[Solved] Why is My Hitachi Hard Drive Not Working?

My Hitachi Hard Drive Not Working

I have been using a Hitachi external hard drive for six months, no problem. Now suddenly my laptop does not even recognize it. It doesn't even appear in my drivers list under the computer file. I have done all I know to do and nothing has worked. How can I fix it?

A Hitachi hard drive is an HDD developed and manufactured by Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST). Renowned for their quality and reliability, Hitachi hard drives have been a popular choice for both consumers and businesses.

Facing issues with a Hitachi hard drive not working can be frustrating, especially when it holds important files. In this post, we provide effective solutions to troubleshoot the issue and help restore your Hitachi drive to full functionality.

How to Fix a Hitachi Hard Drive Not Working

This section provides several effective solutions to fix non-working Hitachi hard drives. Carefully review the options and choose the solution that best suits your needs.

Method 1. Check the USB Port

Many users encounter the issue of a Hitachi external hard drive not recognized when there are problems with the USB cable or port. Therefore, it is advised to check the USB port and cable first. If the connection is loose, unplug the drive and reconnect it securely.

You can also try plugging the drive into a different USB port or computer. If the drive works on another port, the original USB port may be faulty or incompatible with it.

Method 2. Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

If your Hitachi external hard drive isn’t working properly, running the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter can help diagnose and fix common issues. This built-in Windows tool automatically scans for problems related to hardware components, including external drives, and attempts to resolve them. Here’s how to run Troubleshooter to fix the issue with your Hitachi hard drive:

Step 1: Press Windows + S and type Troubleshooter in the search box.

Step 2: Select it from the results.

Step 3: Click Configure a device under Hardware and Sound.

Step 4: Click Advanced > Apply repair automatically in the pop-up window.

Step 5:  Click on Next to detect and fix issues with your Hitachi hard drives.

Method 3. Update the Drivers

Outdated or corrupted drivers can prevent your Hitachi hard drive from working properly. With an incompatible driver, your computer may fail to recognize the device or encounter errors when accessing it. Follow these steps to update your drivers and fix the issue of a Hitachi external hard drive not working.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu and select Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand Disk drivers, right-click on your Hitachi hard drive, then select Update driver.

Step 3: Choose Search automatically for updated driver software in the pop-up window. Then, your Windows will search your computer for the best available driver and install it on your device.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to update the driver to the latest version.

Method 4. Initialize Hitachi Hard Drive

If your Hitachi hard drive fails to work when you first use it, you may need to initialize it. Initialization is required when the drive is unallocated or unformatted, meaning it lacks a partition table or file system. This is often required for new drives, or if a drive has been formatted or experienced issues with its partition structure. Here’s how to initialize your Hitachi hard drive to get it working again.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu and select Disk Management.

Step 2: Find the external drive that is not showing up. If it shows “Not Initialized”, right-click on the disk and choose Initialize Disk.

Step 3: Choose a partition style based on your situation and click OK to start.

Step 4: Right-click on the unallocated space on your new drive and select New Simple Volume.

Step 5: Set the volume size, drive letter, and file system to the new hard drive.

Step 6: Click Finish when the process completes.

Method 5. Format Hitachi Hard Drive

The issue of the Hitachi hard drive not working can be caused by the compatibility between the drive’s file system and your Windows PC. In such cases, you can format the drive to a compatible file system. Here’s how to format a Hitachi hard drive:

Step 1: Right-click on the Start menu and select Disk Management.

Step 2: Right-click the non-working drive and select Format.

Step 3: Set the drive's volume label, file system (e.g., NTFS, FAT32), and allocation unit size. 

Step 4: Tick Quick Format and click OK to start formatting.

File system options for Windows users: ♦ NTFS: Ideal for drives primarily used with Windows, especially for system files or backups. ♦ FAT32: This format works with most devices, like computers and gaming consoles, but it has a 4GB limit for individual files. ♦ exFAT: Similar to FAT32 but without the file size limit. It’s a good choice for USB drives and works with Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Why Is My Hitachi External Hard Drive Not Working?

While knowing how to fix a Hitachi external hard drive is important, it’s equally essential to understand why the issue occurs. Here are some of the most common causes:

► Port or Cable Issues: A damaged or loose USB cable or port can prevent the drive from properly connecting to your computer.

► Outdated or Corrupted Drivers: Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause the operating system to fail to recognize the drive or lead to errors when trying to access it.

► Hardware Failure: Internal components of the hard drive, such as the read/write heads or the spinning disk, can fail due to age, damage, or defects, causing the drive to stop working.

► Formatting Issues: If the drive has been formatted incorrectly or suffers from a corrupted partition table, your computer may fail to recognize it.

► Compatibility Issues: If the file system on the Hitachi external hard drive is not compatible with your PC , Windows may not be able to read or write data to the drive.

Bonus Tip: Recover Data from a Hitachi Hard Drive

Before attempting to fix your Hitachi hard drive, it's crucial to recover data from HHD to avoid potential loss. Wondering how to recover data from a Hitachi hard drive? Professional recovery software can be a highly effective solution.

AOMEI FastRecovery is a powerful, user-friendly data recovery tool designed to retrieve various file types from different storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and more. With its advanced technology, AOMEI FastRecovery efficiently restores your files, whether they were accidentally deleted, unexpectedly formatted, or lost due to a system crash.

Here’s how to recover lost data from Hitachi hard drives using AOMEI FastRecovery:

Step 1: Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery, and then choose the exact partition or disk where your files are located.

Step 2: Scan your disk to find the deleted files. It offers two modes:

• Quick Scan: Quickly searches for recently deleted files.
• Deep Scan: Thoroughly scans your storage device to find lost data from more complex loss situations.

Step 3: Once the scan is complete, all missing files will be displayed. Choose a desired file and then click Recover.

Step 4: Specify a path for the file and wait for the process to complete.

★Using Tips:

Always preview the files before recovering them to ensure you are selecting the correct ones.

Choose a different location to save recovered files to prevent overwriting existing data.

You can recover files while the scan is still in progress, speeding up the recovery process.

Final Words

Experiencing issues with a Hitachi hard drive not working can be frustrating, especially when important files are at risk. This post explains the common causes of the problem and provides effective solutions for fixing it.

Before attempting any repairs, it's crucial to recover any lost files using professional software like AOMEI FastRecovery, ensuring your data is protected from potential loss.