Your external hard drive could not be showing up in Windows for a number of reasons, and the error message you saw on the dashboard can point to an issue with the drive itself. You might try the following steps to solve the problem:
Verify the connections. Make sure the USB cable that connects your computer to the external hard drive is safely plugged in. To check if it helps, try using a new cable or USB port.
Switch off your computer: Sometimes all it takes to fix things is a restart. Before starting up your computer again, be sure the external hard disc has been properly ejected.
Restart your computer: In some cases, a straightforward restart can fix the issue. Before starting up your computer again, be sure the external hard disc has been properly ejected.
Verify any driver updates If your external hard drive’s manufacturer has a website, visit it to see if there are any driver updates available. Install any updates that are available.
**Check Disk management *: Right-clicking the Windows Start button and choosing “Disk Management” will launch Disk Management. Verify to see if your external hard disc is mentioned. If so, choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths” from the context menu when you right-click on it. Give the external hard drive a new drive letter and check to see whether Windows Explorer recognises it. Utilize data recovery software: If none of the aforementioned measures are successful, a hardware issue with the external hard drive may exist. To retrieve any data on the disk, you might try utilizing data recovery software like Recuva or Stellar Data Recovery. You can speak with the manufacturer for a replacement if the drive is still covered by the warranty.
It might be required to take your external hard drive to a reputable data recovery agency for additional analysis and repair if none of the aforementioned techniques prove successful.