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WD Hard Drive not Recognized?: A Comprehensive Guide

In case, you use a WD external hard drive, then surely you are aware of all the problems that you may face. One of the common issues that you might face is that WD hard drive not recognized. You may abruptly note that the light on the WD hard drive is lit but the system is unable to recognize the drive. In case, you don’t have any idea on how to troubleshoot this issue, and you want toresolve the issue at the earliest, then you are on the right page. Now, read the practical methods to troubleshoot this issue in an instant.

Easy Methods to Resolve WD Hard Drive not Recognized issue:

So, if you are dealing with the WD hard drive not recognized issue, then have a look at the remaining part as here we provide some proven techniques which you can implement to troubleshoot the WD hard drive light on but not recognized issue. Check them out.

Solution 1- Change the USB Port

Before going to the complicated procedure, we advise you to change the USB port of your device. Alternatively, you can connect the WD external hard drive with another USB cable. Then, check whether it pops up on the screen. If the error appears, then here is another alternative at your rescue.

Solution 2- Turn On the USB Root Hub

If the above solution works for you, then you can use the USB root hub to troubleshoot this issue. For that, at first, navigate to the Home Screen of your device and click on the Start icon. After that, you should type ‘devmgmt.msc’ within the search field and hit the Enter button.

Then, it will lead you to the Device Manager window. From there you need to navigate to the Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Then, a new page will appear on the screen, you should scroll down below until you see the  USB Root Hub option. Once you find it, then right click on that and tap on the Properties option.

Next, you have to click on the Power Management option. Now, you need to uncheck the dialog box which is located beside the ‘Allow the computer’ option.

You should repeat these steps to turn On all the USB root hubs one by one. Once done, then successfully reboot your machine and if you fail to resolve this time as well, then don’t worry. Move to the next method.

Solution 3- Use the Disk Management

You can use Disk Management to fix this issue. In case, you don’t know how to apply this solution, then carefully look at the undermentioned section.

  1. At first, you should locate the WD hard drive which you want to initialized and then right click on it.
  2. From there, you should choose the Initialize Disk and then, pick any partition system between the MBR and GPT.
  3. After that, you have to right-click on that partition system and select the “Create New Simple Volume “ option.

Then, exit from the page and check if the system can recognize the WD hard drive or not. Unfortunately, if you are still dealing with “my passport external hard drive not recognized” issue, then move to the next solution.

Solution 4- Check the Power Cables on Mac

If none of the above methods work for you, and if you are a Mac user, then we suggest you check the power cables and also ensure that the AC power socket is properly connected. For resolving the issue ensure that the data cable is directly connected with the laptop or computer. Additionally, check id the power adapter is directly connected with a wall outlet. If it is a ‘My Passport or Elements Portable’ drive, then ensure that data is securely connected with the drive and also with the USB port. You can use a Power Booster Cable in order to provide extra power to the device. Then, you need to test your device with another power adapter. Take a note about the current and voltage. Make sure that the power device does not produce a higher voltage than requirement as the higher voltage may damage the device.

Check the Data Cable

You should check the data cable of your Mac device, as sometimes the data cables can create trouble for you. In your case, if this is the reason then, you have to use another data port as well as you should use another different cable. In case, you have an alternative option, then we suggest you use it.

Check the System Profiler

System Profiler will help to detect the WD hard drive. So, at first, you have to click on the Apple menu which might show on the left corner of the screen. Then, a new page will appear on the screen and then, you should click on the ‘About this Mac’ and then navigate to the More Info option. This will lead you to the System Profiler window. Under this section, you should click on the ‘USB” option.

In case, the external drive is not present there, then you should connect the WD hard drive with another Mac. If you face the same glitches, then be sure that the problem is with the hard drive and your Mac device is not faulty. So, in such cases, you need to replace the hard drive.

Solution 5- Check the Power Cable on Windows

The Elements desktop devices, as well as the My Book, use power cable to access the drive. Sometimes, this can lead to this WD hard drive not recognized issue. In those cases, make sure that the power cables are well seated in the external drive (only for the desktop). Also, ensure that the AC power socket is properly connected. Do not use USB cables. The best way to troubleshoot this issue is to make sure that the cables are directly connected to the computer. Similarly, ensure that the power socket is directly connected to a wall outlet. You can share more data by using a power booster cable. Then, note down the voltage and current. Just make sure that the voltage does not exceed the requirement.

Check the Data Cable

Sometimes, data cable restricts you from using the drive with ease, due to a connection error. If you think this is the reason behind the occurrence of this issue, then we recommend you to use a different Data Port. Also, you have to use a new data cable. In case, you have an alternative option, then you should use it.

Solution 6- Use the Device Manager

In case,  the WD hard drive not recognized issue is still there, then we suggest you resolve this issue with the help of the Device Manager. Therefore at first, you should open the Device Manager and from there expand the full list until you see the Disk Drivers option. If the WD hard drive is present there, then you must see a product information number. If the drive is not present there, then you should expand the full list and check if there is an option Unknown device is present there.

Then, you have to click on the Device option and click on the Properties option. Then, you have to go to the General tab. Here, you can see an error message ‘This device is not working properly’  followed by either code 10 or code 28.

If you see the code 10, then you have to try another device. In case, you have a second PC, then use it.

In case, you see an error code 28, then firstly, you should click on the ‘drive’ option and then drag it to the Uninstall option.

Then, remove the external drive and again restart your device and again reconnect the WD hard drive. Thereafter, the  WD hard drive not recognized issue will not irritate you anymore.

Before wrapping the discussion we strongly advised you, at first read this article thoroughly, then apply those methods one by one and check which one is working for you. However, if you believe that you are unable to troubleshoot this issue on your own, then you can seek expert guidance.