Hard Drive Not Reading – Know How to Fix External Hard Drive Won’t Read Error?

External hard drives are commonly used to store important files like backups, office documents, your photos and large media collections but there are many users who suddenly encounter situations where the external hard drive is connected but not reading and when this happens your stored data becomes inaccessible and you immediately start searching for a safe solution to fix a hard drive that won’t read.

Now let me explain to you that this issue can appear in several ways: sometimes your external hard drive is detected but does not open and in other cases your drive may not appear in File Explorer.

Some users also receive a warning message that keeps asking them to format the disk before using it or the drive appears as a RAW file system in Disk Management. Well these all situations can be very confusing and make users worry about possible data loss.

This issue can occur due to many reasons that you can check below:-

1. File system corruption
2. Due to the Bad sectors
3. Driver conflicts
4. Improper ejection of the device
5. Sudden power failures

But the good news is that in many cases your data is still present on the disk and the problem can be resolved with the right troubleshooting steps.

In this guide I will explain to you why an external hard drive stops reading and how you can fix the problem safely. We will also cover practical solutions that can help you regain access to your files further damage.

Quick Check: Why External Hard Drives Stop Reading

An external hard drive may stop responding for several logical or hardware reasons which you can understand with the help of table below.

User Query

“I need to copy some files from my external hard drive to my PC. Plugged in my external drive but I was not able to read the disk. I am not able to figure out what the main problem is. A few days ago, my hard drive was working perfectly; now it is not working. I need to access my data immediately. Please suggest me a simple and instant way to fix my disk and read data from it. My hard drive is not reading in Windows 10.”

Also Read: Remove Write Protection from External Hard Drive

Reasons Which Makes Hard Drive Unreadable

There are a number of reasons that can cause an external hard drive not found in a PC. Some of them are listed below:

• The USB Port may be inactive.
• Hard drive driver is not working.
• System unable to read external hard drive due to virus attack.
• Hard Drive failure can restrict PC from reading it.
• The disk drive may be corrupted and a system unable to read.
• The external hard drive is not perfectly attached.
• Windows OS may be creating some trouble and restricting reading the external hard drive.
• hard drive not showing up in Windows 10 after drop.

Note: The external hard disk won’t read in Windows PC. There is not any specific reason behind the disk not reading error. So, the solution to this issue is also not fixed. It depends on the cause due to which the external hard drive won’t read.

Also Read: Get Windows 10 to Recognize A New Hard Drive

Why External Hard Drives Stop Reading

An external hard drive may stop responding for several logical or hardware reasons which you can understand with the help of table below.

Check If the Hard Drive Is Detected by Windows

Before we begin applying any fixes to the hard drive not reading issue well it is equally important to check if the system detects the external hard drive. To do this you can simply follow these all steps below.

1. Just Press (Windows + X)
2. Next click on Disk Management
3. You need to check the status of the external hard drive

Methods to Resolve ‘External Hard Drive Won’t Read’ Issue

In this section, we are going to introduce different methods to troubleshoot your query, “How Do I Fix My External Hard Drive that Won’t Read Issue?” Perform the steps listed below, as suggested:

Solution 1: Try a Different USB Port to Fix Hard Drive Not Recognize in PC

Sometimes, the real problem is with the USB port to which the external hard drive is connected. If the pen drive is not responding, then it is recommended to plug the hard drive into a different USB port.

1. Remove the external hard disk connecting the cable from your PC.
2. Try to attach the external hard disk to another port.
3. You can check in all ports; it will take little time.

Solution 2: Uninstall External Hard Drive Driver to Fix Won’t Reading Issue

If the hard disk drive is outdated or damaged, then the system will not read the externally attached disk. So, simply perform the steps and fix hard drive not recognize Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc.

1. First, you need to click on Start and then type: devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
2. Now, open Device Manager and then expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
3. After that, you have to check whether any device shows up as unrecognized.
4. If it shows unrecognized, then navigate to the Drivers tab and delete/uninstall the driver.
5. Next, you need to check whether the external hard drive not showing up in My Computer/My PC or not.
6. If it does not show up, then you need to reboot or restart the PC.
7. If it shows but disappears later, then you have to repeat the above step.
8. Navigate to Disk Management > Change drive letter of your external hard drive only.
9. After that, select one new drive letter to replace the old one by clicking on Change.
10. Finally, click on the OK button to confirm.

Update or Reinstall USB Drivers

Sometimes outdated or corrupted USB drivers can cause hard drive readability issues in Windows 11, 10 or newer updates. So reinstalling the USB driver can help the system recognize the external hard drive properly.

You can follow the steps below:-

1. Press Windows + X
2. Now Select Device Manager
3. You Can Expand Disk Drives
4. Right Click the External Hard Drive
5. Click Uninstall Device
6. And Restart the Computer

You can also read How to Fix Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes Error Free

Solution 3: Turn On USB Root Hub to Fix Hard Drive Not Reading in PC

Perform the below steps and turn on the USB root hub. And check whether the external hard drive is reading or not. Follow the steps:

1. First, click on Start and then type: devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
2. Now, open Device Manager and click on Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
3. After that, you need to right-click USB Root Hub > Properties > Power Management > uncheck Allows the computer to turn off this device to save power.
4. Now, repeat this process for each USB Root Hub in the list and reboot to try again.

Solution 4: Show All Hidden Devices to Fix Not Reading Error

Sometimes your system setting is set to hide all externally attached disks. In this situation, you may understand that your system is not reading an external hard drive. Follow the steps listed below:

1. First of all, click on Start > Type: devmgmt.msc and press the Enterkey.
2. Now, click on View > Device Manager > Select Show Hidden Devices.
3. After that, expand all notes by clicking on the + (plus) symbol.
4. Next, check if there are any grayed-out entries, then right-click on them and select Uninstall.
5. Reboot and try again.

Solution 5: Make Changes in Registry to Fix Hard Drive Not Detected

Before changing Windows registry settings. Be sure that you are making the right change. Because one wrong step may lead you into trouble. If you are new to this, then don’t perform this step.

1. First, click on Start and then type: regedt32 and click OK.
2. Now, backup your registry by navigating to file and then clicking on Export.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
4. Next, if you see any upperfilter or lowerfilters at the right side, then delete them.
5. Retry to connect the external hard drive again.

Solution 6: Use Antivirus to Fix Hard Drive Not Reading Issue

Sometimes, due to virus infection, the external hard drive not found. Thus, the user can scan the external hard drive using reliable antivirus software. It is a common practice, but some time it is a working solution for How Do I Fix My External Hard Drive that Won’t Read? Query!

1. Attach your external hard drive to your PC.
2. Launch the antivirus on your system.
3. Try to scan your disk.

Summing Up

Well the external hard drives may stop responding due to the file system corruption, hardware issues or because of the driver conflicts and the key is to diagnose the exact cause before you apply any fixes.

And if your drive becomes unreadable or shows you RAW format well recovering your data first is the safest approach. Once your data is secured the drive can be repaired or reformatted without risk.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Why doesn’t my computer see my hard drive?

Cause:

• Disconnected or damaged cable
• Driver issues
• Damaged drive

Solution:

• Try using a different cable or port.
• Update or reinstall the driver from Device Manager (Windows) or Disk Utility (Mac).
• Run a disk management tool such as chkdsk on Windows or fsck on Mac to check for file system errors.

Q2: What if my external hard drive doesn’t show up?

• Try to rule out USB port issues by using a different USB port or a different computer.
• If it’s a powered external hard drive, make sure it’s plugged in to a power source.
• Check disk management (Windows) or disk utility (Mac) to see if the drive is listed but not mapped.

Q3: How do I fix a hard drive that shows up but can’t be accessed?

• Open Disk Management, right-click the drive, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths to assign it a new drive letter.
  Mac: Open Disk Utility and mount the drive, or run First Aid to repair the drive.
• Use a disk recovery tool such as chkdsk (Windows) or fsck (Mac) to troubleshoot the file system.

Q5: Why doesn’t the drive show up in BIOS/UEFI?

Causes:

• The drive is physically damaged or not working properly.
• The drive cable or connector is not connected.
• The BIOS/UEFI settings are incorrect or the firmware is outdated.

Solutions:

• Make sure all cables are securely connected to the motherboard and the drive.
• Reset the BIOS settings to their default values and check if a BIOS update is available.
• Test the drive on another computer to make sure there is no problem with the motherboard or controller.

Q6: What to do if the drive is formatted but you still need to recover data?

Hard Drive Recovery data recovery software can recover files from formatted drives.Before attempting to recover data, make sure the drive is not in use, as new data may overwrite the files you are trying to recover.