Is your LaCie hard drive not showing up on Mac or Windows? You’re not alone. In fact, this common issue is frequently discussed on various manufacturer forums, such as WD community and SanDisk forums. It can be a real headache, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. However, there’s no need to worry! In this article, we’ll explain common reason behind this problem and equip you with the skills needed to get your external hard drive recognized again. Let’s get started!
Part 1: Why is My LaCie Hard Drive Not Showing Up?
Unfortunately, there could be various factors contributing to why your LaCie external hard drive is not showing up. Understanding these reasons is beneficial before finding the right solution. Here are some common culprits:
Connection Issues: Loose or faulty USB cable connections.
Drive Letter Conflict: Another device may be using the same drive letter.
Driver Issues: Outdated or buddy disk drivers.
Compatibility Issues: Incompatibility with your operating system.
Physical Damage: Damage to the drive or its components.
Power Supply Problems: Insufficient power or faulty power adapter.
Bonus: Recover Data from Inaccessible/Reformatted LaCie Hard Drive
Sometimes, your hard drive is recognized by the computer but remains inaccessible. If you open Disk Management, you might find the drive showing as RAW or unallocated. In such cases, we strongly recommend to immediately perform data recovery on the problematic hard drive. After that, you can try many reliable ways to solve the “LaCie hard drive not showing up” issue.
4DDiG is a free and reliable data recovery software that can help you retrieve lost files from internal/external hard drives. With an impressive success rates, this recovery tool supports over 2000 data types, such as photos, videos, documents and more. Additionally, the user-friendly interface makes it accessible to users of all levels, ensuring a seamless data recovery experience.
Here’s how to recover data from your LaCie hard drive with the help of 4DDiG:
Step 1: To begin, download and install its free version on your PC. Connect your LaCie external hard drive to the same computer. Then, open the program and select the affected drive from the list of available drives. Click on “Scan” to proceed.
Step 2: During the scan process, the software will find thousands of recoverable files and display them in the main interface. To save time, you can locate the target files/folders by switching to File View or using the filters.
Step 3: After the scan is completed, select all desired files and simply click on the “Recover” button. You will be prompted to retrieve the lost files to other disks or cloud storage. Keep in mind not to save them back to the LaCie drive.
Part 2: How to Fix LaCie External Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows?
Fix 1: Check physical connections
One classic way to fix the ‘LaCie external hard drive not showing up’ problem is to perform basic checks, such as trying another USB port or checking the connections. You can also replace the USB cable with a new one, as cables can wear out or become damaged over time. Now, you should be good to go.
Fix 2: Update or reinstall disk driver
The reason why your LaCie hard drive is not showing up might be a corrupted disk driver that is no longer working on your computer. As a result you can try the below steps to update or reinstall the disk driver.
Step 1: To begin, right-click on the Windows Start button and choose “Device Manager.” Then, expand the “Disk drives” category from the list.
Step 2: Locate the LaCie drive, right-click on it and select “Update driver.”
Step 3: Choose “Search automatically for updated driver software” to proceed. If this method doesn’t work, you can uninstall the driver and reconnect the problematic drive.
Fix 3: Assign a new drive letter
If your LaCie external hard drive isn’t visible in File Explorer, it could be due to a drive letter conflict.
Step 1: Begin by right-clicking on “This PC” and choosing “Manage” from the options. Navigate to “Disk Management” located under the “Storage” section.
Step 2: Next, right-click on your LaCie drive and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”
Step 3: Click on “Change,” then pick a new, available drive letter from the list. Confirm by clicking “OK,” and restart your computer to apply the changes.
Fix 4: Reformat and partition the drive
If the “LaCie external hard drive not showing up” issue persists, then reformatting your drive can the last resort. With 4DDiG, you can easily get data off from the drive and reformat it with confidence. To do so:
Step 1: Open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R on your keyboard. Type “diskmgmt.msc” and click “OK.”
Step 2: Locate the problematic drive, right-click on it and choose “Format.” Next, follow the
on-screen instructions to choose the file system (usually NTFS for Windows) and perform the format.
Step 3: Once the formatting is complete, you will need to partition the drive for use.
Part 3: How to Fix LaCie Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Mac?
Fix 1: Check the current file system
If your LaCie hard drive is not showing up on your Mac, it’s best to first check the file system you’re using. Many file systems like exFAT and APFS are supported by Mac systems. However, if your LaCie hard disk uses NTFS or FAT32, you may need to convert the format or install additional drivers to use it properly on your Mac. Remember, always backup your important data before making any changes to your storage devices.
Fix 2: Manually mount the drive
On some occasions, your LaCie drive may appear in Disk Utility but not be mounted. Follow these steps to resolve it:
Step 1: First, open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder. In the left sidebar, you should see the LaCie drive listed under the “External” section.
Step 2: Select the LaCie drive, and then click on the “Mount” button in the toolbar. This should attempt to mount the drive and make it accessible on your Mac
Fix 3: Change the preferences settings
When connecting a external hard drive to your Mac, the icon of this drive is expected to appear in Finder or on the desktop. If it does not, you can show the LaCie external hard drive using the following steps:
Step 1: Open a Finder window. Go to the “Finder” menu and select “Preferences”.
Step 2: In the “General” tab, make sure “External disks” is checked under “Show these items on the desktop”.
Step 3: Switch to the “Sidebar” tab, and then tick the box next to “External disks.”
That’s all about how to fix the “LaCie hard drive not showing up on Mac” issue! Follow the step-by-step solutions we offer to get your LaCie drive up and running again.
Conclusion
Now, you should no longer be puzzled by the question “why is my LaCie hard drive not showing up?” We understand that it can be a stressful and frustrating experience when your LaCie hard drive goes missing. However, with the right methods and tools, you can fix the “LaCie hard drive not showing up” problem on your own. To aviod data loss, consider using Tenorshare 4DDiG to recover data from the affected drive.
