Data Recovery Tips: External HDD not Detected or Recognized

Large storage HDDs are common these days and are very convenient to use. We just need to connect HDDs to another device with a USB port. But in some cases, HDDs may not be recognized or detected. This can happen due to various reason and we are going to share some tips to help you solve the problem.

We need to rule out all other possibilities before we can find out whether it is the problem with HDD hardware or the problem with the PC/laptop.

Normally when we plug in HDDs, it will show up in the Disk Management tool. You can open Disk Management by typing diskmgmt.msc into the Run dialog and press Enter. If you cannot see the external drive listed in Disk Management, proceed with the following diagnostics.

1. Let's start with the obvious. Make sure the external drive is not loosely connected. The USB cable should be plugged in firmly on both ends.

2. Unplug your external HDD and try some other ports to see if you have dead USB ports. If you’ve plugged the drive into a USB hub, try connecting it to the computer instead. Some USB hubs won’t provide enough power for your external drive to function. Also, if you are using a desktop PC, try the back USB ports rather than the front USB port. There could be some differences in power level.

3. After you tried all the ports and cables, try connecting the external HDD to another computer.If it works on another computer then you'll know that your computer system is having some issues. If the HDD still cannot be recognized, then it is malfunctioning and needs to be fixed.

How to fix this?

System problem. If you are using Windows PC, check if there are any icons (yellow ! mark) under Device Manager. Try to renew device driver or re-enable device to solve the problem.

HDD hardware problem. Weak soldering points or damaged HDD case may cause the ext HDD to be unrecognizable. Worst case scenario is that your ext HDD is dead due to old age or external damage. In this case, bring it to professionals for examination, test and repair.

If your HDD is announced dead and your important data lost with it, bring it to experienced data recovery company for data recovery. It is not recommended to open up your HDD on your own because it often requires cleanroom and other special tools to recover data from a dead hard drive.