How can I fix the issue of Windows 10 22H2 not recognizing my external hard drive?

You may try some of the techniques below to fix the issue of Windows 10 22H2 not recognizing your external hard drive:

1. Check Physical Connections

• Ensure the external hard drive is properly connected to your computer.
• Try using a different USB port or cable to rule out connection issues.

2. Assign a Drive Letter

• Press Windows + X and select Disk Management.
• Locate your external hard drive, right-click on it, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths....
• Click Add and assign a new drive letter.

3. Enable Automatic Mounting

• Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Find Virtual Disk service, double-click it, set Startup type to Manual, and click Start.
• Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type automount enable, then press Enter.

4. Update or Reinstall Drivers

• Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
• Expand Disk drives, right-click your external hard drive, and select Update driver.
• If updating doesn't work, right-click and select Uninstall device, then restart your computer and reconnect the drive.

5. Check for Windows Updates

• Go to Settings>Update>Security> Windows Update.
• Check for updates and install any available updates.

6. Use Diskpart to Clear Attributes

• Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
• Type diskpart and press Enter.
• Type list disk and press Enter to see all connected drives.
• Select your external hard drive by typing select disk X (replace X with the disk number).
• Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.

7. Format the Drive (if necessary)

• If the drive is corrupted, you may need to format it.
• In Disk Management, right-click the drive and select Format.
  Note: Formatting will erase all data on the drive.