Drive connected to USB does not show up in navigation

[baymoon]

Hi,

I am trying to recover files from another laptop (other than the one I installed Recuva on). I have connected the drive via a SATA to USB adapter which also provides power. However, Recuva does not "see" the drive, and I am unable to type the location on the "D" USB port that the USB connector is connected to.

 

I can see the drive in the device manager, but not in Explorer. Working in Windows 10.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[Guest johnccleaner]

Unfortunately, the drive needs to be visible in Windows Explorer for it to be visible in Recuva as well.

In short, what you're describing is that there isn't a working/valid partition on this drive (or that the adapter is malfunctioning and not sending the data across properly; likely not the case if you're seeing it in Device Manager, but still a possibility). Recuva requires a working partition to be present on the drive to act as a 'framework' for it to work in.

If the drive was connecting properly and had a working partition, then Windows' standard procedure would be to mount it as an accessible drive and assign it a drive letter, making it visible in Windows Explorer.

You may be able to set up the drive so it can be read by formatting the drive, as described here: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-format-new-hard-drive-windows-10 

Please only use a Quick Format, not a Full Format, if you do so, as this will reduce (but not eliminate) the chances of data being destroyed by the format process. You would also then need to set Recuva to scan for non-deleted files. You can cancel the Wizard or click "Switch to Advanced Mode" after running the Wizard > Options > Actions > check "Scan for non-deleted files" > OK. (You can then scan again, either via the Advanced interface or by closing and restarting Recuva.) 

You may alternately wish to let a data recovery firm or technician look at the drive instead if you're not comfortable formatting the drive like this, as that would likely be safer, though it will typically be a more expensive option. 

[baymoon]

Good advice. Thanks!