It is important to create a backup for your important files. While there’s the option of storing information on the cloud, people continue to use external drives to back up their files and folders. External hard disks are portable, and they’re user-friendly. You can plug them in, and they will appear on your computer. Then, you can drag and drop the files you need. But what do you do when your external drive is malfunctioning? It can turn your world upside down.
The nightmarish external drive problems that can take away your good night’s sleep are briefly described below. You will also find a few quick fixes, so you don’t need to panic immediately.
The External Drive Won’t Show Up
So, you have plugged in your external drive to your computer, but it isn’t showing up? You might have a problem if your device doesn’t recognize the external disk. Here are some troubleshooting tips if you wonder how to find external hard drive on Mac or Windows.
- Try plugging in the external disk on a different USB port. The port you’ve plugged it in may be faulty. When you have plugged it into a new USB port, ensure to restart your system. Rebooting your system will refresh all the ports if they have been acting up.
- Using a Windows computer, you can try updating the drivers. If your device has run into driver issues, it can render a device unrecognizable.
- If you have been plugging your drive into a USB hub, you can try to connect it to the USB port directly. Also, check if the USB hub comes with an external power port. There are a few hubs that require an extra boost of energy to power external disks.
- You can connect your external hard drive to a different computer if nothing works. Since Mac and Windows have compatibility issues with specific types of drive format, you might find your disk working with Windows if it isn’t working on your Mac and vice versa.
Data Loss Due to Drive Failure
Some common types of hard drive failure include software data loss, beeping or clicking noises, the hard drive not spinning, the drive being inaccessible, or malware infection. Data corruption is also one of the biggest nightmares if the disk contains important files.
However, you don’t need to get paranoid if you have encountered data loss due to hard drive failure or any other reason. There are some simple troubleshooting tips to get you back on track. You can be reunited with your files in the following ways.
- Make use of a hard drive data recovery software
When it comes to recovery data, using data recovery software is one of the safest options. One of the best data recovery tools is Disk Drill. The tool works seamlessly on Windows and Mac systems. The tool has an intuitive, user-friendly interface, and even inexperienced users can get the hang of it without fuss.
When you’re using this tool, you need to first install it on your system and ensure to install it on a different hard drive than the one you wish to recover. Then, open Disk Drill and run a thorough scan by clicking the Search for Lost Data option. You have to select the lost files and click the Recovery button. Choose a specific Recovery Destination, and in a matter of minutes, you will see your files in your chosen destination.
- Try manual recovery fixes
Another option to recover lost data is to try manual recovery fixes. If the data loss has been caused due to file system corruption, this hack works.
If you are a Windows user, your computer comes equipped with CHKDSK. It is a utility whose purpose is to verify the integrity of the file system and attempt to resolve logical file system errors. While this utility does not have a graphical UI, it is simple. You must type cmd on the taskbar’s search box and choose the Run as Administrator option. Then, you have to enter chkdsk X: /f (where X will be replaced with the letter you assigned your external disk drive) and wait for the utility to finish the process.
Mac users don’t have access to CHKDSK. You can use the First Aid feature in Disk Utility. Thanks to this feature, you can quickly diagnose and resolve storage devices that are not responding or functioning properly. It is a user-friendly interface, and you don’t have to go through the learning curve. Head to Finder > click Application > click Utilities > Launch Disk Utility. Then, you must choose the drive you wish to repair and click on the First Aid button.
The Bottom Line
An unresponsive or corrupt external disk can send your productivity to a toss. But if you keep the above fixes in mind, you can remain calm and salvage the situation. If these don’t work, reach out to a technician.
