another laptop sees and detects it) - then 99% of the problems are related to the Windows OS and drivers.

Despite the fact that modern Windows 7, 8 operating systems are quite “smart” and when a new device is detected, they automatically search for a driver for it - this does not always happen... The fact is that the Windows 7, 8 OS versions (including all kinds of assemblies from " craftsmen") great amount, yes and various errors no one canceled. Therefore, I don’t recommend excluding this option right away...

1. Check USB port whether it works. For example, connect a phone or camera, even just a regular flash drive. If the device works, then the USB port has nothing to do with it...

2. Go to Device Manager (In Windows 7/8: Control Panel/System and Security/Device Manager) and look at two tabs: Other devices And disk devices.

Windows 7: Device Manager reports that there are no drivers for the “My Passport ULTRA WD” disk in the system.

The screenshot above shows that Windows does not have drivers for an external hard drive, so the computer does not see it. Typically, Windows 7, 8, when you connect a new device, automatically installs a driver for it. If this does not happen for you, you have three options:

a) Click the “Update hardware configuration” command in the device manager. This is usually followed by automatic installation drivers.

b) Search for drivers using special. programs: ;

c) Reinstall Windows (to install, select a “clean” licensed system, without any assemblies).

Windows 7 - Device Manager: drivers for external HDD Samsung M3 Portable is installed correctly.

If you can't see your old external hard drive

Old here refers to a hard drive that previously worked on your computer and then stopped working.

1. First, go to the disk management menu (see above) and change the drive letter. This is definitely worth doing if you have created new partitions on your hard drive.

2. Secondly, check external HDD for viruses. Many viruses disable the ability to see disks or block them ().

3. Go to Device Manager and see if the devices are detected correctly. There should be no yellow exclamation marks (or red ones) that indicate errors. It is also recommended to reinstall the drivers to USB controller.

4. Sometimes reinstalling Windows OS helps. Anyway, first check performance of hard disk on another computer/laptop/netbook, and then try reinstalling.

It’s also useful to try cleaning your computer from unnecessary junk files and optimize the operation of the registry and programs (here is an article with all the utilities: use a couple...).

5. Try connecting the external HDD to a different USB port. It happened that for unknown reasons, after connecting to another port, the disk worked perfectly as if nothing had happened. I noticed this several times on Acer laptops.

6. Check the cords.

One time the external hard drive didn't work because the cord was damaged. I didn’t notice it from the very beginning and spent 5-10 minutes looking for the cause...

Almost every computer user has encountered a situation where they purchased an external drive and the computer does not see the external hard drive. Sometimes interaction with the media that has already worked with the PC stops. To solve this problem, there are many ways.

This is a useful device that allows you to store and exchange data with computers. The volume of the device can vary, up to a maximum of several terabytes. The device allows long time Safely store various information.

Why doesn't my PC see my external hard drive?

If the laptop does not see the external hard drive, you should use a certain algorithm of actions. First, in the Control Panel you should find "System settings" And "Administration". This is where you can see the section "Control".

It is important to pay attention to the left column. You need to go to disk management, there you will see the disks currently connected to the system. Often, the system does not see the external hard drive due to the incorrect assignment of its letter. To change the letter, you need to click on the icon external media and change the drive letter. Then a letter is assigned that is not yet in the system.

If a new disk is not detected and it is connected to the PC for the first time, it is probably not formatted, and therefore is not visible in the list of working devices. In this case, you should click on the media, creating a simple volume. This action will delete all information on the disk.

If the PC stops seeing the external hard drive, most likely this situation due to missing drivers or system failure. Modern systems They are quite “smart”, and when a new device appears, they quickly search for the appropriate driver. But sometimes, due to accumulated errors in the system, it does not detect the device.

First of all, you need to examine the USB port. To do this, you can connect a flash drive, camera or smartphone. If the system sees the devices, then the port is working.

It is also useful to explore the components of the device manager, it can be found in "Control Panels". The media icon is in "Other devices" or "Disk devices".

PC drivers may be out of date. By clicking on the hard drive (opposite it) Exclamation point), you should select “Update drivers”. Finding drivers is ensured special programs or searching on the Internet.

Often Windows becomes outdated, this is the answer to why the computer does not see the external hard drive. The system must be reinstalled.

Windows 10 doesn't see external hard drive

OS last generations may also not detect old or new medium. The media may be unformatted and have no partitions, and as a result may not be listed in Explorer.

When you no longer see the Windows 10 external hard drive, you can go to the “Toolbar”, then to the “Security System” and to the “Administration” subsection. Next you should work with the section “Creation and management of tight disks."

If you enter the command “diskmgmt.msc” in the search, a utility called "Disk Management". In this case, you can see the media, and sections of it will have a blue tint. An unallocated disk will be highlighted in black.

You should click on the tab "Disc 1", then select "Initialize disk". Then you need to click on the black bar, and then on “ New section" A section is formed in this location, where a free letter is assigned.

Large format discs are divided into several parts. You can format media with file NTFS system. When the person presses the button "Ready", the system will display the media.

If the PC does not see the external hard drive, provided that it is new, you can enter the BIOS, turn off AHCI, then reboot the computer and the drive will appear.

Sometimes you need to integrate SATA drivers into the Windows 10 operating system. Only the latest drivers should be installed. Optimally if this work will be entrusted to a competent person.

External media does not show PC if it has previously been exposed mechanical stress. If the drive has been in use for a long time, you can use special utilities to identify errors and bad blocks.

Infection of the media with viruses becomes the reason why the external hard drive is not visible. Windows will block it. Also, the situation often arises due to failures in the motherboard; diagnostics are indicated.

For a device to perform optimally, it must be in DMA mode. When the disk is functioning in PIO, you can open "Device Manager", and then "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers". Next you should find the category "Extra options" and delete the secondary one or primary channels IDE. On final stage system reboot is shown. In addition, the problem can be solved by purchasing an additional cable.

If the drive overheats, the system can turn it off. If necessary, a cooler is installed and the device is cleaned of dirt.

The power supply that came with the drive may have insufficient power. This will cause the system not to see the external hard drive. It's better to use original cable, it has the right length and metallized latches.

External hard disks(portable HDDs) are becoming more and more popular every day. This is understandable; a huge amount of memory and relatively small sizes are the main advantages of such devices. And when connected to a computer, they are no different from a regular flash drive.

But everything is not always so good and wonderful. Often, users of removable USB drives encounter one very important issue: Hard drive not detected! That is, the user connects the device to the computer, but nothing happens, the computer simply does not see it. And there may be several reasons for this; let’s look at the most common ones.

First let's determine what the problem is?

On the hard drive or on the computer itself. Well, of course, first of all try connecting the drive through a different USB port. Sometimes it helps. 😉
If possible, try connecting your portable HDD to another computer. If the drive is detected, then it is obvious that the problem is in your computer.

Let's start with the simplest:
1) Let's check driver removable disk. To do this you need to go to device Manager. If you have an operating system installed Windows system 8, then it can be easily found through search. Or
Start → Control Panel → Equipment and sound → device Manager.
In the manager, select Disk devices and find your disk. Right-click and select "Update driver". You can try removing the driver, restarting your computer, and installing it again.

2) The next reason is letter assigned incorrectly external drive. When I encountered such a problem, the drive letter was not assigned at all, I had to specify it manually. The solution is quite simple. We go along the following path:
Start →Control Panel → system and safety → Administration → Computer management.
Choose Disk Management and find your disk. Right-click on it and click "Change drive letter or drive path..." Choose any free letter.

3) In the case when the computer refuses to define both flash drives and hard drives, you need to check USB support in BIOS, it may have been disabled. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often. And not every user will risk setting up something in Bios themselves. But there will be a separate article about this.

4) Another option is the problem with power supply computer. Either there is too much equipment connected to the computer, or, if the computer is not new, the power supply is simply outdated - in both cases it cannot cope with the drive.

Well, what if the disk is not detected on another computer?

Perhaps the problem is again in nutrition. If you connected the drive via an extension cable, try doing it directly using the USB cable that was included when you purchased it.

If the drive has a second connector or its own power supply, connect them.

But sometimes the problem is mechanical damage portable HDD. This option can be assumed if, when power is applied to the disk, it does not emit characteristic sounds. The device simply doesn't work. Of course, in in this case You must contact a service center and under no circumstances attempt to disassemble or repair it yourself. This could end badly. 😉

I hope this article will help you solve the problem of an undetectable disk. Good luck! 🙂