Problem With External Hard Drive.

[NoshowJones]

I have had a Toshiba external hard drive and used it with no problems for many years. Now when I try to use it a notice comes up and says Windows does not recognise it.

Does this mean I should now just throw it away, or is there any way I can get it working normally again?

[Photoguy21]

5 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

I have had a Toshiba external hard drive and used it with no problems for many years. Now when I try to use it a notice comes up and says Windows does not recognise it.

Does this mean I should now just throw it away, or is there any way I can get it working normally again?

Have you upgraded Windows and if so was the drive recognised before the upgrade?

[gargamon]

Boot from a linux usb stick and see if gparted sees it. Also check the output from dmesg to see what the kernel is reporting.

 

Why people still use windoze I can never understand.

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Have you upgraded Windows and if so was the drive recognised before the upgrade?

I bought a new all in one desktop about 18 months ago with Windows 11, the hard drive has worked well with this and also with my laptop, again with Windows 11. I was in the UK for three weeks recently with my laptop with me and they were working well together, now back home only 2 days and the problems have just started.

I cannot think how that could have anything to do with it.

[OneMoreFarang]

a) try it on a different PC

b) remove the HDD from its case and use another case (with electronic).

 

If you want to keep your data, then don't mess around with it.

[The Fugitive]

OP has relatively recently purchased a new machine with Windows 11 pre-installed. Assuming the external hard drive uses NTFS file system I can't see any problem there? 

[johng]

Take the hard drive out of the enclosure and connect it directly via the SATA connector   or buy a SATA to USB converter if you dont want to open the PC.

[NoshowJones]

23 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Boot from a linux usb stick and see if gparted sees it. Also check the output from dmesg to see what the kernel is reporting.

 

Why people still use windoze I can never understand.

Sorry, I don't understand your English or spelling. What is gparted, dmesg and the kernal mean although your windoze may be a typo?

Edited October 1 by NoshowJones

[NoshowJones]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

a) try it on a different PC

b) remove the HDD from its case and use another case (with electronic).

 

If you want to keep your data, then don't mess around with it.

I have already re recorded the tv shows that were on it on to my other hard drive so that's OK.

a) I have done that and it seems to be OK.

b) I am not computer literate enough to try this.

 

[Photoguy21]

30 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

I bought a new all in one desktop about 18 months ago with Windows 11, the hard drive has worked well with this and also with my laptop, again with Windows 11. I was in the UK for three weeks recently with my laptop with me and they were working well together, now back home only 2 days and the problems have just started.

I cannot think how that could have anything to do with it.

Sounds crazy I know but Windows is unpredictable. I have a few SSD external drives and for a while they was not recognised by the computer. Try clearing all the trash from your computer and then go to This PC and run Properties. I found that cleared what ever was stopping my drives from being recognised

[The Fugitive]

Only one computer doesn't recognise one of your external hard drives? You used the other computer to copy your TV shows etc. onto your other external hard drive? Then everything is backed up and safe! As Photoguy21 suggests, the problem may 'resolve' itself. Nothing to worry about.

[NoshowJones]

55 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

a) try it on a different PC

b) remove the HDD from its case and use another case (with electronic).

 

If you want to keep your data, then don't mess around with it.

I tried a) and it seems to have worked. Thanks.

[NoshowJones]

Seems to be working now thanks everyone.

[johng]

57 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Sorry, I don't understand your English or spelling

 

Ha ha yes  Linux speak is quite incomprehensible at first..

that's partly why "WinDoze"  became popular   because it hid the "difficult stuff"  behind a nice graphical interface which is all well and good  but limiting at the same time for some/those who want to understand the deeper workings..today with the internet it is so much easier to learn about it all. but no less of a challenge to the grey matter ,well a challenge for me  some people just seem to instinctively understand programming languages and binary calculations.

Pre internet you had to go to a book store or library just to get the full manual with no interactive help at all..I still remember spending "hours" typing code into a ZX spectrum  copied from a book that ultimately didn't work (because of one wrong mistyped character)   put me off  "computers" for years.

 

[johng]

28 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

tried a) and it seems to have worked. Thanks.

Ahh ok until the next time then.

[Gobbler]

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

I have had a Toshiba external hard drive and used it with no problems for many years. Now when I try to use it a notice comes up and says Windows does not recognise it.

Does this mean I should now just throw it away, or is there any way I can get it working normally again?

It means that you should go to  www.spinrite.com 

 

It might resurrect your drive. 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, johng said:

Ahh ok until the next time then.

Well it is a computer.

[johng]

3 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Well it is a computer.

Yes indeed  😋  so we meet again next time then ?  

or maybe become the master instead of the slave ? 

what I mean by this is that we all should strive to have an understanding of how things (technology) work so that we master them and not the other way round.

[BigStar]

21 hours ago, johng said:

I still remember spending "hours" typing code into a ZX spectrum  copied from a book that ultimately didn't work (because of one wrong mistyped character)

 

Yup, been there, done that. Don't miss them days.

 

19 hours ago, johng said:

or maybe become the master instead of the slave ? 

 

Move the jumper? We're into SATA now, not IDE.

 

OP, next time try a different USB port before anything else.