A computer is a universal assistant in work and leisure. Documents, projects, presentations are now made mainly with its help. But, as you know, the more complex the technical device, the more problems it can happen. In particular, often for unknown reasons, an external hard drive is not detected. As with any technical issue, several factors can affect this.
Outwardly, the problem manifests itself in the fact that the computer or laptop does not boot when turned on. This can be pretty scary, because it probably stores important data for the user. Access to information in this case is not possible, and if a person urgently needs to send a project to work, then the problem goes into the category of universal catastrophe. When the matter is really in the hard drive, the corresponding inscription should appear on the screen of the monitor, which reports on the failure of the device, the absence of an installed operating system or even its mythical loss.
The user will also be prompted to connect the system drive and confirm the request with the “Enter” button. The indicated errors boil down to the fact that the external hard drive WD, Hitachi, Seagate or any other manufacturer is not detected on the computer - there is only one problem. The priority task of the user in this case is the restoration of data stored on disk. This process does not mean repair, which is more reasonable to entrust to a specialist. But even if you do not intend to repair anything, but just intend to purchase a new device instead of the old one, the information must be returned.
Plugging the power connector
First you need to determine the source of the problem, of which there are a great many. One of the most common reasons why Windows does not see an external hard drive is a problem with the power connector. To make sure this is certain, it is recommended to try switching your hard drive with similar loops or checking it on another computer.
BIOS malfunction
Another reason why the external hard drive is not detected may be due to incorrect BIOS operation. Usually this happens due to user intervention in the settings - hence the resulting failures. If the day before you tried to change some BIOS settings yourself, now you have to return them back or (if you do not remember and are not sure what changed) reset everything to the default settings. When the user is confident in their abilities, you can do a flashing.
Incorrect jumper settings
Often the problem lies in the incorrect connection of the disk drive itself. This will be especially true for computers in which two such devices are connected to one loop at once. It is important that the jumpers are in the correct position, otherwise the hard drives will conflict with each other, and the computer simply will not see them. The position of the first should be “Master”, the other - “Slave”. Even if only one drive is installed on the computer, it does not hurt to check its position. Better if the value is set to "Master".
Other issues
In addition to the above, the reasons may also lie in the malfunction of the USB (or other port). This is solved by simply reconnecting the device to another connector, and for verification - to another computer. But if Windows still will not see the drive, then the matter is already in it.
Problems with controller drivers are also a common cause of a situation where an external hard drive is not detected. The solution is to remove all the drivers that are responsible for the disk controllers and reboot. In a more serious case, this will not help, which means that you will have to reinstall your operating system.
Logical errors occur when one of the sectors of the hard disk is violated. This is a rather serious problem, which may be solved with the help of special utilities. They are unlikely to be able to repair your drive, but they are quite capable of recovering data from it. The choice of program depends on the file system and other features of a particular computer, it is best to entrust the task to a specialist.