Asus N56VZ Laptop not recognizing 3TB External HDD

Hello and welcome Wasa mate as a by the by did it download it's driver when you plugged it in as they usually give you a message to say it is installing the software for a drive.

Plus if it did that have you checked in the BIOS ? or DISKPART for this drive?

Post back the machines spec model at least.

wasabipea said:

Thanks for replying!

The light on the external hdd turned on for a moment and off again, and there was no reaction at all on my laptop's end. No message saying it was installing the driver or even one to say it wasn't recognized. The drive was definitely on though.

I updated my specs. Hope I did it right?

Yep specs real good you would be surprised how many post in and one doesn't know really what they are dealing with.

Anyway that drive mate the light flicking on and off like that does not sound real good.

So have you checked in DISKPART to see if it is listed. If you want to do that -
Start > type cmd in the box > right click on the blue box at the the top of the results > click on run as admin > OK you will end up with a screen in black and white > type in diskpart.> then type list disk > enter > you will get a screen like my pic. If the drive is being recognised by the system it will show it up for example like that Disk 4 in my pic - it is an SD card that drive will show up as arounf 3000GB

alphanumeric said:

Open disk management and see if its listed. If it is shown, check to make sure it has a drive letter assigned. If it doesn't assign one and then see if it shows in explorer on the Computer screen.

Hum I did think of that one alpha I just thought the DISKPART would be more definite from past experience I have had that - no drive in disk management and yet the disk showing up in DISKPART.

So either way we are going to find out I suppose:)

alphanumeric said:

I recommended Disk Management only because it is easier to access and use than Diskpart. There is also less chance of something going wrong and messing up an already working drive. Everybody has their own way of working out problems and who's to say one is any better than the other. In my book it's all good if it solves the problem.

I have one external hard drive that will not show up on this PC until you manually assign it a drive letter the first time you plug it in. After that its fine. I have no idea why and it wasn't always like that. Eventually I'm going to wipe the drive with Diskpart and start over. Other portable drives I have work fine on this PC, its just that one drive that's stubborn.

Hum have you tried the Partition Wizard for letter assigning it is the easiest thing I have ever use I didn't mention it before as it does not always pick up a wayward drive but I suppose it is worth Wasa having a go - nothing to lose.

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