Fix: Unknown Hard Disk/SSD Device in Device Manager on Windows 10/8/7

On this page, you'll learn 4 effective ways to fix Unknown Device, as well as a powerful hard drive recovery tool to retrieve inaccessible data.

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Why is my hard drive showing up as an unknown device?

"What is an Unknown Device?" An Unknown Device refers to a device listed in the Windows Device Manager when Windows is unable to identify it or lacks the appropriate driver to recognize the device.

Literally, the "Unknown Device" HDD/SSD/USB in Device Manager is displayed as "Unknown Disk, Uninitialized" in Disk Management. When a storage device is recognized by Windows in this way, sorry to say, it's unreadable and inaccessible, making all the data unavailable.

"Unknown device" is an issue that many users commonly encounter. This problem could be caused by several factors, including:

• Insufficient power due to the USB selective suspend setting being enabled.
• A driver issue related to the currently loaded internal/external drive, USB controller, or motherboard.

In fact, “Unknown Device” is a fairly common error that most of us encounter once or twice, so you're not alone. Regardless if it's an internal hard disk drive, HDD, SSD, or an external USB flash drive, following the troubleshooting tips should help you resolve the issue.

Solution 1: Disable USB Selective Suspend Setting to Fix Unknown Device Issue

On Windows 10/8.1/8/7, press the Windows and R keys at the same time to open the "Run" box. Type control and press Enter. This will open the Control Panel.

Step 2: Click on Power Options.

Step 3: Click “Change plan settings” on your power plan.

Step 4: Click on “Change advanced power settings.”

5. Expand 'USB Settings' and then 'USB Selective Suspend Setting'. Click on 'Settings' and change the default 'Enabled' to 'Disabled'.

Step 6: Click “Apply” to save the changes.

Solution 2: Uninstall and update the hard drive driver

Step 1: In Device Manager, find the hard drive listed as “Unknown Device” (usually under “Other devices”).

Step 2: Right-click on it and select "Uninstall."

Step 3: After removing the hard drive, disconnect the external drive.

Step 4: Wait a bit, then plug it back into your computer.

Step 5: Windows should automatically install and load the driver this time. Check File Explorer to see if the USB drive appears.

Fix 3: Reinstall the USB controller

Step 1: In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Step 2: Right-click on the unknown USB device and select “Uninstall.” Wait for the process to complete.

Step 3. Restart your computer. The USB controller will install automatically. Check that your USB drive appears in File Explorer.

Fix 4: Update the motherboard chipset driver

Step 1: Check your computer's documentation to find out who the motherboard manufacturer is. You'll need to search for compatible drivers.

Step 2: Visit the manufacturer's support website and download the drivers for your specific motherboard. You can also contact their tech support for further assistance.

How to Recover Data from an HDD/SSD/USB Drive from an Unknown Device

To recover data from an unknown device, you have two options. One is to fix the unknown device so that Windows can read it again, as described above. The other is to send your hard drive to a local data recovery company, where professionals can attempt manual hard drive data recovery.

To recover data from your hard drive, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard tool. It's a reliable, powerful, and user-friendly data recovery software that's definitely worth a try. The software is popular due to its:

• Recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin, as well as HDD, SSD, USB, flash drives, SD cards, external hard drives, and more
• Restore over 1,000 types of files, including photos, videos, documents, emails, and more
• Repair corrupted files while recovering data on Windows 11/10/8/7

When you are unable to access your local hard disk or external USB drive, run the software immediately to scan and display all the disk data. The general steps are as follows:

Step 1: Scan the SSD

Launch tools Data Recovery Wizard, select the SSD where you lost data, and click "Scan" to proceed.

Second step: Check the results

Once the scan is over, check the “Deleted Files” and “Other Lost Files” folders and use the “Filter” and “Search” options to recover lost SSD data.

Step 3: Recover Files from SSD

Select the data you need and click the “Recover” button to get back your lost SSD files.