Windows 10: No longer can find external usb hd in file explorer

My external HD Seagate BUP Ultra SCSI Disc Device - 2 TB was working ok until a recent windows update windows 10. I have scoured all of the help articles I can find & although they describe my issue, none of their solutions work for me. I have checked disc management & my device is visible there but not recognising it by name, just says "unknown". It says that my disc is not initialised but on right clicking it, the Initialise Disk option is greyed out. Also I read that if my disc was previously formatted & has data on it which it was/has, reinitialising it will delete my dat

:)

 

Windows 10 External USB Storage Device No longer Appearing in File Explorer

Thank you for your reply.

For further checking, we'd like to know more about the issue:

• Is your hard drive showing in Disk Management?

To check, press Windows key + X > select Disk Management.

• Were you trying to create a New Mirrored Volume?

We'll be waiting for your reply.

 

Windows File Explorer and (possibly) related External HD Issue

Help, I am at wit’s end regarding Windows file explorer. It rarely starts up expeditiously, crashes routinely, and it really is impacting the Windows 10 experience. There are some things going on that I simply do not understand:

• There is a mysterious Local Disk (EJ that I cannot access. It reports that the drive is not accessible as the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. I did not create it with a clean image install if Win
  10.
• I have an external HD that the system (through Control Panel and Devices/Printers) recognizes as an external drive and that it is working properly. When I look on the Hardware tab of its properties, I see the USB disk drive, but that pesky E: drive
  shows up as a portable device – very confused. Interestingly enough, file explorer (when working) calls it a System Folder and reports it as empty. Per above I cannot access E:.
• Since file explorer is catch as catch can, I resort to opening files with Office 2007. Unfortunately, I believe the file functions also impacts my use of Office 2007. Most applications open, but then sputters for several seconds before I can access
  the file list, or is slow to navigate to the particular document folder.

I had the same experience with Win 8; frustrated to the point that I went back to Win 7 and life was perfect until the Win 10 upgrade. That process was painful, as it needed much help from MS Techs (they were great). Ended up having to burn an image DVD of Win
10 and do a clean install. The issues above were not present immediately under Win 10, only after a few updates. Any help and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated. BTW, I have tried most of the explorer suggestions here and on other blogs with no improvement.

 

Windows 11 File Explorer not showing external drive

If Windows 11 File Explorer is not showing an external drive that is connected to your device, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check the connection: Make sure that the external drive is properly connected to your device. Try unplugging and replugging the drive, or connecting it to a different USB port.
   
2. Check Disk Management: Open Disk Management by pressing Windows key + X, then selecting Disk Management. Look for the external drive in the list of drives. If it appears but has no drive letter assigned, right-click on it and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths". Assign a drive letter to the external drive, and then check if it appears in File Explorer.
   
3. Update drivers: Make sure that your device's drivers are up to date, particularly the drivers for your USB ports. Use the Device Manager to check for any outdated or malfunctioning drivers, and update or reinstall them as needed.
   
4. Check power supply: If the external drive requires a separate power supply, make sure it is properly connected and functioning.
   
5. Test on another device: Try connecting the external drive to another device to see if it appears in File Explorer. This will help determine if the issue is with the drive itself or your device.
   

By following these steps, you may be able to resolve the issue of Windows 11 File Explorer not showing an external drive.