Solving the Error of Windows 10 Not Recognizing or Detecting the Second Hard Drive

Quick solution for "Second hard drive not detected in Windows 10":

1. Type "Device Manager" into the search bar, then hit "Enter." 2. Expand "Disk Drives," find your second hard drive, right-click on it, and select "Update Driver Software." 3. Follow the subsequent update prompts, and your hard drive will be updated. 4. You can also go to "Settings" > "Updates" to check for any general updates applicable to your hard drive.

To fix the issue where Windows 10 fails to recognize or detect the second hard drive, click on the four quick access links below.

Be aware that these fixes also apply to resolving the “hard drive not recognized” issue in Windows 8.1/8/7 or even earlier versions of the OS.

My second hard drive is not showing up in Windows 10.

Hello everyone, does anyone know how to make a second hard drive show up in Windows? About a month ago, I added a second hard drive to my computer, and it's been running much faster ever since. Everything was fine until this morning...

“I turned on my computer, but the second hard drive doesn't show up in File Explorer. Then I checked Disk Management, and it's not there. I have a lot of important data saved on that second hard drive. How can I make it reappear? If you know the solution, please tell me.”

To address this issue, you need to diagnose the exact reason why the second hard drive is not being detected. On this page, you will find reliable methods and tools to effectively fix the unseen hard drive or secondary hard drive error in Windows by yourself.

Diagnose and Fix an Unidentified Second Hard Drive in Windows 10

This section aims to help you diagnose the reasons behind an undetected second hard drive and provide solutions to make it visible again.

Quick Fix: Reconnect and Reinstall the Second Hard Drive

When a hard drive disappears from File Explorer or Disk Management, first check the power and SATA cables.

Step one: Remove the hard drive from the computer using a screwdriver.

Step 2: Check that the hard drive is securely connected.

If so, remove the drive from the computer case and reseat it. If the cables are damaged, replace the SATA/ATA cable and power cable, and then reconnect the drive to your PC.

Step 3: Put the computer case back together, and restart your computer to see if the drive appears.

If Windows detects the second drive, you can stop here. You might also be interested in how to partition a hard drive.

But if you still can't see the drive in File Explorer or Disk Management, continue with the steps below.

Step 1: Check and make sure the second hard drive is detected in the BIOS

Applies to: Solving errors where Windows doesn't recognize your hard drive in BIOS.

Step 1: Restart your computer and press F2 to enter the BIOS.

Step 2: Enter the Boot Menu and check if your second hard drive is detected.

Step 3: If your second hard drive does not appear, try the following:

Please check the status of the second hard drive first by going to 'Settings' in 'System Settings.'

If the System Settings option is turned off, turn it on. Save your changes.

Remember to restart your computer after each check to see if the BIOS can detect the second hard drive. If the hard drive still doesn't show up, it's likely a physical issue with the drive. Your best bet is to take it to a local repair center or the manufacturer's service center for professional help.

If the second hard drive is displayed in the BIOS as shown below, proceed to the next step to check the status of the problem hard drive in Disk Management.

Step 2: Check the status of the second hard drive and update the drivers in Device Manager

Applies to: Solving the issue of Windows 10 not recognizing the second hard drive due to outdated drivers.

There's a utility that can assist you with updating your drivers, the DriverHandy tool. This utility automatically helps you update your drivers and is very user-friendly. Let's now see how to use it to update your drivers.

Download it and try it out according to the instructions below.

Step 1: Launch DriverHandy and click the blue button to scan your drivers.

Step 2. Locate the target driver and select Update.

Step 3: Scan the second hard drive and save the recovered data

Primarily for: Data protection on problematic hard disks that Windows doesn't recognize correctly.

If your second hard drive is a new device, you can skip this step and proceed to the next section to have your system detect the drive.

But if you have important data saved on the second hard drive, we highly recommend that you retrieve the saved data in advance. A professional data recovery tool like Data Recovery Wizard can scan your secondary hard drive thoroughly and locate all the saved data.

Remember to save the data to another secure device, preferably an external hard drive. Now you can proceed with the final step of fixing the problem on your device so that the disk becomes detectable and usable again.

Step 4: Check the status of the second hard drive in Disk Management and make it detectable

Applies to: Solving the issue where Windows 10 fails to detect the second hard drive due to logical errors like RAW, unallocated, or no media.

If the disk appears normal in BIOS and Device Manager but Windows isn't detecting or recognizing it correctly, one of these four issues is likely at fault:

• RAW Error
• Device not initialized or appears as Unallocated
• Second hard drive shows No Media

Launch “Disk Management” to check the display status of the second hard drive. Then, you can follow the correct fixes below to make your second hard drive show up.

# 1. Hard Drive Shows as RAW - Format RAW Drive to NTFS

The second hard drive is displayed as RAW.

If the hard drive shows Online but the partition shows RAW, you can format the partition to NTFS.

Step 1: Right-click on “My Computer”/”Computer” and select “Manage.”

Step 2: Click “Disk Management,” find the RAW partition of the unrecognized hard drive, right-click it, and choose “Format.”

Step 3: Choose NTFS as the file system for the partition, and click OK.

Format the SD card to NTFS using the built-in tool:

# 2. Hard Drive Shows Uninitialized + Unallocated

If your hard drive shows up as “Uninitialized” or “Unknown,” don't panic.

You can directly use the Windows partition manager software - Eassos Partition Master with the feature of “Initialize to MBR” or “Initialize to GPT” to make the hard drive show up now:

Step 1: Run AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer.

Step 2: Right-click the target disk and choose “Initialize as MBR” or “Initialize as GPT”.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard and enter the main interface.

Step 2: Right-click the target disk (HDD or SSD) and choose "Initialize as MBR" or "Initialize as GPT". Click "Perform Tasks" and "Apply" to save the changes.

0:00-0:18 Initialize as MBR; 0:19-0:44 Initialize as GPT;

If you want to create more partitions on the second hard drive, repeat the partition-creation process from steps 4 through 6.

After going through all these steps, you'll be able to use your second hard drive for data storage in Windows 10.

# 3. Hard Drive Shows "No Media" - Update Drivers, Send to Repair Center If your hard drive appears as "No Media" on your computer, it could indicate a problem with the driver or a hardware issue with the disk itself. Here are two possible solutions: 1. **Update the Driver:** - First, try updating the hard drive driver through Device Manager. Press `Win + X` and choose "Device Manager." - In Device Manager, locate the "Disk Drives" category and expand it. - Right-click on your hard drive and select "Update Driver Software." - Choose "Search automatically for updated driver software" to let Windows search online and install the latest driver. - If Windows can't find an update, visit the manufacturer's official website to download and manually install the most recent driver. 2. **Send to a Repair Center:** - If updating the driver doesn't help, there might be physical damage to the hard drive or a more severe issue. In this case, avoid attempting self-repairs to prevent further damage. - Take the hard drive to a professional repair center, where technicians can diagnose and fix the problem. They might need to replace faulty components or use specialized tools to recover data. Remember to back up all important data before dealing with hard drive issues to protect against potential data loss.

If Disk Management shows your second hard drive as “No Media,” you have two options:

1. Go back to Step 2 and update the device drivers. 2. Remove the hard drive from your computer and take it to a local repair center for fixing.

Summary

On this page, we demonstrate the entire process of how to check and fix a hard disk not detected issue in Windows 10. These methods can be applied to resolve problems where your Windows operating system fails to detect or recognize a hard drive or secondary HDD.

Usually, Windows 10 not detecting a hard drive can be due to driver issues, connection problems, or incorrect BIOS settings. Connection issues might stem from a faulty USB port or cable that could be outdated. Incorrect BIOS settings imply that the new hard drive is disabled in the BIOS.

To make your hard drive or secondary hard drive detect, you can follow these hints:

Ensure the hard drive is properly connected to your computer via power cables and an SATA cable. Make sure the second hard drive is enabled or turned on in the BIOS settings. Regularly update the hard drive's drivers, especially when installing a new drive on a Windows computer. Partition or format the hard drive using a recognized or supported file system, such as NTFS.