Data is essential today, and it can be so disappointing to wake up to a computer that tells you “hard disk not found.” Such a pop-up on your screen may mean that the entire data on your computer has been corrupted or that your data has been deleted and is therefore unavailable. It can be so devastating.
Fortunately, data recovery is made easier with Disk Drill by CleverFiles, among other third-party software in the market. In this article, however, we will focus on some reasons why your hard drive may fail to show. We will also suggest some of the most relevant and successful fixes you can try.
Causes Of Hard Drive Not Showing
Since the hard drive contains most of your data, you may not be ready to witness such an error on your Windows screen despite the chances of performing data recovery. However, if you understand some of the likely causes of the hard drive not showing up issue, you will be able to put your foot forward to prevent it from occurring and jeopardizing your data.
Although many reasons can lead to this problem, we have listed a few in this section. They include:
- Loose connection – If your connection is loose, there are many chances that the system will not be able to detect your hard Disk.
- Old hard drive – Older hard drives will not calibrate appropriately with the latest software or updates. As a result, your system will show a missing hard drive error.
- Formatted hard drive – If your hard drive is formatted, its memory will most likely be unallocated in the system, and as a result, the drive will not be showing.
- Physical damage – Any physical damage to your hard drive, such as overheating, will make it unavailable for use. As a result, the system will not detect or even permit file recovery.
- Malware or virus infection – If your hard drive is affected by malware or faces a severe virus attack, it may not appear. This can, however, be sorted by data recovery software.
- Corrupted data – Your hard drive may also not show up when all the data are corrupted or damaged.
- Bad sectors – This is another reason your hard drive may not show. Bad sectors in a hard disk may either be physical or soft and are generally inaccessible.
Some Of The Symptoms To Look Out For When The Hard Drive Is Not Showing
Before you experience a hard drive not showing errors with your Operating System, you should look out for some of the physical and software symptoms we have listed below. The symptoms generally indicate that your hard drive is experiencing some error or malfunctioning.
- Humming or clicking noise comes from your Disk
- Repeated program crashes or hard drive errors
- The hard drive displays “RAW” in Disk Management
- Missing hard drive letter
- Hard drive displays a yellow exclamation mark
- Frequent error messages while running software
- Noticeable strange behavior from the computer
How To Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Up
To fix external hard drive not showing should not be a big hustle as long as the Disk is not physically damaged. Below are some of the fixes. Check hard drive cable connection.
Before you perform any other task in an attempt to fix the hard drive not showing up errors, check and ensure that the cables connecting the hard drive to the computer are properly fixed. Also, check for loose wires, disconnected ends, and the presence of cuts. This can also fix an external hard drive not showing up on a Mac, among other devices.
- Initialize And Format Hard Drive
Hard drives not showing up may have some corrupted data, which could be making it unreadable. Formatting the Disk deletes the corrupted files and the OS should be able to read the drive. To format the drive, follow the steps below:
- Press “Windows + X” and click tap on “Disk Management” from the options.
- On the Window that opens, Right-click on the hard disk memory and tap “Format.”
- On the open dialogue box, mark the option you desire to use and tap “OK.”
- Wait for the formatting to end. When the process is complete, you should see an unknown memory title highlighted. Right-click on the unknown memory and then tap “Initialize Disk.”
- Assign A Drive Letter For Drive
Indeed, your hard drive may not be showing up due to a missing drive letter. Similarly, the drive may not show if it shares a similar letter with another drive in the system. Follow the steps below to change the letter:
- Open Disk Management and right-click on the partition whose letter you wish to change
- Click on “Change Drive Letter and Paths”
- Tap “Change” on the Window that opens
- Choose a letter from the list of keywords shown and tap “OK.”
- Update Windows
Generally, Windows collects relevant feedback data from your system and uses it to update the system to the latest version. This can fix the problem and make your hard drive visible again. Updating your system also makes data recovery for Mac and Windows very easy.
