Hard drive is not recognized: why is that and what should i do

Many users like to connect multiple SSD or HDD drives to their computers. And this would be the right solution, since it is better not to use a drive that is cluttered with various information as the main system drive. It is advisable to choose a small SSD drive for the system, and to save all sorts of other files to a cheaper and slower HDD-drive (or several of them).

Table of contents:
1. Hard drive is not connected to the motherboard
2. Make sure that the power supply unit is powerful enough 
3. Hard drive is overheating
4. Software malfunction

One of the problems that PC users may encounter when operating multiple hard drives is that they are “lost” from the explorer (not recognized). Let’s assume you are going to the explorer to use information from one of the hard drives, but you just do not see it. When a hard drive disappears in Windows, it’s extremely unpleasant. In this article we will tell you why this is happening, and what you can possibly do about it.

The most common reason for the hard drive to stop being visible in the explorer is the hardware problem. However, it cannot be ruled out that this can also occur due to some software problems. Let’s consider the most common reasons for this error to occur.

HARD DRIVE IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE MOTHERBOARD

The most common reason for a hard drive to disappear is the lack of direct contact between the drive and the motherboard. There may be several reasons for this: the SATA cable might be broken or the connectors on the hard drive or motherboard might be damaged.

We recommend the following set of measures to determine what the problem is:

• Check your hard drive on another computer. Watch its operation. If it does not disappear, it means that the problem is not in the drive connector or drive itself;
• Try connecting another drive using the SATA cable that is used with the disappearing drive. If it works without interruptions, it sure indicates that the problem is not in your drive;
• Try to connect a disappearing hard drive to another SATA connector on the motherboard; it is possible that one of the connectors was damaged one way or another.

MAKE SURE THAT THE POWER SUPPLY UNIT IS POWERFUL ENOUGH

If the problem with the temporary or permanent loss of the hard drive from the explorer began just recently when any other new devices were connected to the computer, it is most likely caused by the insufficient power flow from the PSU installed in your computer. Make sure that the power supply unit is providing enough power to all parts of your computer. Based on the parts of your computer, calculate which PSU you should have.

HARD DRIVE IS OVERHEATING

Another very common problem is the hard drive overheating. If the cooling system in the system unit is organized poorly, it is likely that the PC parts will overheat. Separate coolers most often cool the graphic card and the CPU, while hard drive cooling systems are not provided.

To determine if your drive is not visible due to overheating or not, you will need to download some special diagnostic utilities to your computer. For example, HWmonitor will help you to check on the temperature of the hard drive and other parts of your PC.

SOFTWARE MALFUNCTION

Rarely does the hard drive go invisible due to some software problems, but it is still good to mention them too.  If some Windows system components are damaged, it may cause a problem in the hard drive operation. In this situation, it is recommended to verify the integrity of Windows system files by running the command line as administrator and using the sfc / scannow command.

If all of the above steps did not help, we also recommend checking your computer for viruses.