A friend's external HDD was connected to my computer while we transferred game files to it. After unplugging the drive, it still appears in File Explorer and Disk Management, and the game files seem accessible as if the drive were still connected. Restarting the computer did not remove it, and I can apparently move files to and from it. However, when the physical drive is connected to my friend's computer, it appears as unknown and asks to be initialized. What could cause this, and how can I safely fix it without losing the data?
3 Answers
The files may only seem to be on the unplugged drive if Windows is displaying a stale mount point or cached Explorer entry. Try disconnecting any mapped drives, closing programs that use the files, refreshing Disk Management, and checking Device Manager for hidden or phantom storage devices. The fact that the games launch does not prove the physical HDD is still connected; some files may be installed on the computer itself.
If the drive truly remains accessible with every cable disconnected, it may not be the physical HDD anymore. Check whether a virtual hard disk, mounted disk image, Storage Spaces pool, network location, or another virtualized drive is being shown. In Disk Management, compare the drive’s capacity and properties with the external HDD, then use its properties to identify the device or virtual source.
Do not initialize or format the disk on the other computer yet. Initialization can make data recovery more complicated. First reconnect it directly with a known-good USB cable and power supply, try another USB port or computer, and check whether the drive appears correctly in BIOS or Disk Management. If it consistently shows as unknown, stop writing to it and consider recovery software or a professional recovery service.
The drive is still listed in both File Explorer and Disk Management after rebooting, so I’ll check whether it is actually a virtual disk or mounted image rather than the external HDD.