Do external hard drives have serial numbers?

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Do external hard drives have serial numbers

Quick Answer

Yes, external hard drives do have serial numbers just like internal hard drives. All hard drives, whether internal or external, contain a unique serial number assigned by the manufacturer to identify the specific device. The serial number is usually printed on a sticker on the exterior of the hard drive casing.

More Detailed Answer

External hard drives, like internal hard drives, have serial numbers that can be used to identify the specific device. The serial number is assigned at the factory when the drive is manufactured. Here are some key points about external hard drive serial numbers:

  • Purpose – The serial number provides a unique identifier for each hard drive to differentiate between drives of the same model from the same manufacturer.
  • Location – The serial number is typically printed on a sticker or label on the exterior of the external hard drive casing. It may be on the top, side, or bottom of the casing.
  • Format – Serial numbers often consist of a combination of letters and numbers. Serial numbers can vary in length from 10-20 characters.
  • Utility – The serial number is helpful for tracking drives and identifying a specific unit if multiple similar external drives are being used.
  • Accessibility – Most operating systems provide a way to access a drive’s serial number through utility software or command prompt.
  • Permanence – The serial number is set at the factory and cannot be altered or removed without changing the sticker/label.

The serial number is different from the model number, which indicates the overall product line or series for a drive. Unlike serial numbers, many drives of the same model can share the same model number. The presence of a unique serial number is what sets hard drives apart from some other types of computer equipment and accessories.

Typical Uses for External Hard Drive Serial Numbers

Here are some of the main ways that external hard drive serial numbers are commonly used:

  • Identification – The most basic use of the serial number is to identify a particular hard drive and differentiate it from others. This helps match drives to computer systems, users, or locations.
  • Tracking – IT professionals often use serial numbers to track hard drives for inventory management, asset tracking, and managing RMAs (return merchandize authorizations) for warranties and repairs.
  • Computer Forensics – In computer forensics investigations, serial numbers provide an important way to link external drives to specific systems and users.
  • Warranties – Serial numbers verify date of purchase for warranty claims and help match replacement drives or parts to original devices.
  • Authentication – Some security systems employ serial numbers as part of confirming an external drive’s identity and authorization to connect to a network or computer.
  • Customization – External drive serial numbers assist IT teams in deploying customized drive images across many cloned devices used by an organization.

The unique nature of the serial number makes it a handy tool for any situation where positive identification of a specific external hard drive is needed. They provide a reliable way to distinguish between many identical-looking drives.

Locating the Serial Number on an External Hard Drive

While all external hard drives have serial numbers, finding them can sometimes be tricky. Here are some tips for locating the serial number on most external hard drives:

  • Check the drive casing – Carefully examine the exterior of the plastic or metal housing of the drive. Serial numbers are often printed on a sticker or directly onto the casing. The sticker may be very small.
  • Try the back/bottom surface – If you don’t see the serial number on top or sides of the casing, flip the drive over to check the bottom surface.
  • Remove the casing – For some drives, you may need to remove the outer casing to find the serial number printed on the bare hard drive inside.
  • Connect the drive – Attach the external drive to a computer. The serial number should be detectable through the OS or disk utility software.
  • Look for a barcode – Some manufacturers print the serial number inside a barcode on the drive casing. A barcode scanner app can help read it.
  • Reference documentation – Any included documentation, like user manuals, may have the serial number printed for reference.

Searching carefully with bright lighting and a magnifying glass is sometimes required to find the small printed serial number label. If no visible serial number can be found on the external casing, connecting the drive to a computer is the next step to access the number digitally.

How to Find the Serial Number in Windows

Windows computers provide built-in tools to help locate the serial number for any attached external hard drive. Here are some methods:

  • File Explorer – Open File Explorer, right click on the external drive, select “Properties” and look for the “Hardware IDs” or “Unique ID” value.
  • Command Prompt – Open the Command Prompt and use the command wmic diskdrive get serialnumber to list serial numbers of attached drives.
  • PowerShell – In PowerShell, run Get-WmiObject Win32_PhysicalMedia | Select SerialNumber to output drive serial numbers.
  • Device Manager – Open Device Manager, expand the Disk Drives section, right click on the external drive and select Properties. The serial number may be listed.
  • Third-party tools – Utilities like Speccy, Hard Disk Sentinel, or CrystalDiskInfo can report serial numbers for attached storage devices.

Using the serial number visible in Windows provides a handy way to verify the number if the physical sticker is worn or missing from the external drive casing.

How to Find the Serial Number on Macs

MacOS also provides integrated options for retrieving external hard drive serial numbers:

  • Finder – Open a Finder window, click on the external drive icon, then opt for File > Get Info. The serial number should be listed under General.
  • System Information – Launch the System Information app. Select the USB option on the left menu and look for the external drive serial number.
  • Terminal – Open Terminal and use the command system_profiler SPUSBDataType | grep Serial to output connected drive serial numbers.
  • Utilities – Apps like Coconut Identification can extract hardware serial numbers including connected external drives.

Cross-referencing the serial number found in macOS tools with any labeling on the physical drive helps ensure the identifiers match.

How to Find the Serial Number on Linux

On Linux distributions, serial numbers for attached drives can be accessed from the terminal:

  • lsblk command – Use lsblk -o +SERIAL to list all connected block devices and their serial numbers.
  • udevadm – Run udevadm info –name=/dev/sdX | grep SERIAL where sdX is the drive identifier.
  • lsusb (for USB drives) – List USB device details with lsusb -v which will include serial number if available.
  • GUI tools – Apps like GNOME Disks or Disks utility may also display external drive serial numbers.

Parsing the output of lsblk or udevadm makes it easy to match up the serial number with a connected external drive from the terminal.

Using Serial Numbers in Drive Management

External hard drive serial numbers play an important role in enterprise contexts for managing large numbers of identical drives. Here are some examples:

  • Generate a database with drive details like computer assigned, user, warranty status, etc. based on serial numbers.
  • Automate OS installations across many disks by identifying drive serial numbers in scripts.
  • Retrieve drive usage logs and connect performance metrics to serial numbers.
  • Manage drive recycling and reuse by labeling serial numbers on old and new disks.
  • Trackpurchase dates, warranty periods, and maintenance/repair history via serials.
  • Label external drives with serial numbers to avoid misidentification.

IT departments can optimize external hard drive management using the unique identifiers provided by serial numbers for automation, tracking, and organization.

Why External Hard Drives Have Serial Numbers When Some Devices Don’t

While all hard disks have serial numbers, some types of computer equipment like memory cards, flash drives, and peripherals do not typically have serial numbers. This raises the question – why are serial numbers ubiquitous for hard drives but not other devices? There are a few main reasons:

  • Traceability – Hard drives contain much more critical and sensitive data. Serial numbers allow tighter tracking and tracing in case of issues.
  • Interchangeability – HDDs and SSDs are often swapped between machines more frequently than other components like RAM sticks.
  • Complex firmware – The intricate firmware on drives benefits from unique identifiers during manufacturing and servicing.
  • Moving parts – The mechanical nature of traditional HDDs necessitates strict quality control that serials facilitate.

Essentially, the importance of the data storage function of a hard drive justifies the extra effort required to assign and track serial numbers. The serial number provides vital authentication and inventory capabilities for drives that other simpler computer components don’t require.

Conclusion

In summary, all external hard disk drives have unique serial numbers printed on their casing or integrated into the drive firmware. These non-changeable identifiers allow positive verification of a specific physical drive and provide a handy management tool for everything from forensics to enterprise IT tasks. Locating the serial number is as simple as looking up the label on the drive exterior or accessing it digitally from OS utilities. Serial numbers fill a critical role for hard drive tracking that sets them apart from many other types of computer hardware.