Fault-finding
The external drive is not recognised
Try a different cable and a different port first — cables fail more often than drives, and front-panel ports often supply less power. If it is silent and unlit on every machine, the enclosure's controller has usually failed rather than the drive inside it, which is a far better outcome than it looks.
Last reviewed
Cable and port before anything else
USB cables fail internally at the connector where they flex, and the failure is invisible. Front-panel and hub ports supply less power than a rear port on a desktop, which matters for a bus-powered drive. Two substitutions, both free, resolve a surprising share of these.
Listen and look
A mechanical drive that spins up and is not detected is a communication problem — enclosure controller, cable, or partition. A drive that makes no sound and shows no light is not receiving power, which points at the cable, the port or the enclosure's board. Clicking means stop immediately and treat it as a failing drive.
The enclosure fails more than the drive
Portable enclosures take knocks and their small controller boards fail regularly. Removing the drive and connecting it directly to a machine, or into a known-good enclosure, very often brings the data straight back. This is the check that turns an apparent disaster into an afternoon's work.
Encrypted drives are a special case
Some external drives encrypt on the enclosure's controller rather than on the drive, so removing the drive gives you data that cannot be read without that exact controller. If the drive was encrypted, say so before anyone opens the enclosure — it changes the recovery approach completely.
Why is my external hard drive not showing up?
It works on one computer but not another. Why?
Usually power or drivers rather than the drive. A bus-powered drive on a front-panel port or a hub may not get enough current, while a rear port supplies more. It can also be a drive letter conflict on the machine that fails. Try a rear port and check disk management before worrying.
Can the drive inside be used if the case has failed?
Very often, yes — take the drive out and connect it directly or fit it into a known-good enclosure, and the data is usually all there. The exception is hardware-encrypted enclosures, where the controller holds the key. Ask about encryption before opening anything.
It asks to format every time I plug it in. What should I do?
Decline. That prompt means the file system cannot be read, and formatting discards exactly what a recovery would use. It is an unusually destructive default for something presented as a helpful suggestion. Get an assessment instead — the data is usually still there.
Rather have it done?
Data recovery pulls files off drives that have failed, been formatted or been encrypted by ransomware. Assessment is PKR 3,000 and tells you what is actually recoverable before you commit. Logical recoveries start at PKR 8,000; physical failures needing a cleanroom are quoted after assessment.
Data recovery and migration in Islamabad — prices and scope