The PC does not read the hard drive. How to recover a hard drive if it is not detected. Determine the goals: repair or restoration

If the system cannot boot due to the fact that the computer does not see HDD or a USB device, this may be due to both hardware problems of the PC, and various kinds of errors in the OS itself or incorrect BIOS configuration. Next, we will tell you what to do in Windows and Mac, if the reason for the abnormal operation is not a physical breakdown of the device in the PC, as well as how to solve the problem through the MHDD utility when the HDD clicks strongly during operation.

Reasons why the OS does not see the HDD

There are several common reasons why the system does not detect the hard drive:

Wondering why on my computer BIOS does not detect the drive, one of the reasons can be found in the incorrect configuration of jumpers for switching the drive modes Master, Single, etc. For the device to work correctly, you must adhere to the diagram printed on the sticker.

In general, there can be many more reasons why a PC or laptop does not see a hard drive or USB. For example, on motherboard the CMOS battery may run out, causing changes BIOS settings after reboot are not saved. In this case, you need to replace the battery.

A faulty power supply can also cause problems. Because of this, sometimes the system cannot identify the second hard drive, sometimes the problem block does not pull not only the second, but even the first disk.

External storage is not detected

When the computer does not see external hard disk, USB device or DVR, please make sure the device is properly connected to PC. If a USB stick or DVR is connected to the front of the system unit, connect it through the main rear panel. The same can be done for users whose USB device is connected, but after that it is not recognized by the system, as a result, the laptop does not see the hard drive anyway. For a long time, the system cannot detect it, and then error messages appear. One of possible reasons- lack of food.

In addition to connecting an external USB drive to the back of your PC, reinstalling your motherboard drivers can help. To find out its model, you can check one of the specialized programs, for example, Everest.

To connect a DVR, specific programs from the manufacturer are often required, the disc with which may sometimes be lost or not supplied with the DVR in the box.

Some devices, in addition to connecting to the USB port of a PC, also require an external power source. Therefore, another commonplace reason why the computer does not see the external hard drive may be that the user, after connecting to the PC, simply forgot to connect the device to the network.

Also, the DVR may have problems when installing a hard disk that the device cannot detect. In this case, you need to do the formatting process. At the same time, no indication will appear on the screen, only the inscription "no HDD" will appear in the upper right corner. After the formatting process is completed, DVR will detect the drive and show its capacity.

External storage and Mac compatibility issues

When the Mac does not see the USB drive, the situation is somewhat different. Sometimes it happens that a new removable hard drive is detected, but does not open. The main reason here is that the USB drive was formatted using NTFS, which is designed to work with Windows. Mac, on the other hand, uses it only for reading, and it will not work to write anything to such a USB drive.

There may be two solutions to the problem:

  1. Carry out the formatting process in the FAT-32 or FAT-32 system, after which the Mac works without problems.
  2. Use special drivers that allow Mac to fully work with NTFS.

In the latter case, you can use the driver built into the system, however, due to the mass of flaws this way"Make friends" a removable drive NTFS and Mac is fraught with damage to the file system. If you agree with the risk, then do the following:

  1. Enter in the terminal:
  • studio –s (then enter the password and press Enter);
  • nano / etc / fstab.
  1. A blank screen will appear where you need to enter the following:
  • Label = Disk none ntfs rw (where instead of Disk, write down the label of the NTFS partition).
  1. Press Ctrl-X, then Y and Enter.

You can also use third-party drivers - free NTFS-3G, commercial Tuxera NTFS for Mac and Paragon NTFS for Mac. These solutions are more reliable.

Often, when working on a Mac, another problem arises - if the same disk is used to transfer information from Mac to Windows, then suddenly it may no longer be detected in the Mac OS.

The way out is to use a small "intermediate" drive for dumping information from one system to another. This is often the only solution to the old problem that Mac just refuses to recognize drives after being manipulated in Windows... For reliable storage of information in a Mac, you should use drives that were originally "sharpened" for Mac.

How to get back a missing partition on a hard drive

If logical partitions disappear on the disk, then on a running OS they can be found and restored using one of the programs for working with HDD partitions. If the computer stopped seeing the hard drive "C" with all the files, because of which the system does not boot, then the task becomes more complicated. Would need boot disk Acronis Disk Director.

The following is to be done:

  1. Boot from the Live CD and select the Disk Director Home program;
  2. Make sure the sections you want are missing;
  3. Run the Acronis Recovery Expert utility;
  4. Please select manual mode recovery of partitions.

It remains to click "Next", after which the "C" drive will be restored. Special solutions are offered for Mac computers. After formatting, including in the Mac, the data is also restored with specialized utilities, for example,.

If the disc is "noisy" during operation

If the hard drive clicks hard, you can reduce its noise by using the AAM function - noise level adjustment. It is able to reduce the speed of movement of the drive heads, as a result of which the latter clicks much quieter.

In addition to proprietary utilities HDD manufacturers can get rid of the problem with a small utility called MHDD. Moreover, the function is implemented very conveniently:


There are cases in which a normally turned on computer, after a normal boot process, displays the message “ Operating system not found". This can only tell us that our OS could not find the required system files... If in your practice you have encountered this kind of problem, then thanks to this instruction you can get rid of this problem.

Reasons why Windows 7 will not be able to see the hard drive

There are several reasons why the system does not see the hard drive:

  1. The hard disk is damaged
  2. The O Sector Master Boot Record (MBR) is corrupted or has errors.
  3. Incorrectly set priority of disks responsible for which disk the operating system will be booted from.
  4. It also often happens that in BIOS there is an error on your computer, and because of it there is no way to detect the hard drive.
  5. Of the hardware reasons, one can name the following: the interface cable that connects the computer and the hard drive is damaged, then it needs to be replaced and checked. And for SATA it is best to choose a cable that has metal clips.
  6. If you just installed a new hard drive, and did not have time to properly prepare and create partitions, then Windows 7 he will definitely not see him. To solve this issue, just download the program Acronis Disc Director and quickly divide our disk into sections. Just don't mix up the discs!

Now let's try to fix the problem. First, we need to find the item "" by clicking on the icon " My computer»Using the right button of your mouse.

Then in the paragraph " Computer management", Select the sub-item" ". Then we boldly press right click on required disk and here we already select such an item as “ Change drive letter«.

You will definitely not go wrong further. In order to swap two disks, you will have to rename them several times. To begin with, you will need to replace the letter on any of the drives with an unoccupied one: for example, change the drive "D" to "X", and drive "E" to "D", then you can change former drive"D", and now "X" - on "E".

Windows 7 does not detect hard drive after reinstalling the system

Very often there are cases when, after reinstalling the OS, the hard drive ceases to be visible.Then help with this problemthis instruction.

  1. If you have the case in which Windows 7 cannot detect the hard drive due to a conflict emanating from the motherboard, then first try downloading the necessarydrivers for the motherboard of your computer. Save them to disk and loadthesedriver in root folder your OS. To do this, insert your driver disc into the drive and after restarting the computer, click the " F6«.

    2. Another way to solve the problem. When the computer boots up, you need to go toBIOS (read how to do it), and in the settings of the system itself, find the parameter responsible for disablingAHCI, and only when you disable this setting, the hard drive will be found immediately. You will see how to do this in the pictures below.

    If this did not help you, then you need to do such a difficult thing as integrating driversSATA, or even have to download entire driver packages. Also, it is possible that integration of all driver packages along with their updates will help. And you need to integrate them into the OS distribution in any way from those presented below.

To choose required drivers and updates, you need to go to the website of the manufacturer of your motherboard (in order to quickly find out the model of the motherboard, read).

The solution to this problem is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. In most cases, users who are installing or reinstalling the operating system encounter this problem. Do not immediately panic and call service centres to call a specialist at home, first try in BIOS disable an option like AHCI, then try to integrate all motherboard drivers into your computer distribution.

If the above does not help, then try to determine how the connector is connected HDD, and how correct. The very device, thanks to which it is possible to connect a hard drive to the motherboard, has only two connectors - black and blue, which should be connected to the hard drive, since it works more stably.

A hard disk drive (HDD) is a storage device or primary storage device in most PCs. A large number of people are faced with the fact that the computer (laptop) does not see the hard drive. What to do in this case?
V computer slang it is called a hard drive and it can be external or internal. On a device that works on the principle of magnetic recording, not only is saved user information, but also operating system, which operates with service data.
How can you solve the problem of hard disk "invisibility"? Let's sequentially figure out what a hard drive is and how to make it so that the PC detects it.

If something goes wrong with work hard disc, the computer does not display all of the recorded information. The PC may not see the hard drive for many reasons. We will try to describe all the causes of malfunctions and the available methods for their elimination.

All these reasons apply to both internal and external hard drives, and the "treatment" in both cases will be the same.

Diagnostic measures

If such a problem occurs, a diagnosis should be carried out initially. Its purpose is to identify the source of the malfunction. After all, the problem may not be in the hard drive, but in the operating system. To find out, the hard drive is connected to another PC.


If the computer boots, then it is not the hard drive that is "sick", but the operating system itself. And if not, the problem, accordingly, lies in the malfunction of the hard drive. In this case, it is most advisable to take the device to a workshop for repair or replace it with a new one, if the warranty is valid.

In the first case, when the problem lies in the operating system, you can fix it yourself. There are several methods on how to do it yourself, without spending money.

  • 1. While the operating system is loading, click Del / F2 several times. If everything is successful, you will see the BIOS settings.
  • 2. If you have disconnected the internal hard drive from the computer, wrap it in an antistatic wrap to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge.
  • 3. Before all manipulations with the hard drive, study well how to connect it.
  • 4. Antistatic is also useful for the bottom of the hard drive (where the boards are).

Major problems and solutions

There are such problems concerning hard drives which can be corrected and with my own hands... For example, if the contacts have moved away, it is not necessary to contact the repair shop.

Outgoing contacts

If the contact is gone, the computer will not see the hard drive. Reconnect all cables to correct the problem. system unit... Check carefully all connections, and then, perhaps, the problem will be solved.

Incorrect BIOS settings

Even if the BIOS ( base system I / O) does not see the hard drive, the problem may lie in the system date. If the operating system crashed, the date may have changed and your computer has moved back in time. Reset the system date by removing the battery on the motherboard for 20-35 minutes, and then reinstalling it.


If the problem lies precisely in the wrong date settings, the computer will detect the hard drive as a physical storage medium.

There is another problem, which lies in the fact that the devices are not loaded in the correct order. Find "Boot" in the BIOS and make the HDD the priority device that boots up first.

Insufficient nutrition

If the hard drive makes suspicious sounds and from time to time it disappears, then it is "read" again, the problem is hidden in the lack of power, so the PC does not periodically see the hard disk (HDD). There are two ways to fix the problem: the first is to buy a good power supply, the second is to remove some device from the download.

Device conflict

If two hard drives of the same model are installed on your computer at once, they may conflict with each other. In this case, the following will help you:
  • 1. Run diagnostics on both devices for troubleshooting.
  • 2. Connect both hard drives to the operating system separately.

Bus version

Older versions of Windows OS may not support SATA.

The wisest thing is to upgrade to new version OS. If for some reason you cannot do this, reinstalling the operating system and integrating drivers that are supported by SATA is necessary.

The problem is in the settings of the operating system

If everything is fine in the BIOS, and the operating system does not recognize the device, it must be configured manually using the capabilities of the OS. Do the following:

Step One Enter the "Control Panel" from the "Start" menu and click on the "Administrative Tools" section.


Step two Click on "Computer Management".


Step Three Click on "Disk Management". Here you will see all the disks that are connected to the computer. One of the devices will not have a letter. Right click on the unnamed device and open "Change Drive Letter" and assign your volume letter label.


After that, you need to reboot the system.

If all these methods did not help and by old computer(laptop) does not see the hard disk drive (HDD), then most likely you need to bring it in for repair. You are unlikely to be able to detect a malfunction on your own, but a computer technician can do it quickly. And there are cases when only professional help is recommended.

People using removable drives sometimes face situations when the computer (pc) does not see the hard disk drive (HDD). Discs such as Transcend, Western digital, Seagate, Samsung, Ide are gaining more and more popularity and demand among people of different ages and are used for personal purposes, in study and work. Their main purpose is the storage and exchange of information between people and, due to the minimum size, almost commensurate with the parameters mobile phone, it can be easily stored among the personal belongings taken with you, while placing thousands of gigabytes in itself.

It should be said right away that cases when the computer does not see the hard drive happen quite often and turn out to be very unpleasant, especially when there is not much time. Let's try to figure out the reasons and possible solutions this problem.

First of all, it is necessary to divide the disc's belonging to a new or already previously used- this is essential in solution methods.

hard HDD disk on Windows 7, 8, 10

A new hard drive means, as is already clear, neither its age, but the fact that it has never been recorded on it and, accordingly, has not been connected to a computer or laptop.

  • Click on the shortcut “ My computer"Right-click and select" Control«.

  • Find and click on " Disk management“, A window will open displaying the disks connected to the PC.

Drive letter

A common cause of an error in displaying a connected drive is an incorrect drive letter assignment, as a result, the computer does not display it. Necessary identify the connected external hard drive HDD, found by its name, size in MB (details are located at the bottom of the window) and distinguishable from the disk registered by the system, C, D and or other local disk, marked up during the installation of the operating system.

You can make sure that you have identified the connected hard disk HDD for sure: without closing the "Disk Management" window, disconnect and reconnect to the computer, respectively, it will disappear from the list and appear.

  • Then right-click on it and select another sequential letter after the ones available in the system.

The disk is not formatted

Very often, connected hard drives are not visible on the computer due to the fact that they are new and have not been previously formatted. If you find them in the " Disk management“, Change the letter value, such a disk will not work, due to the lack of such a function. Here you need to select the value " Create simple volume«:

We draw your attention to the fact that during the creation of the volume, formatting will occur - along with the partitioning, a complete disk cleaning will occur. As a result, the information stored there (if you are not sure exactly) will be completely deleted.

Lack of drivers

Another common reason that a hard drive connected to a PC is not visible is the lack of drivers on it. Although Windows system takes into account such cases and reacts by trying to find from the available ones or by showing a window with necessary search drivers for the connected device. But, nevertheless, failures occur and it may be that no information from the computer about this will appear.

  • In this regard, you must first of all make sure that the USB port to which the connection was made is working. This can be done by connecting something else, unmistakably determined by the computer (for example, a flash drive).
  • Then go to " Device Manager"(Menu" Start" ->» Control Panel» -> « System and safety" or by the key combination " Win + Pause Break"And select" Device Manager ").

  • Open the " Disk devices«.

  • « Other devices»And see if a device not detected by the system is displayed with a yellow icon with an exclamation mark. In the case of such a name or an undefined device (for example, the inscription "My passport"), right-click on it and select " Update drivers«.
  • You can search for and update drivers v automatic mode , by using special programs in the article (definition suitable driver by equipment ID and a link to find it on the Internet).

  • Also, you can try to select the command " Update system configuration"In the" Action". After that, there will be a search for available devices and installation of the corresponding drivers.

The connected hard drive HDD is not visible previously used

If the disk that was previously used is not displayed, or even more so, information is already stored on it, then you must make sure (if it is not known for sure) that this is working. hard disk by connecting it to another computer or laptop. The USB port to which the connection was made must also be functional and if you need to check by connecting another device (flash drive) or check by connecting the disk to another connector.

  • If you are sure that the HDD together with USB port serviceable, then you need to open the menu " Disk management" (Pressing " My computer"With the right key and selecting" Control"And then click" Disk management«) And look at the available discs and their alphabetic value (determined by the name and size). If there is such a disk, then by right-clicking on it, select “ Change drive letter", Then the button" Change»And set the next letter after the drive letters already on the computer.

  • There are cases when such disks can contain viruses and prevent them from being displayed correctly in the system or be blocked by some antiviruses (budget free antiviruses, can do this too) as a result, the hard disk is not visible on the computer.

Decide this problem can be reconnected or by trying to find this disc on the menu " Disk management"(Above) and also change the literal value, it is possible that some message from the antivirus will appear (about the presence of viruses or blocking it or" access denied ") and decide by scanning for viruses or checking for viruses on another computer. After that, reconnect to the computer - if the viruses were really present and were removed as a result of the scan, then now this hard disk should start without problems (unless, of course, it was blocked for this reason).

Good day to everyone, dear readers! In this article I will try to explain why the BIOS does not see the hard drive - as well as ways to solve this problem, I will tell you in my article.

This problem, when the hard drive is not detected by the computer, is the most common problem. It occurs on both old and new computers. It also happens with new and old, external and built-in HDDs.

To begin with, of course, you need to find out the cause of such a problem. Sometimes users can independently decide everything and establish work with Windows and hard disk laptop.

Why can't the computer see the hard drive?

I note right away that there are several reasons why the hard drive refuses to perform its functions. These reasons include:

  1. For the first time there was a connection of a new disk sata or ide;
  2. There were problems with the loop or wires;
  3. Perhaps the BIOS is incorrectly configured or completely out of order;
  4. Weak power supply;
  5. Low cooling system;
  6. The hard drive itself is out of order.

Yes, you need to diagnose, and only then solve the problem. For example, an inexperienced user will probably have some difficulties with this. Let me help you, and together we will figure out what and how.

The first connection of the hard drive

If this is your first time connecting the screw, then most likely the system simply did not see it. Yes, it is physically in working order, but it does not appear among local drives.

In order to fix this problem you need to press Win and R on your keyboard, write compmgmt.msc and select "Ok".

Find and select "Disk Management".

In the window that appears in the middle, all your connected drives will be identified, including your problem hard drive. As a rule, it is because of the wrong letter assigned.

Find the required drive and right-click on it, and then select "Change drive letter or drive path ....".

A window will open in which you will have to click on the "Change" button.

Now select the letter you want and select "OK".

Wrong format

For the normal functioning of the disk in Windows, the NTFS format is required.

Just as in the instructions above, go to "Disk Management", that is, repeat the previous first two steps. After that, right-click on the disk and select "Format".

Please select file system- NTFS, and click OK.

BIOS does not see the hard drive - setting

In some cases, the BIOS may set the wrong boot priority for devices. When booting up the PC, press F2 (or Del). Which key you need to press will be indicated at the start of the PC. Pressing desired key, you will go to BIOS.

Please note that due to differences in BIOS versions, the names of menu items here and below may differ slightly.

Find the "Boot" tab. Use the arrows to control. In the list of boot devices, put your HDD in the first place (1st Boot Priority / First Boot Device).

Press F10 to save and exit and then press Y to confirm. After that, the PC will boot from the device you have exposed.

SATA operating mode

Often, users in the BIOS do not have a mode of operation that is compatible with the IDE. In order to make a change, you need to go to BIOS, select Main, Advanced or Intefrated Peripherals and find the SATA Operation setting, Configure SATA As, or OnChip SATA Type.


Select IDE or Native IDE, press F10 and specify Y.

BIOS does not display hard drive

If the BIOS cannot determine your hard drive, then most likely the matter is wrong setting or their crashes.

Incorrect settings appear due to user actions, and failure can occur for various reasons. So, starting from power outages and ending with even infection of the system. This may be indicated by the system date - if it is not accurate, then you undoubtedly had a failure. To fix this problem, you need to reset all settings.

Look for the Clear CMOS jumper on the motherboard.

Change the jumper from pins 1-2 to 2-3, hold them for 20-30 seconds and then return to their original position. Besides, there is another way. Find the motherboard in the system unit and remove the battery from it.

It will be necessary to return it back in 25-30 minutes.

Conclusion

Now you know what to do if the BIOS does not see the hard drive. I hope you were able to solve your problem, thank you all for your attention, and also do not forget to ask any questions in the comments!