Laptop stopped detecting an external hard disk drive

[ByronBayYayYay]

My Windows 10 laptop stopped detecting an external hard disk drive today. (2 days ago it was working!)

It seems it happened after windows update.

I did the following, but nothing has changed:

Restore BIOS default settings
HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI (The result was that there was no problem in my hard disk drive)

The hard disk is lighting, so it turns on.
My device manager detects the hard disk drive.

I look forward to your advise on what I should to fix this.

Thank you for your help!!

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @ByronBayYayYay,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for sharing the details. Since your external HDD lights up and is detected in Device Manager, the issue is likely with drive mounting or driver conflicts after the Windows update. Here’s a structured approach:

1. Check Disk Management

• Press Win + X → Disk Management.
• Look for your external drive: 
  • If it shows No drive letter, right-click → Change Drive Letter and Paths → Assign a letter.
  • If it shows Unallocated, you may need to create a new volume (this erases data, so confirm before proceeding).

2. Update or Roll Back USB Drivers

• In Device Manager → Universal Serial Bus controllers: 
  • Right-click USB Root Hub and External HDD entry → Update driver.
  • If the issue started after an update, try Roll Back Driver.

3. Disable USB Selective Suspend

• Go to Control Panel → Power Options → Change plan settings → Advanced settings.
• Expand USB settings → USB selective suspend setting → Set to Disabled.

4. Check for Hidden Devices

• In Device Manager, click View → Show hidden devices.
• Remove any ghosted entries for your HDD under Disk drives and Universal Serial Bus controllers.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

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Regards,

VikramTheGreat