External hard drive spins but not detected. Likely the drive has failed.

External hard drive spins but not detected Swapping between other SATA data cables and SATA power cables didn't change anything. Sep 30, 2024 · Is the hard drive spinning but not detected? To resolve this error, apply the 7 solutions. Any help will be appreciated I don't want to lose the data. Try a different USB cable. The main reason for hard spins but not detected issue is the physical Likely the drive has failed. (22 inches for My Passport drives made before 2007). Mar 4, 2024 · The most common causes for “hard drive not detected” errors include: Faulty data cable connections. Tries to spin but clicks. While it is possible that your external hard drive may have come with bundled software that may be incompatible with newer operating systems, this is typically just ‘back up’ software, and the drive is not dependent on that software to function. You could try connecting it to a desktop PC or another laptop to see if it's recognized (either directly or via a USB dock). There are several reasons why an external hard drive may not be accessible or detected when you connect it to your computer. Make sure that the USB (or FireWire) is no longer than 18 inche. It's not even showing any trace on disk management or in boot screen. I tried with an even older hard drive (a WD3200BEVT), same result. Cables longer than 18 inches may not power on the drive. Hard drives do not like high temperatures and humidity. Dec 13, 2022 · If your external hard drive is powered on and recognized by your computer but still not functioning, it may be a driver issue, though this is unlikely since Windows automatically uses and updates Dec 28, 2024 · Mostly, it is the HDD that causes the issue. Why Is External Hard Drive Not Detected and Beeping or Flashing? If your hard drive is not detected and is making beeping or flashing noises, this could indicate a problem with the hard drive itself or its connection to the computer. Hi, I just stumbled across this thread now and I'm also having issues with my drive, the difference being that there was no physical damage, the drive powers on and spins, and it is detected by both Device Manager and Disk Manager. It's still spinning up but no longer responding to the PC. Using a laptop, so I can't try to mount it directly to PC. Is not seen when connected to a USB port of a computer. A broken USB port might still send electrical signals to your device but not strong enough to make it work correctly and thus spin continually. Try to unplug the hard drive from whatever USB port you’ve connected it to and plug it into another one. If your drive was When I booted my computer today, it wouldn't progress past BIOS. Jan 20, 2025 · The most common reasons why Windows 11 may not recognize your external hard drive are: Driver issues – Outdated drivers or failure to install a driver when using a new external hard drive. I tried both Windows and Mac but to no avail. ; If you receive a warning message, click the Yes button. Six methods can be used to mend the problematic hard drive. Dec 8, 2022 · The instructions included in this guide are designed to assist in troubleshooting and resolving issues related to drives not being recognized by a computer. 0 with my hard drive. A different external HDD shows up on all four ports. Also, another hard drive was tested and it works on my PC somehow. Resolution USB Cables. To avoid an issue like hard drive spins but not detected, we need to take care of some factors, which are as follow: Do not leave your external hard drive in a humid or hot environment. Here are a few possible causes: 1. Dec 15, 2023 · The hard drive is spinning but not detected. The drive does not show up in disk management, device management, or BIOS. Learn the difference, and similarities, between common hard disk not detected errors, messages, and symptoms of an unrecognized hard drives not showing up: “hard drive not spinning” “usb external hard drive not showing up” “external hard disk not detected” “hard drive not showing up in bios” “hard drive not in disk management” Jan 22, 2025 · Several reasons will cause this problem, such as partition issues on an external hard drive, the wrong file system of an external hard drive, dead USB ports, and driver issues on Windows. Jan 1, 2022 · Okay so somehow I managed to get another computer, and that actually worked properly on USB 3. Here's what's going on: - Beeping sound repeatedly - Hard drive still spinning when plugged - Data can't be accessed OK, if the drive is still spinning that's a good sign. Mar 28, 2014 · First of all, let me say that I've read all possible threads on this topic but I was not able to find one that describes my exact problem. This is the most frequent issue, so it’s the first thing to check: Your hard drive may be receiving power, but its SATA connection (or IDE connection, for older hard drives) may be loose. Nov 29, 2024 · How to Fix a Spinning Hard Drive That Is Not Detected. I opened the case and found that HDD was not spinning. Jul 6, 2021 · Hi, 3 days back my PC suddenly went to BIOS and I noticed that my Western Digital 1TB 7200 RPM (WD10EZEX) Hard drive was not detected. When you find your hard drive spinning but not detected, you should check the hard drive adapter first. I dropped my 1TB WD Elements external hard drive on the ground and now it does not work. You’ve probably been there before: you plug in your external hard drive, expecting it to pop up on your computer screen ready for use, only to find it undetected. It suddenly stopped getting detected in the computer. But it is showing in System Information. If there is data loss on the hard drive after it works, you can use the freeware - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to If your external hard drive is not spinning on startup, it may be related to a faulty USB port and not necessarily due to the hard drive’s PCB components. When you encounter this problem, you can try to re-plug your external hard drive to see whether it shows up first. There is no additional software required for a Western Digital drive to function as storage devices. Avoid physical shock and impact. When we connect a hard drive to a computer, it usually displays a spinning icon or is spinning but is not detected by the computer. Yesterday, I shaked Apr 18, 2020 · My Seagate 2tb hard drive suddenly stopped working, the motor is working but the led is not blinking. Thank you for your help, I Aug 20, 2018 · The WD External Drive does not spin up. ; Immediately after assigning the new letter the external drive should appear in File Explorer. The drive should be automatically recognized and mounted by the computer's operating system. Jan 16, 2025 · A hard drive, be it internal or external, may fail to spin up due to several reasons, generally a mechanical or electrical failure. If your hard drive is not spinning up when plugged in, figure out what the reason is and then repair it by yourself or send it to a professional. A few weeks ago I did swap out the cable and it did work but I did not think to back it up in case it was actually damaged or on its way out. File system incompatibility – Windows may not recognize external hard drives formatted with a file system that it doesn’t support. Apr 12, 2013 · The motor is working but the hard drive is not detected in any computer or laptop. I have tried changing the SATA ports and cables and even tried connecting it through external SATA port but I have been unsuccessful. The only problem is my PC and my hard drive combo. Users report that their hard drives are spinning but not being detected. It's got a notorious bug related to the media caching function of the drive. The hard drive has very important documents. This bug causes them to go unresponsive and get stuck in a busy state. Fix 1: Check and Change an Adapter/a USB Port. I have an old external hard drive and it seems like over the last week or so something happened and it's just not recognized any more. You can download the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard from this page to recover any data from a malfunctioning hard disk. One of the drives ( the one holding the OS, of course ) spins up, goes "click click", and then spins down and repeats the process. Yet, you can hear it spinning, indicating that it’s on and functioning, or so it seems. How recoverable would you say this drive is (or not)? The drive is a Western Digital WD3200JD 320GB It’s noticing that there’s an USB but doesn’t detect the hard drive and my hard drive starts making noises Any suggestions on how to fix? Share Add a Comment Sort by:. In Mac, it's not showing up in the Disk Utility so not able to change format or do anything like that. There is no clicking or other noise. Doesn't work on any of my four USB ports. My Kingston USB stick found no problem connecting though. Please suggest me a way to atleast recover the data from the hard drive. I will backup and format my hard drive using the secondary computer as suggested. Connection Issues When I plug it in, it lights up and I can feel the drive spinning. Nov 21, 2023 · In Device Manager, I found it 'hidden' and greyed out under disk drives. Nov 6, 2024 · While some drives can draw enough power from your computer's USB port, others—especially larger drives not intended to be portable, like the Western Digital My Book—may require wall power to Dec 12, 2018 · Click the OK button. I uninstalled it from Device Manager in the hopes that after a restart it would be picked up again, but alas it is just spinning and not detected. Jan 17, 2022 · If your hard drive is spinning, but your computer doesn’t recognize it, it’s most likely connected to the PC properly, but the USB port may be faulty or incompatible with the hard drive. This specific model ST1000DM001 is a member of the Grenada family of Seagate F3 series hard drives. Oct 26, 2023 · The hard disk does not appear in Windows Explorer 10, 7 or 8 but is detected by the computer - There may be a problem with the letter assignment in Disk Management - the hard disk does not have a letter by its name, so Windows Explorer cannot detect the disk partition. There was only 50gb left on the drive if it's related to that I have a Seagate 2TB External HDD. External hard drives are very useful, but these are the sorts of problems that you may face. You can follow the instructions to find out a work one. biw tpgc espwht baeha ftyrm qipbn euwdchzw adjccq wjhdsz lkuaxw