The system does not see the hard drive: possible causes and solutions. The computer does not see the second hard drive
This article will help you understand what to do when the computer does not see the disk. Perhaps it will give you an idea about such things that you did not know about, but "heard". The main thing is that it will help you take concrete steps towards solving the problem or protect you from rash actions. For this to be so, please do not attempt to treat this text as step by step instructions. First, read the article in full, think, and only THEN start (or do not start) acting.
1. How it happens
1.1. Alarm inscriptions
- often this inscription is seen by users, deciding that their computer "does not see the disk." Depending on the platform and type of hardware (computer, laptop or some multimedia device) other alarming inscriptions are possible: “ Correct hard disk not found», « WARNING! HARD DISK NOT FOUND! PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE!», « Internal hard disk drive not found», « Hard Disk Drive Failure», « …did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer" And so on. There is no point in listing everything. Their essence is clear - the computer does not see the disk. In addition to HDD, we can also talk about CD / DVD, flash media or ssd. But in the first part of this article, we will dwell on the hard drive as a more massive source of problems.
1.2. The hard drive may not be seen in the BIOS
If this is the only disk in this computer, from which the operating system should be loaded, then for sure you will see an inscription on a black screen: .
Logically. Since the disk is not detected in the BIOS, it is impossible to boot from it.
If you boot from another device (another HDD, CD or flash, it doesn’t matter), then in the Computer Management -> Device Manager menu (depending on the version of the operating system, this may look different) among the disks, the disk we need is not defined.
In both of these cases, by going to the menu " Standard CMOS Features» BIOS‘and you can make sure that the desired disk is not among the detected devices.
1.3. List of suspects and the search for the culprit
So, under suspicion there may be: power and data cables, the motherboard and the HDD itself. Connect HDD to other free trails to sweep away the first suspects.
Then, if you have another known-good hard drive, plug it in to the location of the problematic one to make sure it's not the problem. motherboard. If there is none, then you can connect the disk itself to another computer and see that the picture is the same.
Naturally, this article is not addressed to specialists in data recovery or computer setup and repair. And if you have read this far, I dare to assume that you are not a specialist of this kind. So I won't describe. possible ways further study of your drive by measuring the resistance tester on various parts electronics boards or connecting the disk to special hardware and software systems, like the PC-3000. But on the other hand, for some reason I want to believe that smoke and a pungent smell, rhythmic tapping, rattle or other extraneous manifestations from system block or a laptop would have seemed suspicious to you long ago, and you immediately turned off the power of the computer. Thus, if at least one of the above took place, then all the diagnostic steps described above are irrelevant. Your disk is bad. And you yourself already understood this. It is worth noting that in this case, you are probably dealing with a malfunction of the electronics or mechanics of the disk.
In this case, you should not perform unconscious actions: once again apply power to the disk, try to test it with some programs, disassemble it to find out what is inside, unscrew and change the board, and so on. Stop and think carefully about your main goal. It is important to understand what scares you the most in this situation: the need to spend money on a new hard drive or the lack of access to important data. If you suddenly had to choose: a working disk, but without data, or data from this disk on another medium (yes, unfortunately, you will have to buy it). What would you choose? Of course, one may not exclude the other, but you still need to ask yourself such a question. The answer to it will help you understand what is important for you and what is secondary. And which part of this article will be more useful to you.
1.4. The system does not see the disk
It happens that the disk is detected in the BIOS, but not in Windows. More precisely, Windows cannot work correctly with this disk (or flash drive). For example, in the device manager you can see quite peaceful:
But if you look at the properties of this in this case flash drive, right-clicking on it and selecting the appropriate item in the drop-down menu, you will see:
And in the disk manager, there is such a strange picture:
The OS does not see any properties of this disk, including not determining its size. Perhaps you suspected something was wrong when you saw that your E: and F: drives disappeared from the system, namely, these letters were assigned to the partitions of the hard drive that you connected second. Well, if the partitions of such a disk are not assigned letters when it is connected second, then it is easy to guess what will happen if you try to boot from it. That's right, nothing will happen. The OS will not boot, and you will read one of the inscriptions listed at the very beginning of the article on a black screen. It is likely that this disk has problems with service information - firmware, wired back in the factory. Without it, the disk can be considered faulty, even if you saw that it was found in the BIOS. The same diagnosis can be made in almost all cases when the disk outwardly behaves like a fully working one (that is, it does not remain silent, but correctly spins up and unparks the heads and does not make extraneous sounds), but is not detected in the BIOS.
1.5. The system does not boot or slows down
Another situation is also possible. The disk is visible in the BIOS, but the system boots from it extremely slowly or does not boot at all. Moreover, even if such a disk is connected second, then in this case Windows refuses to boot within a reasonable time. Sometimes, if in this case you listen to how the disk behaves, you can understand how it unsuccessfully tries to read the sectors it needs. And if Windows did manage to boot, then with any movement it terribly slows down or hangs. The simplest operation of copying a small data folder can turn into flour or lead to nervous breakdown. Probably, bad blocks have formed on this disk. And to tell the truth, attempts to boot from it, and even more so from it, are harmful to this disk, especially to the data that is stored on it.
1.6. Logical drive not visible
Sometimes the user says that his computer does not see the disk even in such situations when physically everything is in order with the disk. As a device, it is fully functional. It’s just that suddenly, when referring to the usual sections, inscriptions like “ The disk is not formatted. Do you want to format it?»
Or the disk began to be seen at all as an unallocated area. Sometimes such problems can be the result of unnoticed bad blocks (not everything is in order with such a disk), but most often some kind of program malfunction or a virus is to blame. The main thing in such a situation is not to do too much. Paradoxically, it is in such simple cases, when the disk is working, that users are most tempted to do at least something themselves, using available funds. The most common nonsense (Attention: none of the listed operations helps to return data!!!) - initialization, deleting partitions and creating new ones, full or quick formatting. And it's quite strange when this is done to save data. Allegedly, these are some kind of recovery programs “forcing you to format the disk before using them.” It is likely that the restoration in such cases will go to the same section, which is prohibited by all earthly laws.
2. What to do?
I will try to help you understand this issue. After all, often people themselves do not quite understand what they want. They just got scared. Some buttons were pressed in some windows with some messages. The messages disappeared, and they were never read. There have been some processes. Is it better or worse? Better yet, how?
2.1. We decide on the goals: repair or restoration
In order for your actions to be conscious and not harm you, let's first decide what your goal is. You have to choose - data recovery or repair. Yes exactly CHOOSE. And I have to write about it, because it has already been explained orally thousands of times. However, “Do you repair discs?” - one of the most popular questions. At the same time, people most often want to know not what they ask. You have to “choose” because restoration and repair are not at all the same thing. What is the difference? In order of priority. I propose to consider data safety and disk performance as two possible goals.
Then data recovery- this is a sequence of actions aimed at returning access to data from a problem disk by saving them on a known good (easily accessible to the user) medium. In this case, the subsequent working state of the "problem" disk is a possible, but not necessary, side effect of these actions.
HDD repair- This is bringing the disk to a working state. Returning lost access to data is also only possible, But optional, side effect.
We often have to participate in such dialogues:
- Do you repair wheels?
- Are you interested in repair or data recovery?
- The data is fine. My disk is broken. You will help?
- Repair disk - this means that you get a working CLEAN, WITHOUT DATA, disk. Are you interested in this option?
- No! I need data too!
- Such "repair" of the disk, in which the data is saved, is called data recovery. In this case, the data is transmitted on a known good carrier.
- Fine. So I need data recovery.
That's how hard it is to figure out your goals. And everyone who, without doing this, starts calling potential saviors, runs the risk of participating in such nonsense:
- You are repairing hard disks?
- No.
Unbelievable but true! This dialogue, useless for both sides, has already taken place thousands of times. And it will happen many times in the future. (Watch where to call:)
I'm sure now you figured out exactly what is more important to you.
2.2. If the goal is hard drive repair
I think you already understand how I feel about repairs hard drives. I don't care at all. I consider this a pointless exercise, namely, a waste of time and money with the risk of subsequent even greater costs. Ready to explain. The cost of modern HDDs is so negligible that repairs are simply unprofitable. Hard drives, unlike a car, are designed from the outset to be more cost-effective, with no plans for later "maintenance" or repairs. They are riveted on machines in thousands of pieces. In terms of one disk, this is very cheap. And then it will get cheaper and cheaper. As for repairs, this should be the work of a highly qualified specialist with time costs from several minutes to several hours or days, processor time, loading equipment worth tens or hundreds of thousands of rubles, using expensive or rare spare parts. How much would such a job cost? So-and-so, you need to think about it ... At the same time, you need to fit into 1800 rubles - the cost of a new disk - an analogue of the one being repaired. And be prepared to repeat this work in the event of a warranty claim. No, I don't even want to think about it. It is strange that from time to time one has to deal with such "connoisseurs" of other people's skills and working time, who are surprised that all this work is not done for 1000 rubles, preferably on the road. :)
I agree that these are arguments from the repairman. And that the average user - a potential customer of the service - does not care about them at all. Although it would be worthwhile to understand them. I think many experts will agree with this. various fields, knowing the price yourself and your work time.
But there are other, closer to the user, arguments against HDD repair. First, it's always better to get new disk under warranty. Secondly, your hard drive is the most complex mechanical device in a computer. Suppose it is made at the factory, broke down, and you can not apply for a guarantee. A craftsman was found who fixed it, gave a guarantee of 2 weeks, and verbally promised that "now the disk will work for a long time." Do you need such a disk? Will you trust him? And now about money. To find out its current value, try to advertise this HDD with a true story about his biography. I'm sure you spent more on repairs than you can get for this disc.
But it's not always so bad. After all, not in all the cases described above, it can be argued that the disk is not working. And if the problem is exclusively software, then the problem of choosing between data and repair is not worth it. Sometimes software repair of partitions may be required, but the physical state of the disk does not change. And specialists in data recovery from hard drives can perform such repairs so that you get your data and, for example, you do not have to reinstall the system.
2.3. If the goal is data recovery
When the disk is not visible, but the data is needed, first of all, you should make sure that it is the HDD that is to blame. The first part of the article will help you with this. Let's say it's installed - the problem is in the disk. By the way, further in the article the type of digital media is of no fundamental importance. HDD can be changed to Flash, SSD and so on. Depending on what exactly happened to the media, recovering data from it can be simple or complex. It is clear that such an assessment is very subjective and everyone may have their own criteria. So I'll describe mine.
If a problem can be solved by an advanced PC user (not a data recovery specialist) using the tools available to him, then this is a simple case. As a rule, these are logical problems on file systems ah FAT and NTFS and problems with the electronics board on some lines of old drives. Logic problems are solved software tools . And a faulty board could often just be exchanged for the same, but working one. Unfortunately, this is not the case with modern drives.
In other cases, it may require expensive specialized software or equipment, as well as knowledge and practical skills that only a data recovery specialist can have. The investment of time and money in all these resources is unlikely to pay off if you are not going to make data recovery from digital media your craft.
2.4. I want to save
If your case is simple and you really want to save a little, you might be able to do it. The technique for solving some simple problems is the topic of a separate article. And you will be able to see it soon. But I draw your attention to the fact that the savings are small, since data recovery specialists solve such problems for relatively little money. You have to pay more for data recovery in complex cases, but it’s almost impossible to deal with them on your own. Here is another factor that affects the price of restoration in specialized companies, which is usually not talked about: the availability of those means by which the problem is solved. In practice, this may manifest itself in more high prices, for example, on the recovery of disk overhead information compared to logical problems. Although the working time and efforts of a specialist, restoring a HDD service almost always requires much less than a long tedious scanning of a disk with broken logic. Just for this, a specialist, unlike an “advanced user”, has the knowledge, skills and software and hardware complex. And you can't download it on the Internet.
2.5. How much is your data worth
In many cases, it will be useful for you to answer this question for yourself. Yes, it can be very difficult to evaluate in rubles what has not been bought or sold. Perhaps, in addition to the cost alternative way to receive this data, such concepts as nerves, time, memories, work done or future work, and so on, will participate in the assessment. But still, it is worth trying and representing for yourself at least the approximate cost of the data. This will help you avoid confusion and take the right steps.
2.6. Diagnosis never hurt anyone
Even if the problem seemed simple to you, and the cost of data is low and you hope to save money by solving it yourself, I strongly recommend using the diagnostics in specialized company. I think everyone will agree with me that two doctors can treat the same disease in different ways. And often both will succeed positive result. But whichever of the methods of treating a particular disease the doctor chooses, the chances of a favorable outcome will be negligible if he made a mistake in determining the disease itself. In the case when the disk is not seen, this also works. Yes, perhaps your skills, computer literacy and luck will be enough to solve some simple data recovery problems. But wouldn't it be better to know for sure that at least the problem is correctly defined? After all, an error in making a diagnosis is dangerous not only because the recovery will not give a positive result, but also because further attempts will be complicated, and the probability of a successful outcome is reduced. And no matter how optimistic you are about your chances, it will be better to increase them. Moreover, you don’t have to pay for it, since there are enough companies on the market that do diagnostics for free.
2.7. Making the Right Decisions
If you have chosen the right data recovery company, then as a result of diagnostics you will receive answers to the following questions:
- What is the nature of the fault?
- Is data recovery possible?
- How much will the restoration cost?
- How soon will you receive your data?
Now you have all the information to make the right decision.
Situation 1. Of course, if the cost of recovery is higher than the cost of the data itself, you will refuse the services of the company. But now you know the correct diagnosis and it is easier for you to assess your chances when trying on your own. If your assessment is optimistic, then try it. If you realize that you can't handle it, then it may make sense to postpone this problem for a few months. Just put the disc down. Suddenly, your financial capabilities or market prices, or recovery technologies will change. It is possible that the value of the lost data will change for you.
Situation 2. If the cost of the service (A) is approximately equal to the value of the data itself (B), then /B-A/ is a very small value. This is the most difficult case for advice. I suggest that you figure it out on your own, since logic is powerless here, and what is best to do, your heart can tell you. At the same time, your confidence in own forces(in case you decide to recover the data yourself) will probably be proportional to the values of A(=B).
Situation 3. If the cost of the service (A) is significantly less than the value of the data itself (B), other words B-A- a very large amount for you, then it is worth ordering this service, no matter how highly you evaluate the possibility of self-recovery. Indeed, for a non-professional, great chances are “most likely”. And the point is not that you will definitely get your data, but that you will at least not worsen the situation so much that "now nothing can be restored." Well, how do you like the prospect “most likely” not to lose a very large amount for you?
2.8. Real life example
For those who love to play roulette or slot machines for money, thinking in this way to earn money, it is better to skip this point. The rest, for sure, have an idea about money and probabilities and this example will be understood correctly.
It is easier to make decisions if the problem can be formalized. In addition, it saves time and nerves. Here is a small sample of how this can be done.
For example, A-B = 90000 rubles. So it happened if you value your data at 100,000 rubles. (Means, financial assessment current position - minus 100,000 rubles), and the company asked for 10,000 rubles for data recovery from a very bad disk. Then the financial assessment of alternatives for further behavior will be as follows:
Alternative 1. Use the data recovery service - minus 10,000 rubles. (or +90,000 from current position)
Alternative 2. Leave everything as it is - minus 100,000 rubles. (that is, we remain in the current position).
The benefit of the first alternative is obvious, so we reject the second one. Yes, and in this case the result is negative. But the minus is small. After all, the problem still happened, but was resolved. It would be strange to be in the black as a result. But let's say you want to improve this alternative as well: get by with less or do it all yourself. Even if the above optimistic assessment of one's own chances, which we called "most likely", is taken as 75%, then the financial assessment Alternatives 3- "Do it yourself" will be equal to minus 25,000 rubles. And this is worse than minus 10,000 rubles. Here some may argue that 75% is too little. Believe me, 75% is an overestimate. A realistic assessment of the probability of not losing data when trying to extract data from a disk with big amount no more than 50% bad blocks. A score of 90% is absolutely fantastic. But only if the probability of self-recovery is more than 90%, the financial assessment of the alternative “I will do everything myself” will be better. Alternatives 1.
Yes, this example uses fictitious but specific numbers. The problem may be different and it will cost differently. This applies both to the value of your information and to the probability estimates. But I hope this example will help you formalize your task with your data. Who knows, maybe the result will be different.
conclusions
So we looked at what to do if the computer / laptop / camera does not see the disk. Obviously, the purpose of the article is to help you choose the right path to solve the problem and not make mistakes by choosing this path. The article contains links useful both to those who decide to fight for their data on their own, and to those who will be looking for professionals. Well, in the text itself, I tried to analyze in as much detail as possible all the arguments “for” and “against” certain steps that should be taken into account.
The necessity of this article is due to my idea of what kind of confusion is going on in the minds of numerous victims. It's about about thousands of processed calls from potential and current clients for data recovery, when a person is just in a state of confusion and is thinking about what to do. The desire to help them with their problem made me not only answer their not always conscious questions, but ask my own. And now these answers that people gave themselves were almost always much more useful. And it was they who allowed me to write this article, setting out in writing those ideas that have already been discussed orally many thousands of times with people who turn to us for help. Since at the moment thousands of people are already grateful to me, I hope that this article will help you too. In turn, I thank everyone who, having found themselves on this page and read the recommendation at the beginning of the article, read it to the end. Now act.
With full or partial use of the materials of this article, an active hypertext link to the site is required.
Do the following in order. If the first fails, move on to the second, and so on.
What to do if the Windows computer does not see the hard drive
Drive not showing up in BIOS
1. If you have just connected a hard drive, check if you did it correctly. Find official instructions to your motherboard and hard drive and follow all manufacturer's recommendations.
2. If you are trying to install Windows XP or more old version and the system reports that there is no hard drive, make sure that the hard drive mode compatible with this OS is enabled in the BIOS - IDE. To do this, find the SATA operation setting in the BIOS (SATA Mode, SATA Configuration or with a similar name). Set the value to IDE, save changes and restart your computer.
3. If possible, test the hard disk drive by connecting it to another PC. It will work - look for malfunctions in the motherboard or other components of your computer. If not, you can take the hard drive to a service center.
Drive not showing up in Windows
1. Make sure the hard drive is enabled in the BIOS settings. To do this, restart the computer and, as soon as the machine starts to turn on, press the F2 or DEL key (the desired key is usually highlighted on the screen) until you get into the BIOS.
Then find the disk management section (Storage Configuration, Drive or with a similar name) and make sure that the desired hard drive is activated. Opposite it should be the inscription Active, On or something similar. Save changes and restart your PC.
2. Check if Windows has properly prepared the drive for use. First, open a command prompt window ( windows keys+ R), then enter in it diskmgmt.msc and press Enter. Read all system warnings carefully so that you do not accidentally format the drive or change the data written to it.
If you see a disk without a volume label in the Disk Management menu, this may be the cause of the conflict. Then right-click on the disk and assign a letter to it using the appropriate option in the context menu. Then restart your computer.
If in the same menu you see a new disk with the caption "Not initialized", right-click on it, select "Initialize disk" and follow the prompts of Windows. After initialization, click on the disk again to open the context menu, select "Create a simple volume" and follow the instructions of the system. Restart your PC when finished.
3. Download the latest hard drive drivers from the manufacturer's website and install them.
4. Check your computer for malware with an antivirus.
5. Try it after saving all important data.
If none of the above help, contact the service center for help.
What to do if the Mac does not see the hard drive
Mac won't boot
If you have a modern Mac, then it will most likely have one drive. And it is obvious that if there are problems with it, the computer simply will not boot. In this case, you need to diagnose using Apple Hardware Test using the network mode.
Plug your Mac into a power source and unplug all external devices except the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and Ethernet cable. Turn off your Mac by holding the Power button for a few seconds.
Turn on your Mac while holding down the Option + D keys. After running the Apple Hardware Test, run component diagnostics by following the wizard's prompts.
If disk errors are detected during testing, you will have to contact the service. It will be possible to carry out repairs on your own only on older models with HDD by replacing the disk.
Drive not showing up in Finder
1. If your Mac has several disks and the problem is not with the boot disk, but with the auxiliary one, then the computer will boot, but the disk will not be available. In this case, you need to check if it is displayed in the "Disk Utility".
To do this, open the application from the Applications folder → Utilities or via Spotlight and check if the drive is visible. If yes, then you can try to format it (keep in mind that this will delete all data).
2. If the drive does not appear in Disk Utility, check if it appears in System Information.
Open the utility via the Apple menu → System Information and then click the System Report button. Go to the Storage tab or SATA / SATA Express interfaces. Check if the desired disk is available there.
If the drive does not appear, you can diagnose using Apple Hardware Test as described above, and if errors are found with the drive, contact the service for repair.
The hard drive is one of essential elements PC hardware. It hosts the operating system and stores data. Over time, the amount of accumulated information grows, and users think about additional space. Everyone's approach is different. Someone prefers to use an external drive. Someone will replace the HDD with a fast SSD, and old disk leave only for data storage. The most advanced use NAS for this purpose. It would seem that everything is simple - buy, connect and use. Troubles can lie in wait just in the middle of this path. Cases when a hard drive is not visible in the system are not uncommon. Today we will tell you how to deal with this unpleasant situation.
Usually the user finds that the disk is not visible to the OS boot. We open "Explorer" and instead of the desired two drives, we see only one. Let's see why Windows does not see the hard drive.
Windows 10 Disk Management
To begin with, it is worth making sure that the system does not recognize the drive. The absence of it in the "Explorer" does not mean anything yet. Let's call the Power User menu. This can be done by right-clicking on the "Start" button or by pressing the "Win" + "X" keyboard shortcut. We need the item indicated in the screenshot.
Open the section " Disk devices". For clarity, the following screenshot shows the display of drives in it and in Explorer.
We managed to find the hard drive. It is accepted by the system, but not ready for use. To fix this, let's turn to the Power User menu again. Let's choose a different one this time. Let's open a special utility that allows you to work with the drive without leaving the graphical environment of the OS.
When it starts, we will be prompted to initialize the new SSD by selecting a partition table for it. For 64-bit systems and computers with UEFI, GPT can be selected. A 32-bit Windows versions and BIOS require the old MBR layout to work. In this case, we will use the GUID table.
We call the context menu on the new drive and select the indicated item.
The Volume Creation Wizard starts. We follow the step by step instructions provided.
We are not going to divide the disk into separate partitions. We do not make any changes at this step and move on.
By default, the OS sets the drive to the next unoccupied drive letter Latin alphabet. If desired, you can select any other menu in the menu indicated by the arrow. In order not to cause a conflict, you should not indicate a letter that comes in the alphabet earlier than the option proposed by the system.
Set the text label of the created volume in the indicated field. The FS type and cluster size do not change.
At the final stage, the wizard displays the selected parameters for viewing. We agree and confirm the choice.
The screenshot shows the result of our work. The drive named "Data" is formatted and ready to use.
Let's look into the "Explorer" and make sure that the problem due to which "Windows" does not see the hard drive is solved.
The screenshot shows that the system has new drive, which was previously only visible in Device Manager.
Windows 7 Disk Management
When Windows 7 does not see the hard drive, the user's actions will be similar to those described for Windows 10. Only the location in the menu of the tools necessary for work is significantly different. To simplify the task, we will use the management console.
Let's call the "Run" menu using the combination "Win" + "R". Enter the command to open the console in the text field.
In the window that opens, first make sure that the drive is detected in the system.
We proceed to the second point and, by launching the volume creation wizard, we eliminate the reason why Windows 7 does not see second hard disk.
The disk is not recognized by the OS
If the disk does not appear in the device manager, you need to check if it is visible in the BIOS. The user can face such a problem by deciding to install an SSD. To improve hardware compatibility, manufacturers enable IDE mode on motherboards by default. Any HDD can work with it. Even connected via a SATA connector, it will not create problems for the user. The SSD requires unconditional use of the more modern AHCI mode.
We go into the BIOS and on the main tab we look at the presence of disks in the system.
Go to the next section to check the connection mode. Select the marked item.
We are looking for a parameter responsible for the operation of controllers.
As you can see, the mode switch is in the IDE position. For this reason, the computer does not see the hard drive in the BIOS. Arrows move to the desired item and open the internal menu by pressing Enter. Change the mode to AHCI.
We return to the Main tab and make sure that the BIOS sees our drive. It appeared in the list of connected SATA devices. We write down the changes made by pressing the corresponding function key, and exit the BIOS.
We have solved the problem that the hard drive is not detected in Windows and is not visible in the device manager. You can boot into the graphical OS mode and follow the steps described in the first section.
Disk with caching SSD
When reinstalling the operating system, laptop owners may encounter another type of the described problem. Windows does not recognize a drive that uses an Intel Rapid Storage Technology caching SSD and requires a driver. In this case, the installation will have to be postponed and pre-prepared by visiting the Intel site from another computer.
In the Support - Drivers & Software section, you will find the RST driver for your OS.
Before the next installation attempt, place it on a USB flash drive with a distribution kit or on a separate disk. When Windows once again cannot see the hard drive on its own, point it to the folder with the unpacked driver. After this procedure, the installation of the OS will continue in the usual manner.
OS does not see external drive
USB-connected external hard drives are popular due to their versatility. The file archive is not tied to a specific computer, and the amount available for data storage is an order of magnitude larger than a flash drive. As a result, such devices are often used to transfer a large amount of information between different PCs, the configuration of which can vary significantly. The situation in which Windows does not see the external hard drive on the computer can be caused by several reasons.
So, we connect the device and see the following picture. It did not appear in Explorer and only system drives are available to us.
Armed with the knowledge gained, we check the availability in the device manager.
As you can see, the system has identified three drives. The next step is moving to the disk manager.
As you can see in the screenshot, the SSD is fully functional, but there is no letter in the place indicated by the arrow. An unlabeled device is ignored by Windows and therefore does not appear in File Explorer. We call the context menu of the found "invisible" and select the marked item in it.
In the empty window that opens, click "Add".
At this stage, we agree with the offer and confirm our choice.
Immediately after clicking "OK", the "Explorer" window will open.
After assigning a drive letter, the drive is defined and ready for use.
Other file system
For some, this may be a revelation, but Windows is not the only operating system in the world. There is also Linux or MacOS for Apple computers. Each of these operating systems uses its own file system. Therefore, when, by connecting a disk taken from a friend, you get the following window - do not rush to follow the recommendations of Windows.
By pressing the cancel button you will get true reason such behaviour.
Microsoft, dominating the market, does not include support for other file systems in Windows. Therefore, if you receive a disk formatted in ext2/3/4 or HFS+, you will not be able to read it without installing an additional driver.
In order not to resort to the help of third-party utilities, find out the type of file system used from the owner. If this is not possible, install the drivers from Paragon.
They are available for free for a month. This period is enough to gain access to information on removable media.
Finally
Faced with the problem when Windows does not see the hard drive, and armed with the knowledge gained, you can independently connect any drive, while avoiding unfortunate advice that recommends grabbing a screwdriver in every incomprehensible case.
This article explains in detail what to do if Windows 7 does not see the hard drive. You will also learn how to deal with errors and problems that arise when reinstalling the operating system. Windows systems.
This is information that will be useful for everyone to know, because in our time there is a personal computer in almost every home. And most often, Windows is used as the operating system. Simply put, if you have problems with the operating system while working on your computer, then this article will help you. Let's analyze the situation when the system does not see the hard drive. Initially, you need to perform a couple of simple steps:
Find the My Computer icon on your desktop, hover your mouse over it and right-click. A menu will be displayed in which you need to click on the line "Management" (Figure 1).
Figure 1 - Context menu
In the "Computer Management" window that opens, click on the "Disk Management" line from the "Storage Devices" category (Figure 2).
Figure 2 - Computer management
Figure 3 - Change drive letter
Now it remains to change the letters of the drive title so that the OS can find it. Also, those who installed Windows 7 instead of Windows XP can move the settings of the programs installed on the computer and the My Documents folder to the Windows system directory, which will allow you to use the new OS. Hard drive not detected during Windows reinstall
Quite often, during the reinstallation of Windows, users are faced with the problem that the hard drive is not detected. There are several ways to fix this issue.
Method 1. The most famous method is to disable AHCI in the operating system through the BIOS ( base system input output). Immediately after you do this, the computer will be able to detect the hard drive. Now we will describe in more detail how to do this:
1. Restart your computer. Press "F2" or "Delete" on your keyboard from the moment it starts to turn on. This will take you to the BIOS settings.
2. Select the operating system settings menu and turn off the AHCI mode, as shown in (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - Disabling AHCI
Method 2. It may well be that the computer does not see the hard drive due to problems with the motherboard (when reinstalling any version of Windows). In this case, you need to download the driver for the motherboard of your computer on the Internet and burn it to disk. Then, using this disk, add the driver to the root directory of the operating system.
This is done in the following way:
1. Insert the driver disc into the drive.
2.
Restart the computer and while it turns on, press "F6" on the keyboard.
Method 3. If the two methods described above did not bring the desired result, then you will have to integrate SATA drivers into the OS distribution. First you need to integrate individual SATA drivers or, in some cases, entire packages. You can also integrate drivers together with updates.
You can find out which updates and drivers are required on the website of the manufacturer of your motherboard installed on your computer. To find out what motherboard you have, you can right-click on the "My Computer" shortcut and go to "Properties" through the drop-down menu, where this data is indicated. You can also see this information in the documents that you were given when buying a computer.
It is worth saying that the situation when the system does not see the hard drive is faced big number users, especially when reinstalling Windows. If you also encountered this problem, then it is not necessary to contact the service center or specialists to solve it. You'll be fine on your own.
First of all, if the hard drive is not detected when reinstalling the operating system, you must resort to the methods that were described earlier (integrating motherboard drivers and turning off the AHCI setting through the BIOS system). If these actions did not give the desired result, then you will need to check whether the connection is correctly made on your hard drive. Figure 5 shows an example of a correct connection.
Figure 5 - Connecting the hard drive
The main thing that you should learn for yourself is that the device, thanks to which the hard drive is connected and attached to the computer motherboard, has two main connectors. One of them is black, the second is blue (light blue). And this characteristic is such, regardless of what version of the Windows operating system you have. We are interested in the blue connector, which is responsible for hard work disk and disk drive (device for external reading). It is better to connect the hard drive to the blue connector, because, as practice has shown, the black connector is rather unstable.
If, after performing a connection check, the hard drive is still not detected or a message is displayed stating that the HDD device is not working correctly, then most likely it's all about software errors.
If none of the methods described above helped, you will have to contact qualified specialists.
Good afternoon.
External hard drives (HDD) are becoming more popular day by day, sometimes it seems that very soon they will be more popular than flash drives. And it's not surprising, because modern models are some kind of box, the size of cellular telephone and contain 1-2 TB of information!
Many users are faced with the fact that the computer does not see the external hard drive. Most often, this happens immediately after buying a new device. Let's try to understand in order, what is the matter here ...
If the new external HDD is not visible
A new one here means a disk that you connected to your computer (laptop) for the first time.
1) First what are you doing, go to computer management .
To do this, go to control Panel , then in system and security settings -> administration -> computer management . See screenshots below.
2) Pay attention to the column on the left. It has a menu disk management . Let's move on.
All disks (including external ones) connected to the system should be displayed in front of you. Very often, the computer does not see the connected external hard drive due to incorrect drive letter assignment. You then need to change it!
To do this, right-click on the external drive and select " change drive letter... ". Next, assign the one that is not yet in your OS.
3) If the disc is new and you have connected it to your computer for the first time - it may not be formatted! Therefore, it will not be displayed in "my computer".
If this is the case, then you will not be able to change the letter (you simply will not have such a menu). You just need to right click on the external drive and select " create a simple volume... «.
Attention! All data in this process on the disk (HDD) will be deleted! Be careful.
4) Lack of drivers… (Update from 04/05/2015)
If the external hard drive is new and you don't see it in either "my computer" or " disk management“But it works on other devices (for example, a TV or another laptop sees and detects it) - then 99% of the problems are related to Windows and drivers.
Despite the fact that modern Windows 7, 8 operating systems are quite "smart" and, when a new device is detected, they automatically search for a driver for it - this does not always happen ... The fact is that versions of Windows 7, 8 (including all kinds of assemblies from " craftsmen") a huge number, and no one canceled various mistakes. Therefore, I do not recommend excluding this option right away ...
1. Check the USB port if it works. For example, connect your phone or camera, even just a regular flash drive. If the device works, then the USB port has nothing to do with it ...
2. Go to Device Manager (In Windows 7/8: Control Panel/System and Security/Device Manager) and look at the two tabs: Other devices And disk devices.
Windows 7: Device Manager reports that there are no drivers for the "My Passport ULTRA WD" drive in the system.
The screenshot above shows that Windows does not have drivers for an external hard drive, so the computer does not see it. Usually, Windows 7, 8, when you connect a new device, automatically installs a driver for it. If this does not happen to you, there are three options for action:
a) Click on the "Update hardware configuration" command in Device Manager. This is usually followed by automatic installation drivers.
b) Search for drivers using special. programs: ;
c) Reinstall Windows (to install, select a "clean" licensed system, without any assemblies).
Windows 7 - Device Manager: Drivers for external HDD Samsung M3 Portable installed correctly.
If the old external hard drive is not visible
By old here we mean a hard drive that was previously working on your computer, and then stopped.
1. First, go to the disk management menu (see above) and change the drive letter. This is definitely worth doing if you created new partitions on your hard drive.
2. Secondly, check the external HDD for viruses. Many viruses disable the ability to see disks or block them ().
3. Go to the device manager and see if the devices are detected correctly. There should be no yellow exclamation marks (well, or red ones) that signal errors. It is also recommended to reinstall the drivers on the USB controller.
4. Sometimes reinstalling Windows helps. In any case, first check the health of the hard drive on another computer / laptop / netbook, and then try reinstalling.
It is also useful to try to clean your computer from unnecessary junk files and optimize the registry and programs (here is an article with all the utilities: use a couple ...).
5. Try connecting the external HDD to a different USB port. It happened that, for unknown reasons, after connecting to another port, the disk worked fine as if nothing had happened. I noticed this several times on Acer laptops.
6. Check cords.
One time the external hard drive didn't work because the cord was damaged. From the very beginning, I did not notice this and killed for 5-10 minutes in search of the cause ...
