author avatar
11 June 2024  John Weaver  Senior Program Developer
 

Summary
Fix the "cant access external hard drive" issue and retrieve your data. This authoritative article provides solutions and data recovery methods.



Table of contents

table iconI. What are the reasons why the external hard disk cannot be opened?
table iconII. Use Renee Undeleter to recover files from external hard disk
table iconIII. How to solve the problem that the external hard disk cannot be opened normally?
cant access external hard drive

I. What are the reasons why the external hard disk cannot be opened?

When the external hard disk cannot be opened, there may be the following error prompts:
● Deny access
● File system errors
● Storage device drivers are outdated
● Device not formatted error
● Unsupported file system
● The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error
● unknown disk is not initialized
hard drive inaccessible
The reasons why the external hard disk cannot be opened usually include the following aspects:
● The hard disk is removed abnormally
● The file system is damaged
● The power connection failed or the device connection failed
● Sector corruption or disk write error
● virus infection
● No administrator rights/no rights to modify or read the hard disk
● The hard disk driver is not updated in time
When a external hard disk can’t be opened, its data becomes inaccessible. To prevent data loss or damage during repairs, first recover the data using the following methods:

II. Use Renee Undeleter to recover files from external hard disk

To recover important data from a external hard disk, we recommend using professional data recovery software like Renee Undeleter.

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is specialized software for restoring various data files. It helps retrieve lost data from accidental deletions, emptied recycle bins, or formatted disks/storage. The software includes four modules: Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation, offering comprehensive solutions for all data loss issues.
Hot Topic - ADsRenee Undeleter – Simple & Powerful Software for Data Recovery

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan;

Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

Supported devices SD card/USB/hard disk.

Free TrialFree TrialFree Trial 800 people have downloaded!

2. How to recover external hard disk data with Renee Undeleter?

Step 1: Download, install, and run Renee Undeleter. Select the (Whole Disk Scan) option on the main interface.
Note: Do not install on the disk that needs to restore data, so as not to cause data overwriting.
select whole disk scan in renee undeleter
Data Recovery Function:

  • Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan – Recover files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze partition information and fully scan the entire disk.
  • Image Creation – Create an image of a partition to back up its current state.
Step 2: Select the external hard disk and click (Next).
select a disk to recover in renee undeleter
Step 3: The software will analyze the drive. A prompt window may appear, asking you to select the partition to scan. Choose the desired partition. After scanning, preview the files on the right, select the files to restore, and click the Recover button in the lower right corner.
select taget files to recover with renee undeleter
Step 4: Select the target folder, click Browse to choose another disk for saving the recovered files, then click Recover to start the recovery process. Wait patiently.
recover files from whole disk scan with renee undeleter
After restoring the data on the external hard disk using the above methods, you can proceed with further repair operations on the inaccessible hard disk. Let’s continue learning.

III. How to solve the problem that the external hard disk cannot be opened normally?

1. Obtain administrator privileges and reset account privileges

Failure to open the external hard disk may be due to the system account lacking read and write permissions. Obtain administrator permission and reset the account to read, write, and modify the hard disk.
Step 1: Start the Windows computer, type run in the search bar, and open the Run window. Enter gpedit.msc in the search box and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
type gpedit.msc
Step 2: Navigate to Computer Configuration-Windows Settings-Security Settings-Local Policies-Security Options.
Security options group policy
Step 3: Double-click the Account-Administrator Account Status option on the right, check the Enabled option on the new page, and restart the computer to obtain administrator privileges.
Administrator Account Status
Step 4: Once the account has administrator privileges, right-click the external hard disk, select Properties, and click Edit under the Security tab to set the account’s permissions on the disk (full control, modify, read and execute, read, write, etc.). Click OK when done.
Allow permissions for modification and writing

2. Update the driver of the external hard disk

The method of updating the external hard disk driver is relatively simple, and the specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Turn on the Windows computer, connect the hard disk, and press Windows key + R to open the Run window. Enter devmgmt.msc and click OK to access Device Manager.
open device manager
Step 2: In “Disk Drives”, right-click on the removable hard disk and select the (Update Driver) option.
update driver disk
Step 3: Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and follow the instructions to update the hard disk driver. Once the update is complete, restart your computer and check if the problem is resolved.
update Driver Confirm

3. Use the chkdsk command to repair the hard disk

The external hard disk may have issues such as bad sectors or file system damage, preventing it from opening normally. You can repair it using the chkdsk command, a tool to check and repair the disk state. Here’s how to use chkdsk to repair the external hard disk:
Step 1: Connect the external hard disk to the computer, search for cmd in the lower-left search box, and select Run as administrator to open the command prompt.
run as administrator
Step 2: In the command prompt, enter chkdsk D: /F (D is the letter of the external hard disk number) and press Enter to fix the error. After the repair is complete, restart the computer and reconnect the hard disk to check if the problem is resolved.
check disk
Besides the above methods, you can use the disk error checking function in Windows to scan and repair the external hard disk, or format the external hard disk in Disk Management to reset its file system.