Shoe wrote:
Windows 10 home premium 64 bit, all updates installed.
I use an external USB 3 drive for backup. I have two 3 TB drives that
I use for this. Recently, my computer would no longer see the 3 TB
drive. I did the usual trouble-shooting steps including switching
docking stations, cables, ports but no change. I then re-installed
Windows using a Windows 10 recovery disc I had created. Again, nothing
changed. My computer was getting pretty long in the tooth, so I
purchased a new one. Still, the 3 TB drive was not recognized.
However, smaller drives, such as 1 and 2 TB, worked fine.
At the same time as the drive problem began, my USB printer also
disappeared and I was unable to re-install. I went to Windows help and
eventually to a chat with a Microsoft technician. He totally denied
any issues with Windows and kept searching for a hardware solution, so
was no help. I am of the opinion that this problem was created by a
Windows update and wonder if anyone else is having a similar problem
and if anyone knows of a solution.
For the presence of the drive, you can use this for the
physical layer.
https://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html
When you plug in the USB drive, then power it on using
the wall adapter, you should see a new entry in USBTreeView.
Like a USB Mass storage device.
https://www.uwe-sieber.de/gif/usbtreeview_3.png
If you get that far, then check Device Manager (right-click
of start menu contains it). Look for a new storage device there.
If that works, open Disk Management and verify the device
is in the "Online" state. If the disk identifier is exactly
the same as another disk, the portable disk will remain
offline.
A hard drive needs partitions, so you can see a
the partition in My Computer.
If the hard drive does not respond to an ID command,
the USB chip will not report in to the OS and the
drive will remain invisible. In cases like that,
plug the SATA drive inside the external casing or
dock, into a SATA port on the motherboard, using
a SATA data and SATA power cable. For something
like a WDC MyBook, taking the enclosure apart, to
remove the hard drive, can be complicated and involve
hidden screws. They don't make some of those
cases all that easy to open.
If the drive still doesn't show up, not even in a
BIOS screen or BIOS menu, then the drive itself
is likely "bricked" or permanently damaged.
Paul