- Cannot Find External Hard Drive
- Cannot Find External Hard Drive On Macbook Pro
- Cannot Find External Hard Drive Windows 10
Summary :
Sometimes, you might find that some files are not showing up in the external hard drive. In the following contents, we will discuss about the possible causes and solutions, as well as an effective and reliable way to recover data for the external hard drive.
Click USB Settings - Disk Settings on the left side menu. Check whether the USB device is identified by C7.If there is no device listed on this page, please click Scan and you may try unplug the USB device and plug it back in. So, verify if Disk Management tool can locate the external hard drive. Open Disk Management tool, go to Search, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter. If the external drive is found listed in the Disk. I just set up a partition on my 2017 Macbook Pro with Touch Bar and USB-C. I've noticed that when I plug in my external hard drive, using a USB-C to USB adapter, that Windows doesn't recognize that anything is plugged in. Is this an issue with Windows or Boot Camp, does anyone know of a fix? Drive Manager: Open (My) Computer. Open the FreeAgent external drive. Open the folder Backup. Open the next listed folder PCname (this is the name of the computer from which the backup was run). There will be two folders listed: C and History Open the C folder.
Quick Navigation :
Problem – Files Not Showing in External Hard Drive
Although external hard drives have brought as great convenience in daily life and work, there are chances that they might fail to display some of their files or even seem to have lost them completely, despite the disk capacity in disk properties being shown as utilized.
You will be able to tell that it is indeed your files utilizing that space in the external drive if you have a general impression of how much space your data occupies.
But here is the problem - people sometimes find their files not showing in external hard drive and get anxious; they are afraid of losing the important files forever. What is really happening when this issue is present? Can you fix it or rescue the missing data here?
I will answer those questions for you. Now, let's start with rescuing files missing from external hard drive with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
When data recovery is done, I will explain the possible causes for files not showing problem and then give corresponding solutions. In the last section, I am going to help you know more about the external hard drive you use.
Recover Data from External Hard Drive
When you finally discover that some files are missing from external hard drive or even a partition in it is damaged/lost, you must conduct data recovery on external hard drive right away.
In this case, please stop writing any new data into the external hard drive and then follow the operations below to recover data with MiniTool Power Data Recovery easily. This software will light the hope of data recovery as long as the external hard drive is not physically damaged.
3 Steps to Recover Data from External Hard Drive
When you find that some useful files not showing in external hard drive are actually lost, please adopt MiniTool Power Data Recovery immediately.
Then, follow this tutorial to recover data.
Step 1: connect the external hard drive to computer. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery, and then choose Hard Disk Drive.
Step 2: select the target external hard drive from the right side and click on the Scan button.
Step 3: during the scan, you can see more and more files being found by the software. Now, you can browse them one by one to check the ones you need and then choose a safe location to store them by pressing the 'Save' button. After that, click on the OK button to confirm your selection. Soon, the data you choose will be recovered to the appointed location.
When you can confirm that all data you need are recovered successfully to another device and all the existing files have been backed up, you can choose to format the external hard drive in order to use it again. Additionally, you may follow the methods given below to try to fix the current external drive.
How to fix when external hard drive stops working?
A relatively comprehensive analysis & fix plan about external hard drive not working issue are given here to help people get out of trouble.
Why Can't See Files in External Hard Drive & How to Solve
I find files missing from external hard drive become a frequently discussed issue in many forums. So there must be some ideas that catch the point.
Based on this, I decide to make a list of the possible reasons and useful suggestions for users to refer to. Here, I have summarized 4 main causes as well as the solutions in Windows 7 through internet searching and actual operations.
4 Causes That Can Be Fixed Directly in Windows
- The files are hidden.
- There are file system errors.
- The 'CheckedValue' is suffering from virus infection.
- The mirror image in memory is damaged.
Possible cause 1 – the files are hidden.
Sometimes, the files are not really missing from external hard drive; they're just hidden and not being shown. Here are 4 solutions to unhide them.
Solution 1:
- Type cmd to the search box and press Enter.
- Right click on the cmd.exe and select Run as administrator.
- Input DIR/A x:-s (x refers to the drive letter of your external hard drive). The meaning of this command is: list the non-system files in x: drive.
- If this command returns nothing, it means your folder has been marked as protected system files, and then you can refer to the second solution.
Solution 2: check whether the files are endowed with system property.
- Run control folders, or go to Control Panel and Appearance and Personalization.
- You can see the window Folder Options.
- In view tab, check show hidden files, folders, and drives and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
- Then check whether the files/folders are there.
Solution 3:
- If your files keep missing from the external hard d drive, run cmd and press Enter key.
- Then, if the hard drive letter is O:, you should enter this command: attrib -h -r -s /s /d o:*.*.
- Finally, check if the real files will be showed.
Solution 4:
If all solutions above failed, try the following process which is most complex:
- Run cmd.
- Type the location of the external hard drive. Example: 'd:', 'e:', 'f:', etc.
- Type dir /ah. You will now see the files/folders with hidden attributes.
- Type attrib [name of file/folder] -r -a -s -h.
- You should repeatedly type dir /ah after un-hiding some files/folders so you know if the files/folders are now appearing or hiding.
- Finally check your external hard drives, all data should be there.
Please note:
- If you're going to unhide files, you should type the whole name plus the expanded-name. Example for file named party: attrib party.jpg -r -a -s -h.
- If you have folder names with 6 characters or more, type the first 6 characters followed by '~1'. Example for folder named birthday: attrib birthd~1 -r -a -s -h.
Possible cause 2 – there are file system errors.
In some cases, the files may be not showing in external hard drive because the file system is corrupted or because it doesn't contain a recognized file system. At this time, you had better recover data from external hard drive firstly.
Here's how to confirm:
- Right click on the external hard drive.
- Choose Properties.
- Select Tools tab and click on the Check now button.
- Check Automatically fix file system errors from the pop-up window.
- Click on the Start button to begin and wait for the process.
Possible cause 3 – 'CheckedValue' is suffering from virus infection.
Here's how to fix:
- Run Regedit.
- Then, follow this route in Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedFolderHiddenSHOWAL.
- Check whether the data value of CheckedValue is 1.
- If NOT, delete CheckedValue, create a new DWOR in the blank and rename it as CheckedValue. After that, modify the value data as 1.
Possible cause 4 – the mirror image in memory is damaged.
Sometimes the mirror image in memory is damaged and the operating system does not respond a timely refresh, which happens by chance.
How to fix: restart the computer and then reconnect the external hard drive to check if the actual files are shown.
That's all for the solutions. In fact, each solution has helped many users get rid of files not showing in external hard drive problem, and I also hope they are helpful for you.
2 Cases for Missing Files from External Hard Drive
But what's the real story? How exactly did they disappear? These kinds of questions are all over the internet. The following mentioned examples are just a drop in the bucket.
Case 1:
I have a problem with my external hard disk. I saved some school documents on my drive. When I got to the school computer to copy my home task, then I noticed all my folders went missing, except ones that are not in folder. I still have my used memory, but can't see my folders. Please help me!shegzy4 from Makeuseof
Case 2:
Hey guys I have a problem with my external hard drive .. 2 days ago I've bought a new laptop and when I plugged my hard drive into it to install some games I found that it doesn't contain anything except 2 files. Also it shows 900 GB used space and this means that my old files are still there. So please help me return them back because I need them. By the way I've tried showing hidden folders and everything in folder options.Sarooo from Tomshardware
Faced with such confusion, most users behave like ants on hot bricks, while some users skillfully find that if they try to type the path or address of a specific folder, it opens. However, typically you have stored large numbers of files and folders in the external hard drive and you cannot remember all names of folders…So any better idea?
Learn More about External Hard Drive
Different from internal hard drive, an external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer via USB, eSATA, or Firewire. External hard drives typically have high storage capacities and are often used to back up computers.
Cannot Find External Hard Drive
Having our videos, pictures and other large files copied to an external hard drive is a safe way to back up things. Besides, external hard drive is always acting as a data storage medium and transmission medium, thus you don't have to carry on computers with you everywhere.
Cannot Find External Hard Drive On Macbook Pro
External Hard Drive Becomes a Necessity in Modern Life
Cannot Find External Hard Drive Windows 10
External hard drive enjoys many advantages when compared to other storage devices, so they are getting more and more closely to our daily life. Today people are accustomed to bring an external hard drive with us in case of data transmission, such as to deal with working paper between office and home.
By using external hard drive, you can avoid the network requirement, the uploading and downloading process, and time. But, if your families share one computer with you at home, there will be a big risk of data loss. So backing up important data to external hard drive becomes a wise choice.
During the process of using external hard drives, you will inevitably encounter some difficulties, 'external hard drive doesn't appear in My Computer' and 'files not shown in external hard drive'. I have laid my emphasis on the second issue in this post.
Characteristics That Make External Hard Drive Popular
External hard drives usually have the following advantages in common:
- Small volume: an external hard drive is usually several inches in size, such as 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches in common.
- Large capacity: external hard drives always adopt large capacity and the unit is always Terabyte.
- High speed: external hard drive connected via Firewire usually works at high speed, which makes it rather easy to transfer data between computer and external hard drives.
- Portability: since external hard drives have small volume, it is available to carry them everywhere.
- Easy to use: external hard drive is very easy to handle. It can be applied in both Windows & Mac and will be automatically detected in a few seconds. Then you can use it like internal hard drive.
- Lower cost per GB: the price of external hard drive is getting lower and lower due to proven technique. Normally you only spend several cents per GB on an external hard drive.
Bottom Line
I have noticed 'files not showing in external hard drive' is a frequently asked question in many forums. Therefore, in this post I have summarized almost all feasible solutions for users who have got a headache on this issue.
Remember, external hard drives today have become indispensable medium for us to deal with data backup, privacy protection, data transmission, and so on, so you need to pay more attention to the operations you have made during the usage to avoid unnecessary trouble. Portable hard drive recommendations.
What's more? Once something unlucky happens and leads to serious data loss, you should stop all operations and turn to reliable solutions quickly, so as to ensure the largest possibility for data recovery.
Files Not Showing in External Hard Drive FAQ
- Open File Explorer the way you like.
- Select View from the menu bar.
- Click Options and choose Change folder and search options.
- Go to the View tab and look for the Advanced settings area.
- Check Show hidden files, folders, and drives and click OK.
Typically, an external hard drive is shown in File Explorer under the list of all disks available on the computer.
However, that's not always the case. Http www adobe com products acrobat readstep2. If you are having an issue with your USB not showing up in File Explorer, then read on to discover some reasons why this happens and try our recommended solutions to fix it.
Pro Tip: Using the PC Repair tool by Outbyte is the easiest way to optimize your PC. The tool will scan your files to check if any of them are broken and cause your computer to work incorrectly.
This tool is also quite handy for resolving corrupted installations or system files, such as msvcp140.dll origin error. It will also delete junk files. Moreover, the tool works with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
Why Is External Hard Drive Not Showing Up in File Explorer?
When you open the File Explorer – the application of the Microsoft Windows operating system – you get the Quick access view that allows you to see the most commonly used folders and recent files. As you move to the This PC section on the left sidebar, you will see all disks connected to your computer.
If your hard drive is connected to your device, it should appear here. If not, you can find it using the Disk Management tool. There are several reasons why the external hard drive not showing up in File Explorer. These include:
- USB driver issues
- unallocated disk space
- device status not initialized
- connection issues – USB port not working
Checking the latter is easy. Just plug your USB device into another port on your PC or another computer. If you see your disk now, congratulations because the issue is solved. But if nothing has changed, you may want to try several other methods listed below.
File Explorer problems also occur after you encountered an error that forced your computer to restart. For example, if you got the api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll is missing error, some of your drives might fail to load or be recognized by the operating system.
If File Explorer keeps opening, you might also have trouble accessing your drive because the computer's file system is faulty.
Rebooting your PC again usually fixes this problem with your drive.
Check If the USB Is Not Showing Up in File Explorer Only
Before you proceed, you need to make sure the issue relates to File Explorer only. Ps4 solid state drive. In other words, you need to check whether your external hard drive appears in the Disk Management tool. Follow these steps to do this:
- Connect your external hard drive device to the USB port on your computer.
- Right-click on the Windows menu button and choose the Disk Management option.
You should see a list of all disks and devices connected to your PC. If your device is not listed there, try these steps:
- Connect your external hard drive device to a different USB hub on your computer.
- Go to Disk Management by either right-clicking on the Windows menu button or pressing Win + X on your keyboard. You should see your external hard drive listed as a removable disk.
- Check if your device needs to be powered on to be connected to your PC.
- If you still cannot see your external hard drive in Disk Management, try connecting it to another computer.
How to fix: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up in File Explorer
All right, now you have found your removable device in Disk Management but still cannot see it in File Explorer? The next three methods are helpful when there are issues with how the system recognizes an external hard drive. You can try using any of them in no particular order.
Fix 1: Update or Re-Install the Drivers for Your External Hard Drive
One of the reasons why File Explorer doesn't show your external hard drive is because the drivers are outdated and working incorrectly. It can also be the reason of i/o device error 0x8007045d. Fix the issue by following these steps:
- Connect a USB device to your PC and go to Device Manager by either pressing Win+X or right-clicking on the Windows menu button.
- Locate and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
- Click on your USB or external hard drive, right-click on it, and press 'Uninstall device'. Next, unplug your device from the USB port.
- Plug your external hard drive back into your PC. Return to the Device Manager and locate your device under the Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Right-click on it and press 'Update driver' from the list.
- Follow the instructions of the Update Driver Software Wizard to finish the process.
Tweaks with drivers can also be vital if you face a rare error like 0x80070035 when users cannot exchange files between computers of the same network. Updating device drivers manually could be a waste of time, so you can use a driver updater tool that will update all at once.
Fix 2: Assign Your External Hard Drive a New Letter
Ever noticed that every disk on your PC has a letter assigned to it? For instance, the core internal disk always goes under the letter C, making paths to files on it look like 'C:…' Changing the letter of your external hard drive may help File Explorer to locate and show your device.
- Go to Disk Management (Win + X or right-click on the Windows menu button) and locate your USB device.
- Right-click on it and press 'Change drive letter and paths' from the menu.
- Choose the 'Add' option if there is no letter assigned, or the 'Change' option if there is one.
- Select a new drive letter from the drop-down menu and press the 'OK' button to save changes.
Fix 3: Format Volume or Create a New One on Your Disk
Sometimes, the issue is that the file system is not recognized and has to be formatted, or the disk volume is unallocated.
To format volume, do the following:
- Press Win + X or right-click on the Windows menu button and select Disk Management.
- Locate your external hard drive, right-click on it, and choose the 'Format' option.
- Finally, change the file system to the NTFS format by choosing it from the drop-down menu, and click the OK button.
To create volume, do the following:
- Firstly, press Win + X or right-click on the Windows menu button and select Disk Management.
- Find your external hard drive, right-click on the Unallocated space section (colored black) and choose the 'New Simple Volume' option.
- Finally, you should end up with a new file system. Assign a letter to your drive and check whether it appears in File Explorer.
External Hard Drive FAQ
Why External Hard Drive May Not Show Up in File Explorer?Several reasons can cause the external hard drive not showing up in File Explorer. The external hard drive may be having issues, such as damage, or unallocated disk space. If the device status is not initialized or if there are connection issues such as the USB port not working, you can also encounter the issue of external hard drives not showing up in File Explorer.
How to Check My External Drive is OK?If the external hard drive is appearing in the disk management tool then the problem could be with the system and not the drive. You can further scrutinize the disk management tool to identify the issue that is causing the external hard drive not showing up in File Explorer issue.
How do I Make the External Hard Drive to Show Up in File Explorer?If you cannot see your external hard drive in File Explorer and the Disk Management tool, try connecting it to another computer. You can also update your device drivers, and the issue will be fixed if device driver problems caused it. Assigning the external hard drive a new letter can also solve the issue.