No external hard disk is detected. Causes and solutions

The computer is a universal assistant in work and leisure. Documents, projects, presentations are now being made mostly with his help. But, as is known, the more complex a technical device, the more problems with it can happen. In particular, it is not uncommon for an unknown reason to determine an external hard drive. As with any technical problems, several factors can affect this.

Externally, the problem is that the computer or laptop is not loaded when you turn it on. This can be pretty frightening, because there are certainly stored important data for the user. Access to information in this case is impossible, and if a person urgently needs to send a project to work, the problem goes into the category of a universal catastrophe. When the case is really in the hard disk, then the corresponding inscription should appear on the monitor screen, where it is reported about the device failure, the absence of the installed operating system or even its mythical loss.

Also, the user will be prompted to connect the system disk and confirm the request with the "Enter" button. These errors are reduced to the fact that the computer does not determine the external hard drive WD, Hitachi, Seagate or any other manufacturer - the problem at all is one. The priority task of the user in this case is to restore the data stored on the disk. This process does not imply a repair, which is more reasonable to entrust to a specialist. But even if you do not intend to repair anything, but just gathered to buy a new device instead of the old one, the information must be returned.

Departure of the power connector

To begin with, you need to identify 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 of this for sure, it is recommended to try switching your hard disk with similar loops or checking it on another computer.

BIOS malfunction

Another reason why an external hard disk is not detected may be due to the incorrect operation of the BIOS. Usually this happens due to user intervention in the settings - hence the resulting failures. If the day before you tried to change any BIOS settings yourself, now you have to return them back or (if you do not remember and are not sure that it has changed) reset everything to the default settings. When the user is confident in their abilities, you can make 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 a single loop. It is important that jumpers are in the right position, otherwise hard disks 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 your computer, you can check its position. It is better if the value "Master" is set.

Other problems

In addition to the above, the reasons can also be covered in the failure of USB (or other port). This is solved by simply reconnecting the device to another connector, and for testing - to another computer. But if Windows still does not see the drive, then it's already in it itself.

Problems with controller drivers are also a common cause of the situation when an external hard disk 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 broken. This is a rather serious problem, which can be solved with the help of special utilities. They can hardly fix your drive, but it is possible to restore data from it. The choice of the program depends on the file system and other features of a particular computer, it is best to entrust the task to a specialist.