Resolving the "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk" Issue Without Losing Data

Error message - Please insert the disk into the USB drive.

Removable disks, such as USB flash drives, memory cards, or pen drives, sometimes fail to work correctly on Windows operating systems or Mac OS X, displaying error messages that prevent users from using the drive and accessing the data. A common error when using a USB drive on Windows 10/8/7 is "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk G: (or any other drive letter)."

Please insert the disk into a removable disk drive.

What happens when you encounter the "Please insert a disk into removable disk" error?

< li > Upon double-clicking the USB drive letter to open it, Windows displays an error message: "Please insert a disk into the removable disk."< /li > < li > When checking the USB drive properties, the Used Space and Available Space both show as 0 bytes.< /li > < li > In Disk Management, the USB drive status displays as "No Media."< /li > < li > Formatting the USB drive fails with an error: "Windows was unable to complete the format."< /li >

The reason is that…

If you receive the message "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk (Drive letter)" when attempting to access the device, it might be because:

• Poor connection with your removable device
• Your USB drive is not recognized by your computer
• Device inaccessible

These issues could be due to hardware problems or physical damage to the USB drive. If you're unsure about the specific cause of the error, we recommend trying the solutions provided.

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Most of the time, when you receive the “Please insert a disk into Removable Disk” message, you might see your USB drive show up as “No Media” in Disk Management. This indicates a physical issue with your device. To help you get your USB drive back on track, we'll detail all possible solutions to the “Please insert a disk into Removable Disk” problem.

Method 1: Change the USB Device Connection

Normally, you would connect your USB device through the front USB ports on your computer case. Technically, there is no difference between front and rear USB ports. However, since front USB ports are connected to the motherboard with cables, while the rear ones are soldered directly onto the board, the back ports tend to be more stable. Try connecting your USB device to a rear USB port and see if the problem persists.

Aside from ruling out connection issues, you can also try using a different USB cable for testing.

Method 2: Assign a New Drive Letter to the USB Drive

If the letter of your USB drive is in conflict with the letter of a partition on your computer, you might receive the "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk" error. If you're sure this is the case, you can manually assign a new drive letter to your USB drive with the following steps.

Step 1: Log in to your system with an administrator account, or with another account that has administrative privileges.

Step 2. Press "Windows + X" and select "Disk Management."

Step 3. Right-click the partition with the removable drive and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths" from the Disk Management context menu.

Step 4. Change the drive letter to any unused drive letter in Windows.

Please insert the disk into the USB drive - Change Drive Letter

Method 3: Scan for Hardware Changes

The "Scan for hardware changes" feature is used to check and load any changes you've made to your hardware. In some cases, running this also helps resolve the "Please insert a disk into removable disk (your USB drive)" error.

Step 1: Go to This PC > Manage > Device Manager.

Step 2. Right-click on your USB drive and select "Scan for hardware changes."

Step 3. Check if the hard drive is functioning correctly.

Please insert the disk into the removable disk - Detecting hardware changes

Method 4: Update the Drivers

If your device is having issues, you should consider updating its driver. A driver is a program that allows your computer to interact with a hardware device. To update a driver:

Step 1: Click on "This PC" > "Manage" > "Device Manager."

Step 2: Right-click on your USB drive and select "Update."

Step 3: Check if the hard drive is working properly.

Please insert the disk in the removable disk - Update driver

Method 5: Repair the Hard Drive by Formatting

Note: Formatting will delete all files on the storage device. If your USB drive contains important files, exercise caution.

You can also format the disk and fix the “Please insert a disk into removable disk” error on your Windows 10/8/7 PC by following the steps below. The effectiveness of this tip will vary depending on your situation.

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC/My Computer" and select "Manage" and then "Disk Management".

2. Right-click the hard drive, USB/SD card > Format Volume > Reset File System (NTFS/FAT32), and then rename the device.

Click “Finish” to fix the “Please insert a disk into removable disk” error on the device.

Method 6: Repair the USB Drive

Some USB device manufacturers provide proprietary repair tools for their products. If your USB device has a available repair tool, you can download and run these utilities to check and fix errors on the device. Some repair tools fix errors by restoring the USB drive to its factory settings, which means that data on the device will be deleted. Therefore, if the problematic device contains important files, we don't recommend attempting this method. Alternatively, you can try to recover data from the inaccessible hard drive first, before attempting any repairs.

After such efforts, you will likely face one of three scenarios:

• The USB drive shows up in Disk Management as it should, and you can use it as usual.
• The USB drive no longer shows up as "No Media" in Disk Management. Instead, the USB drive appears as "RAW", or Disk Management recognizes the device but still can't access it.
• Your USB drive status remains as "No Media."

If you're in the first situation, you can now rest easy because you have successfully resolved the “Please insert a disk into Removable Disk” issue. If you're in the second scenario, you should take comfort in the fact that your data can be retrieved with the help of third-party software mentioned below. However, if you're in the third scenario, your removable device might have suffered some physical damage. In this case, we highly recommend sending your USB drive for manual repair.

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• Fix disks that have become GPT protected partitions

How to Recover Data from an Unreachable USB Drive

After attempting to resolve the “Please insert a disk into Removable Disk” error, your disk might become “half-alive.” This means that it's not fully fixed, but is in much better shape than its original “No Media” state. If you check the USB drive in Disk Management and see the disk listed as RAW or something else that indicates the USB drive can be recognized, you can recover files from an inaccessible USB drive.

To recover data from RAW or inaccessible USB drive, you can use data recovery software – tools Data Recovery Wizard.

With Tool Data Recovery Software you can:

• Recover deleted files, as well as restore formatted, lost, and damaged data
• Retrieve files from RAW, inaccessible, or virus-infected devices, including HDD, SSD, external hard drives, USB, memory cards, and more
• Repair corrupted files, especially after data recovery, for various file types such as images, videos, and documents

Moreover, it's 100% secure, virus-free, and plugin-free. Now, follow the video tutorial and the step-by-step guide below to recover data from an inaccessible USB drive:

Step 1: Run the USB Data Recovery software.

Connect your USB drive or pen drive to the computer, and then launch the USB Data Recovery tool on the PC. Select the drive labeled “External Drive,” and then click “Scan” to begin searching for lost files.

Select the USB/flash drive to scan for and recover lost files:

Step 2: Scan and search for lost files on USB drive

The Data Recovery Wizard will thoroughly scan your USB flash drive/pen drive and locate all lost data. After the scanning is done, use the Filter feature to locate the files you need.

Step 3: Recover all lost files from USB Device

Double-click a file to preview it. Select the target files you want to recover, then click "Recover" to save them to a secure location on your computer or another external storage device.

After the data recovery, switch back to the new USB drive, and then send the device in for manual service.

Bottom line

If the above three methods fail to resolve the 'Please insert a disk into USB drive' issue, there's a high possibility that your USB drive is suffering from hardware damage, which no method here can fix. In this case, you should send the device for manual repair.

"Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about 'Please insert a disk into the USB drive'"

You might have already solved the “Please insert a disk into Removable Disk” error. You can also browse questions and answers for more help.

How do I fix the "Please insert Disk 1" issue?

Try the following solutions to fix the "Please insert a disk into the USB drive" issue:

1. Solution 1: Try a different USB port
2. Solution 2: Assign a new drive letter
3. Solution 3: Scan for hardware changes
4. Solution 4: Update the driver

How to fix the “There is no disk in the drive” error?

There are at least 7 ways to fix the “there is no disk in the drive” error:

• Solution 1: Unplug and Replug the Drive
• Solution 2: Change the Drive Letter
• Solution 3: Disable the Drive
• Solution 4: Update Device Drivers
• Solution 5: Format the Drive
• Solution 6: Edit the Registry
• Solution 7: Check Disk Errors

How to fix the issue of USB drive not showing up in Disk Management?

You can try the following methods to resolve the issue of a USB device not showing up in Windows 10:

• Restart your computer and plug the flash drive back in. • Look for the disk in your operating system's disk management tool. • Test the flash drive and USB port. • Check if the flash drive uses a file system format readable by your operating system.