The main reasons why Windows 7 does not see the hard drive

More recently, anyone who considers himself a rational computer user, used to store important information CDs. For example, many still have collections of favorite movies and games recorded on CDs and DVDs. Conditionally, we can assume that the well-known video cassettes received a second incarnation in the form of disks.

At the same time, the area of information carriers is one of the fastest growing. The CDs were replaced by DVD, subsequently replaced by Blu-ray technology CDs. And now the constant drop in the cost of flash memory indicates that an entirely new, revolutionary way of storing information is coming to the end: it is enough to say that the guaranteed period for keeping the recorded data is at least 10 years (unattainable time for budget drives). But this is in the future.

Currently, in parallel with the development of flash devices, there is another promising way to create a home collection or a copy of important data. This is the use of a second hard disk (hard drive) as a backup storage . It's simple: the cost of gigabytes of hard disk space has now dropped significantly, making it affordable even to a person with average incomes. The obvious advantage of a second hard drive in front of CDs is scratch protection, higher reliability, faster searching for the right data.

However, the more people began to do this, the more often the question is asked why Windows 7 does not see the second hard drive. Now there are hard disks of three types of interface: IDE, SATA and USB. The first is almost not released, because motherboards lost their native IDE support. The latter are the most popular type now, and the third is the prerogative of external devices.

If Windows 7 does not see an external hard drive, then the problem can be in the very port of the computer. On many laptops, the USB controller is a "sore spot", because a high percentage of repairs in the service centers account for exactly these malfunctions.

If Windows 7 does not see the hard disk, do not panic - in many cases, you can independently restore workability. Imagine a situation: the user connected a hard drive to the computer and loaded the Windows operating system . But having opened "My computer", one more letter of a disk did not see. The reason can be both hardware and software. Software, due to which Windows 7 does not see the hard disk, includes:

• The channel of the port to which the device is connected is disabled in the computer's BIOS. We check that the status of "Enable" is set for all SATA ports and USB;
• The connected new hard drive is not prepared properly and does not contain partitions, as a result Windows 7 does not see the hard disk. We download, run and partition the disk using Paragon PartitionMagic, Acronis Disc Director programs or, not entirely correctly, but effectively - by starting to install Windows 7, at one stage it will be suggested to perform the required partitioning (disks are not confused!);
• Error inside the operating system itself. Occurs rarely and unpredictably. You can try installing the driver on the motherboard. If there is no result, then a reinstallation is required;
• A non-standard file system on the disk. For example, a disk created on Linux system will not be visible in Windows. Eliminated by repartitioning to the desired system;
• Too much volume. Not all boards and systems can work with such devices.

Hardware reasons why Windows 7 does not see the hard drive:

• The interface cable between the computer and the hard drive is damaged. Replace with a new one and check. For SATA, it is recommended to use a cable with metal latches: reliability is higher, and the price differs slightly;
• Problems with power contacts. If the disk does not spin when turned on (this is audible by the noise from it), then it is definitely a hardware problem. Check the power cable. At external USB hard drives special attention is paid to the power supply;
• When you turn on and after, a continuous tap is heard from the device. With high probability the disk requires replacement;
• Port is faulty. Connect to other available connectors or check on another computer.