Question External HDD disappeared after Windows 11 24H2 Update ?

[Damien_XIII]

Hi everyone,

I’m reaching out for help with a problem I'm facing with my laptop storage after updating to Windows 11 24H2. Here’s the situation:

Storage Devices:

• 512 GB M.2 SSD (C drive for the operating system).
• 3 TB External HDD (used for storing important files, about 746 GB of free space before the issue).

The Problem: After the update two days ago, everything worked fine at first. However, after restarting my laptop, the external HDD no longer shows up in File Explorer. When I checked Disk Management, I noticed that the HDD appears as 746 GB of unallocated space, which matches the amount of free space it had before. I didn’t create a new partition or format the drive as I’m concerned about losing my data (it’s a lifetime collection).

What I’ve Checked So Far:

• Hardware: The data cable and power supply for the HDD are confirmed to be working properly.
• Disk Management: The HDD is recognized, but shows unallocated space rather than being listed normally.

System Information:

• Windows 11 24H2
• Laptop Model: ASUS TUF F15 Gaming Laptop
• The issue started after the 24H2 update.

What I Need Help With:

• I want to recover access to my external HDD without losing any data.
• Any steps or methods that can help me retrieve the drive while preserving the data would be much appreciated.

Troubleshooting Attempts:

• I’ve checked hardware connections.
• I’ve looked at Disk Management, but I haven’t tried creating a partition or formatting it because I’m worried about data loss.
• No other software or Windows update-related changes were made that would have affected the drive.

If any of you have suggestions on how I can fix this or if you need any other system details, please let me know!

Thanks for your help!

 

[KingLoki]

Definately don't mess with partitioning and formatting. You could loose existing data.

Have you tried accessing the external on another pc?

If you can access the data you really need to backup your data if its that important onto another drive for safety.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Disk Management: The HDD is recognized, but shows unallocated space rather than being listed normally.

Please show screenshot from Disk Management.
(upload to imgur.com and post link)