Quick Answers
There are a few common reasons why a 2TB external hard drive may not be working:
– The drive is not getting enough power. Try using a dedicated power adapter if you are only using a USB cable for power.
– The drive is not properly connected. Make sure the USB cable is securely plugged into both the drive and computer. Try connecting to a different USB port.
– The drive has become corrupted or damaged. This can happen from improper ejection, physical damage, viruses, etc. You may need data recovery software or services.
– The drive is formatted incorrectly. It may need to be reformatted to a file system compatible with your operating system.
– There are drive letter conflicts. This can happen if two drives are assigned the same letter. Change the drive letter assigned in Disk Management.
– The USB port is damaged. Try connecting the drive to another computer to see if the drive itself is working properly.
– The drive is outdated and incompatible. Older drives may not work properly with newer computers and operating systems.
Common External Hard Drive Issues
External hard drives provide a convenient way to expand the storage capabilities of your computer. However, because they are external devices that must connect to your computer through an interface like USB, there are some common potential issues that can arise. Here are some of the most frequent reasons an external hard drive may not be recognized or working on your computer.
Not Getting Enough Power
External hard drives need power to operate. In many cases, the USB cable through which the drive connects to your computer provides enough power on its own to run the drive. However, larger capacity drives or faster drives with more RPMs often need additional power supplied through an AC adapter. If your drive did not come with an adapter, try connecting both a USB and power cable. If it still does not work, check the drive specifications to determine if an external power source is required.
Loose Connections
Since external hard drives are portable and external, the physical connections can sometimes come loose through movement or accidental bumps. If your computer is not recognizing your external hard drive, the first thing to check are the physical connections. Inspect the USB cable to make sure it is securely plugged into the USB port on your computer and the external drive. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the cable or plugging it into another USB port. Loose connections can prevent proper communication between the drive and computer.
Drive Letter Conflict
Your computer manages multiple drives by assigning each one a letter. When plugging in an external drive, a drive letter will automatically be assigned. However, if you have multiple external drives or internal drives, the letters may get changed around when unplugging/reconnecting drives. This can result in two drives trying to use the same letter, leading to the computer becoming confused or being unable to access the drive. You can manually change the drive letter assigned through the Disk Management utility.
Corrupted Files or Bad Sectors
There are a variety of factors that can lead to corrupted data or bad sectors on an external hard drive. If some of the files on your drive have become corrupted, your computer may have trouble reading the data. Bad sectors are sections on the physical disk that can no longer reliably store data due to physical damage or defects. Corrupted files or bad sectors could prevent your drive from being recognized properly or lead to freezing and crashing when trying to access it.
Formatted Improperly
External hard drives need to be formatted properly for the operating system they are being connected to. For example, a drive formatted in Apple HFS+ format will not be readable on a Windows machine. Before using a new external drive, you may need to go through partitioning and formatting it using an option like exFAT that allows it to be readable by different operating systems. If your drive seems like it is formatted incorrectly, you can reformat it through Windows Disk Management. Just be warned this will erase all data.
Failed Drive
Sometimes, if an external hard drive is still not being recognized after trying the above troubleshooting steps, the actual drive hardware may be failing or defective. Things like the USB bridge that allows connectivity between the drive and computer, or the actual read/write heads that talk to the disk platters may have physical defects or flaws. Some signs of a failed drive include strange noises like clicking or beeping, very slow performance, and inability to be detected by your computer. At this point, your best option is to contact a data recovery specialist.
Outdated Drivers
The drivers allow your operating system to communicate with peripheral devices. Every external hard drive uses drivers called USB mass storage drivers to talk to the computer through the USB connection. If these drivers are old, corrupted, or missing, your computer may not detect the external hard drive when plugged in. You can try uninstalling and reinstalling the USB drivers, or visit the manufacturer’s website to download the latest version of the drivers for your specific operating system.
Troubleshooting Tips
If your external hard drive is not working properly, here are some troubleshooting steps you can take:
Try a Different USB Port or Cable
One of the first things to try is plugging the hard drive into another USB port on your computer. Perhaps the original port you used has become damaged or is defective. You can also try swapping out the USB cable with another one to eliminate the possibility of the cable being faulty.
Check Drive in Disk Management
Open up Disk Management in Windows (just type “disk management” in the search bar). In the list of drives, see if your external drive shows up here. If so, but its still not accessible, you may need to assign it a drive letter or format it properly. The Disk Management tool allows you to do this.
Try External Hard Drive on Another Computer
Connect your drive into another computer or laptop using the same connection cables. If your drive shows up normally and is accessible on the other machine, the issue is likely with your original computer. For example, it could be a damaged USB port or driver problem that is causing the drive not to be recognized properly.
Update Drivers
As mentioned above, an outdated driver on your computer could prevent communication with the external drive. Go to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest USB drivers for the make/model of your computer. Make sure to uninstall any existing USB drivers first.
Check for Physical Damage
Carefully inspect the external hard drive for any signs of physical damage or defect. If there are any cracks, dents, broken parts, or the drive has been dropped recently, physical damage could prevent proper function. In this case, you may need professional data recovery help.
Restore Corrupted Files
If some files have become corrupted, you may be able to restore them or regain access to the drive by using data recovery software. Some good options are Disk Drill, Stellar Data Recovery, or EaseUS Data Recovery. Be sure to scan the external drive rather than your main internal drive when using these tools.
Contact Technical Support
Reach out to the manufacturer’s tech support team for help if you’ve tried these basic steps and are still unable to get your external hard drive working again. They may have more specific troubleshooting advice for your model. Provide the make, model, descriptions of issues, and troubleshooting already attempted.
Consult Data Recovery Experts
For physical issues with the drive or very severe corruption/failed drives, your best last resort is to contact a reputable data recovery company. They have special tools, cleanroom facilities, and expertise to physically repair drives and recover data in severe cases. However, data recovery can be expensive.
Preventing External Hard Drive Failure
While many issues with external hard drives can be repaired, you want to try to avoid these failures and problems in the first place if possible. Here are some tips to help prevent your external hard drive from failing.
Handle With Care
Since external hard drives are portable, they are prone to drops, bumps, jostles, etc as you move them around. Always be careful and gentle when handling. Even seemingly small impacts can damage internal components. Avoid tossing or dropping the drive.
Disconnect Properly
Never unplug your drive while files are still being read/written or when the drive is still spinning. This can corrupt data. Use the “Safely Remove Hardware” function before disconnecting.
Keep Updated Backups
Maintain an up-to-date separate backup of any important data on your external drive. That way if it fails, you can easily restore the data from your backups. The 3-2-1 backup rule is recommended – have 3 copies, on 2 types of media, with 1 kept offsite.
Manage Drive Letter Conflicts
When connecting multiple external drives, be careful to assign them unique drive letters to avoid conflicts and confusion. Also turn off automatic mounting of external drives if not needed.
Scan for Errors
Occasionally scan your drive using built-in disk checking tools such as CHKDSK or disk utility to find and repair any bad sectors or file errors before they multiply and become severe.
Upgrade Drivers
Keep the USB, Thunderbolt, FireWire, or other drivers for your external drive updated to the latest stable versions when available. Old drivers can sometimes cause connectivity issues.
Watch For Signs of Failure
Keep an eye and ear out for strange noises like clicking or beeping, slow performance, and failure to mount. These can be signs of impending complete failure, so you want to take action before it is too late.
Avoid Excess Heat
Do not place your external drives in areas prone to overheating like on top of your hot router or PC case. High heat can shorten the lifespan of electronics. External drives should be kept in cool, well-ventilated spots.
Recovering Data from a Failed Drive
Despite your best prevention efforts, sometimes external hard drives still fail. When that happens, data recovery becomes essential. Here are some tips for recovering data from a failed external hard drive.
Don’t Open the Drive
When attempting data recovery yourself, never open up the external casing and expose the internal drive. This significantly lowers chances of recovery and you risk further damage. Only specialists should open the casing.
Try Data Recovery Software
Your first step should be attempting to recover data using reputable data recovery software like Ontrack EasyRecovery or Stellar Data Recovery. These tools can scan the drive and recover data without any special hardware. This only works if there are minimal physical issues.
Send to Data Recovery Specialists
For drives with physical damage or severe corruption that DIY software cannot address, professional data recovery services are your best chance for recovering your data. They use specialized tools like cleanrooms and spare parts. Popular reputable companies are DriveSavers, Gillware, and Secure Data Recovery.
Replace Damaged Parts
Sometimes the circuit board or internal components in an external drive fail, but the actual hard drive mechanism is still intact. In this case, data recovery specialists can simply swap out the damaged components so you can access the data. This is much quicker and cheaper than a full recovery.
Use Advanced Tools
Specialists have access to advanced data recovery tools normal consumers do not, like forensic tools to salvage data off the failed drive onto another medium. If the drive has failed completely and does not power on anymore, this is likely your only hope for recovery.
Repair Damaged Drives
Specialists like Seagate Data Recovery will use their cleanroom to open up your damaged drive and repair or replace any internal components that are defective, like read/write heads. This mechanical repair can fix the drive so data can be accessed again.
Extract Raw Data
If all else fails, recovery specialists can extract the raw data from the platters or NAND chips inside a failed drive. This requires very advanced tools and skills to manually read data off the disk components without the benefit of the drive’s firmware. It is a last resort to return your data.
Conclusion
External hard drives offer a great way to add significant extra storage and data portability to your computer system. However, like any hardware device, they are susceptible to damage, corruption, defects, and eventual mechanical failure. By understanding the most common reasons an external hard drive can fail, you can troubleshoot problems and recover important data. Regular backups and proper care can help avoid issues in the first place. In severe cases where the drive has completely failed, professional data recovery services give you the best chance to restore your lost files and folders. With the right preparation and recovery process, you can overcome external hard drive failures.