Summary
- Mac Os Install Doesn't See Hard Drive
- Mac Doesnt See Hsrd Drive To Install Os Mac
- Mac Doesnt See Hsrd Drive To Install Os Windows 7
Sometimes the hard drive is not showing up in This PC but available in Disk Management. Sometimes internal, external, and new hard drives become unrecognized or totally undetected in varying degrees. Based on the specific situation, you will have different solutions to try. In some cases, data loss is unavoidable to fix the problem, so data recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is offered to prevent permanent loss.
If you have come across the very same issue, don't fret. Here I will provide you with practical fixes for the following three common cases:
If you can’t boot from your USB recovery drive or don’t see the Recover from a drive option, you may need to ensure that the boot-from-USB function in the Surface BIOS is enabled or configure the boot order so the USB drive is the first option. For more info, see Boot Surface from a USB device.
- The problem with an external hard drives is that it might get its drive letter suddenly reassigned when you add new media to the PC. That would be bad. An internal hard drive, on the other hand, has a solid, reliable drive letter. Finally, the way to move a program file is to uninstall it and then reinstall it on the secondary hard drive.
- Mar 06, 2009 See More Hand-Picked Deals Bobby installed a second internal drive for backup purposes, then he asked the Answer Line forum how come it doesn't show up in My Computer. Chances are your new drive.
- Dec 05, 2018 Will the 'Migrate OS' feature transfer the Windows system files only or the whole C drive? To ensure that the migrated system will boot normally, the Migrate OS feature will transfer all the files in the system and the boot partitions. Generally, the boot partition is the C drive.
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
New Hard Drive Not Showing | Solution 1. Initialize Disk and Create Partitions; Solution 2. Check Disk Connect, Update Driver..Full steps |
Hard Drive Not Showing Up Windows | Solution 1. Change Drive Letter; (5+ Solutions) Solution 2. Recover Data, Create Partition..Full steps |
Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Prompt | Right-click Start > Open Disk Management > Right-click device and select 'Format' ..Full steps |
Hard drives, be it new or old, internal or external, may not show up in File Explorer or (and) Disk Management after you connect the device to your computer. Actually, hard drive not showing up is one of the most frequently occurred issues that are troubling users.
Part 1. New Hard Drive Not Showing Up
Before explaining the possible reasons why your new hard drive is not detected in Windows, I need you to check whether your new hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer only or in both File Explorer and Disk Management:
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Go to 'Disk Management'.
You will find the hard drive missing in Disk Management or it shows up as not initialized and unallocated space. Pick up the suitable fix to make your new hard drive work now.
Solution 1. Initialize the New Disk and Create Partitions
Applies to: Fix new hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer only issue.
If you see your new hard drive in Disk Management, it may not show up in File Explorer because:
- The device status is Unknown Not Initialized
- The disk space is unallocated
You should feel relieved in such a case. Unlike the hard drives that are integrated with your computer, the hard disk you purchase separately may not always be pre-formatted and ready for use. The new hard disk may be uninitialized or it's initialized but there is no partition on it. As you may know, a disk with no partitions won't show up under File Explorer. Therefore, all you need to do is to initialize your new hard drive and then partition the disk to make the new hard drive ready for data storage.
Step 1. Initialize the Disk
- 1. Right-click 'This PC' (in Windows 10) and choose 'Manage'.
- 2. Go to 'Disk Management', right-click your new hard disk, and choose 'Initialize Disk'
- 3. In the dialog box, select the disk to initialize and choose MBR or GPT partition style.
Step 2. Create Partitions on the Disk
- 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage' > 'Disk Management'.
- 2. Right-click the unallocated space and choose 'New Simple Volume..'
- 3. In New Simple Volume Wizard, click 'Next' to continue.
- 4. Follow the wizard to specify the volume size, assign a drive letter to the volume, and then format the partition.
After creating a partition(s) on your new hard drive, you've made your disk for use and it will show up in File Explorer for you to access.
Solution 2. Check Disk Connection, Update Driver and Enable in BIOS
Applies to: Fix new hard drive is not detected in File Explorer or Disk Management
The causes could boil down to three factors:
- Connection issue
- Driver issue
- Incorrect BIOS settings
Connection issue may result from a dead USB port and (or) a problematic cable; The Driver issue derives from an outdated driver; And the incorrect BIOS settings mean the new hard drive is disabled in BIOS. Then the solutions should be quite clear in your mind: check connections, update device drivers, and enable the device in BIOS.
Step 1. Check the Connection Between the Hard Drive and the Computer
- Connect your hard drive with SATA cable instead of USB cable
- Change the cable/port
- Connect your new hard drive to another computer and check whether the problem remains
Step 2. Manually Update Hard Drive Driver
Since the new hard drive is not detected by Disk Management, you can't update the device driver using the regular way (right-click the device and choose 'Update driver').
You need to visit the official site of the hardware support center and download the driver according to the product you bought.
Step 3. Enable the New Hard Drive in BIOS
![See See](https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/applications/core/interface/imageproxy/imageproxy.php?img=http://i86.servimg.com/u/f86/18/50/18/69/0410.png&key=7077e938638607166d1052a36e959869c515514d5136f74f7ea6144967e44365)
If your new hard drive is disabled in BIOS, the OS won't be able to detect it and it won't show up in Windows. Hence, checking whether your hard drive is disabled in BIOS is also necessary.
- Restart your computer and press the BIOS key (depending on the computer you use) until you enter BIOS.
- Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to choose 'Integrated Peripherals' and hit 'Enter'.
- Use the arrow keys to select 'USB Controller'. If it is disabled, change the option to 'Enabled'.
- Save and exit BIOS. Afterward, restart your computer and see whether your new hard drive is detected.
In rare cases, you get a problematic new hard drive and it won't appear in Windows. Luckily, the device is always still under warranty, you can replace it directly.
Case 2. (Used) Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows (Without Error Prompt)
A used internal or external hard drive not showing up in Windows is much more common than a new one. When you connect a hard drive to your computer and try to access the files on it via This PC, you just find the hard drive is not showing up. Similar to the last case, you first need to check whether the device is detected Disk Management, which is a diagnostic step in deciding what the possible cause is.
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Go to 'Disk Management'.
Do you see your hard drive in Disk Management? Choose one of the following solution to make your old hard drive detectable without losing data.
If a hard drive which has been used before is missing in File Explorer but appearing in Disk Management, it may be caused by:
- Drive letter conflict
- Unallocated space
- Device driver issue
The following solutions are based on the three hard drive errors.
Solution 1. Change Drive Letter (for Used Hard Drive)
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up in File Explorer only.
When the drive letter of your hard disk is conflicted with the drive letter of one partition on the computer, the hard drive will not show up under File Management. Besides, if you check the drive in Disk Management, you will find that the hard drive appears without a drive letter.
If your hard drive appears in Disk Management without a drive letter, changing the drive letter will solve the not showing up issue.
Step 1. In Disk Management, right-click the volume and select 'Change Drive Letter and Paths'.
Step 2. In the new window, click 'Change'.
Step 3. Assign a new drive letter to your USB and click 'OK'.
Solution 2. Recover Data and Create New Volume
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up in File Explorer only.
As mentioned above, if the whole disk is unallocated space, the hard drive will be missing in File Explorer, too. That's because there are no partitions on the disk yet or the existing partitions on the disk are lost accidentally. https://dotree417.weebly.com/mac-os-catalina-change-drive-permissions.html.
If a used hard disk suddenly becomes unallocated space, that's just unusual. Unallocated space is a state that cannot be used to store data. To utilize the space, you need to create a partition(s) on it. Generally speaking, the space on a used hard drive won't all be unallocated space. Thus, what happens to your hard drive could be accidental deletion, virus attack, or other unknown reasons that cause partition loss on your disk. In such a case, you will need to perform data recovery from the unallocated space first, and then create a new volume(s) on the disk in order to use it for data storage.
# 1. Recover data from unallocated space on hard drive
Professional hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is capable of performing lost partition recovery, deleted recovery, formatted, and more. This software will recover your files as soon as possible as you apply it to scan the unallocated hard drive space.
(The unallocated space on your disk will be marked as a lost partition in EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Select it as your target partition to scan.)
Step 1. Select and scan hard drive.
On EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, select the drive where you lose your data and click 'Scan'. Wait patiently until this program finishes the scanning, it will find all your lost data on the drive.
Step 2. Find and preview found files on the selected drive.
Check 'Deleted Files', 'Lost Files' or use 'Filter', 'Search' to find the lost files on the selected hard drive. You can double-click to open and check the found files.
Step 3. Recover and save lost hard drive data.
Select all found lost hard drive files, click 'Recover' and browse another secure location to save them. Click 'OK' to confirm and finish the recovery process.
#2. Create a new partition
After retrieving all your precious files, now you can create a new partition to make your hard disk usable again.
Step 1. In Disk Management, right-click the unallocated space and choose 'New Simple Volume'.
Step 2. Follow the wizard to finish the remaining process.
Solution 3. Update Device Driver
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up in File Explorer only; Also works to fix hard disk not detected by Disk Management
Mac Os Install Doesn't See Hard Drive
Although an outdated driver always causes a hard drive not showing up in Windows at all, neither in File Explorer nor Disk Management, it's also possible that it will be marked as unallocated space in Disk Management. Another way that you can try is to update the device driver, which I have explained in detail above.
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Click 'Device Manager' then expand 'Disk drives”. Find and right-click the problematic USB drive and select 'Update driver'
Mac Doesnt See Hsrd Drive To Install Os Mac
Step 3. Click 'automatically search for driver software online'.
Step 4. Wait for the driver to be updated, then reboot your computer. Afterward, you can try to reconnect your hard drive to PC and check whether the USB drive shows up or not.
When a hard disk is not detected by Disk Management, it won't appear under File Explorer, either. This could result from: 1). Problematic connection; 2). Outdated device driver; 3). Damaged hard drive.
I'm sure you can understand why the hard drive is missing in Windows when such problems arise. So let's move to the solutions directly.
Mac Doesnt See Hsrd Drive To Install Os Windows 7
Solution 4. Check the Hard Drive Connection
Applies to: Fix hard disk not detected by Disk Management.
There is more than one method you can do to check the connection between the hard drive and the computer.
- Change the cable
- Connect your hard drive to the computer via another port
- Connect to your hard drive to another computer
In the situation where you notice the hard drive works with one computer while fails to be detected by another, you can try to update the USB driver of the computer in which the hard drive is not showing up.
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Click 'Device Manager' then expand “Universal Serial Bus Controllers”.
Step 3. Right-click 'USB Root Hub (USB3.0)' and select 'Update driver' > 'Search automatically for updated driver software'.
Step 4. Restart your computer.
Solution 5. Fix Damaged Hard Drive
Applies to: Fix hard disk not detected by Disk Management.
The worst situation is that your hard drive is seriously damaged, either physically or logically. Logical bad sectors and physical corruption may make a hard drive not detected in Windows. Learn how to fix a corrupted hard drive here.
Case 3. (Used) Hard Drive Not Showing Up with Prompt (USB Device Not Recognized)
The last case is that you receive the error prompt saying 'USB device not recognized' while connecting your (external) hard drive to the computer. Case 2 and Case 3 are almost identical except for one condition - the hard drive becomes RAW. Therefore, other than applying the solutions presented above, there is one more fix for you.
When the file system of a hard drive is damaged or not compatible by the computer, it will show up as RAW since the computer cannot recognize it and you may receive the prompt presenting 'USB device not recognized'. All you need to do is to recover data from the RAW hard drive and then format the disk to make it usable again. To format your hard drive:
Step 1. Right-click on the 'Start' icon > Type computer management > click on 'Computer Management'.
Step 2. Click 'Disk Management' in the bar on the left-hand side, then find the device in the drive viewer.
Step 3. Right-click on the USB flash drive, select 'Format' to directly format the USB drive to make it usable.
Related Issue: Hard Drive Not Showing Files
Instead of not showing up in Windows at all, a hard drive may not show files thought they still exist. This problem is less serious compared with the hard drive missing in Windows since the files are always recoverable. Files on a hard drive or another storage device may disappear due to three reasons:
- Files are hidden by malware or a virus
- Files are deleted accidentally
- The file system of the hard drive is not recognized by the computer
This should remind you that you can try showing hidden files, recovering deleted data, and format the hard drive to fix a hard drive that is not showing files. For more details, read the article about the pen drive not showing files in the computer.
The Ending Line
Sometimes, when you plug in your external hard drive or USB devices, you may find that it is completely unrecognized or not showing up on your PC. The hard drives not showing up has frustrated a large number of users.
Luckily, with the troubleshooting fixes on how to access the missing hard drive on Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista computers without losing any data, you should feel relieved since you can handle the problem easily by yourself. If you can't figure out what the cause is, you can try the solutions in order. Besides, the fixes for hard drive or flash drive not showing up on Mac are also provided, read it for reference if you are troubled by the same or similar issue.
FAQs About Hard Drive Not Showing Up
Besides offering solutions for New or Used hard drive not showing up issue in File Explorer or Disk Management, this page also discusses the causes of hard drive not recognized error. In this part, we will continue to unveil some top concerned questions on Google and leave a brief answer below each question.
If you are having the same doubts, read on and find the answer here now:
1. Why is my hard drive not showing up in Windows?
The reasons for new hard drive and used hard drive not showing up are different. The specific reasons are as follows:
Causes of new hard drive not showing up:
- 1). The device status is Unknown Not Initialized
- 2). The disk space is unallocated
Causes of used hard drive not showing up:
- 1). Drive letter conflict
- 2). Partition loss: hard drive shows as unallocated space
- 3). Hard drive driver outdated
- 4). Problematic connection
- 5). Damaged hard drive
2. What do I do if my internal hard drive is not detected?
As shown on this page, there are many ways that you can try to fix the internal hard drive not detected issue.
For a new hard drive, you can first initialize the disk and then create partitions on the drive.
For a used hard drive, you can try these tips as shown on this page in Case 2:
- 1). Change the hard drive letter;
- 2). Recover lost partition data and create new partitions;
- 3). Update hard drive driver;
- 4). Check hard drive connection, enable it in BIOS;
- 5). Repair damaged hard drive
3. How do I get Windows 10 recognized a new hard drive?
Be it similar to the provided solutions on this page, when a new hard drive is not detected or recognized on Windows 10, you may also mainly try the following tips:
Check new hard drive connection > Initialize new hard drive and create partition > Update drive letter > Enable it in BIOS.
Summary
When hard drive won't be able to boot on a computer, how to access data? Here, you'll get two solutions to recover data from a PC/Laptop hard drive that won't boot, including [1] use EaseUS bootable data recovery software; [2] copy files from the external hard drive by connecting to another working computer.
Can You Get Files Off from Hard Drive That Won't Boot?
Hard drive won't boot, it means that you cannot boot into the operating system. As a consequence, lost access to personal data, installed programs, games, and everything located on the hard drive. Except hard drive is dying, dead, or completely damaged beyond repair, it's not a big deal to access hard drive without OS, as long as you find the right method.
So here is the problem: how to recover data from a PC or laptop hard drive that won't boot? If you are having such a problem, read on the get the two solutions that will guide you to directly recover data from a hard drive that won't boot in Windows PC. Just follow the below steps and get files off from a none bootable hard drive now.
How to Recover Data from Hard Drive That Won't Boot in Windows 10/8/7
When your computer hard drive fails to boot from a hard drive, you can apply professional EaseUS Data Recovery Software with Bootable Media so to recover data from Windows computer hard drive that won't boot and save all data from the failed hard drive to another secure external storage device.
Just download and install EaseUS data recovery software with bootable media on a healthy computer and follow guidelines to fix the hard drive won't boot error without losing any data now.
Step 1. Create a bootable disk.
Prepare an empty USB. If you have important data on it, copy the data to another device. When you create a bootable disk, the data on the USB will be erased. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard WinPE Edition will help you create a bootable disk. Connect the USB drive to PC, launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard WinPE Edition. Select the USB drive and click 'Proceed' to create a bootable disk.
Step 2. Boot from the bootable USB.
Connect the bootable disk to PC that won't boot and change your computer boot sequence in BIOS. For most users, it works well when they restart their computer and press F2 at the same time to enter BIOS. Set to boot the PC from 'Removable Devices' (bootable USB disk) or 'CD-ROM Drive' (bootable CD/DVD) beyond Hard Drive. Press 'F10' to save and exit.
Step 3. Recover files/data from a PC/laptop hard drive that won't boot.
When you boot from the USB, you can run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard from the WinPE bootable disk. Select the drive you want to scan to find all your lost files.
Click Scan to start the scanning process.
Recover data from the computer or laptop. After the scan completed, you can preview all recoverable files, select the targeted files, and click the 'Recover' button to restore your files. You'd better save all of the recovered data to another place to avoid data overwriting.
After this, you can try to reinstall the Windows system on your computer hard drive that won't boot and then you can copy restored data back to your computer and reuse them again.
How to Manually Copy Data from Hard Drive That Won't Turn on
The other way that you may try is to manually copy files and data off from a hard drive that won't boot on the other working PC. To recover data from a none-booting hard drive in this way, it takes the below five steps.
- Obtain an External Hard Disk Enclosure
- Uninstall Non-booting Hard Drive
- Install Hard Drive in External Enclosure
- Connect USB and Power Cables
- Recovering the Data
Step 1. Switch off the computer power, remove the battery, and unplug your laptop or computer from the power outlet.
Step 2. Open your laptop's case and locate the hard drive that fails to boot > Disconnect hard drive cables, unscrew it and pull it out of the case.
Step 3. Insert the hard drive into an external hard drive enclosure and connect it to a new PC. Or, insert the drive into another computer that is running in good condition.
Step 4. Reboot the new computer from its standard OS on the main drive, and then you can read and access the hard drive data there.
Step 5. Finally, copy files and get data off the hard drive that won't boot to a new storage device.
People Also Ask
Regarding the topic of how to recover data from a PC/laptop hard drive that won't boot or turn on, we picked up two of the most effective solutions for you. To assist you better in dealing with other similar cases, more questions are answered in the below part.
1. How to recover files from an external hard drive that won't boot on Mac?
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac bootable version works especially for the situation when your Mac hard drive or external hard drive fails to boot. It takes three steps to access files from a none bootable hard drive on your Mac: Create a bootable drive > boot your Mac from the bootable drive you've created > select the non-booting drive to scan.
2. How to backup files when the computer won't boot?
EaseUS Todo Backup lets you selectively back up files or the entire disk even when Windows OS is unable to boot up. You need to use this software to burn the Windows PE image on an empty USB so to create a bootable disc. Then you can boot up the computer from the bootable disk and apply EaseUS Todo Backup to fully back up your computer saved data. Get full steps>>
3. Can you recover data from a crashed hard drive?
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard bootable data recovery software can help you recover data from your laptop hard drive that won't boot. As a matter of fact, it's able to recover all kinds of data from a hard drive that is old, crashed, or corrupted.