External hard drives not recognized

[Bob_S]

I have several external hard drives that are not recognized by my computers. I have tried different cables, different ports, and different computers. Most of them are relatively new, or have been used very little. Researching the reasons for these failures, I am guessing that the cause is that I previously did not “politely” remove them from the computer.

Is there any way to restore them to operating condition?

[Rustys]

Post a complete screen shot of the Drive Manager with the drive attached.

[Bob_S]

Besides the two internal hard drives and the One Touch (F) external hard drive which are recognized, I have an additional 2tb Seagate drive and a 6tb Seagate attached that do not.

[Bob_S]

Sorry - the file I tried to upload is too large. I’ll try again later.

[Bob_S]

[ATTACH type=“full”]11578[/ATTACH]

[Rustys]

Disk 2 is the USB?

[Bob_S]

No. Disk 2 is a second internal drive. Of the three externals attached by USB, only the One Touch (F) is recognized. This screen shot is exactly the same as a screen shot when I un-attach the two externals that are not recognized.

[Rustys]

That screen shot was taken with one of the other external drives attached.

Of the three externals attached by USB, only the One Touch (F) is recognized.

Which is Disk 2

[ATTACH type=“full” alt=“Screenshot 2023-02-20 091215.png”]11579[/ATTACH]

You could use a live version of Linux to see if the drives are accessible that way then maybe you can get your data recovered.

With Linux you can run it form a thumb drive and nothing to install.

[Bob_S]

OK. Thanks.

[Rustys]

How are things going

[Bob_S]

Thank you for your inquiry. Sorry if I wasn’t clear in my original request. Data recovery is not really what I am looking for, since I almost always keep multiple copies of my backups. What I was really hoping for was to restore these drives to normal function, rather than the bricks they appear to be.

[Rustys]

Then I would suggest that you use diskpart and clean the drive.

From there you can use Drive Manager to format them.

If diskpart and Linux cannot see the drive, then they are garbage.

You never stated if they were manufactured USB drives or in a carriage that connects them to USB.

Or the make and models

[Bob_S]

According to learn.microsoft.com, “Before you can use diskpart commands, you must first list, and then select an object to give it focus.”

Since I can’t see the disks, there is no way for me to “select” them. I honestly appreciate your attempt to help, but iI think it is time for me to trash them. Thanks.

[Rustys]

Which is why also suggested Linux.

Plus as stated.

If diskpart and Linux cannot see the drive, then they are garbage.

With almost 30 years of real-life experience tell me better.

Try what is suggested or do not and take it to a service canter.

Marking thread accordingly