- #How to format external hard drive windows 8 how to
- #How to format external hard drive windows 8 install
- #How to format external hard drive windows 8 drivers
- #How to format external hard drive windows 8 update
In this article you learned 5 different ways you can get your hard drive to show up when you plug it into your computer. Step 2: Right-click on your drive and select "Format". Step 1: Right-click on Start (Windows logo) and click on "Disk Management". The steps below will help you format your external hard drive.
#How to format external hard drive windows 8 how to
How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Formatting the Hard Drive in Disk Managementįormatting is a common way of fixing issues with external disks, so when your hard drive refuses to show up, you should try formatting it.īe aware that formatting the external drive will erase all the data in it – so this may not be a viable or your first option if your drive is full of data. Step 4: Select your preferred letter from the drop-down menu. Step 3: If the drive has an existing letter, then click "Change". Step 2: Right-click on the external hard drive and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths…". Step 1: Right-click on Start (Windows logo) and select "Disk Management". And even if it's already assigned a letter, changing it might resolve the issue for you.įollow the steps below to assign your hard drive a letter: If the hard drive hasn't been assigned one, it will not show up, so you need to do it yourself. On almost all cases, Windows automatically assigns all external drives an appropriate letter.
How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Changing the Drive Letter in Disk Management
#How to format external hard drive windows 8 install
Windows will now search online for driver updates and install them on your computer.
Step 4: Choose "Search automatically for driver software". Step 3: Right-click on the device and select "Update drivers". You can also launch Device Manager by searching for it and then clicking on the "Device Manager" search result. Step 1: Right-click on Start (Windows logo) and select "Device Manager".
#How to format external hard drive windows 8 update
If your external hard drive fails to show up on your computer, you can try updating or reinstalling your computer's USB drivers.įollow these steps to update your USB drivers:
#How to format external hard drive windows 8 drivers
How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Updating Drivers If the hard drive works on another machine, you can look into fixing your computer. You can also try using your external hard drive on another computer in case your computer has faulty drivers or damaged USB ports. So, if your external hard drive is not showing up while plugged into a particular USB port, you should try another one. How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Trying Another USB Port or ComputerĬomputers usually come with up to 3 USB ports, or at least 2. If this is the case, you should make sure the USB cord fits in correctly, or you can try another USB port. If this light isn't turned on, it means the hard drive isn't receiving power. If you're using one that gets power through a USB port, it'll have a light (usually blue) that indicates that it's receiving power. Your hard drive might not show up because it has little or no power supply to it.Ī lot of hard drives are optimized to receive their power supply through USB ports, while some others have separate power sources. How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Plugging it In In this guide, I will show you 5 ways you can fix an external drive not showing up. There are several possible reasons for this, like lack of power, faulty drivers, or hardware issues. With external drives, you can also easily move files from one computer to another - especially when you get a new computer.īut sometimes when you're trying to back up or retrieve files from an external hard drive, the drive might not show up. External hard drives let you back up your files.