Can't open my external hard disk, it's saying to Format it.

Anonymous
2013-01-02T06:16:46+00:00

Original title: Cant open my external hard disk

I cant open my external hard drive. It says I have to format it. In computer it just show Local Disk K but there is no storage reading.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-01-24T19:06:44+00:00

    Tried connecting it to a macintosh (OS X based) system?

    Think you could take the drive out of the external container it is in and put it in another, connect it to an adapter or install it inside a computer?

    Ever used a program called "testdisk"?  It could help you see what the current partition schema is on the system and try to recover things - especially if you know how it was partitioned/formatted before (one or multiple partitions, FAT32, ExFAT, NTFS, etc.)

    How 'old' is the drive in question?

    Using the same cables that came with it?  Have you tried other cables?

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-01-24T17:16:37+00:00

    Actually 2 laptops were used.. But still the dialogue box that says format still exists.. Can I still recover the files?

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-01-24T16:59:19+00:00

    Does it do the same on all computers?  If so - it could be a BAD DRIVE.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-01-24T16:34:26+00:00

    Hi.. Can someone please help me? I'm experiencing almost the same problem as these guys.. I need a personal help.. I have here external hard drive (toshiba) and it also says it needs to be formatted. I've tried so many things but those didn't work out.. Please reply to this comment if you're willing to help.. It would be a great help.. Thank you :)

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-08-16T04:26:45+00:00

    PLEASE HELP ME OUT COZ I AVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE GUY ABOVE HAVE PLEASE MAIL ME THE SOLUTION AT ******@gmail.com.

    with regards

    thanks .

    really in need

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