Can’t get my external HD to talk to Victus

[rhershner]

So I just bought a 

HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" FHD 144Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, 64GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050, HDMI, Webcam, Backlit Keyboard, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11 Home, Silver

i bought this to use for my business, but also to do a little gaming here and there. Old games only, nothing really trying for a computer like this.

anyway, I have an external HD (my book I believe) that I use for my business, where I keep all my videos from my body cam and all my pictures, reports, and paperwork.  My new laptop will not acknowledge the HD.  I’ve gone through all the directions I see online, have tried to update drivers and nothing.  

what is an external HD that will talk to this computer?  This is absolutely vital to my business, and if I can’t get my existing HD to talk, and can’t get a new HD to talk (which is the route I am looking into now), than this laptop serves no purpose for me and I’ll have to return it… I’d rather not do this.

please recommend some HDs that will talk to Victus.  Please and thank you!

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @rhershner 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I understand how important it is for your external hard drive to work seamlessly with your new Victus laptop, especially since it holds vital business files. You’ve already put in a lot of effort trying drivers and troubleshooting, and I appreciate the steps you’ve taken. 

Let’s go through this carefully.

 

First, let’s focus on why your current drive isn’t being recognized

Check Disk Management

• Press Windows + X and select “Disk Management.”
• See if the external drive appears there. If it does but has no drive letter, right‑click and assign one.

Try Different USB Ports and Cable

• Use the USB‑A and USB‑C ports on the Victus.
• If possible, test with another cable, as faulty cables often cause recognition issues.

Power Requirements

• Some external drives (like “My Book”) need their own power supply. Ensure the drive’s power adapter is connected and working.

Update Chipset and USB Drivers

• Go to HP’s support page for your Victus model and install the latest chipset and USB drivers.
  Link: HP Software and Driver Downloads

Test the Drive on Another Computer

• If the drive works elsewhere, the issue is with the Victus setup. If it doesn’t, the drive itself may be failing.

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External Drives Compatible with Victus

Your Victus laptop supports standard USB 3.0/3.1 and USB‑C external drives. Any modern external hard drive or SSD should work. 

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Next Steps

Since you’ve already tried updating drivers, I recommend checking Disk Management first to see if the drive is detected but not mounted. If it is, assigning a drive letter often resolves the issue. If not, testing with another cable or port is the quickest way to confirm whether the problem is with the drive or the laptop.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye