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26 May 2024  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
Address the "usb 3.0 external hard drive not recognized in windows 10" problem. Explore causes and remedies in this comprehensive guide.



Table of contents

table iconI. What are the reasons why Windows 10 cannot recognize the USB 3.0 mobile hard disk?
table iconII. What are the methods to quickly solve the problem that Windows 10 cannot recognize the USB 3.0 mobile hard disk?
usb 3 0 external hard drive not recognized in windows 10

I. What are the reasons why Windows 10 cannot recognize the USB 3.0 mobile hard disk?

When your Windows 10 system is connected to a USB 3.0 mobile hard disk, but it cannot be recognized, there are probably the following reasons:
●The mobile hard disk device driver is outdated or damaged.
●The USB 3.0 port is damaged. Please replace the USB data cable or connect to another USB port to see if the problem is solved.
●The mobile hard disk has not been initialized.
●Mobile hard disk has no drive letter. See how to add a drive letter to your hard drive.
● Incompatible file systems. accessible format hard drive Reset the file system of the hard disk.
● MBR damage. Check out the method to repair MBR.
● The USB selective suspend setting is enabled in the computer power plan.
USB 3.0 mobile hard disk
After understanding the possible causes of this problem, in order to better solve this type of problem, the editor has sorted out several simple and effective repair methods for you, and we will continue to study.

II. What are the methods to quickly solve the problem that Windows 10 cannot recognize the USB 3.0 mobile hard disk?

To prevent data loss on a USB 3.0 mobile hard disk that Windows 10 cannot recognize, use data recovery software to extract the data before repairing the device and then proceed with the repair.

1. Use Renee Undeleter to extract/recover mobile hard disk data

Renee Undeleter is specialized software for restoring various data files. Whether you accidentally delete important files, empty the recycle bin, or format the disk/storage, this tool can help you recover the lost data. With four functional modules – Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation – it offers a comprehensive solution to all potential data loss issues that may arise during system use.
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Restoring data with Renee Undeleter is very simple. The steps are as follows:
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 – Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze and get partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
  • Image Creation – You can create a mirror image for a partition to back up the current partition state.
Step 2: Select the external hard disk and click (Next). Select the (Default setting) on the advanced setting interface.
select a disk to recover in renee undeleter
Step 3: The software will analyze the mobile hard disk device and prompt you to select the partition to scan. You can preview and select files to recover before clicking the Recover button.
preview before recovery
undeleter preview docx
Step 4: Click (Browse) to select another disk to save the selected files, and then click the (Recover) button to start the file recovery.
recover files from whole disk scan with renee undeleter

2. Uninstall the device and reconnect the mobile hard disk

Step 1: Run the Windows 10 computer, enter (device manager) in the “search box” in the lower left corner, and open it.
device manager windows 10 find
Step 2: Select the target external hard disk in “Disk Drives” and select the (Update driver or Uninstall Device) option. After that, safely unplug the external hard drive and connect it again to see if the problem is resolved. Also, try updating your drivers to resolve this issue.
update driver-disk

3. Reinstall the USB controller

The method of reinstalling the USB controller can also solve the problem that the mobile hard disk cannot be recognized. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the Windows 10 computer, enter (device manager) in the “search box” in the lower left corner, and open it.
device manager windows 10 find
Step 2: After that, under the “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” option, right-click on the USB 3.0 external hard drive and select the (Uninstall Device) option. After that, connect the external hard disk again to check if the problem is resolved.
update USB Driver

4. Disable USB selective suspend setting

In order to save energy, the computer may enable the USB selective suspend setting by default. After this setting is enabled, it will affect the connection of USB devices.
Step 1: Run the Windows 10 computer, enter (Control Panel) in the “Search Box” in the lower left corner and open it.
search windows Control Panel
Step 2: Enter “power” in the search box in the upper right corner, and click the (Power Options).
Windows power options
Find the (Change plan settings) button on the right and click it.
Change power plan settings
Step 3: Locate and click on the (Change advanced power settings) option.
how to change advanced power settings on windows
Step 4: Then find (USB Settings)-(USB Selective Suspend Settings) in turn, and select (Disabled) in the use of the battery.
control panel, USB Selective Suspend Settings
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