My external drive isn't being read by my computer

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TeresaPena31 Posts 2 Registration date Sunday December 11, 2016 Status Member Last seen December 12, 2016 - Dec 11, 2016 at 08:42 PM
R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   - Dec 13, 2016 at 04:04 AM
Hello,

I have a seagate external disk drive. In the middle of a show it started to act up and now I am unable to open it. I can see it listed under my devices, and when I plug it in it makes a sound like it's there but, it doesn't automatically open like it used to and when I go to my files where it should be under the F drive, it isn't there. I know my computer can see it cause it's under devices but, why can't I get it to work? PS I'm a girl who knows little about computers, if anyone out there can help a "dummie" I would really appreciate it!
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2 responses

R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   155
Dec 12, 2016 at 02:34 AM
Hi TeresaPena,

Have you been using the external on another PC? It really seems that the drive is recognized by the PC. There may be an issue with the drive letter and that is why you cannot see the drive in My Computer. I recommend you to click the Start button and type diskmgmt.msc in the search panel. Press Enter and you should see the Disk Management window. Check if your external drive is listed there. Does it have a proper file format and a drive letter? Right click on it and try to assign a letter manually.
I advise you to test the drive on another PC and with another USB cable. Please let me know if there is any progress.

Hope this helps

TeresaPena31 Posts 2 Registration date Sunday December 11, 2016 Status Member Last seen December 12, 2016
Dec 12, 2016 at 06:51 PM
Hi R2... yeah, I tried most of the above, I don't have another USB cable to try but, I did try to plug it into another computer. While it could read that the drive was there it also could not open it so I'm guessing although it's less than 6 months old, that it's dead.. Major bummer
R2D2_WD Posts 3606 Registration date Monday September 1, 2014 Status Member Last seen February 20, 2017   155 > TeresaPena31 Posts 2 Registration date Sunday December 11, 2016 Status Member Last seen December 12, 2016
Updated by R2D2_WD on 13/12/16 at 04:06 AM
So, if you can confirm that the drive is there, the drive may have a drive letter, right?
In that case, run the Command Prompt, by clicking the Start Menu and typing cmd in the search box. Select the program and run it. You should see a black window. Type the following command:

Chkdsk L: /r

Replace the L with the drive’s letter. Wait for the process to end and then try to access the data. In general, if the hard drive is recognized, there is a chance to recover the files by using a data recovery software. I leave you some suggestions in the link below.
https://ccm.net/downloads/tools/file-management/

Unfortunately, it is possible that the drive has failed. The good news is that the drive should still be under warranty and you may get a drive replacement. Contact the seller and discuss the problem.
nathanwirth Posts 324 Registration date Thursday May 22, 2014 Status Member Last seen September 27, 2022 29
Dec 13, 2016 at 03:40 AM
Hi TeresaPena31, I believe your external hard drive driver status is outdated and requires upgradation that’s why it is not visible in Windows Explorer. I would suggest you to go to the device manager where your drive is listed and update driver software. Let me know if this doesn’t help you. Thanks!!