Why is my WD (Western Digital) external hard drive not showing up? How can I fix my WD external hard drive and recover all data back?
The WD external hard drive is a very convenient tool for storing data to save documents, music, videos, and boot files of the operating system. But at times, everything does not go according to plan. When trying to connect, errors occur, the media is not recognized on the computer.
An unrecognized WD external hard drive is another issue that many users experience on their computers. It means you fail to access the drive to manage your data on the device. Generally, Western Digital hard drive recovery either requires DIY techniques or professional assistance.
If Windows does not recognize your external hard drive, there could be a variety of reasons. In most cases, they are easy to diagnose and fix in order to use the drive without problems. However, defects in the hardware itself can also prevent you from accessing an external storage device.
This write-up will explain to you reasons and some quick fixes to solve unrecognized WD hard drive issues. So, let’s have a look!
Table of Content
Ways to Fix Unrecognized Hard Drive on the Computer
- Check the WD Hard Drive Connectors
- View your Hard Drive in Disk Management
- Format a WD External Hard Drive
- Clean Up the Virus that Blocks WD External Hard Drive
- Turn USB Root Hub On
- Check the File System of the Disk with Data Recovery Software
Wrapping Up!
Ways to Fix Unrecognized Hard Drive on the Computer
Check the WD Hard Drive Connectors
If your computer doesn’t display a WD external hard drive at all, check if it’s properly connected to the correct USB port and receiving enough power. Most external hard drives have a different USB interface. It means that they must be connected to the corresponding port on the computer.
However, you cannot seriously harm the equipment by connecting it to the wrong port. It should be compatible with your WD external hard drive. Maybe your hard drive will also be recognized when connected to an older standard port but will run significantly slower. If the drive doesn’t work at all, the port may be faulty.
Often a simple switch to a different USB slot helps to locate the hard drive. Restarting your computer can also fix the error. If possible, try connecting a different wire. There are USB cables that are for charging only and don’t allow data transfer.
Disconnecting USB devices that you are not currently using can also help to free up the necessary USB resources on the system. It is because each USB controller can work with a limited number of devices. Depending on the hard drive, it may turn out that it must be not only connected to the computer via USB but also through the power adapter to the mains.
In this case, make sure you are using the correct power supply, and it properly provides the power to the hard drive.
View your Hard Drive in Disk Management
If your WD external hard drive is no longer recognized, it’s worth checking if Windows sees your external storage in Disk Management.
- Open “Windows Disk Management” by searching for “Disk Management”, and click on the search result “Create and format hard disk partitions”.
- After you open this menu, you’ll see an overview of all connected drives and corresponding partitions on your computer. If Windows successfully recognized your external hard drive, it’ll appear in the list. It’s usually listed as removable media.
- Try to identify the drive you are looking for using the size information displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Format a WD External Hard Drive
If the previous step didn’t give the desired result, you need to format the hard drive correctly for your operating system. However, remember that this will erase all data on the drive.
- Click “Disk Management” and tab on the “Format” command.
- Enter a name for your hard drive and select the appropriate file system. In most cases, you can leave the “Perform Quick Format” option active.
- Wait until the process is complete. After that, you will have access to the external hard drive again.
Clean Up the Virus that Blocks WD External Hard Drive
One of the most common reasons for an unrecognized hard drive is a virus and malware attack. Such symptoms don’t provide the access to saved data or deny access to open the drive on the PC. Therefore, it’s advisable to use anti-virus software or CMD to remove the virus or malware on your WD external hard drive.
Turn USB Root Hub On
Here are the following steps:
- Tab on the Start>Type: devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
- Go to Device Manager>Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Right-click USB Root Hub>Click Properties>Power Management.
- Disable “Allow” to turn off this device to save power.
Turn on all USB Root Hubs in the list and reboot the PC, and you need to repeat the process. Now, whether your computer is showing the hard drive on your PC or not.
Check the File System of the Disk with Data Recovery Software
The file system on the WD external hard drive may be damaged. Users can check and repair corrupted system files using any reliable data recovery software. So, download the software from the official website to buy the software. Many IT support companies have their official apps and data recovery software. So, choose one according to your needs.
After installing the software, connect the hard drive to your desktop. Open Data recovery software and right-click the hard drive to select check File System. It’ll open all the file systems. Now, click the “Start” button to check whether the files are available or not.
Wrapping Up!
WD is an ordinary hard drive inside a beautiful box that connects to a computer via USB. They’re larger in volume than flash drives. Therefore they’re actively used for storing and transferring large amounts of information.
The article contains some quick fixes that will resolve the unrecognized problem. However, if none of the above solutions fixes the WD hard drive issue when it’s not detected, the drive may need repair.
There are numerous hard drive recovery and repair stores equipped with reliable professionals. These experts have the appropriate tools and equipment to troubleshoot the issues regarding computers, laptops, external storage devices, mobile phones, and others.
