Most users create partitions on their hard drive for their convenience. They are commonly referred to as C, D, etc. and their usefulness cannot be denied by any means. Let's say you have an operating system on one volume, and all other user files (music, photos, movies) on the second. When you reinstall the OS, the partition with your files will not even be affected, which will allow you to save the data and continue using them already in the new Windows.

One of the extremely common problems that users often encounter is that the computer does not see the hard disk partitions and cannot find them. This problem occurs unexpectedly and can be caused by a number of reasons that affect the operation of the hard drive. Let's figure out what to do in this situation and how to solve the problem.

If suddenly your desired volume not only disappeared, but the format changed to RAW, then to solve the problem, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with.

Letter assignment

If your PC or laptop does not see one of the hard disk partitions, then the first step is to go to the special control menu and check if it is displayed in the corresponding list. If it is there, then it needs to be assigned a letter.

Let's go through the process one by one:

The requested information will be instantly displayed on the screen. It is necessary to view local drives, and if there is a missing one, then you need to set the letter.

To do this, you need:

For the changes to be successfully applied, you must restart your computer. As soon as the operating system boots up, check if the partition is visible, it should appear under the letter you specified.

Create a new volume

It is likely that by going to the management menu you will not find the missing area, instead of it there will be an unallocated part that cannot be assigned a letter, you can only create a new volume:

But at the same time, you will completely lose the files stored on it. Therefore, if you do not value them, then feel free to use this method, in other cases I recommend using the method discussed below.

All processes are analyzed using the example of Windows 7, however, in other versions, Windows XP/8/10, they will be similar.

Create a new partition

If the first method did not help and the computer still does not see the hard disk partitions, then the problem may be that the OS itself cannot see it due to the loss of the file system, as often happens, while the data on it will still be saved.

In this case, to remedy the situation, we will use one very effective tool, namely the Acronis Disk Director program. With its help, we will recognize the disappeared local hard disk partition, separate a small part from it, from which we will make a new area with the NTFS file system, and then simply merge them.

This may seem very complicated to some, but if you follow the following instructions, which describe in detail what to do in this situation, you can easily cope with this task:

After you create a section, all that remains is to merge the problematic and new sections using the "Merge" function.

Now you need to save the changes and reboot the system. To do this, you need to enter the BIOS again and return the boot to its original place - from the Hard Disk. After exiting the BIOS, the system will automatically boot into Windows OS. We check the disk partition again, now it should definitely display correctly.

Partition Recovery

In almost all cases, when a logical partition of a hard drive disappears, it can be returned. For recovery, we will use the same Acronis Disk Director.
So how to do it:

The procedure for recovering information from a partition that the PC has stopped seeing can take a significant amount of time. The duration of the process depends on the amount and amount of data available on the disk. Therefore, you should be prepared for the fact that it is possible that the computer will work for a long time.

We hope that the solutions we have listed are easy to perform, and you can use them to fix the problems that have arisen.

Windows 10 offers a lot of options for working with storage drives. Compared to previous versions of Windows, the current disk management tool has more features and is able to completely replace the command line. However, you can still use it if you wish.

How to Open Disk Management in Windows 10

To open Disk Management, do the following:

There are also several other options for getting into the Disk Management menu. For example:

• Type the diskmgt.msc command into the "run" line. The "Run" line is called by the key combination Win + R (or create an executable file with this command).
• In the task manager, select the "File" section and go to the "Disk Management" item.
• And there is also an option to open the command line utility for disk management. To do this, in the execute window, you need to drive the command ‘DiskPart.exe’.

If one method doesn't work, just try another. If, when you try to open disk management, the system gives an error connecting to the service, then you need to make sure that the antivirus program has not deleted the dmdskmgr.dll file

If this file is not found, you need to restore it to its original location. You can return it either by taking it from the Windows boot disk, or by using the system file check command. It is done like this:

1. Open the Run menu (Win+R) and type cmd there.
2. In the command prompt that opens, you need to drive the sfc command and then scannow.
3. To verify the data, the program will need to specify the path to the installation disk with your Windows 10. Do this and the files will be scanned.

Error checking

The check can also be done through the command line, but it is much easier to do this through the Disk Management program. It is enough to do the following:

How to create a local drive

If you want to create a local disk in addition to where you have Windows installed, you can do this through the same Disk Management program. After opening it, we take the following actions:

1. Select the unallocated area of ​​the disk. At the bottom, the area available for stakeout will be shown in black.
2. We right-click on this place to open the context window and select "Create a simple volume ..."
3. Following the instructions of the program, we reach the section "Specifying the volume size". Here you can set either the total amount of memory available on the disk, or incomplete if you want to split one disk into several local ones.
4. Next, we set the letter designation of the local disk.
5. Then, it remains only to set the file system (These days it is worth installing NTFS, since it has no limits on file sizes). The rest of the values ​​can be left as default.
6. In the next window, all that remains is to confirm the specified data and the local disk will be created.

Shrink and expand volume in Windows 10

Volume expansion is an increase in the size of a local disk using its unallocated area. Unallocated is the area of ​​new hard drives, and it can also be obtained by compressing local drives.

How to shrink a volume in Windows 10

To shrink a volume in Windows 10, do the following:

Possible Compression Issues

If you are unable to shrink the volume, then you should do the following:

• Do a disk defragmentation - this may increase the maximum available value for compression.
• Disable anti-virus programs before attempting compression. For example, Norton antivirus can block the ability to shrink a drive.
• And also, to increase the space available for compression, you can disable the paging file.

How to extend a volume in Windows 10

If you already have an unallocated area of ​​the disk, then expanding the volume is not difficult. It is done like this:

Possible expansion problems

If you have problems expanding the volume. Check the following:

• Make sure you have a fairly large unallocated area on the disk.
• Only an area from adjacent departments can be used for expansion. That is, if you have an unallocated area that is not adjacent to the volume being expanded, then expanding it will not work. In such cases, third-party programs can help.
• Make sure that the number of created partitions is not more than four. There is a limit on the number of primary partitions created.

Resizing the hard drive (video)

defragmentation

Disk defragmentation is needed to increase the response speed to files by placing them more densely on the hard disk. It's very easy to make it:

1. Right-click on the drive and go to "Properties"
2. Open the "Service" section
3. Click the Optimize button.
4. Select the disk we want to fragment and click "Optimize".
5. We are waiting for the end of disk fragmentation.

cleaning

Disk Cleanup can also help you free up the required space. This can be done using the utility of the same name. For this:

Disk merging

To merge partitions of your disk into one local partition, you need to use third-party programs. However, using Windows tools, you can achieve the same result simply by transferring all the files from one disk to another, then deleting the local disk that we do not need and expanding the second one to the space available after deletion.
But if you really want to merge two disks, you can, for example, use the EaseUS Partition Master program. We do the following:

Now you know how to manage disks on your computer and you can easily create the necessary local disks. I am very glad that in Windows 10 disk management has become even more accessible to all users and now everyone can perform any disk manipulations.

What to do when a computer (PC) on Windows 10 does not see the hard drive

The other day I bought new hard drive and was somehow suddenly surprised that it was not defined, or rather did not even show, by my computer. The solution turned out to be the simplest and was right under my nose.

The fact is that this is a feature of the operating system (OS) Windows 10. Even if hard drive visible in BIOS(Bios), then the computer will not recognize it anyway and will not show it until you distribute its volume or create a new partition. You can do this in the following way.

Disk Management on Windows 10

To turn on " Disk Management" on Windows 10 right click on " Start" in the bottom left corner.

A program window will open in front of you, where all your internal drives and hard drives are listed ( HDD). We are interested in a disk on which the volume is not distributed across volumes.

To open the window Simple Volume Wizard", click on the area of ​​unallocated disk space ( shaded area) right click and select " Create a simple volume".

Assign a letter for the new partition or its path (location).

Select the file system, cluster size, and volume label ( volume name). And don't forget the button Further".

To complete the creation of a new volume (partition), click the " Ready".

As you can see, all hard disk capacity has been completely allocated to a new section " Video (E:)".

If you have any questions, feel free to write them in the comments to this post.

An external hard drive is used for data storage. If the system does not recognize it when connected to a PC, the cable may not be connected correctly, drivers may not be installed automatically, free space is not allocated, or a software malfunction has occurred. Also, do not forget about the physical failure of the disk. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, it is worth reconnecting the removable drive or HDD and SSD correctly and finding out why the system stopped seeing it.

Troubleshooting an external hard drive

There are times when the system does not recognize the HDD or SSD due to the fact that the BIOS itself does not see the hard drive. In this case, it is necessary to check the correctness of the firmware settings, reconnect the hard drive, and only then test other methods.

On Windows 10, if the laptop does not see the external hard drive, the solutions to the problem will be as follows:

• Press "Win + R" and enter "diskmgmt.msc".

• The Disk Management utility will open. It will display information about all connected drives, images and virtual disks. If your computer does not see an external hard drive and you do not know what to do on Windows 10, it is worth looking to see if there is a “Missing data, not initialized” or “Unallocated” indication.
• You need to right-click on the disk and select "Format". Next, you need to select the context menu again and select "Initialize".

• A small window will open. Here you need to set the partition structure. For Windows 10 it's GPT.

• An unallocated area will appear. You need to create a new section. Right-click on the drive and select "Create Simple Volume".

• On Windows 10, the "Create Simple Volume Wizard" will start, following the prompts of which you need to set the volume letter (so that this does not exist on the PC), specify the size and click "OK".

If, after performing this action, Windows 10 does not see an external hard drive, you should use the Diskpart utility.

IMPORTANT! If you are an inexperienced PC user and have not established the exact reason for the display of an external hard drive, we do not recommend resorting to this method. All data from the disk will be ERASED!

• We carefully study the volume of the disk.
• Launch a command prompt with Administrator rights.
• Enter the following commands:

• Determine which disk is not displayed. We remember its letter.

select disk X - where X is the drive letter of a non-mapped drive.

clean - disk cleaning.

create partition primary (it is possible to set size=S, the size of the partition in MB, if several partitions are required).

format fs=ntfs quick

assign letter=D - where D is the letter that we assign to the problem disk.

If even after performing these steps, the external drive does not become visible, it is worth checking it for operability and the presence of bad sectors.

Recently, subscribers often contact me with this problem: after connecting to a computer, an external hard drive is not visible. The connection is normal, drivers are installed without errors, but it does not appear in the list of logical drives in Windows 10 Explorer. Why is this happening. There are several reasons for such a nuisance, both software and hardware.

Before you start troubleshooting, first try disconnecting the removable drive from the computer and reconnecting it to the adjacent port.

On some models, the cable comes with two USB connectors on one side. The first is used for the main connection, and the second provides additional power. If the second is not connected, then the device simply may not have enough power.

If you connected the gadget to USB 3.0 ports and the computer does not see the external drive, then try connecting it to regular ports. They differ in color. High-speed connectors of the new standard are usually highlighted in blue or yellow. Like this:

Regular ones are gray or black. This step will eliminate possible problems with the USB 3.0 driver on your computer or laptop, due to which the removable disk may not be visible.

Now let's move on to the software level reasons.
One of the most common cases when a removable external drive is not visible in Explorer is that the Windows operating system did not assign a drive letter to the new logical partition when connected. Accordingly, it will not appear in the list of logical partitions in Explorer. It's easy to fix.

On the desktop, right-click on the computer icon and select "Computer Management."
The following window will open:

We find the section "Storage devices", and in it - the item "Disk Management". A list of logical and physical disks should appear on the right side of the window. In it, by volume, we find our external hard drive:

Select a free letter and click OK. Personally, I like to put letters from the very end of the alphabet - X, Y or Z.

Also, if there are problems in the operation of a removable USB drive, I would advise you to open the Device Manager and look in the "Portable Devices" section:

If you still can't see your external hard drive in Windows 10 Explorer, then try updating the driver. In some cases, it helps to completely remove the device and reinstall the driver.

P.S.: If all the recommended steps did not bring the expected result, then I would recommend trying to connect your removable drive to another computer or laptop and check its performance on it, as there is most likely a hardware malfunction.