Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working/Showing Up [11 Solutions]

Toshiba Hard Drive Not Working Overview

"Hello, do you know how to make an external hard drive appear on a PC when it's not being detected? I have a 1TB Toshiba external hard drive with almost 500GB of data stored on it. It suddenly vanished from my PC, yet the drive's light is still illuminated. What could be the issue with my drive? Do you have any idea how to resolve this problem?"

An external hard drive not showing up or being detected is merely one of the numerous issues indicating that your Toshiba external hard drive is not functioning properly. To promptly resolve your device's problem, you should pinpoint the exact issue by following the steps below before attempting the solutions for "Toshiba external hard drive not working".

Step 1. Connect your Toshiba hard disk to your computer using the Toshiba cable.

Step 2. Navigate to "This PC" > "Manage" > "Disk Management".

Then you will find yourself in one of the following scenarios:

• The Toshiba disk appears in both Disk Management and This PC but cannot be accessed.
• The external hard drive is not displaying its full capacity.
• The Toshiba external hard drive is not visible in Disk Management or in This PC.
• The Toshiba hard drive is shown in Disk Management but not in This PC.
• The Toshiba external hard drive's light is blinking but it is not functioning properly.

When your Toshiba hard drive is malfunctioning, you might encounter one of the scenarios outlined above. Recognize your specific issue and proceed to explore the potential causes and solutions to rectify your Toshiba hard drive.

Fix 1. How to Resolve Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working Issue [Detected but Inaccessible]

You might encounter situations where your Toshiba external hard drive appears as "Not Initialized" or "No Media" in Disk Management, the file system shows as RAW, or the partition on it is missing (displaying as unallocated space). All these issues render your device inaccessible. To resolve the problem of a non-functional Toshiba external hard drive, you can:

Method 1: Recover Data from Toshiba External Hard Drive and Format It

If your Toshiba disk partition is in RAW format, don't panic. You can utilize the Data Recovery Wizard tool to retrieve data from the inaccessible disk and then format the device to assign a new file system, thus making it functional again. If you're interested in learning how to recover a Toshiba external hard drive, you can download this software now. We'll provide a detailed tutorial later.

Follow these steps to perform RAW drive recovery using the recovery tool:

Step 1. Use the right USB cable to connect your external hard drive to your computer. Run tools Data Recovery Wizard and you'll see your external disk listed under External Devices. This software supports all popular external hard drive brands, including WD, Seagate, Toshiba, LaCie, SanDisk, Samsung, etc.

Select the external hard drive and then click the "Scan" button.

Step 2. As soon as the scanning process begins, the software will find more and more lost and deleted data, which will be displayed in the scan results. The recovered data will be neatly organized. You can quickly locate the target files or folders by file type or by searching the search box with the exact file name.

Step 3. Preview the files found by Data Recovery Wizard's scanning algorithms. Next, select the files and click "Recover". To prevent overwriting data, it's recommended to save the recovered data on a different drive than the original Seagate drive.

别忘了向更多的东芝用户推荐Data Recovery Wizard工具！

To format your Toshiba hard drive:

Step 1. Open "This PC", right-click on your RAW drive or RAW disk, and select "Format".

Step 2. Choose a file system (NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT) based on your requirements and click "Start".

Step 3. In the Warning window, click "OK" to begin formatting your storage device.

Method 2: Recover Data from the Toshiba Drive and Create a Partition

Before delving into more written tutorials, you can watch the following video to learn how to fix a corrupted Toshiba external hard drive on your local computer:

 

Your Toshiba hard drive might appear as unallocated space due to a lost partition. In this situation, you can also utilize data recovery software to retrieve data from your Toshiba external hard drive and subsequently create new partitions to make it functional. As the process of data recovery has already been elaborated on, here we will focus on demonstrating how to create new partitions on your disk only.

Step 1. Right-click "This PC", and select "Manage" > "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click on the unallocated space and select "New Simple Volume".

Step 3. Follow the wizard to complete the remaining steps.

Method 3: Send for Professional Data Recovery Services

If you're certain there's corruption on your Toshiba external hard drive, or if the disk still isn't functioning after attempting the above methods, it's recommended to send the Toshiba hard drive for data recovery services.

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• Wipe data, reformat hard drives, install/remove software or drivers, etc.

Fix 2. Files on Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Showing Up

If your Toshiba disk is not displaying any files, you can refer to the article on "pen drive not showing data" to make your files reappear.

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If you encounter a similar issue on your hard drive, you can try the solutions below directly.

How to Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows

Is your hard drive, whether new or old, internal or external, not appearing in File Explorer or Disk Management? Continue reading to learn how to get your hard drive to show up again in Windows 10/8/7 without data loss.

Fix 3: Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Showing Up in This PC and Disk Management

Depending on the possible reasons why your Toshiba external hard drive is not functioning, you have three approaches to attempt:

Method 1: Check the Hard Drive Connection

You can attempt various methods to inspect the connection between your Toshiba external hard drive and your computer:

Translate the following text into English: - Connect your Toshiba external hard drive to a different USB port on your computer, including those at the back. - Use the original cable to connect your hard drive. - Try using a different cable to connect your Toshiba hard disk. - Connect your Toshiba hard drive to another computer.

Method 2: Update the Toshiba External Hard Drive Driver

If the Toshiba hard drive still isn't functioning, attempt to update the device driver. An outdated or corrupted hard drive driver can lead to issues when using the device. As your PC doesn't recognize the hard drive, you can't update the driver through Device Manager. Visit the official Toshiba website, and download and install the latest driver by inputting your model number or the serial number of your disk.

We hope that you have successfully resolved the issue of the Toshiba hard disk not being detected. Sharing this page on social media could be beneficial for others facing a similar problem.

Fix 4: Toshiba External Hard Drive Shows Up In Disk Management But Not in This PC

A Toshiba external hard drive showing up in Device Manager but not in File Explorer might be due to a faulty device driver or a conflict with the drive letter assigned to your Toshiba drive and a partition on your computer. The solutions are straightforward:

方法1：更新东芝外置硬盘驱动程序

As your device is detectable, you can update the driver through the Device Manager.

Step 1. Connect the Toshiba external hard drive to your PC, right-click on "This PC" (in Windows 10), and select "Properties".

Step 2. Click on "Device Manager," then expand the category "Disk drives." Locate the problematic USB drive, right-click on it, and choose "Update driver."

Step 3. Click "Search automatically for updated driver software."

Step 4. Wait for the driver update to complete, then restart your computer. After that, attempt to reconnect your USB drive to your PC and see if it appears or not.

方法 2: 更改驱动器字母

Step 1. Go to "This PC", right-click on it, and select "Manage" > "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click the volume on your USB flash drive/external hard drive and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

Step 3. In the new window, click on "Change".

Step 4. Assign a new drive letter to your USB and click "OK".

Fix 5: Toshiba External Hard Drive Light Blinking But Not Working

This problem is not exclusive to Toshiba external hard drives; it can happen to external drives from various brands, such as Seagate, Samsung, and others. The solutions to address "Toshiba external hard drive not working" in this scenario are similar to dealing with "Seagate external hard drive light blinking but not working," regardless of the brand. To learn more about this issue, you can refer to the following article:

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Resolve Seagate External Hard Drive Light Flashing But Inoperable

This article presents 3 quick solutions and 3 efficient methods to assist you in fixing a non-functional Seagate external hard drive. Read more >>

Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working [Other Solutions]

Aside from the most common scenarios, there are other instances where your Toshiba external hard drive may not function correctly. Therefore, if the aforementioned methods fail to restore your device to its normal state, there are additional tips worth attempting.

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Fix 1: Check Power Management for USB Hub

1. Click on "Start," type: devmgmt.msc, and press Enter. 2. Open Device Manager and expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers." 3. Right-click on the USB Root Hub, and select Properties. 4. Go to the Power Management tab and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

如果这不管用，试试方法2。

Fix 2. Restart PC in Safe Mode

To thoroughly examine and pinpoint the issue, you can attempt to restart your PC in Safe Mode to check if the Toshiba external hard drive functions there. How to boot into Safe Mode:

Translate the following text into English:
• Go to Settings, and click on "Update & security."
• Tap on "Recovery," select Advanced Startup, and click "Restart now."
• The PC will automatically boot to the Startup Settings screen. Press F4 to initiate a PC restart in Safe Mode.
• Check if the Toshiba external hard drive can be detected.

If that's the case, don't worry. There are effective fixes and solutions available to resolve the issue of your Toshiba external hard drive not working right away.

Disk checking can effectively fix and repair various internal errors on your storage devices, including issues with the hard disk drive not functioning properly. You have two options to address this problem:

Solution 3: Fix Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working with Free Partition Manager

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Free, right-click the partition that you wish to check, and choose "Check File System".

Step 2. Click "Start" to proceed and allow the program to scan and fix any detected errors on the Toshiba external hard drive.

Step 3. Click Finish to complete the process.

Solution 4: Fix Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working by Running Command Prompt

• Press "Win + R" to open the Run dialog, then type cmd and press "Enter" to launch Command Prompt.
• Type chkdsk /f c: (replace "C" with the drive letter of your Toshiba external hard drive) and press "Enter" to initiate the disk checking process.
• Once the disk check is complete, type exit and press "Enter" to close the Command Prompt.

Then, check if it helps to fix your Toshiba external hard drive.

1. Click on Start and type devmgmt.msc, then press Enter to open Device Manager. 2. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers category, right-click each USB device listed, and choose "Uninstall."

接下来，检查是否有任何设备显示为未识别：

• ⭐If the Toshiba external hard drive is unrecognized, go to the driver's tab and remove/uninstall the driver. Then see if the external hard drive appears in My Computer/My PC.
• ⭐If it doesn't appear, restart or reboot the PC.
• ⭐If it appears but vanishes later, repeat the above steps and go to Disk Management. Change the drive letter of your Toshiba external hard drive, then reconnect it to the PC to allow detection again.

底线

When your Toshiba external hard drive fails to operate, determine the specific issue and then proceed with the corresponding solutions to resolve it, which is more efficient than attempting each tip individually. If none of these remedies address the "Toshiba hard drive not working" problem, besides opting for professional repair, you can also consider replacing it if it's still under warranty.

"Frequently Asked Questions: Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Functioning"

We have three frequently asked questions to assist you in gaining more information about the issue with the Toshiba external hard drive not functioning properly.

How do I fix my non-responsive Toshiba external hard drive?

There are three methods to resolve the issue of an external hard drive not responding on your computer.

1. Inspect and replace the external hard drive's connection cables.
2. Connect the hard drive to another computer to test the USB port's functionality.
3. Verify the power management settings for the USB hub.

What causes a Toshiba external hard drive to stop working?

The following scenarios can lead to a Toshiba external hard drive malfunctioning:

1. 1. Failure in physical connection between the Toshiba external hard drive and your computer.
2. 2. USB power management issue.
3. 3. The Toshiba external hard drive is not formatted properly.
4. 4. The drivers require an update.

Can I recover data from a Toshiba external hard drive?

You can retrieve data and erase files from a Toshiba external hard drive using the tool Data Recovery Wizard.

1. 1. Install and run this software on your PC.
2. 2. Connect your Toshiba external hard drive to your computer.
3. 3. Scan for the lost files on your Toshiba external hard drive.
4. 4. Recover the lost files on the Toshiba external hard drive.