Dec 03, 2020 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

How to repair external hard drive without any cost with a free external hard drive repair software: 1. Connect your external hard drive to the computer. Download EaseUS external hard disk repair software for free. Right-click the external hard disk and choose Check File System. Mac OS Diagnostics The MacOS has great tools for testing hard drives. This program is called First Aid. Always backup your data before running First Aid scans of your hard drive. If there is a bad sector, any data that may have been accessible before running “Repair Disk” will likely become inaccessible once the bad sector is re-allocated.

There are several times when our system works strangely, making us wonder about the consequences, the major of them being data loss. To overcome this issue, the hard drive was widely used by people for backing up their data in a secure place. However, the hard drive is an electronic device itself is prone to physical compromise that may result in data loss that might be impossible to recover until you search for ways to do so.

This question can puzzle you. But here, you can get the answer. This article will walk you through how to recover data from an external hard drive and repair external hard drive not working.

• Part 1. How to Repair External Hard Disk Not Detected?
• Part 2. How to Recover Files from External Hard Drive Without Formatting
• Part 3. How to Fix External Hard Drive with Error Messages

Part 1 How to Repair External Hard Disk Not Detected?

If your external hard drive isn't recognized, you can take the following different solutions and steps to get the external hard disk error fixed.

External Hard Drive For Mac

Way 1 Check IDE / SATA to USB Connection:

1. Ground Yourself:
   It is important that before you open up any hardware, make sure you ground yourself for obvious reasons that include being shock resistant.
2. Install the Drive:
   Use an IDE / SATA data cable and a power connector to install the hard drive internally on your system. You can also try connecting the drive externally via USB.
3. Conclude the observations:
   The above two steps will help you determine whether or not the enclosure was the reason that you were not able to recognize your hard drive in the system. By this reconnecting technique, you will figure out if you need to narrow down the issue further.

If the external hard disk enclosure is not the issue, you need to dig further to find out the culprit by following up on another series of steps.

Way 2 Check the sound the hard drive is making:

Listen up to the sound that your connected hard drive is making. Are you able to hear it? If it is spinning you'll possibly know the sound.

• Compare the sound with failing hard drive sounds listed by Data Cent.
• Try figuring out the possible scenarios which cause the sound you hear.
• However, if there is no sound made by the hard drive, it is dead in all probability.
• This damage can be internal, due to the faulty printed circuit board (PCB).

If your drive is spinning but the system doesn't recognize your hard drive, follow the next series of steps to manually check the settings on your computer.

Way 3 Enter into BIOS:

Press the trigger key that could be [DEL], [ESC], [F2], [F10] or [F12], depending upon your system. Check out the list of the types of devices that are connected with your system. You can fetch this information under the BOOT menu or Advance menu of the system.

Samsung galaxy mini s5570 usb driver download. On Windows: If you are working on windows, here are the steps to check the devices connected: Hlf1081a usb ethernet drivers.

1. Click the key combination [Windows] + [R] to launch 'Run'.
2. Open the Command Prompt by inputting cmd in the field, and then hit Enter.
3. Type 'diskpart' and press Enter to launch the diskpart.exe.
4. Type list volume in the diskpart menu to see the connected drive.

Way 4 Fix external hard drive by formatting

You can also directly use the diskpart.exe to repair external hard drive not detected. Here are the steps:

1. Once the diskpart.exe is launched, type 'select disk 0' and press Enter.
2. Type 'clean' and hit Enter. This input will entirely erase all data on the external hard drive.
3. Input 'create partition primary' and also the same, Enter.
4. Finally, click the 'x' icon at the upper right corner.

Notes: 0 means the drive letter of the external hard disk to be repaired. It can be also 1 or 2.

As we can see, to learn how to repair an external hard drive is handy as it helps in avoiding unprecedented circumstances about your data. For the ones keen to repair an external hard drive, we have multiple options, each catering to different issues and users. Therefore, you no longer need to worry if your Seagate or WD external hard drive not recognized.

Part 2 How to Recover Files from External Hard Drive Without Formatting

1. Recover External Hard Drive with Recoverit

A corrupted external hard drive can always bring about data loss, even if sometimes you repair it successfully. If you lost data on your external hard drive, unfortunately, don't worry! You still have the chance to get lost data back. To recover files from external hard drive, you can have a try Recoverit Data Recovery.

This external hard drive recovery software can help you recover data from an external hard drive no matter if it is corrupted, dead, crashed, damaged, or not detected. Before external hard drive data recovery, Recoverit also allows you to preview the scanned files to make a selective recovery.

2. Watch the Video for External Hard Drive Recovery

This video can instruct you how to recover files from external hard drive without formatting. Just take one minute, and you can get the surefire way to retrieve data from hard disk on Windows or Mac.

3. How to Retrieve Data from External Hard Drive

To start external hard drive recovery, you should firstly get Recoverit Data Recovery free downloaded and installed on your computer. After the installation, connect the external hard drive to your Windows computer and then follow the next steps to regain the lost data from an external hard drive.

Step 1. Select external hard drive

Among all the hard drives which have been shown on the screen, please select the corrupted external hard drive and click the 'Start' button to move forward.

Note: Please ensure that the selected external hard drive has been connected and can be recognized by the computer.

Step 2. Scan the external hard drive

Recoverit will start a quick scan on the undetected external hard drive. If the quick scan can't help you get the lost data, turn to the 'All-around Recovery' mode. It can search for more files for you on the external disk.

Step 3. Recover data from external hard drive

Once the scan finishes, you can preview all the found data, select the wanted ones, and click 'Recover' to restore the files from the external disk.

Part 3 How to Fix External Hard Drive with Error Messages?

While using your external hard drive, there has been observed an error message, which asks the user to format the hard drive. In these cases, it is recommended not to follow the instructions blindly and do some researches on your own. Some of the error messages are:

While accessing the file:

While attempting to run chkdsk:

Commonly, a user will not able to understand what a RAW file system means, therefore, they may follow the critical step of formatting the data to solve the issue. However, if you understand the requirements of the system, you might solve without the loss of any data. A RAW file system is a file that the Windows cannot recognize. As a result, available drivers could not mount the file system to a drive. Maybe, the filesystem type or location on the disk is corrupted. When the Windows are unable to find these files, it prompts the user to format the data.

This usually happens because many users disconnect their hard drives without choosing the 'Safely Remove Hardware?' option. Here is a way to fix this issue without formatting your hard drive.

1. Use CMD for external hard disk check

• Press and hold Windows icon and R keys.
• Input 'cmd' and hit Enter in the pop-up window.
• Type 'chkdsk f: /f ' and hit Enter to begin the scan process.
• Upon completion, you can usually find the external hard disk errors fixed.

Generally speaking, the external hard drive errors can be repaired using CMD. What you should note is that regarding 'chkdsk f: /f ', the first f should be replaced with the drive letter of the external hard drive.

2. Access S.M.A.R.T Data

If there is any physical damage to your hard disk, S.M.A.R.T Data will help you quickly figure out the problems that are being faced. S.M.A.R.T stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology and is used to alert the impending failure of the drive. This technology gives the user a deadline that they require to save the data.

Functions of S.M.A.R.T:

• S.M.A.R.T helps the user to retrieve the data from the drive.
• Save your data and prevents the user from attempting absurd mistakes that make the situations worse.
• S.M.A.R.T Data also helps in determining whether the damage is physical or logical. In case of physical damage, save the important data at another safe location and replace your hard drive. However, if the damage is logical, you can trust the drive and use Recoverit Data Recovery to retrieve corrupted files after the repair.

If at any point in time, your hard drive reports that S.M.A.R.T health is not able to access the search or in anyways, FAILED, the primary step one must take is to save the data immediately as the drive is of no longer use.

3. Youtube Video Tutorial on How to Repair External Hard Drive

Follow these steps if you are wondering how to fix the external hard drive. However, if your problem is still not solved, there are chances that the PCB of your external hard drive is damaged. There are ways to replace your hard drive's PCB, but for your record, these methods are not recommended as they may cause further damage to the device.

Closing Words

Before looking for professional repairs, it is recommended that you repair the external hard drive on your own. And his detailed external hard drive repair tutorial must help you, which is aimed at smoothing the way for you to fix a corrupted external hard drive. Another advice is that you should take good care of the data stored on it during or after external hard drive repair. If unfortunately, you find them lost, please turn to Recoverit Data Recovery in less than no time so that you can promptly recover data from external hard drive not detected or not working.

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Get a data lifeguard for Mac

Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your Mac’s USB port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the Finder in the left-hand column under Devices, since Mac’s treat them the same way as another computer.

However, sometimes, an external hard drive doesn't show up. It’s annoying, especially when you need to transfer something right then. And besides, there can be a risk that data on the external USB pen, hard, or flash drive is corrupt, which means you can’t transfer what you need between devices at all.

Corrupt data can be one reason your Mac won't recognize an external drive, but there are other reasons too. Let’s take a look why this is happening and how you can get an external drive to appear on your Mac and get recover data to access to your documents.

How to fix an external disk drive that won't show up on a Mac

Why an external disk drive is not showing up? There could be a few reasons why a USB flash drive isn’t making an appearance.

Open an External Drive Not Showing on Mac

Get a huge set of top utilities for troubleshooting external hard drives not mounting on a Mac

Start with the basics:

1. Check whether the drive is properly plugged in. It sounds obvious, but since this relies on a wire - either a USB cable or HDMI cable - if it’s not connected properly then it won’t appear on your desktop.
2. Faulty cable. Assuming it’s plugged in correctly, not wobbly or loose, the cable could be at fault. Try connecting the same device with a different cable.
3. Damaged USB or flash drive port. It could be a hardware issue with the Mac. If you’ve got another port, try connecting the device to that one.
4. Reboot your Mac. Sometimes, if a USB disk won't boot, the cause is macOS issue. Hopefully, some data damage that can be fixed by restarting. Choose the Apple menu > Restart. Or press and hold the power button and, when a dialog box appears, click the Restart or press R. Restarting your Mac essentially clears your macOS’s memory and starts it up fresh.
5. Incorrectly formatted drive. Not every external drive is optimized for Macs. It could be that you are trying to connect something only fit to interact with Windows devices. If you’ve got a PC or laptop, it’s worth connecting and seeing if you can access the files through another device. The best way to look for an incorrectly formatted drive is to go to
   Apple (in the top toolbar menu) > About This Mac > Storage.
   See if the external drive shows up here. For more information, go to the same menu option, then select System Report.
6. Mac not formatted to display external drives on the desktop. It could be that your Mac already recognizes the device, but just isn’t showing its icon on the desktop screen. Even if that is the case, the drive will still appear in the left-hand column of the Finder menu under Devices. You should be able to access your drive that way, and, in the Finder menu under Preferences > General, you can check External Drives to ensure that from now on it shows up on your desktop too.
7. Reset NVRAM. To do this, shut down or restart your Mac, switch it back on and immediately press these four keys together for at least 20 seconds: Option, Command, P, and R. It should look as though your Mac has started again; if it has, release the keys when you hear the second startup chime. Hopefully, the hard drive has shown up now.
8. Check Apple’s Disk Utility to see if an external drive is showing up. Disk Utility is within System Preferences, or you can find it using Spotlight. If it is visible, then click the option to Mount, which should make it visible on the desktop and in the External Drives option in the Finder menu.

Unfortunately, if none of those options has worked and the external drive still isn’t visible, then it could have crashed, or be well and truly broken. But there might still be a way you can recover the data on the external drive.

How to show connected devices in Finder

1. Go to the Finder menu and select Preferences (Cmd+comma).
2. From General tab tick External disks to ensure that from now on it shows on the desktop.

In the Sidebar tab you can choose which folders and devices will be shown in the left-hand column of the Finder window.

How to add cloud storages to Finder

You can also mount cloud storage as local drive on your Mac. By connecting Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon to your computer, you get more space for securely accessing and sharing files. For your ease, add cloud drives to Finder with CloudMounter app, so that you keep them close at hand. You can read detailed instructions on managing cloud storage as local drives here.

Repair the failed external drives with First Aid

If your drive is having problems, you can try to fix them yourself with First Aid and therefore get access to your files. First Aid tool will check the disk for errors and then attempt a repair as needed. It helps to verify and repair a range of issues related to startup HD and external drive problems. If you are able to fix the hard drive or SSD in your Mac (or an external drive) using Disk Utility you will hopefully be able to recover your files.

To run Fist Aid on an external hard drive:

1. Open Disk Utility. You can searching for it using Spotlight Search or via Finder > Application > Utility
2. Check on your external hard drive, click the First Aid tab and select Run to start running diagnostics.

If First Aid successful in fixing errors, the external drive should be available to mount. If the utility unable to repair issues, your drive truly is broken or formatted using a file system that the Mac cannot read - in this way we suggest you follow the next steps to recover data from a damaged disk drive.

How to recover data from a crashed drive

Thankfully, there is an app for that. Disk Drill is the world’s premier data recovery software for Mac OS X. Powerful enough to retrieve long-lost, mistakenly deleted files from Macs, external hard drives and USB drives and camera cards.

Get a file recovery app

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An easy way to recover lost files on an external hard drive

Providing you already have Disk Drill Pro version, which you can get automatically by downloading from Setapp:

1. Connect your drive to the Mac.
2. Quit all other applications on the Mac, especially those that may be trying to access the external drive (e.g. iPhoto, Words)
3. Launch Disk Drill.
4. Click on the external drive that you are trying to recover files from. If it has partitions, you will see all of them. If, however, you still don’t see any volume to the external drive then you may need to try some of the steps above again or read the Disk Drill Scanning FAQs.
5. To avoid the external drive being accessed during the recovery process, click Extras next to the drive or drive partition or file, then select Remount Volume As Read Only. A padlock will appear, protecting the drive during the process.
6. Now click Rebuild (or Recover) next to the file(s) you are trying to recover. Once the scan is finished - it may take some time if the files are large - a list of files will appeal.
7. Next, click Mount Found Items as Disk button on the bottom-left below the scan results.
8. Disk Drill “strongly suggest saving the files to a different drive than the one you are trying to recover files from. Saving to the same drive substantially lowers your chances of recovery.”
9. A drive icon will appear, which once you double click will give you the option to open the files as you would do before they were lost. Drag them to another location, such as your desktop or a folder on your Mac.
10. Open the files to ensure they have been recovered properly and safely eject the external drive.

Disk Drill does have other ways to recover lost files but assuming there aren’t complications, this method is the most effective. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available from Setapp, along with dozens of Mac apps that will make your life easier. Never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive again.

A few more tips on getting your files back

1. Macs and third-party apps that look after Macs, such as Disk Drill and iStat Menus come with a S.M.A.R.T. (also known as Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) status monitor. If a SMART check reports errors, then it could mean the hard drive is at risk of failing completely. Within Disk Utility and Disk Drill, there are several solutions for this: Repair Disk Permissions and Repair Disk. If neither work, it’s recommended that you backup all of the data from the disk, erase, then run a SMART check again. The external hard drive should show up as Verified.
2. Partitions can get lost within hard drives, temporarily hiding all of the information contained within. Disk Drill can help to identify and restore this information.
3. Within Disk Drill, you can restore data when a hard drive is damaged or add formatting, which is also something Disk Utility can help with.
4. CleanMyMac, another useful app available from Setapp, can help you identify external hard drive errors and repair them. It is an essential tool worth trying when you’re having external hard drive difficulties.

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Alternative ways to recover data from an external hard drive

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) if your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external hard drive. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive. If you’ve got a battery that you can’t remove:

• Shut down and unplug the power adapter
• Press Shift-Control-Option and the power button at the same time. Do this for 10 seconds
• Release all keys
• Plug the power adapter back in and switch your Mac back on

For Macs with removable batteries, you need to switch them off, remove the battery, then press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. After that, put the battery back in, plug in the power adapter and switch the power on again.

What’s your file format? One reason your Mac isn’t recognizing the hard drive is the file format. Windows uses NTFS file formats, while Macs, up until the introduction of Sierra, have used HFS+. Now, Apple has introduced the Apple File System (APFS) for newer operating systems. It is possible to format a hard drive so it can be read on Mac and Windows computers, providing you format using exFAT. However, if you’re having problems accessing the files and the issue is due to formatting, you will need to connect it to a device it can be read on, and then format the files correctly for the computer you are going to use it on next.

How to make Ext2/Ext3 drives readable on Mac

The common issue is Ext2- and Ext3-formatted drives are not readable on macOS. There are two ways to access such external drives on your Mac – via Linux OS or FUSE system. The easiest would be installing Linux to a secondary drive or virtual machine.

If you go with Linux installation, dual boot your Mac with Linux on another drive and use FAT32 as a transfer intermediary. If you don’t have a drive to install Linux to, use virtual machine as an interface for it. Transferring can be done the same way – with FAT32, or via network.

Another option for reading Ext2/Ext3 disks is mounting disk with Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE). Basically, it works as an extra interface enabling file system access via specially installed modules. Here’s how to mount drives with FUSE:

1. Install FUSE for macOS or MacFUSE as well as fuse-ext2 module.
2. Use the following Terminal command to enable Disk Utility’s debug menu and see all partitions: defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled 1
3. Attach your Ext2/Ext3 drive and locate the device name via Disk Utility.
4. In your user account, create a folder to be used as a mount point.
5. Use the following Terminal command to mount the drive as read-only: fuse-ext2 /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/mountpoint
6. For write support, use the command: fuse-ext2 -o force /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/mountpoint

And that’s not the only case where Terminal helps you access external drive.

Employ the handy all-powerful Terminal, which always comes forward with solutions for difficult problems. Especially if System Information does recognize the USB or hard drive, but continues to hide it from you, disconnect the drive and try to find it using the Terminal, which you can find in Applications > Utilities.

• Once in the Terminal, type in the command diskutil list
• A list with information about volumes and drives should appear
• Look for a section labelled /dev/disk_ (external, physical)
• Make a note of the whole line after the word disk
• Now put the following command into the Terminal diskutil info disk followed by the number or digits assigned to that disk
• Now you should see detailed information about the drive, therefore confirming that your Mac can and does recognize it
• Eject using the Terminal by entering the command diskutil eject disk followed by the number or digits assigned to that disk
• Physically remove the disk from you Mac
• Plug it back in and your Mac should recognize it

Find External Hard Drive Mac

Console is also reliable when it comes to solving tricky problems, although it isn’t always that easy to use. You can find Console under Applications > Utilities > Console. Console shows if an external drive or any error is detected under the Errors and Faults tab. If no errors show up, then the problem is not caused by the device.

To sum up, there are lots of potential solutions for a Mac not reading an external hard drive. If we were to pick one, Disk Drill seems to be the most well-rounded, offering plenty of customizations and power in an easy-to-use interface. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available via Setapp, along with 150+ Mac apps that strive to make your life much much easier. At the very least, you’ll never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive ever again.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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