Reformatting your hard drive will wipe all the stored data, so if you’ve previously used iton a Mac or a Linux, use that device to back up the files before reformatting.

You can set the drive label of your choice, and you can leave the “Perform a quick format” option checked if you want to.

For the formatting option, choose FAT32.

Select the drive, then right-click and select “Format.”.

If the drive appears partitioned but you still can’t access it, it’s most likely using adifferent file system. This should make your new hard drive ready and usable on a clean slate.

Finally, if the drive is formatted but doesn’t show a letter for its path (like F:, G:, or M: for example), right-click the drive and select “Change Drive Letters and Paths.”.

Do note that this will remove any data that’s on the hard drive.

Your PC will partition and format the drive for your current operating system.

Right-click the drive, then select “New Simple Volume.”.

If the drive says “Unallocated” when you select it (under a black bar), you will need to format it.

If the drive is offline, right-click on it and select “Online.”.

Note that you’ll be using the visual menu below the list of drives.

You should see the connected hard drive in the menu, often below your primary drives.

Type in “Disk Management,” then open the application that shows up as a result.

PartitioningĪ more complicated problem occurs when the hard drive is not partitioned or set up properly.To diagnose this, follow these steps: However, it can sometimes save you the trouble of trying the more complicated steps first. Usually, external hard drives will use your PC’s preinstalled drivers by default, sothese steps are often meaningless. If your hard drive came with a driver CD, put it into your reader and select the “Browse my Computer” option.

When prompted, select the option to “Search automatically” and download drivers online.

Follow the steps on the Driver installation.

If it is on the list, right-click it, then select “Update Drivers.”.

Locate the hard drive that you’re trying to connect.

Open the application that shows up as a result.

To check if your PC has missing drivers, follow these steps:

External hard drive for windows 7