FIX: USB 3.0 Hard Disk not recognized on Windows 7, 8 or 10 (Solved)
In some computers when you plug a USB 3.0 hard drive on a Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7 computer, the disk is not detected from the system.
In such cases you may also receive a “USB Device Not Recognized” pop up message from Windows or a "code 43" error in the corresponding USB device “Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)” at device manager.
In this post you will find instructions on how to troubleshoot the following issues:
- USB Device is Not Recognized/ Detected
- USB 3.0 Drive is Not Recognized/ Detected
- USB 3.0 Drive is Not Recognized/ Detected on USB 3.0 Ports
How to fix: USB Storage Device not detected (Code 43) on Windows 7, 8 or 10.
Before you continue to apply the methods below to resolve the USB 3.0 not recognized problem try to:
1. Use a compatible USB 2.0 cable with your USB 3.0 hard disk.
2. Connect your USB 3.0 disk to a USB 2.0 port.
3. If you use an Western Digital USB 3.0 disk (WD Passport, WD MyBook, etc.) then install the WD SES driver.
4. Remove the USB Device, turn off the computer and then disconnect the power cord (and battery if you use a laptop). Wait at least 2 minutes and then reconnect the power cord. Power on your computer and connect your USB device again.
5. If you use Windows 8, 8.1 or Server 2012 download and run the available fix from Microsoft
6. If you use Windows 7 ,Vista or XP download and run Microsoft's USB Troubleshooter utility.
7. Reset BIOS to default values.
Method 1. Disable Fast Startup feature on Windows 8, 8.1 & 10
Method 2. Disable USB Suspend Settings
Method 3: Re-Install USB 3.0 Storage Device.
Method 4: Install the latest Chipset & USB 3.0 drivers.
Method 5: Restore Windows to a previous working state.
Method 1. Disable Fast Startup feature on Windows 8, 8.1 & 10
1. Right click on the lower left corner on your screen and select Control Panel.
2. Set the View By to Small icons.
3. Open Power Options.
4. Select Choose what the power buttons do at the left.
5. Then click the Change settings that are currently unavailable option.
6. Uncheck the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click Save changes. *
* Note: If the fast start up option was already unchecked, then check it and restart your computer. After restart uncheck it and restart your computer again.
7. Restart your computer.
Method 2. Disable USB Suspend Settings.
1. Open Power Options from Control Panel.
2. Click at Change plan settings.
3. Then select Change Advanced Power Settings.
4. At USB Settings set the USB selective suspend setting to Disabled.
5. Click OK to apply changes and restart your computer.
Method 3: Re-Install USB 3.0 Storage Device.
- Open Device Manager. To do that:
- Press "Windows” + “R" keys to open the RUN window.
- In “RUN” window “Open” box, type: devmgmt.msc
- Press Enter.
- In Device Manager expand Disk Drives.
- Right click on the External USB 3.0 Disk and select Uninstall.
- Then expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
- Right click at the USB Mass Storage Device and select Uninstall. Also uninstall any Unknown USB Device from the list.
-
- From Action menu select: Scan for hardware changes.
- When the scan has finished, open Windows Explorer to find out if your External hard disk is recognized now.
If you still have problems then open again the Device manager and update the driver for the External Hard disk. To do that:
- Expand Disk Drives.
- Right-click on the External USB 3.0 Disk and select Update Driver Software.
Let Windows to automatically find the latest driver for your USB 3.0 disk.
- Perform the same action and update the driver software for the USB Mass Storage Device.
- When done, check if your USB 3.0 hard drive can recognized normally.
Method 4: Install the latest Chipset device drivers.
1. Download the Intel® Driver Update Utility.
2. Run Intel® Driver Update Utility and press Next at the first screen.
3. Accept the license terms and press Install.
4. Wait unit Inter Driver Update Utility, installs all required programs and files.
5. When the System Update is Completed press Launch.
6. Press Start Scan.
7. When the driver scan is completed, press Download to save the latest drivers to your download location.
8. Finally press Install to the next screen(s) to install the latest Intel drivers for your computer.
9. When the driver installation is completed, restart your computer.
10. Check if your computer can recognized properly your USB 3.0 drive. If not, then proceed to install the USB 3.0 controller drivers from your computer manufacturer's support site.
Method 5: Restore Windows to a previous working state.
If your USB 3.0 was recognized before, then try to restore your computer to a previous working state by using the instructions on these articles (according your OS):
- How to Restore Windows 8 or 8.1 in a previous working state
- Hot to restore Windows 7 to a previous working state.
That’s all folks! Did it work for you?
Please leave a comment in the comment section below or even better: like and share this blog post in the social networks to help spread the word about this solution.
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August 27, 2020 @ 3:15 am
Method number 3 solved the problem for me…thank you very much.