Resolve WD External Hard Drive Not Appearing/Recognized Issue [2024 Guide]

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How Can I Resolve the Issue of My WD External Hard Drive Not Appearing on My Computer?

However, it's no longer a novel issue when an external hard drive fails to function or suddenly disappears from a PC. Nonetheless, it remains a daunting problem for regular users when their external hard drive, USB, or SD card devices suddenly become unrecognizable, non-functional, or unresponsive on a PC. Below, you'll discover a swift solution and four methods to resolve the issue of a non-working WD external hard drive. If your external hard drive or storage devices are encountering this problem, relax and follow along to rectify the issue right here, right now.

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Solutions here are provided to address and fix:

• WD elements not displaying
• WD hard drive not detected
• WD easystore not appearing
• WD discovery unable to locate the drive
• WD my boot not showing up
• etc., more issues

Quick Fix for WD External Hard Drive Not Showing Up/Detected/Recognized Error

Here's a quick guide you can follow to resolve the issue of your WD external hard drive not being detected, recognized, or showing up on your own: 1. **Check Connections**: Ensure that the hard drive is properly connected to your computer. Unplug and reconnect the USB cable, making sure it's seated firmly in both the drive and the computer's USB port. 2. **Power Source**: If using a powered hub, make sure it's receiving adequate power. Alternatively, connect the hard drive directly to your computer's USB port without using a hub. 3. **Reboot Your Computer**: Sometimes, simply restarting your computer can resolve the issue as it allows the operating system to re-detect the external drive. 4. **Different USB Port**: Try plugging the hard drive into another USB port on your computer to see if the problem lies with the port. 5. **Device Manager**: Check the Device Manager for any error messages related to the hard drive. To do this, press Windows Key + X, then choose 'Device Manager.' Locate the hard drive under 'Disk Drives' and right-click, selecting 'Update Driver Software.' 6. **Disk Management**: Open Disk Management (Win + X, then choose 'Disk Management'). If the drive doesn't show up here, right-click on 'Unallocated Space' and choose 'New Simple Volume.' Follow the wizard to format and assign a letter to the drive. 7. **System Compatibility**: Make sure your operating system is compatible with the hard drive. Western Digital (WD) drives often work with both Windows and macOS, but you might need to reformat for compatibility. 8. **WD Software**: Install the latest WD Drive Utilities software from the official WD website. This tool can help diagnose and fix issues with your WD hard drive. 9. **Factory Reset**: If all else fails, you may need to perform a factory reset. This will erase all data on the drive, so ensure to back up important files first. Refer to the WD user manual for specific instructions. 10. **Professional Assistance**: If none of these steps work, it could be a hardware issue, and you should contact WD customer support or a professional technician for further assistance. Remember, always back up your data regularly to prevent potential loss.

1. Switch the USB port/Cable to detect the WD external hard drive.

If this doesn't work, continue with the following guidelines.

2. Click Start, then type "devmgmt.msc" in the Search box and press Enter. 3. Open Device Manager, then expand the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" category. 4. Right-click on the "USB Root Hub" and choose "Properties." 5. Navigate to the "Power Management" tab and uncheck the option that says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power."

Following this, restart your PC and reconnect the WD external hard drive to your computer. You should then be able to use the drive again. If this quick solution does not work, don't worry; just proceed with the methods below to repair non-functional WD external hard drives or devices.

You May Also Be Interested In: If you have crucial data saved on the WD external hard drive, you must seek assistance from reliable data recovery software, as recommended below.

Recover Data from Western Digital Hard Disk

We will discuss the Western Digital/WD disk recovery tool and guide you on how to swiftly retrieve data from a Western Digital hard drive.

Fix WD External Hard Drive Not Showing Up/Detected Error [2 Effective Solutions]

Here, you have two methods to address and resolve the WD external hard drive not recognized or undetectable error in Windows 10/8/7:

Method 1: Restart the PC in Safe Mode to See if the WD External Hard Drive Appears

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security. 2. Click on Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart Now. 3. The PC will automatically boot into the Startup Settings screen 4. Press F4 to initiate the PC restart into Safe Mode.

Next, check if the WD external hard drive appears.

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Method 2: Change Drive Letter to Make Undetected WD External Hard Drive Visible

The other approach is to alter the drive letter using the Disk Management utility to make an unrecognized or undetectable WD external hard drive visible on your PC:

1. Right-click on "This PC" or "My Computer" and select "Manage." 2. Navigate to "Disk Management." 3. Locate your external hard drive and right-click on it, then choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths..."

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1. Assign the drive a new letter that doesn't exist on your PC and mark the partition as Active.
2. Click OK.
3. Restart your PC, and your External hard drive will appear and function again.

"Video Tutorial: Solving the Issue of WD External Hard Drive Not Showing Up"

If the WD drive still functions improperly even after it appears on your PC, proceed with the troubleshooting steps demonstrated in the following video for assistance. Detailed information is as follows:

1. 00:41 - Update USB Driver
2. 01:22 - Reinstall USB Driver
3. 01:56 - Create New Partitions
4. 02:41 - Assign New Drive Letter
5. 03:43 - Fix File System Errors

With the solutions listed above, you can also apply them to fix similar or identical issues on other types of devices, including:

Bonus Tip: Resolve the WD External Hard Drive Not Working/Not Responding Issue

When your WD external hard drive, USB, or other brands of storage devices are not functioning or not responding on your PC, don't panic. You can follow the methods provided below to resolve the issues immediately:

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Method 1: Update WD External Hard Drive Driver for Functionality

1. Click on Start > Type: devmgmt.msc in the Search bar and press Enter to open Device Manager. 2. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers category > Right-click each USB device listed and choose Uninstall. 3. Next, examine if any devices appear as unidentified or not.

If the WD external hard drive is showing as unrecognized, go to the Drivers tab and delete/uninstall the driver. Then check if the external hard drive appears in My Computer/My PC.

• If it does not appear, restart or shut down the PC;
• If it appears but disappears later, repeat the above steps, go to Disk Management, change the drive letter of your WD external hard drive, and reconnect it to the PC to allow the PC to detect it again.

Method 2: Repair Corrupted System Files/Bad Sectors on Non-Working WD External Hard Drive

Corrupted system files or bad sectors on Western Digital (WD) external hard drives or other storage devices can prevent your device from functioning or responding properly on a Windows PC.

Professional partition manager software can help repair bad sectors and fix corrupted system files, enabling your WD external hard drive to function properly again. Download it for free, install it, and follow the guidance below to address bad sectors and corrupted system files on your drive: 1. Launch the partition manager software. 2. Connect your WD external hard drive to the computer. 3. In the software interface, locate and select your external hard drive. 4. Click on the "Check Disk" or "Disk Repair" function (the exact name may vary depending on the software). 5. The software will scan the drive for bad sectors and corrupted files. 6. Upon completion of the scan, follow any prompts to fix the identified issues. 7. If necessary, the software might suggest recovering lost data before repairing the bad sectors. 8. Allow the process to finish, and then safely eject and reconnect your external hard drive. 9. Check if the drive is now working correctly. Remember that while these steps often resolve the issue, there's no guarantee that all data will be recoverable. It's always a good practice to regularly back up important files to prevent potential data loss.

Additional Tip: WD External Hard Drive Recovery Solution

Once you have successfully fixed the functioning external hard drive on your Windows PC, you can resume using it for storing your important data once again. However, if you have unfortunately lost files or valuable data on the drive, don't panic. You will require a professional WD external hard drive recovery solution provided by reliable hard drive recovery software. This software will effortlessly recover lost files from your WD external hard drive in just three straightforward steps on a Windows PC. In case you have lost files after resolving the WD external hard drive issue or are unable to access saved data on your storage devices, download the reliable hard drive recovery software and let it assist you immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions About WD External Hard Drive Not Being Detected

If you have further questions regarding the WD external hard drive, please follow and find answers here.

1. Why can't I see my WD Passport? This could be due to several reasons. Here are some troubleshooting steps: - Ensure that your WD Passport is properly connected to your computer. Check the USB cable and try using different ports. - Make sure the drive is powered on. Some WD Passports have an on/off switch; ensure it's in the 'On' position. - Check if the drive is recognized in Device Manager or Disk Management on your computer. Sometimes, the drive may not be assigned a drive letter, which can make it invisible in My Computer/This PC. - Update your USB drivers to the latest version. - Try connecting the drive to another computer to see if it's a compatibility issue or an issue with your original computer. - If the drive is not physically damaged, it might be a software issue. You can try using data recovery software or contact WD support for further assistance. Remember to always safely eject the drive before disconnecting to prevent data loss.

The reasons why the WD Passport external hard drive is not appearing could be diverse, including drive letter conflict, outdated drive driver, corrupted file system error, and so on.

2. What should I do if my 2TB WD external hard drive is not detected by my PC or Disk Management?

1. First, try changing the USB port or USB cable. 2. Reboot your PC into Safe Mode and see if WD appears. 3. Change the drive letter assigned to WD. 4. Check for file system errors and repair any existing bad sectors. 5. Create a new partition on the WD drive.

3. Can a WD hard drive be repaired?

When a WD external hard drive has multiple bad sectors, you'll need to seek assistance from a WD hard drive repair tool like Partition Master. However, if the number of bad sectors on the WD external hard drive is substantial, it's advisable to use a dedicated WD HDD repair tool to effortlessly migrate data to another healthy disk.