Peripheral Hard Disk Drive Not Acknowledged in Windows or OS X?

If your Windows or Mac operating system not identifying your devices, don’t sweat it out as this inconsistency is quite usual, especially while trying to link a hard disk to a Mac, Linux, and Windows operating systems. It could also occur in a system where it was initially functioning properly and all of a sudden the underlying system software stops recognizing it.

There are times when fixing this problem will be pretty much easy, and times it won’t be. This article aims at providing varieties of ways on how to fix these issues on Windows and Mac operating system. How to go about formatting these systems, as well as some of the fundamental reasons why these operating systems fail to recognize these peripheral devices.

Designate Drive Letter

This is yet another fundamental reason why drives are unidentified by Windows, Mac, and other operating systems, it is mostly common with peripheral drivers and hardware. To analyze if the hitch is attributed to configuring the PC, search the Disk Management section in the Disk Utility on OS X and inquire if the required drive displays there.

If it displays, but doesn’t display on the Windows Explorer, you are required to designate a drive letter to that disk. This is primarily carried out automatically by the Windows operating system, but owing to other attached devices, you peripheral hard disk drive will be identified by your PC, with no letter assigned it. In your PCs Disk Management section, you need to right-click on the disk and opt for the transform Drive Letter and section.

Delegate any character and you are done with it. If after attaching your peripheral drive, and the information “Format Drive” keeps popping up, it then means that you are required to proceed with the next stage.

On Mac platforms, the drive will automatically display on the windows desktop. If it doesn’t, locate the Disk Utility section, and review if it displays below the title External.

If it displays here and fails to display on the OS X desktop, it means you are required to select the First Aid in a bid to fix the drive. If the system drive contains a system file not acknowledged by the OS X, it then means that you have to erase it all after which you will format it by making use of the FAT or HFS+.

If the drive fails to display in the Disk Management or utility section, that certainly means your system has another kind of issue. Move to the “Not Displaying” region located below.

Configure Drive

In file formatting, there are certain fundamental formats commonly used. For instance, the Windows operating system makes use of FAT32 and NTFS, while the HFS+ is used for the Macs system software. Currently, the OS X can read from the NTFS volumes and it simultaneously read and writes to the FAT 32 formatted drives.

By default, windows are unable to read or write to the HFS+ configured volumes. This can only be achieved by buying third-party application. Alternatively, the hard disk drive could be configured by making use of the FAT32 format in a bid to achieve the optimum result.

While linking-up the HFS+ configured drives to Windows, there will be a message prompting you to configure the device before using it.

If you come across such information, it is an indication that the Windows operating system is unable to identify the file system on the peripheral system. Endeavor to link the drive to the right operating system. In addition to this, create backups of all the contents before configuring it.

But what is the most excellent configuration technique to adopt to ensure your disk drive is seen on more than one system software? The ancient formatting technique which has been proven to be compatible is the FAT32 though it accepts a maximum file size of 4GB.

Use the exFAT format if you are required to support larger files. It’s new with the capability of supporting larger files, though it compatible with newer types of Windows and OS X operating systems.

In addition to the FAT32 and NTFS file system formats, you can select the exFAT format. You can as well select the exFAT format when configuring a drive in OS X Disk Utility.

Drive Not Displaying

After connecting your peripheral drive to your PC and nothing changes occurs, some things might be wrong: your hard disk drive might be faulty, the right drivers on your computer might not be properly installed, or there might be something not functioning properly on your system. Let’s commence with a couple of frequently occurring inconsistencies and their resolutions.

Windows to Device Manager

Most often, outdated drivers can result in system error when linked to Windows. You can rectify this inputting the following command at the command prompt:

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1

Once you key that into the CMD window, select the Device Manager and proceed to selecting the View-Show Hidden Devices.

Select the drive you wish to uninstall right-click on it and uninstall it. After uninstalling it, warm boot your computer and try reconnecting the hard drive once again.

Additionally, uninstall a particular device by selecting and expanding the drives you wish to remove from the Windows Explorer.

Windows to USB Device

If after linking your USB to your computer and the information “USB Not Identified” pops-up, select the link that thoroughly explains how to resolve this inconsistency. Though Windows usually tries to blame the device, this is actually an inconsistency with the Windows operating system.

USB Ports/Secondary PC

Plug the peripheral drive into some other computer’s USB port to be certain the problem isn’t from that particular computer’s port. If you are linking your USB through a USB hub, then you need to remove it from that hub and try connecting it directly to the computer.

The most concrete way to ensure the problem is associated with the hard disk drive or even the computer is by connecting the drive to another computer device. If it fails to work on another computer, then that means there is something certainly wrong with the drive.

USB 3.0 Drives

If you do make use of a 3.0 Universal Serial Bus device, then there are certain things you need to consider. Firstly, you need to ensure you are making use of the appropriate cable. Over the years, I have been opportune to come across a good number of clients with similar difficulties and I was able to analyze these problems simply by making use of a different cable. Hence endeavor to try out a couple of different cables before quitting.

Updating the driver in Windows is an alternative method. Once more, you need to go to the Device Manager, right-click on it and select the USB 3.0 after which you select the Update Driver option.

Inconsistent Power Supply

This is another likely possible cause of this inconsistency. Ensure the adapter connected to the hard drive receives the adequate amount of power with the light turned on. Additionally, make use of varieties of cables as some of them have the capability of carrying greater power supply, compared to others.

I’m pretty certain this piece of writing, will assist you in picking the right peripheral hard disk drive suitable for your Windows or Mac operating system. For more inquiries, kindly leave a comment on the comment section below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.