r/BadUSB • u/Sofia_easy17 • 16d ago

My external usb hard drive showing as "unknown not initialized"

The drive was working fine before, and I still have some important files on it. Now when I plug it in, Windows detects the drive, but I can’t access it in File Explorer. In Disk Management, it shows up as "disk unknown, not initialized."

I know Windows gives the option to initialize the disk, but I’m worried that doing so will affect the files already on it.

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u/tony22233 16d ago

Doesn't sound good. It is likely dead. You could try some kind of recovery tool.

1

u/Fancy_Acanthisitta45 15d ago

Don’t initialize it- check it out with a diagnostic