Introduction: Missing files on your external hard drive is a common problem that can appear at any time. Instead of panicking and making mistakes, approach problems calmly and solve them correctly.
In this article, we explain the possible causes of losing files from an external hard drive and provide five quick solutions that will help you solve the problem in a few simple steps. If you find that your files are lost, we will also explain how to recover lost files on your external hard drive without any hassle. Let’s dive into the solution now!
Why is My Hard Drive Not Showing Up?
First, let’s look at the possible reasons why files disappear from an external hard drive. In most cases, the absence of a file does not mean that it has been deleted. Your hard drive may not display these files, even if they still exist. This may cause the external hard drive to appear empty.
- Connection Problems: If the external hard drive is not properly connected to the computer, the computer cannot read the files on the drive. Of course, the external hard drive looks completely empty.
- Hidden Files: Users may accidentally hide files on the external hard drive. In this case, there will be hidden files on the hard drive, but they will not be visible until they are displayed.
- Infection with a Virus or Malware: Viruses and malware are very common on external hard drives when connected to an infected computer. If the external hard drive is infected, the virus can hide and delete files completely.
- File System Errors: A corrupted file system can cause files on your hard drive to be lost or hidden.
Solution to Resolve Hard Drive Not Showing Files Error
Here in this section, we provide to you multiple techniques, but first suggested data recovery and second manual method.
Alternative Solution to Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Files Issue
The first one is the most effective and professional software that can help you recover your lost hard drive easily. You can download the SysTools Hard Disk Data Recovery Software from the official website.
The software can recover deleted files with original names from system hard drive as well as external hard drives such as IDE, SATA, SCSI, USB hard drive, memory card, USB flash drives, iPods, etc. Try this professional software provision for a complete recovery.
Quick Steps to Resolve the All-Type Error
1: Hard Drive Recovery Tool main screen during download and installation
2: Select a section and select the Scan or Scan Format option as needed.
3. Preview all fully recovered data items in the Hard Disk Wizard panel.
4: Select “Keep All Data” or “Keep Deleted” to save the recovered data from your hard drive anywhere.
What Aspects Make this Software Great?
- The best part is that it has a very simple and easy-to-use user interface.
- It supports unlimited data recovery from hard drives with a few simple clicks.
- This amazing software provides a full preview of deleted data recovered from the hard drive.
- In addition, the toolbar has a built-in option to search for files on your hard drive.
- This software allows you to save selected files after recovery.
- Moreover, you can access an unlimited amount of deleted data from your hard drive with this software.
- You can use this software to recover hard drive data from hidden partitions.
This is not enough. There are multiple other great features in this application. If you want to learn more about this software, take advantage of the free trial version of the software. The trial version is completely safe, secure and completely free.
Manual Technique to Files Not Showing in Hard Drive
In this segment, we will discuss manual approaches to resolving this problem.
# Format or Reformat your External or Internal Hard Drive
This method is recommended as a last resort because you need to back up all your files, which takes time. To format your hard disk, you need to perform the following steps:
Step 1: Open Administrative Tools.
Right-click the Windows icon, then select Disk Management from the list.
Step 2: Click the Format button.
After opening the management tool, click on the “Disk Management” section in the list on the left. Next, select the drive you want to convert to NTFS, right-click to open a list of options, and then click Format.
Step 3: Set Properties
You can sell a drive by entering your desired name in the Volume Label section and then selecting NTFS as the format in the File System drop-down list. After setting the features, click “OK” to start the process.
Step 4: Confirm the process
Please note that the formatting process will delete all data stored on the drive, so confirm the process only if you have already made a backup. If you haven’t done this and formatted your hard drive, the recovery process can be difficult if you don’t have the right tools.
# Run CHKDSK
Step 1: Strat the Your Command Prompt in Administrator mode.
Right-click the Windows icon in the left corner of the taskbar and select Command Prompt (Admin). Once the process is finished, a pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm the process.
Step 2: Start the recovery process
Now all you have to do is type: chkdsk c: /f (replace c with the letter assigned to your device) and press Enter. This will automatically start the assessment process and Windows will be able to detect any corruption in the device’s file system and fix it.
Reconnect the Device and Replace the Power Supply and USB Cable
One of the factors mentioned is an unstable USB cable connection or problems with the power supply. Reconnect the hard drive or replace the USB cable. This might be enough to solve your problem. Otherwise, you may have to buy a new drive due to obvious hardware issues.
# Show Hidden Files or Folders
Sometimes files are hidden and you can make them visible by following simple steps. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Show hidden files
Navigate to the file or folder location, click the View tab at the top of the screen, and check the empty box next to Hidden Objects. This step is enough to see all the hidden files.
With the help of the above-mentioned methods, you can definitely solve the problem of missing files on your computer’s hard drive.
Final Conclusion
If your hard drive isn’t displaying files, it could be due to a number of reasons. If the Show Hidden Files task is not enough to resolve the issue, the problem may be with your hard drive. Luckily, there are several other ways to solve this problem. Even if your drive is damaged, this amazing software can restore your files safely and quickly, and you can see your files again in just a few clicks.