How to Recover Data from A Hard Disk That's Not Detected
It's a common problem among Windows, macOS and Linus users that a hard disk cannot be detected by the computer. This is a very frustrating situation where you can't access your hard disk, then how can you recover data from the undetected hard disk? If the data can be recovered from the hard disk which is not detected, how can you do that? In this article, we'll tell you the several reasons that cause the hard disk can't be detected. Afterward, we'll guide you to recover data from the undetected hard disk.
Part 1: Why Hard Disk Can't be Detected?
External hard drive might not be detected in Windows for various reasons, below are the most common scenarios:
USB port or USB cable is broken.
The hard disk doesn't have a drive letter or the drive letter conflicts with other disks.
The file system of your hard disk is not compatible with the operating system.
The hard disk has a partition issue.
Once your hard disk doesn't show up in your computer, you should first check the USB port and the USB cable. In some cases, the problem can be fixed after changing a USB port or cable. Then you can recover data from it easily. For the latter 3 causes, the hard disk will only show up in the Disk Management, but not in the File Explorer. In these circumstances, you can only recover data from the hard disk by using a data recovery program.
Part 2: How to Recover Data from Hard Disk That's Not Detected
If the file system of your hard disk is not supported by the operating system, your hard disk will be considered as a RAW disk or RAW drive. The only fix is to format your hard disk to a compatible file system, but you'll lose all your important data. And if there is a partition issue on your hard disk, the disk will be marked as unallocated.
Can data be recovered from a RAW disk or an unallocated partition? The answer is definitely yes! AnyRecover is a powerful data recovery program that can recover data from a hard disk, which is not detected by the computer, including external hard disk and internal hard disk.
Key Features of AnyRecover:
Recover data from a hard disk that's not detected due to RAW file system, lost partition, corrupted disk, etc.
No program can ensure a 100% recovery rate. Based on the all-round scan and deep scan, AnyRecover ensures a 98% success rate.
The program can recover more than 1000 file types, including documents, photos, videos, emails, etc.
You can selectively preview and recover the data. What's important, you can recover 3 files with the free trial.
3 Steps to Recover Data from Undetected Dard Disk:
Step 1: Launch AnyRecover, then select a location you want to recover data from. If the undetected issue is caused by RAW file system, you can find your hard disk under "External Removable Devices"; otherwise, you'll find the lost or unallocated partition under "I can't find my partitions".
Step 2: Click "Start", then the scanning process will begin. Once done, all files will be listed out in respective folders and file types.
Step 3: Preview the files that scanned out by the software. Then choose your lost files and click the "Recover".
AnyRecover is a popular program that has been used and trusted by millions of users. The longer you wait, the low the chance of recovery! Don't hesitate to use AnyRecover now.
Bonus Tips on How to Fix Hard Disk That's Not Detected on Windows Computer
If your hard drive cannot be detected and you've tried to connect the external hard drive to another USB port or another computer but the issue persists, then you have to check the following solutions.
Tip1: Change or Assign a Drive Letter
There could be a circumstance where your hard disk doesn't have a drive letter or the drive letter conflicts with other local hard disk. If that's the case, the hard disk won't be detected or recognized by the computer. So, it won't dispaly in the File Explorer. Here is how to fix this issue:
Step 1: Right click on the Windows button.
Step 2: Select "Disk Management" and click to open it.
Step 3: Find your hard disk and right click on it. Select "Change Drive Letter and Paths...".
Step 4: Click "Add" if there is no drive letter on your hard disk, or click "Change" to set another drive letter for your hard disk.
Step 5: Once done, click "OK".
Tip 2: Reformat Hard Disk
The most popular file system on Windows operating system is NTFS. However, the file system of most external hard disk is exFAT or FAT32. In order to use those external hard disks on Windows computers, you need to reformat the hard disk with compatible file system.
Here's how to do it:
Step 1: Open Disk Management.
Step 2: Locate your hard disk and right click on it. Choose "Format" from the list.
Step 3: Click "OK" to perform the process once you finished choosing a file system.
NOTE: All your data will be lost forever. However, AnyRecover can help you recover the deleted data after formatting as long as the data hasn't been overwritten. Since AnyRecover is free to scan data and preview data, you can download the program to check whether it works or not.
Tip 3: Create a New Volume to the Unallocated Partition
Why is your hard disk unallocated? The issue can be caused by improper operations, virus attack, outdated disk driver and etc. This problem can be manually fix.
Check the simple steps here:
Step 1: Open Disk Management.
Step 2: Right click on the unallocated partition. Choose "New Simple Volume" from the options.
Step 3: The New Simple Volume wizard will pop up. Click "Next" to continue.
Step 4: Set a volume size and click "Next".
Step 5: Assign a drive letter to the partition. Please make sure that the new drive letter doesn't conflict with the current hard disks.
Step 6: Here, you can choose to format this volume or not.
Step 7: Once done, click "Finish" to close the wizard.
