USB Drive Not Recognized in Windows 11, but Accessible in Windows 10

[tubesfifty]

I have a 120GB external USB hard drive that works fine on a Windows 10 laptop. I can access and back up files using Robocopy with no issues.

However, when I connect the USB drive to a USB port on an HP laptop running Windows 11, it shows as uninitialized and I cannot browse the files. Despite this, when I use DiskGenius on the Windows 11 machine, the USB drive appears and I can browse the files with all data intact.

The drive is recognized and functions normally when reconnected to the Windows 10 machine. It used to work on the Windows 11 laptop until a few days ago.

Why is it not showing up in Windows 11, and how can I resolve this issue without initializing or formatting the drive and losing data?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Bighorn]

Some diagnosing:
Does the drive work on a different Win11?
Does the drive work in different ports?
Is a USB 2 or USB 3 port being used, sometimes makes a difference?
Is the drive formatted as NTFS or exFAT [check in Disk Management on Win10 or right-click and Properties]?
Is the drive seen properly in Win11 Disk Management?
Did you do some updates of Win11 before the issue started?

 

[tubesfifty]

Some diagnosing:
Does the drive work on a different Win11?
Does the drive work in different ports?
Is a USB 2 or USB 3 port being used, sometimes makes a difference?
Is the drive formatted as NTFS or exFAT [check in Disk Management on Win10 or right-click and Properties]?
Is the drive seen properly in Win11 Disk Management?
Did you do some updates of Win11 before the issue started?

Thank you, Bighorn. Here's what I've found so far:
I tried connecting the USB drive to another Windows 11 machine, and it showed the same issue: the drive is uninitialized.
I've tested the drive in different USB ports on the HP laptop, including both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, but the problem persists.
The drive is formatted as NTFS. In Windows 11 Disk Management, the drive appears as uninitialized. However, as I mentioned earlier, DiskGenius on the same machine can read it without any issues.
I did apply some Windows 11 updates a few days before the issue started, which might be related.

Any further advice on how to resolve this without losing the data would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bighorn]

Can't guarantee it but I once did Initialize a drive that didn't lose any data but generally any work in the root of a drive such as with the MBR/Master Boot Record can screw with any data on it.

If the drive works in a Win10 computer I'd recover any data to another drive then try initializing in a Win11 computer. A 'diagnostic' I use with problem drives is either a bootable Linux Mint LiveUSB Thumb drive or my Linux Mint Desktop using a connected drive dock, both have a file manager that can be used to copy files.

 

[Xploit Machine]

I have a 15 years old laptop whereby have 3 USB ports, and one of it malfunction totally and 2 being used and sometimes cant read the USB drive, so I will need to restart the computerto make it working again ..

It's better you have another backup copy of those files and don't force read it to the W11 computer unless other USB drives can be read through it .. also make sure you have the original W11 ISO installed into the computer and not the cracked, pre-activated (modified) versions

 

[OSExplorer]

It looks like you're dealing with a compatibility issue or a driver problem on Windows 11. Here are several steps you can take to troubleshoot and hopefully resolve this issue:

Ensure that all USB drivers on your Windows 11 machine are up-to-date. You can do this through the Device Manager:
- Open Device Manager (right-click on Start and select Device Manager).
- Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
- Right-click each USB device and select "Update driver."
- Follow the prompts to search automatically for updated driver software.

Also check for Windows Updates by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

 

[BenVasghen]

Since the issue started after a recent update, rolling back those updates might resolve the problem

 

[DrPat_86]

If none of these steps resolve the problem, you might want to consider backing up the data on your Windows 10 machine and reformatting the drive. However, make sure all critical data is safely backed up before proceeding with this step.

 

[tubesfifty]

I updated all USB drivers and installed the latest Windows updates, but the issue persisted. I ran the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter, disabled Fast Startup, checked for file system errors using chkdsk, rolled back recent updates, tried a different USB cable, and even checked for conflicting software in Safe Mode. Unfortunately, none of these steps resolved the problem.

Ultimately, I backed up all my data on the Windows 10 machine and reformatted the drive on the Windows 11 laptop. After that the drive was recognized without any issues. While reformatting wasn't ideal, ensuring I had a complete backup made it a viable option. Thanks again for your help guys.