External Drives no longer work with windows

If **external drives no longer work with Windows**, there could be several underlying causes—from hardware failure to driver issues or even a corrupted file system. Below is a structured guide to diagnose and resolve the issue.

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## 🧠 1. Basic Initial Checks

### ✅ Check USB Port and Cable

* Try plugging the drive into **another USB port**.

* Try using a **different USB cable** (especially if it’s a micro-B or USB-C connector).

* Plug the drive into a **different PC** to rule out hardware failure.

### ✅ Is the Drive Spinning or Lighting Up?

* If the drive has no lights, no vibration/spin, it may not be **receiving power** or might be **dead**.

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## 🔍 2. Check If Windows Recognizes the Drive

### 📁 File Explorer

* Open **File Explorer > This PC**.

* See if the drive shows up with a drive letter (e.g., D:, E:).

### 🛠 Disk Management

* Press **Win + X** > **Disk Management**.

* Look for the external drive. It may show as:

* **“Unallocated”** – needs to be partitioned.

* **“RAW”** – file system corrupted.

* **“Offline”** – needs to be set online.

* No letter – assign a drive letter manually.

If it’s there:

1. Right-click on the volume.

2. Choose **"Change Drive Letter and Paths"** > **Add** or **Change**.

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## 🧰 3. Update Drivers

### 🔄 Device Manager

1. Press **Win + X > Device Manager**.

2. Expand **Disk Drives** and **Universal Serial Bus controllers**.

3. Right-click the external drive or any **“Unknown Device”**, then click:

* **Update driver**

* Or **Uninstall device**, then reboot (Windows reinstalls it).

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## 🧪 4. Run Troubleshooter

* Go to **Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional Troubleshooters > Hardware and Devices**.

* Run the troubleshooter to automatically fix common drive issues.

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## 🔧 5. Format (if drive is unreadable or RAW)

⚠️ Only do this if you **don’t need the data**, or after trying data recovery software.

1. Go to **Disk Management**.

2. Right-click the problematic volume > **Format** or **Delete volume** and create new partition.

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## 💾 6. Data Recovery Options (if files are important)

Use recovery tools if the drive shows as **RAW**, **unreadable**, or doesn’t mount properly:

* **Recuva**

* **EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard**

* **TestDisk**

* **Disk Drill**

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## ⚙️ 7. BIOS/UEFI Settings (Rare, but possible)

* Restart your PC and enter BIOS (**Del**, **F2**, or **F10** at startup).

* Make sure **USB ports** and **Legacy USB Support** are enabled.

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## ❌ 8. If the Drive Still Doesn't Work

It could be:

* A **failing enclosure** (common in WD My Book or Seagate Expansion drives).

* A **faulty internal SATA to USB bridge**.

* The **drive itself is physically damaged**.

👉 In that case:

* Remove the drive from its external enclosure and connect it via SATA-to-USB adapter (if not encrypted).

* Some WD My Book drives have **hardware encryption** tied to their enclosure, so they won’t work outside it.

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## Summary

| Step | Action |

| ---- | ------------------------------------ |

| 1 | Try different port, cable, and PC |

| 2 | Check Disk Management |

| 3 | Update or reinstall drivers |

| 4 | Use Troubleshooter |

| 5 | Format if necessary |

| 6 | Use data recovery software if needed |

| 7 | Check BIOS/UEFI |

| 8 | Test or replace enclosure/adapter |

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Would you like help troubleshooting a **specific brand** like WD, Seagate, or Toshiba? I can also guide you on recovering data from a [WD My Passport](f), [My Book with encryption](f), or [Seagate external drive not showing](f).