how to format external hard drive windows 7

#How to format external hard drive windows 7 full
#How to format external hard drive windows 7 windows 7

The problem could be caused by corrupted drivers. To enable it, double-click on the drive name and click on Enable Device button.ģ. Under this category, check if there is an icon with an arrow pointing down over the drive name. Follow below steps to check and see if the drive is disabled, enable it if necessary.Ģ. If the drive is disabled, it won’t show up in Windows. Click on OK button to select the first available drive letter. If the drive is offline, make it online by right-clicking on the disk number and click Online.ģ. To do this, make sure the drive is online. Right-click on the drive and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. If not, follow steps below to assign a drive letter for the drive.ġ. In Disk Management, make sure the drive has a drive letter assigned. Method 2: Assign a Drive Letter for the Drive Then follow the wizard to create a new partition. Right-click inside the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume on the context menu.

Type diskmgmt.msc in the run box and click on OK button.ģ. Press Win+R (Windows logo key and R key) at the same time.

#How to format external hard drive windows 7 full

If you see that the drive is unpartitioned and is full of “Unallocated space”, try creating a new partition on it.įollow these steps to create a new partition on the drive:ġ. Go to Disk Management and see if there is partition issues with the drive. If there is no problem with the hard drive or the ports, try following methods. If you connect the drive to computer with a cable, try a different cable. Some USB hubs won’t provide enough power for your external hard drive to work.Ĥ. If you plug the drive into a USB hub, try connecting it to the computer directly. This will figure out whether the problem is caused by a dead port. This will verify whether the hard drive is broken.Ģ. Use the hard drive on another computer and see if it can be recognized. You can fix it quickly and easily by using methods in this post.ġ. If your external hard drive does not show up in Windows 7, don’t worry.

#How to format external hard drive windows 7 windows 7

External hard drive not showing up in Windows 7 could be caused by different issues, such as dead USB port, broken hard drive, corrupted drivers, etc.