How To Fix Internal Hard Drive Not Detected?

Summary: Due to various reasons a computer might have an internal hard disk not detected an error. It might be due to a BIOS malfunction or a problem with the SATA connector. It could even be a dead hard drive. We have listed the reasons and the recovery for each. Get FREE Quote

The hard drive is a crucial component of any computing system, so it stores data even when the computer is shut off.

Nothing can be more frustrating than switching on a laptop or desktop only to find that a hard drive is missing in action.

There are a number of reasons why there can be an internal hard disk not detecting an error.

Here are a few possibilities and the steps to be taken to remedy the internal hard disk not detecting an error.

Table of Contents

How To Fix Internal Hard Disk Not Found

1. Defective ATA Connection/Power Cable Connection
2. BIOS Problems Causing Non-Recognition Of Hardware
3. Missing And Defective Hard Disk Driver
4. Hard Disk Volume Requires Initialization
5. Hard Disk Failure

Case Study – Data Recovery From Not Detecting Drive
Stellar Hard Disk Data Recovery Service

How To Fix Internal Hard Disk Not Found

The internal hard disk not found error does not show up as a dialogue. Windows cannot show an error if it does not recognize a hardware component (same goes for mouse, external drive, speakers, microphone, RAM stick, etc; when formatting a Windows system only a missing keyboard shows up since without it formatting cannot occur).

We list the ways you can fix the internal hard drive not detected a problem.

Additional Reading: How To Fix Hard Drive Not Recognized Error

1. Defective ATA Connection/Power Cable Connection

This is possibly the most prevalent reason for the internal hard disk not found error.

In a laptop, the hard drive has an enclosure with pins that detect the SATA output and another set of pins for providing power.

On a desktop, it is simple and you can clearly see the SATA cable and power cable.

Remove the hard drive from the laptop and reinsert it making sure the pins are properly placed. If you are not sure how to remove it, take it to an expert. The tiny pins on a laptop can easily get bent and need replacement.

In the case of a desktop, unplug the SATA and power cable and plug them in again, and you could also try changing the cable or the SATA port on the motherboard (most motherboards have several).

Power up the PC and find if the internal hard disk not found error is solved.

2. BIOS Problems Causing Non-Recognition o\Of Hardware

When you power up your computer, a tiny microprocessor runs BIOS or basic input/output system.
It is a series of instructions that check hardware and wake up the CPU.
The BIOS screen flashes for an instant and can be accessed by repeatedly depressing F1, F2, F10, F12, or Del keys (depending on the motherboard manufacturer).

The BIOS can become corrupt and not recognize one or more hardware components.

To get past the BIOS fault leading to the internal hard disk not found error you need an expert to replace the BIOS chip or upgrade the firmware.

Do not read tutorials on the internet and attempt to flash the BIOS. You can render the motherboard useless.

Additional Reading: How to fix ATA/SATA hard drive not detected in BIOS

3. Missing And Defective Hard Disk Driver

The operating system needs drivers for every piece of hardware.

A driver lets the hardware communicate with the operating system.

The operating system has all the drivers it needs for hard disks but sometimes it is necessary to uninstall drivers for fixing internal hard disk not found error.

How to reinstall drivers for a hard disk in Windows:

1. Open the Device Manager. Press Windows + X and select Device Manager from the Windows Power Menu.
2. Otherwise, type and search for “Device Manager” in the Start menu.
3. Locate the hard disk in the list of devices. It is usually listed under “Disk drives“. Several will show if you have multiple internal drives.

4. Right-click on the hard disk that is malfunctioning and select “Uninstall“.

5. Then, wait for the process to complete.
6. Restart your computer and then the operating system will automatically reinstall the drivers for the hard disk and fix internal hard drive not detected error.

Usually, Windows 10 and 11 would automatically search for the latest driver from the internet.

4. Hard Disk Volume Requires Initialization

A disk does not automatically show up through File Explorer. You need to initialize it (literally add an initial).

Drives are allotted drive letters such as C, D, etc.

A and B are reserved for floppy drives (though they have almost never been used since 2000).

C is the system drive and this cannot be changed. D onwards can be allocated to a new or unrecognized drive.

1. Press the Windows key + X, and select “Disk Management” from the Windows Power Menu.

2. A list of storage media will show that includes hard drives, SSD, USB, and external hard drives.
3. Then, Select the disk you want to initialize.

4. Right-click and select “Initialize Disk“.
5. You will be asked to select MBR or GPT and if the BIOS is UEFI-based then you have to select GPT. If your computer has legacy BIOS then you can use either MBR or GPT. Note that this choice is not present unless you use Windows 10/11.

6. Now you can select an unallocated drive letter for the internal hard drive not showing up.

So, reboot and find if the hard drive shows up in File Explorer.

5. Hard Disk Failure In Internal Hard Drive Not Detected

A hard disk has an operating system of its own and it’s a highly simplified set of instructions stored in the first logical blocks that are read as soon as the hard disk is powered up.

This intermediary code can get corrupted and cause an internal hard disk not detected error.

Perhaps, the printed circuit board that controls the hard disk might have broken down.

What you need in this case is a trustworthy data recovery service.

A technician needs to take the hard disk apart and repair the failed components and following the repair, the hard disk has to be cloned and everything on it copied to a USB or external drive.

It’s not easy since the hard disk can only be taken apart in a lab that is super clean and free of all dust particles.

So. this is where the services of Stellar Hard Disk Recovery become essential and they have the infrastructure and the personnel to solve every hard disk-related problem.

Case Study – Data Recovery From Not Detecting Drive

Client: Individual

Objective: To recover data from a non-detecting hard drive.

Approach: Data from the client’s non-detecting drive was successfully recovered by Stellar Data Recovery.

The challenges faced by the Client:

• The hard drive was not detected in his laptop.
• The client has a 500 GB hard drive from which around 50 GB of data was been lost from his Local Disk “E” drive, which contacts clients’ important data.

Stellar Data Recovery Process:

1. During the first analysis, the hard drive was not detected. It was evident, that the drive contains some bad sectors.
2. However, Stellar was able to successfully recover the data after cloning.
3. With the aid of Stellar, all of the client’s specified data from the Local Disk “E” drive—including documents, Office 11, Timiri’s personal folder (Office 11), RAMAN_Sys2_NEW, and Raman14ac_OLD—has been recovered.

Client Feedback:

The Client was quite happy with Stellar Data Recovery’s services because Stellar was able to retrieve all of the necessary data that the customer had specified.

Stellar Hard Disk Data Recovery Service

When the hard drive is damaged and you get an internal hard drive not detected error look no further than Stellar Hard Disk Data Recovery Service.

With an 80% success rate and the nation’s only certified Class 100 Clean Room Lab, we are the best at data recovery in India and globally.

Also, our esteemed clients have placed complete faith in us and rewarded us with a 5 Star rating on TrustPilot.

Call us when you have a broken hard drive and we shall help you ship the disk to us.

Our team of experts would analyze the disk and then extract the data with utmost privacy.

In case the disk needs replacement parts we have 15000 donor disks in our inventory.

So, Stellar Data Recovery experts will help you get back all the data from an internal hard drive not detected or any type of damaged hard drive at an affordable rate using cutting-edge technology, Stellar also has 30 years of experience in this domain and three million happy customers to vouch for our expertise.

Additional Reading: Hard Drive Data Recovery Process