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

There are many users who opt for external hard drives to store data. Unfortunately, sometimes, the system is not able to read data from the external hard drive. In such a case, the user is stuck and he/she is not able to access his/her data. Now, the question crops up, how one can access the data from the external hard drive that won’t read? To access data, the user has to fix the external hard drive not reading by implementing some solutions. Thus, in this blog, we are going to introduce different ways using which the user can fix an external hard drive that is not responding error.

“I need to copy some files from my external hard drive to my pc. I plugged my external drive but I was not able to read the disk. I am not able to figure out what is the main problem. A few days back, 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 not reading in Windows 10.”

Reasons Which Makes Hard Drive Unreadable

There is a number of reasons that can cause external hard disk not reading in 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 restrict to read the external hard drive
• Hard drive not reading after drop

Note: – The external hard disk won’t reading in Windows PC. There is not any specific reason behind 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.

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 Disk Not Reading 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 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 in other 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 reading Windows 10, 8, 7, etc.

1. First, you need to click on the 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 shows up in My Computer/My PC or not
6. If it does not show up, then you need to reboot or restart 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

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 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

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

1. First of all, click on Start > type: devmgmt.msc and press Enter key
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 greyed 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 Reading

Before changing Windows registry settings. Be sure that you are doing the right change. Because one wrong step may lead you in 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 click 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 external hard drive again

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

Sometimes, due to virus infection external hard drive does not respond. Thus, the user can scan the external hard drive using reliable antivirus software. It is a common practice, bit 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

Solution 7: Fist Save your Files from Drive Then Fix Not Reading Error

If still, your external hard drive is not responding then you have left only one option i.e. Format the disk. But this action will erase all your files and folders. So, before formatting first, save all your files. After that move to format:

• Use SysTools Hard Drive Recovery Software
• Save all your files and folders first
• Now format your disk.
• Use the disk and use data from backup.

Summing Up

The situation becomes worse when the external hard drive is not reorganized by the system. The user is not able to access his/her data present in this external hard drive. Thus, in this blog, we have explained various solutions using which the user can easily fix ‘external hard drive won’t read’ issue.