How To Configure Hard Drive Windows 10

Windows x hard bulldoze missing in File Explorer fix (Image credit: Windows Cardinal)

When connecting a mechanical difficult drive (HDD), solid-country drive (SSD), or an external USB hard drive to a reckoner, Windows x can usually detect and set information technology upward automatically. All the same, sometimes, a newly added drive may non show upward in File Explorer, which could bespeak a number of bug.

For case, it could mean that there is a physical problem with the data or power connectedness. If the difficult drive does not appear in File Explorer, this could indicate that the device is disabled, offline, or does non have a drive letter. You lot may exist trying to connect a drive previously installed on some other estimator, the partition on the USB drive may be corrupted, or yous could exist dealing with a raw drive that was never configured. Therefore it was never initialized or formatted.

Whatever the reason it might be, Windows x includes multiple ways to fix the issue and regain access to the drive using Device Managing director, Disk Management, and control-line tools like diskpart.

In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through several means to troubleshoot a hard drive that refuses to show up in File Explorer.

• How to set missing hard drive in File Explorer using physical troubleshooting
• How to set up missing difficult drive in File Explorer using Device Manager
• How to fix missing hard drive in File Explorer using Disk Management
• How to fix missing difficult bulldoze in File Explorer updating driver
• How to ready missing difficult bulldoze in File Explorer using diskpart

How to set missing hard bulldoze in File Explorer using physical troubleshooting

On Windows 10, if a traditional mechanical hard drive (HDD) or solid-state bulldoze (SSD) does not announced in File Explorer, there are many reasons why this is happening, but before checking and modifying the system settings, try these troubleshooting steps:

• Confirm the hard bulldoze is correctly connected to the computer and receiving ability.
• If it is an external USB hard drive, disconnect information technology and try a dissimilar USB port. If you are using a USB hub, try to connect the drive direct to the computer.
• If information technology is an internal hard drive, make sure the information and ability cables are correctly connected to the storage device, motherboard, and ability supply. When checking the internal components, make sure to power off and unplug the reckoner earlier beginning the process.
• Connect the drive to another computer to determine the problem is not the device.
• Access the estimator Basic Input Output Organization (BIOS) or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), and make sure the firmware is detecting the storage. Since the motherboard firmware is different per-manufacturer and fifty-fifty per-device model, make sure to bank check the manufacturer support website for more specific instructions.

Once y'all make up one's mind that it is non a physical problem, then you tin use the post-obit recommendations to fix the most common problem preclude File Explorer from showing a hard drive.

How to set up missing hard drive in File Explorer using Device Director

In the rare example that the storage does not appear in Disk Direction and File Explorer, it could mean that the difficult bulldoze seems to exist disabled. If this is the case, you can enable it quickly using Device Manager.

To enable a hard drive using Device Manager, use these steps:

1. Open Showtime.
2. Search for Device Manager and click the tiptop consequence to open the app.
3. Expand the Disk drives branch.
4. Right-click the hard drive in question and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Primal (Image credit: Source: Windows Primal)

5. Click the Commuter tab.
6. Click the Enable Device button.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

7. Click the OK push button.

After you complete the steps, the hard bulldoze and information should be attainable on the figurer.

How to prepare missing hard drive in File Explorer using Disk Direction

There are a few requirements for a hard drive to be bachelor in File Explorer. The device must be online and initialized. It needs to accept a partition properly configured. And it has to have a drive letter assigned, or it should be mounted every bit a folder.

If y'all are dealing with whatever of these issues, the steps below will help you to troubleshoot and fix the most common issues with Disk Management.

Set drive online

To bring a hard drive online, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open up the app.
3. Correct-click the disk with the "Offline characterization" and select the Online selection.

Source: Windows Primal (Image credit: Source: Windows Primal)

Subsequently you consummate the steps, if the hard drive was offline and previously configured, it should appear in File Explorer. If the bulldoze was offline but never configured, proceed with the steps beneath.

Initialize drive

To initialize a hard drive on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Disk Management and click the peak upshot to open the app.
3. Right-click the disk with the "Unknown" label and select the Initialize Deejay option.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

4. Under the "Select disks" section, check the drive you want to initialize.
5. Select the GPT (GUID Segmentation Table) option.

Source: Windows Key (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

6. Click the OK push.

Once you consummate the steps, this activity will erase everything on the drive and prepare it to be formatted if the storage was never initialized.

Import foreign drive

If the drive you lot are trying to admission was configured as a dynamic deejay on another computer, it will appear as a foreign drive on a different device, and you will need to import it using the Disk Management tool. This procedure should grant you access to the data without destroying it, but information technology'due south still recommended to create a backup of the data before proceeding.

To import a hard bulldoze with a dynamic configuration to go far attainable through File Explorer, use these steps:

1. Open Beginning.
2. Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open up the app.
3. Right-click the deejay with the "Dynamic" label and select the Import Strange Disks option.

Source: Windows Cardinal (Image credit: Source: Windows Primal)

4. Under the "Deejay groups" section, select the Foreign disk group (1 of 1 disks) item.

Source: Windows Cardinal (Paradigm credit: Source: Windows Central)

5. Click the OK push button.
6. Click the OK button over again.

Once you complete the steps, the difficult drive will exist imported, and the information will be accessible from File Explorer or any other application.

Configure drive letter

On Windows x, when the difficult drive is online and initialized and does not appear in the system, in that location could be 2 reasons. The drive does not have a drive letter of the alphabet. Or if information technology was connected to some other computer, and the new system is now trying to assign the same bulldoze alphabetic character already assigned to another drive on the machine.

To assign a drive letter to storage media on Windows 10, utilise these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Deejay Direction and click the top result to open the app.
3. Correct-click the partition on the hard drive without a drive letter and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.

Source: Windows Fundamental (Image credit: Source: Windows Fundamental)

4. Click the Add push button.
5. Select the Assign the following driver letter of the alphabet option.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Primal)

6. Use the drop-downward carte du jour option and select a drive letter of the alphabet – for example, Z, X, or Y.

Source: Windows Fundamental (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

7. Click the OK push.

Later on you complete the steps, the hard bulldoze data should now exist attainable using File Explorer.

Configure new partition

If the drive is online and initialized, you lot may be dealing with a drive without a formatted partition. In this instance, you lot tin can utilise the Disk Direction wizard to configure and assign a letter to sectionalisation.

To set up and format a hard bulldoze to allow information technology to appear in File Explorer, use these steps:

1. Open First.
2. Search for Disk Management and click the height effect to open up the app.
3. Right-click the partition on the hard bulldoze without a drive letter and select the New Simple Volume pick.Quick tip: Commonly, the "basic" drive will have a blue stripe indicating the beginning and end of the partition. Likewise, brand sure to select the correct storage, as the following steps volition erase everything on the hard bulldoze yous will choose.

Source: Windows Primal (Prototype credit: Source: Windows Fundamental)

4. Click the Next button.
5. Click the Next button to use all the bachelor space for the partition. Otherwise, specify the size in the Simple volume size in MB pick.

Source: Windows Cardinal (Image credit: Source: Windows Key)

6. Select the Assign the following driver letter option.
7. Use the drop-down menu option and select a drive letter – for instance, Z, X, or Y.

Source: Windows Central (Prototype credit: Source: Windows Fundamental)

8. Click the Next button.
9. Select the Format this volume with the following settings choice.
10. Utilise the "File system" drop-down menu and select the NTFS option.
11. Use the "Allocation unit of measurement" size driblet-downward bill of fare and select the Default choice.
12. In the "Volume label" field, ostend a descriptive proper name for the bulldoze – for example, data.
13. Check the Perform a quick format selection.

Source: Windows Fundamental (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)

14. Click the Side by side push.
15. Click the Finish push button.

Once you complete the steps, the difficult drive will exist listed on the "This PC" folio of File Explorer, and you can start saving files in it.

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How to fix missing hard drive in File Explorer updating driver

If the problem is related to the storage commuter, you can reinstall or update the driver to the latest version to resolve the outcome.

To reinstall the hard drive driver, use these steps:

1. Open up Start.
2. Search for Device Director and click the meridian result to open the app.
3. Expand the Disk drives branch.
4. Right-click the hard bulldoze in question and select the Uninstall device option.

Source: Windows Primal (Image credit: Source: Windows Cardinal)

5. Click the Uninstall button.
6. Restart the reckoner

Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 should reinstall the driver automatically, and the hard drive should now announced in File Explorer.

Update difficult drive driver

If the problem persists, it is recommended to download the latest bachelor driver from the bulldoze manufacturer back up website and utilise their instructions to update the driver.

If the support website does not offering whatever instructions, unpack the driver goose egg folder, and then use these steps:

1. Open Beginning.
2. Search for Device Manager and click the tiptop issue to open the app.
3. Expand the Disk drives branch.
4. Right-click the hard drive in question and select the Update driver option.

Source: Windows Central (Epitome credit: Source: Windows Central)

5. Select the Browse my computer for drivers option.

Source: Windows Key (Paradigm credit: Source: Windows Central)

6. Click the Browse push.

Source: Windows Fundamental (Image credit: Source: Windows Key)

7. Select the folder with the extracted driver files.
8. Click the OK push.
9. Bank check the Include subfolders option.
10. Click the Next button.
11. Click the Shut button.

Later on yous complete the steps, the driver will install, and the difficult bulldoze should be attainable on Windows 10.

How to set up missing hard drive in File Explorer using diskpart

Alternatively, if the hard bulldoze appears in the Disk Management, merely if the storage is not usable, significant that you cannot access the data, you lot cannot employ the format option or assign a drive letter, then information technology could be a logical problem. If this is the example, y'all can use a control-line tool, such as diskpart, to make clean the bulldoze and starting time from scratch.

To utilize diskpart to missing hard bulldoze in File Explorer, employ these steps:

1. Open up Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, correct-click the peak result and select the Run every bit administrator option.
3. Blazon the post-obit command to launch the diskpart tool and press Enter:diskpart
4. Type the following control to list the bachelor disks and press Enter:listing disk
5. Type the following command to select the hard drive not showing up in File Explorer and press Enter:select disk 1In the control, make sure to select the correct drive. Otherwise, you may end up erasing the data in the incorrect storage, which cannot be undone.
6. Type the following command to completely erase the drive and press Enter:clean Alarm: The "clean" command will erase everything, including data, sectionalisation, type, and the bulldoze will announced bare with the label unknown and not initialized.

Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Key)

7. Type the following command to create a partition using the available space and printing Enter:create partition primary
8. Type the following command to select the newly created partition and press Enter:select division ane
9. Blazon the post-obit command to prepare the partition as agile and press Enter:active
10. Type the following control to format the sectionalization with the NTFS file organization and press Enter:format FS=NTFS
11. Type the following control to assign a drive letter and press Enter:assign letter=ZIn the command, change "Z" for some other bulldoze letter not already in utilise.

Source: Windows Cardinal (Image credit: Source: Windows Primal)

12. Type the following control to close diskpart and printing Enter:exit

In one case you complete the steps, the hard drive volition be formatted, it will include a new drive letter, and it should now announced in File Explorer.

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users go the about out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an Information technology groundwork with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he'south a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-fix-hard-drive-not-showing-windows-10-file-explorer

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