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Windows not detecting my external hard drive

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Zano - Aug 8, 2016 at 03:18 PM
R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   - Aug 12, 2016 at 06:01 AM
Hello,

I recently upgraded to Windows 10 and my PC won't detect my external hard drive via firewire. Doesn't show up on disk management and there are no yellow exclamation marks under my device manager. But if I shut down my PC and unplug my internal SSD, start up my PC and my external hard drive will be detected. If i plug back back my SSD and same thing, my external hard drive wont be detected. I tried changing my drive letter for my external drive too but seems like it didn't stick as the drive letter is still available to use.


PS. This is a Windows issue that isn't detecting my external hard drive. External hard drive is working just fine. I see other posts like this in the Windows forum and not in the hard drive forum.

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Answer 1 / 1
R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   155
Aug 10, 2016 at 05:51 AM
Hi Zano,

Could you tell me if you are using some specific adapter or enclosure for your external drive or it is a standard external drive with firewire connection? I strongly recommend you to open the Control Panel and set the Power Options to High Performance mode. Open the motherboard manufacturer’s web page and check for uptades for your chipset and BIOS. Are there any problems when connecting flash drives or other external drives?

Hope this helps

Zano
Aug 10, 2016 at 03:47 PM
Hello, I'm using a enclosure for my external hard drive connected via firewire. BIOS is updated. High Performance on. I did have my external drive working on windows 7. On windows 10 I can get my external drive detected if I unplug one of my other internal drives, so it does work just weird i need to take these steps. Other flash drives are being detected just fine.
R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   155 > Zano
Aug 11, 2016 at 06:07 AM
I presume the hard drive is working fine, if connected internally? Do you believe that this could be an adapter issue? Does it come with some kind of an installation CD? Other possibility is some problem with the FireWire port or the drivers. I presume this may be a Windows 10 compatibility issue. Have you tried speaking with the Microsoft support?
Zano
Aug 11, 2016 at 03:13 PM
Hello. My enclosure external hard drive was always working fine on Windows 7. Windows 10 won't detect my enclosure external hard drive when i turn it on. Now when I shut dowm my pc and disconnect one of my internal hard drives...turn on my pc and turn on my enclosure external hard drive on (still connected via firewire)...Windows 10 will detect my enclosure external hard drive. Maybe the drive letter is taken?
R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   155 > Zano
Aug 12, 2016 at 06:01 AM
Even if the drive loses its drive letter, it should appear in Disk Management as initialized and with a correct file format.
If you want to check if the letter causes the trouble try to disconnect the SSD and connect the external. Run the Command Prompt and type the commands:
Diskpart
List volume
Select volume n (n is the number of the drive)
Assign Letter=L (or whatever letter you like and is not reserved or taken)
Exit

Check again with the SSD connected.

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