# Please help! External Passport Disk not recognized **URL:** \ **Category:** External SSD for Windows\ **Created:** [May 5, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072 "2018-05-05T04:40:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lfspencer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@lfspencer](https://forums.sandisk.com/u/lfspencer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072/1 "2018-05-05T04:40:53Z")
My Passport that I have used for my file storage for about five years is not being recognized on my computer. I cannot see it in Device Manager nor Management. I tried it on another computer. It recognized it one time, then not again. I need the files on the disk for work. ---
**Author:** ![craigs26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8dc957/32.png) [@craigs26](https://forums.sandisk.com/u/craigs26)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072/2 "2018-05-05T11:25:35Z")
I hate it when people start with this but (logically, and because U didn’t say you tried this) can you Try Another USB Port, Try Another Cable, Try Another Computer. Failure on a 2nd computer likely means the cable is Bad or the Drive is Bad. There ARE ways to Recover data but calling a local repair shop, or Google, or Clifford Cleary in the Forum know more than I about the cheapest & best ways to do it. One Solution via Google (“Backup Drive Not Seen in Device Manager”) I wouldn’t have tried is per … > **[External Hard disk Not Detected](https://forums.tomsguide.com/threads/external-hard-disk-not-detected.367853/)** > > I have the Seagate 1TB backup plus external hardisk. Recently when i plug it into my laptop(USB 3.0) the hard disk is not detected ,ie its not showinng up in my computer ,its not in disk management. In device manager ,under storage controllers ,"USB... **HIS Drive WAS SEEN on another computer** so he wound up Updating a Driver [I solved the problem …all i had to do was go to device manager → under storage controllers selected the “USB Attached SCSI (UAS) Mass Storage Device” **which comes up when i connect the drive** → right click and select update driver software -\>browse my computer option → let me pick … option → in the listed drivers i selected mass storage device and clicked OK. Everything works fine now … Wish I knew more. Google while you wait for more Help here. Good Luck. ---
**Author:** ![lfspencer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@lfspencer](https://forums.sandisk.com/u/lfspencer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 1:54pm UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072/3 "2018-05-05T13:54:56Z")
Thank you, Craig. Yes, I tried another computer, all USBs. After many hours of research and lots of wrangling with device, it seems it might be cord. I finally got a port to recognize it and I dumped 5 years of data back on to my computer. But I am not sure I could get it to work again. But good to know local computer help could recover data!! ---
**Author:** ![craigs26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8dc957/32.png) [@craigs26](https://forums.sandisk.com/u/craigs26)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072/4 "2018-05-06T21:33:08Z")
Glad for your success. I have had, and the Macrium Image forum guys encourage, use of 2 alternating bkups. At $55-$60 for 1 TB MyPassport I suggest same when $$ allow. Good luck. Craig Get [Outlook for Android](https://aka.ms/ghei36) ---
**Author:** ![lfspencer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@lfspencer](https://forums.sandisk.com/u/lfspencer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072/5 "2018-05-06T22:05:14Z")
Will do! Just amazed that the drive might be bad. Never dreamed that would happen when all it is is a backup drive. But I see it is common now. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![awp\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8c91f0/32.png) [@awp\_1](https://forums.sandisk.com/u/awp_1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://forums.sandisk.com/t/please-help-external-passport-disk-not-recognized/359072/6 "2018-05-10T00:30:11Z")
You don’t say what OS your computer is? I had 2 XP computers which suddenly stopped recognising the external drive last summer, while my Windows 8.1 computer still recognised it, so I suspect an update may be at fault. Would you be able to transfer your files etc. to a very large USB stick, and then back them up from there? I agree, it’s very worrying. I expect my backup drives to keep working, not to fail suddenly, otherwise what’s the point?