If you're having problems with your hard drive not being detected by your PC, there are a few things that you can try to fix this issue.
Your internal hard drive is where the OS is stored and if it's not detected, there's no way your PC will boot up. In other words, your PC will be absolutely useless if the hard drive is not recognised.
Don't panic, though. For those users who are unable to boot into OS because of an undetected, we’ve got some tips.
In this article, we would like to reveal a few simple steps that you can take to fix the hard drive (both internal and external) not detected issue. Sounds good? Let's dive in...
How To Fix Internal Hard Drive Not Detected Issue
The internal hard drive not detected issue can be a real in the neck. There are many reasons a system BIOS will not detect the presence of your internal hard drive. Some of the common ones are: faulty or unplugged data cable, drive not enabled in the BIOS, faulty hard drive and so on.
If you're experiencing this problem, here are some tips to get your internal hard drive working again:
- The first thing that you need to do is check your BIOS settings. Enter the BIOS and see if the hard drive is turned On in System Setup. If not, turn it on and restart the PC. Your computer will work fine again!
- Make sure the hard drive is spinning. If the drive is not receiving power or receiving an incorrect level of power, it will not spin up, and hence, it won't be detected by the BIOS. If you do not hear or feel the hard drive spinning, you need to seek professional help.
- If the hard drive is enabled and it's indeed spinning, inspect the SATA port for bent or broken pins. In case you find any, try to straighten them out yourself or request professional help. This should solve the problem.
- Finally, make sure the SATA cable is tightly connected to the SATA port on the motherboard. You can also try another SATA cable to see if the actual one is broken or damaged.
If the hard drive is still not properly detected after completing the checks and procedures above, it is likely that your hard drive has failed. In this case, you need to replace it with a new hard drive. You can buy a new 2TB hard drive from Amazon for under $50.
- Read More: How To Pick The Best Hard Drive For Your PC
How To Fix External Hard Drive Not Detected Issue Windows
When using your PC, you sometimes need to add an external hard drive to it. And, while this is usually a fairly straightforward task, there are times when you’ll encounter issues. One of the most common issues is that the hard drive will not be detected by Windows.
If you’re experiencing an issue with your external hard drive not being detected, then here are some tips to help you get it working again.
- First, make sure your external drive turns on. Check for signs of activity, like flashing lights or the hum of the drive spinning up. If you don’t see any signs of life, then use a different power cable and try again.
- Try another USB port and see if it's working. A faulty USB port could be the culprit.
- Next, check if the hard drive is listed in the Disk Management window, even if it doesn't appear in the This PC window. If you do see the drive here, you'll need to partition and/or format your drive properly to fix the issue.
- If your external drive is not showing up in Disk Management, it is possible that Windows may have a driver problem with your device. Go to Device Manager > Disk drives and see if you can find your drive there. If you do, update the drive and it should fix the problem.
In case, none of the above troubleshooting tips works for you, then it is likely that your hard drive is dead. If that's the case, you might want to consider getting a new external drive. You can get a new 2TB hard drive from Amazon for under $50.