Summary
Sometimes, hard drives, & USB flash drives can be affected by viruses or power failures, & rendering “drive is not accessible” by Windows. If you encounter this problem, you should know how to fix it without losing your drive data. Here, we will explore some quick tips for addressing the drive inaccessibility.
What to do if you have an Inaccessible Drive?
Have trouble opening your hard drive? It might say “Access Denied” or just not show up at all. No worries, there are a few ways to fix this.
- Utilize Command Prompt
If you’re comfortable with using Command Prompt, there are special codes you can type in to check & fix the drive itself. Think of it like using a special tool to unlock the door.
- Wipe it clean
In some cases, the drive might be too messed up to unlock normally. You can reformat it, which is like getting a whole new key & doorknob. But be warned, this erases everything on the drive, so only do this if you have a backup.
- Stuck & Out of Ideas?
If none of these solutions work, don’t panic. There are Hard drive data recovery services that can be like calling a locksmith. They might be able to unlock the drive & save your files without wiping anything.
Step by Step Methods on How to Fix Your Drive?
Here’s a breakdown of what might be wrong & how to fix it, step by step.
Method 1. Fix Drive via Properties
Sometimes, the problem is simply that you don’t have access to the drive. Here are some common problems.
- Data Error Cyclic Redundancy Check
- The file or directory is corrupted & unreadable
- Access is denied
- The parameters are incorrect
If you see the Access is denied error message, you need to change the Owner status in Windows. This doesn’t sound very simple, but it’s very simple. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1. Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive & select “Properties”.
Step 2. Go to the “Security” tab, find and click Advanced, and then click the “Edit” button.
Step 3. Change the ownership of the account specified in the “Owner” tab.
Method 2. Fix Drive with CMD Command
If you see a message other than “Internal Hard drive not accessible,” then your drive may have some internal problems. The reason could be a corrupt file system or data, or bad locations, or we can use a special tool called CHKDSK to fix these. In that case, you will need to use the CHKDSK tool in Windows. Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1. Insert the external hard drive, USB drive, or memory card into your PC.
Step 2. Open a cmd or Command Prompt.
Step 3. In the new prompt window, type CHKDSK: /f /r.
Method 3. Format the disk & check if it’s not inaccessible
If the first two options don’t work, the drive may be too damaged to open normally. For the best results in terms of restoring data & getting your drive working again, it’s always a good idea to try recovering first and then reformatting.
Once hard disk data recovery is complete, you can restore the drive & hopefully restore it to a healthy state. To do this, do the following.
Step 1. Go to “This PC” & right-click the disk to be repaired.
Step 2. Select the “Format” option.
Step 3. In the pop-up window, you can enter the file system & cluster size, click the “OK” button, & Windows will take care of the rest.
Method 4. Use a data repair service to fix the hard drive
If none of these solutions works, don’t lose hope. Some hard drive recovery services can be like calling a locksmith. Sometimes, data storage devices, HDDs, or USB sticks are not recognized by the operating system.
Hence, making business or personal data inaccessible, and data recovery specialists provide effective data recovery services to deal with the problem. With the help of experts, you can fix your inaccessible drive.
Check review of external hard disk data recovery near me on Google Maps, to ensure they are reputable ones. Look for companies that offer some form of guarantee, like a “no data, no charge” policy, to minimize your risk such as Stellar Data Recovery.
Conclusion
Now, you have learned some effective quick tips to fix your drive. Follow these methods properly to avoid data loss from your external hard drive, SSD, USB flash drive, pen drive, & SD card. However, you should get professional help from a Hard drive data recovery service for the best results.
If you’ve successfully revived your drive, or if you have any other questions about data recovery, feel free to leave a comment below.
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