externalHD

Question

My win 11 desktop computer HP will not identify my external HDs. I also reinstalled win 11 and selected keep my data but now all of my programs are unreachable and the icons have chaged colors and when I click on them they tell me the program is not available.

Answer 1

Welcome Ted Olzack,

I understand how frustrating it can be when your Windows 11 HP desktop is not detecting external hard drives and that after reinstalling Windows (keeping files), your applications are no longer working and shortcuts are broken. 

To help identify the fastest resolution, please confirm the following:  

• Do the external drives show up in Disk Management (not File Explorer)? 
• For the apps issue, are the programs still installed under Program Files, or completely missing? 

In addition to Q&A Assist's suggested steps, please try these extra checks to move forward:   

Option 1: Check Disk Management for hidden drives 

• Press Windows + X and select Disk Management 
• Look for the external drive (may show as unallocated or without a letter) 
• If found, right-click > assign a drive letter or bring it online 

Option 2: Reinstall USB controller drivers 

• Open Device Manager from the Start menu 
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers 
• Right-click each USB Root Hub > Uninstall 
• Restart the PC and let Windows reinstall drivers automatically 

Option 3: Repair system files 

• Open Command Prompt as administrator from the Start menu 
• Run: sfc /scannow 
• Then run:DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 

Option 4: Rebuild shortcuts (detailed step-by-step actions in the Q&A Assistant’s suggestions that you can follow)

• After reinstalling each program:  
• Open Start menu 
  • Right-click the app > More > Open file location 
  • Create new shortcut and pin again 

I hope this information helps resolve your issue. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me again in this thread. 

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Answer 2

Follow these steps in order.

1. Check if Windows sees the external drives at all

• Connect only one external hard drive directly to the PC (no hubs or long extension cables).
• Right‑click Start and select File Explorer.
• In the left pane, select This PC and see if the drive appears under Devices and drives.
• If it does not appear, try a different USB port and cable. Faulty cabling is a common cause of external drives not being detected.
• If possible, test the external drive on another computer to confirm the drive itself works.

2. Use “Safely Remove Hardware” to confirm detection

• In the taskbar system tray, select Show hidden icons.
• Look for Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media.
  • If present, right‑click it and see if the external drive is listed. If it is not listed, Windows is not detecting the drive.
• If the icon is missing:
  • Right‑click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
  • Under Other system tray icons, turn Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media to On.
  • Reconnect the external drive and check again.

3. If internal drives show as removable (HP desktop) If the internal SATA drives appear as removable in the taskbar, update the HP BIOS first. If no BIOS update is available, configure Windows to treat the ports as internal:

• Open Command Prompt as administrator.
• Run devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager.
• Under Disk drives, right‑click the internal drive, select Properties, and note the Bus number.
• On Windows 11, run (replace x with that bus number):

    reg.exe add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device" /f /v TreatAsInternalPort /t REG_MULTI_SZ /d x
  

• Restart the PC.

4. Programs no longer opening after “keep my files” reinstall A “keep my files” reinstall preserves personal files but removes and resets apps. That is why icons changed and programs report “not available”. To restore functionality:

• Reinstall applications:
  • Open Microsoft Store from the taskbar or by searching Microsoft Store.
  • Reinstall apps previously installed from the Store.
  • For desktop programs (e.g., from vendors’ websites), download and reinstall the Windows 11 versions from each software publisher’s official site.
• Old shortcuts that point to removed programs will no longer work; delete them and create new shortcuts after reinstalling each program.

5. Check for missing personal files If any personal files seem missing after the reinstall:

• Right‑click Start → File Explorer.
• Select This PC in the left pane.
• Use the Search This PC box (top‑right) and type the file name or use wildcards (for example, *.doc for Word documents).
• If search does not find expected files, run the Search troubleshooter:
  • Right‑click Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Search.
  • Under Related settings, select Advanced indexing options → Advanced → Troubleshoot search and indexing, then follow the wizard.
• To ensure hidden files are visible:
  • Right‑click Start → Settings → System → Advanced.
  • Under File Explorer, turn Show hidden and system files to On.

If, after testing different USB ports and cables and confirming the drive works on another machine, the HP still does not detect any external drives, further hardware diagnostics from HP support may be required.

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References:

• Safely remove hardware in Windows
• Internal SATA Drives show up as removeable media
• Windows 10 support on Intel Clover Trail chipsets ended on January 10, 2023
• Find lost files after upgrading Windows