4 Easy Ways to Restore Data from Hard Drive that is Not Detected

What to do when your computer fails to detect the hard drive?

This can be a distressing situation where you cannot access data on your hard drive. Confusion is inevitable as data cannot be accessed in the first place, then how can one recover data from undetected hard drives. If it is really possible to recover data from hard drives that are not detected, then how is it done? That is precisely what is discussed in this article so please scroll down to know what to do when the hard disk is not detected and how to recover data from it.

When it comes to data backup and transfer, an external hard drive is invaluable. However, when it is not recognised or identified by the computer, it can cause problems. This is common with some error messages, such as:

• "The drive is not formatted"
• "The drive cannot be accessed"
• "RAW drive is not initialised".

Here are few possible reasons for Windows cannot recognize your hard drive:

What makes your Hard Drive Undetectable?

Here are real-time situations you should know that make your hard drive undetectable on your computer. So that you can avoid them in feature and prevent data loss.

• When hard drive sockets are not connected properly
• Hard Drive turned Raw or a corrupt file system
• Errors in registry directory
• When a hard disk is not specified as the first booting device in BIOS
• Improper partitioning of the hard disk
• Excessive bad sectors on HDD
• When USB port or USB cable is broken
• When the file system of your external hard drive is not compatible with the operating system.

Fortunately, if the hard drive is not detected due to any of the reasons given above, there is still hope as data is not lost. Instead, your data has become inaccessible due to unknown reasons and can be fixed easily. When a hard drive is not detected, you first intuition might be to repair it. However, you need to realise that your crucial data is at higher risk and recovering the data must be your first priority.

4 Simple Hacks to Fix Undetected Hard Drive:

1. Verify Hard Drive in DiskManagement
2. Look for Errors in Device Drivers
3. Use Command Prompt to fix your hard disk not detected issue
4. Hard drive turned RAW? Recover data easily

1. Verify Hard Drive in DiskManagement:

To verify if your hard drive is detected in DiskManagement, follow the below mentioned steps:

• Press Windows+R and type diskmgmt.msc and click on ok
• See if your hard drive is listed among the list of drives
• If you find your undetected hard drive, format the hard drive.

Yes, formatting the hard drive will erase your data, that is why you need to go to the later part of this article to recover data from the formatted hard drive.

2. Look for Errors in Device Drivers:

Outdated device drivers or any issue with the device drivers are also one of the reasons why your computers fail to detect the hard drive. Follow the below mentioned steps to find errors in device drives to fix hard drive not detected issue:

• Press Windows+R and type devmgmt.msc and click on ok
• Under disk drives and look for any exclamation mark
• If yes, right click on the device and select properties to see the error message
• If the issue is due to outdated drivers update the drivers and see if the issue is fixed.

3. Command Prompt to Fix your Hard Disk not Detected Issue

To recover data from hard drives that are not detected using CMD or CHKDSK, follow the below mentioned steps:

• Go to disk management, check which drive is undetected and remember the drive letter.
• Open command prompt in administrator mode and type chkdsk drive letter:/r/f in place of a drive letter enter drive letter assigned to undetected hard drive letter. (For example chkdsk d:/r/f)



• Wait for the process to complete and enter diskpart tap on enter key
• Once you are in the diskpart type rescan command and wait for process to complete
• Exit the diskpart and enter the command chkdsk /f drive letter after completing the process check if you have fixed the hard drive not detected issue.

The above mentioned methods might help you fix undetected hard drive issues and might get access to your hard drive data. However, most of the time, Windows tries to fix the issue with hard drive by asking you to format it. In case you click on yes and give permission to format the hard disk, your data will be lost in just one click.

In another scenario, the hard drive might have turned RAW or damaged due to virus intrusion. Either of the cases, your precious data is at risk and you should act soon to recover data from a hard drive that is not detected.



4. How To Recover Data From Hard Drive Is Not Detected

To recover data from Hard Drive that is not detected, has turned RAW or formatted to make it recognised. Download and install Remo Hard Drive Recovery Software and follow the below mentioned steps:

• Launch the software, from the main screen click on Recover Partitions option
• Next, select the hard drive, and hit Scan button



• Once scanning is completed, it displays the list of the recoverable files on the screen, which you can view in File Type View or Data View
• Click on the Preview option to judge the success rate of the software.



• Finally, click on the Save option to get back the recovered files on the desired location.

Conclusion

Recovering data from an undetected hard drive can be risky without proper guidance. Hence, this article specifically explains the steps you need to do when your hard drive is not detected and recover data safely. It is recommended to always make use of a trusted data recovery tool like Remo to make the process secure and simpler.