Unlock the Secrets of Hard Disk Data Recovery
The drive may not be getting the power it needs even though you inserted it into your computer. While certain drives—especially larger drives not meant to be portable, like the Western Digital My Book—can take enough power from the USB port on your computer to spin up, others might need wall power.
Try hooking up the hard disk data recovery AC power adapter that came with your drive (and hitting the power button, if there is one) if you haven't already. Make sure both of the USB plugs, if it came with any, are plugged into your computer. Hopefully, once your drive receives the necessary power, it will function normally.
Restart your computer
Although it sounds cliche, restarting your computer can actually be beneficial. The drive may not appear if the CPU is overworked or if there is some other unidentified glitch. Resetting the system may allow the computer to detect the drive again.
Unplug your drive first, then turn on your computer again. However, wait a little while for the system to fully boot up before attempting to use the drive again.
Try a Different PC, Port, or Cable
Try unplugging the drive and using a different USB port if it is still not working. It might just be picky about your particular drive. Try a USB 2.0 port if it's connected to a USB 3.0 port. Try plugging it straight into the PC if it's currently connected to a USB hub. Try the drive once more using a different hookup; it's likely that there's a problem with the USB cord.
hard disk data recovery software
You may perhaps give it a go on a different machine. I would strongly advise trying it on a computer running a different operating system if your home is multi-platform. Thus, attempt connecting the drive to a Mac if you are unable to get it to appear on a Windows computer. You may need to copy the data onto a disk that is formatted for cross-compatibility if the drive isn't formatted for the computer you're attempting to use.
The possibility that the port in question is failing is a more significant problem. You might need to put in further effort to fix the port if you discover that the drive is functional in another port or on an other machine.
Make Driver Updates
Windows occasionally encounters driver problems that cause a device to become unidentifiable. Navigate to the Start menu, type "device manager," then hit Enter when the menu item displays. If your external drive is not listed in either set, try expanding the Universal Serial Bus and Disk Drives menus.
Right-click on the device and select Properties if you see an entry that appears to be your drive with a yellow exclamation point; you might be able to locate an error code there. Another option is to select the Driver tab, attempt to update or uninstall the driver, and then restart your computer.
This won't likely cure a finicky drive because hard drives usually merely use Windows' built-in USB and hard disk drivers, but it's still worth a try. (Although it's definitely a long shot, you can also try downloading drivers from the drive manufacturer's website.) For additional information on this procedure, view our tutorial on updating your drivers.
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