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For WD external drive which is not powering up, not being recognized by Windows, or is not showing up in the Computer, it can be some problems with the drive or your system.

The following are some possible solutions you can take:

* If it is a power issue try changing the power adapter if you have another one available. Several Western Digital drives can use the same power adapter. This link should help you determine if another WD drive’s power adapter will work with your drive. Otherwise, you can purchase a replacement adapter throught WD online store.
* Try changing the data cable and plugging the drive into another computer. This way helps to determine if it is the cable, computer, or the drive.
* You will also want to make sure that the drive’s power cable is going directly to a wall outlet and not a power strip, UPS, or other device.
* Also, you will want to have the data cable attached directly to the computer, and not into a hub or other unit. This way nothing can interfere with the connections to the drive.

Try the following steps to see if the drive comes up:

1. Power off the computer all the way.
2. Unplug the data and power cables from the back of the drive, and then turn the computer back on.
3. Attach one end of the power cable directly to the drive and the other end into a wall outlet. Wait a couple seconds for the drive to do its internal test, then move to the next step.

Note: If you have a Passport or an Elements portable drive, they do not require a power adapter. Skip steps 3 and 4, and proceed to step 5.

4. If the drive has a power button on the back or front, press it to power the unit on. The lights on the drive should illuminate and after a few seconds go solid. If the lights move a little, that is normal.
5. Make sure that the computer is powered up, and the desktop is fully loaded, then connect the drive directly to the computer and see if it is detected.

If the drive works on another computer, then the problem most likely lies with the computer system you started with. Make sure that you have the latest driver updates and Service Packs for your Windows. If the drive is still not recognized, then you will most likely need to contact Microsoft or the computer manufacturer to see if they can assist you.

If the drive doesn’t work on another computer, even after changing the data cable, then it sounds like the problem could be with the drive, itself. Check Disk Management and see if the drive is recognized in the lower right pane. If so, you may need to partition or format the drive in order for it to be recognized. If the drive doesn’t show up in Disk Management, then the drive has most likely failed and will need to be replaced.

If You do not want to partition or format the drive if there is important data on the unit that you need. In order to retrieve the information on the unit, you can consider looking for a professional data recovery lab and have your external drive to be diagnosed and see if the data is recoveryable.

If you are going to find a data recovery lab, you definitely need to find one who charges reasonably and provide professional data recovery services. You can find search in data recovery Salon and see if there’s one near you!