Why is my WD My Book Not working?

The quick fix for this is to turn off and unplug the MyBook, and then give it a few sharp taps around the power button to dislodge it. … Once this has been done, plug it back in and start it up again, and hopefully the device will be working.

Thereof, Why is my Western Digital external hard drive not working?

Here are some possible reasons for a WD hard drive not recognized: … Windows is unable to allocate a hard drive letter. Outdated or corrupt hard drive driver (download and install the latest driver to update WD) A fault with the USB port on the computer or USB device.

Accordingly, Why is my external hard drive not detected?

If the drive still isn’t working, unplug it and try a different USB port. It’s possible the port in question is failing, or just being finicky with your specific drive. If it’s plugged into a USB 3.0 port, try a USB 2.0 port. If it’s plugged into a USB hub, try plugging it directly into the PC instead.

Why is my computer not recognizing my external hard drive? Hard drive not detected error/issue can be caused by the following situations: The USB driver has become unstable, outdated, or corrupt. USB ports become faulty, damaged, or broken. Partition issues on your external USB device.

Also know How do I fix my hard drive not reading?


Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to remedy the situation.

  1. Make Sure It’s Plugged In and Powered On. Western Digital My Book. …
  2. Try Another USB Port (or Another PC) …
  3. Update Your Drivers. …
  4. Enable and Format the Drive in Disk Management. …
  5. Clean the Disk and Start From Scratch. …
  6. Remove and Test the Bare Drive.

Where is the reset button on WD My Book? Make sure the Western Digital My Book World Edition is off. Unplug the power adapter and the cable that connects it to the computer from the back of the unit. Use a paper clip to press the reset button on the back of the unit in. The reset button is located directly between the power port and the Ethernet data port.

How do I recover files from undetected external hard drive?


How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive Not Recognized

  1. Launch Recoverit Data Recovery software on your computer, select the external hard disk to get started.
  2. The hard drive recovery will start scanning the disk to searching your lost data and files.
  3. After the scanning, you can check all recovered files.

How do I fix my external hard drive not being recognized?


External Drive Not Showing Up or Detected?


6 Fixes to Try

  1. Make Sure Your External Drive Turns On. This is a preliminary step, but still one worth checking. …
  2. Check the Drive in Disk Management. …
  3. Try Another USB Port and Computer. …
  4. Troubleshoot Device Driver Issues. …
  5. Create a New Drive Volume. …
  6. Format the External Drive.

How do I fix a hard drive that is not detected?

Unplug the hard drive which fails to be recognized by Windows BIOS, and remove the ATA or SATA cable and its power cable. If the ATA or SATA cable and the power cable are broken, change to a new one. If the cables are covered by dust, clear the dust.

How do I recover files from undetected external hard drive?

Step 1: Connect the external hard drive to PC > right-click on “This PC” > “Manage” > “Disk Management”. Step 2: Find and right-click on the external hard drive > select “Format”. Step 3: Reset the external hard drive letter and system file (NTFS) and save all changes.

How do I format my external hard drive that is not visible?

Use “Start -> right-click “Computer” -> click “Disk Management” in the left pane. Look at the BOTTOM portion of the middle pane in Disk Management – you may have to scroll down to see the disks. Right-click on the new disk to create a volume and format it.

What causes a hard drive to stop working?

There are a number of causes for hard drives to fail including: human error, hardware failure, firmware corruption, heat, water damage, power issues and mishaps. … Drives typically fail within a short time if there is a defect present from manufacturing.

What are the symptoms of hard disk failure?

Common signs for a failing hard drive include sluggish performance, unusual noises (clicking or loud component sounds), and an increase number of corrupted files. These are textbook symptoms for the inevitably of a failing hard drive and action should be taken quickly to save your files from being lost.

How do I reboot my Western Digital external hard drive?


How to Reset a WD Drive

  1. Leave the drive turned on but unplug it from your computer. …
  2. Turn around the drive and locate the “Reset” button on the back panel of the unit. …
  3. Unbend the leg of a paperclip and insert it into the hole until you depress the reset button and the paperclip won’t go any further. …
  4. Warning.

How do I unlock my WD My Book Essential?

  1. go to the wd smartware and go to the security and place a password on your my book.
  2. safely remove it from the computer, and unplug it from your computer.
  3. plug it back into the computer and place in the password you just made.
  4. go back into the security and place the password in again and ask it to take of the password.

How do I fix my WD external hard drive not recognized?


Fix WD external hard drive not recognized error

  1. Go to Setting > Update & security.
  2. Tab on Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart now.
  3. PC will automatically boot into another Startup Settings screen.
  4. Press F4 to initiate PC reboot into Safe Mode.
  5. Then check whether the WD external hard disk can be detected or not.

Can files be recovered from a failed hard drive?

Yes, files can be recovered from a failed hard drive by using a skilled data recovery service. Failed hard drives cannot be salvaged with recovery software since the operating system cannot access the device to allow the application to recover the data.

How do I know if my external hard drive is damaged?

Common signs for a failing hard drive include sluggish performance, unusual noises (clicking or loud component sounds), and an increase number of corrupted files. These are textbook symptoms for the inevitably of a failing hard drive and action should be taken quickly to save your files from being lost.

Which is best recovery software?


Top 10 Best Data Recovery Software

  • Wondershare Recoverit (Windows & Mac) …
  • Recuva (Windows) …
  • Data Rescue 6 (Windows & Mac) …
  • R-Studio (Windows, Mac, and Linux) …
  • EaseUS Data Recovery (Windows & Mac) …
  • Stellar Data Recovery (Windows & Mac) …
  • TestDisk (Windows, Mac, and Linux) …
  • DiskGenius (Windows)

What do I do if my internal hard drive is not detected?


To check to see if this is the cause of the BIOS not detecting the hard drive, follow these steps:

  1. Power off the computer.
  2. Open the computer case and remove the data cable from the hard drive. This will stop any power saving commands from being sent.
  3. Turn on the system. Check to see if the hard drive is spinning.

How do I know if my hard drive is detected in BIOS?

During startup, hold F2 to enter the BIOS Setup screen. Under Disk Information, you can view all the hard drives installed on your computer. If you can’t see your newly-installed hard drive, please reinstall your hard drive. Ensure that bootable system files are present on the hard drive.

How can I recover my external hard drive for free?


To recover deleted files from an external hard drive:

  1. Connect an external hard disk to your PC.
  2. Launch Disk Drill for Windows or Mac.
  3. Select your drive from the list.
  4. Click Search for lost data.
  5. Preview files that Disk Drill can retrieve.
  6. Select the files for recovery and click Recover all button.

How do I format an undetected hard drive?


The way to format an undetected external hard drive

  1. Locate the hard drive partition that needs formatting, right-click it and choose “Format”.
  2. Set the file system of the partition and you can add Partition Label if you want.
  3. Confirm the operation and click “Apply” to perform it.

Why does Windows 10 not recognize my external hard drive?

If the external hard drive is not showing up in Windows 10, it may be caused by the incompatible file system format. If there is no data on the drive, you can right-click the partition on the drive in Disk Management and select Format to format the drive to NTFS. But this will lost all data.

Does formatting a drive wipe it?

Formatting a disk does not erase the data on the disk, only the address tables. … However a computer specialist would be able to recover most or all the data that was on the disk before the reformat.

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