Seagate Backup Plus 5TB Portable External Drive SRD00F1 Black no charge cables. Condition is 'Used'. This item has some dings and scratches see pictures. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. If you're still having issues, sometimes removing and reinstalling the driver could help to detect the external drive on your computer.
Summary :
Sometimes, you might find that some files are not showing up in the external hard drive. In the following contents, we will discuss about the possible causes and solutions, as well as an effective and reliable way to recover data for the external hard drive.
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Problem – Files Not Showing in External Hard Drive
Although external hard drives have brought as great convenience in daily life and work, there are chances that they might fail to display some of their files or even seem to have lost them completely, despite the disk capacity in disk properties being shown as utilized.
You will be able to tell that it is indeed your files utilizing that space in the external drive if you have a general impression of how much space your data occupies.
But here is the problem - people sometimes find their files not showing in external hard drive and get anxious; they are afraid of losing the important files forever. What is really happening when this issue is present? Can you fix it or rescue the missing data here?
I will answer those questions for you. Now, let's start with rescuing files missing from external hard drive with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
When data recovery is done, I will explain the possible causes for files not showing problem and then give corresponding solutions. In the last section, I am going to help you know more about the external hard drive you use.
Recover Data from External Hard Drive
When you finally discover that some files are missing from external hard drive or even a partition in it is damaged/lost, you must conduct data recovery on external hard drive right away.
In this case, please stop writing any new data into the external hard drive and then follow the operations below to recover data with MiniTool Power Data Recovery easily. This software will light the hope of data recovery as long as the external hard drive is not physically damaged.
3 Steps to Recover Data from External Hard Drive
When you find that some useful files not showing in external hard drive are actually lost, please adopt MiniTool Power Data Recovery immediately.
Then, follow this tutorial to recover data.
Step 1: connect the external hard drive to computer. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery, and then choose Hard Disk Drive.
Step 2: select the target external hard drive from the right side and click on the Scan button.
Step 3: during the scan, you can see more and more files being found by the software. Now, you can browse them one by one to check the ones you need and then choose a safe location to store them by pressing the 'Save' button. Adobe products air. After that, click on the OK button to confirm your selection. Soon, the data you choose will be recovered to the appointed location.
When you can confirm that all data you need are recovered successfully to another device and all the existing files have been backed up, you can choose to format the external hard drive in order to use it again. Additionally, you may follow the methods given below to try to fix the current external drive.
How to fix when external hard drive stops working?
A relatively comprehensive analysis & fix plan about external hard drive not working issue are given here to help people get out of trouble.
Why Can't See Files in External Hard Drive & How to Solve
I find files missing from external hard drive become a frequently discussed issue in many forums. So there must be some ideas that catch the point.
Based on this, I decide to make a list of the possible reasons and useful suggestions for users to refer to. Here, I have summarized 4 main causes as well as the solutions in Windows 7 through internet searching and actual operations.
4 Causes That Can Be Fixed Directly in Windows
- The files are hidden.
- There are file system errors.
- The 'CheckedValue' is suffering from virus infection.
- The mirror image in memory is damaged.
Possible cause 1 – the files are hidden.
Sometimes, the files are not really missing from external hard drive; they're just hidden and not being shown. Here are 4 solutions to unhide them.
Solution 1:
- Type cmd to the search box and press Enter.
- Right click on the cmd.exe and select Run as administrator.
- Input DIR/A x:-s (x refers to the drive letter of your external hard drive). The meaning of this command is: list the non-system files in x: drive.
- If this command returns nothing, it means your folder has been marked as protected system files, and then you can refer to the second solution.
Solution 2: check whether the files are endowed with system property.
- Run control folders, or go to Control Panel and Appearance and Personalization.
- You can see the window Folder Options.
- In view tab, check show hidden files, folders, and drives and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
- Then check whether the files/folders are there.
Solution 3:
- If your files keep missing from the external hard d drive, run cmd and press Enter key.
- Then, if the hard drive letter is O:, you should enter this command: attrib -h -r -s /s /d o:*.*.
- Finally, check if the real files will be showed.
Solution 4:
If all solutions above failed, try the following process which is most complex:
- Run cmd.
- Type the location of the external hard drive. Example: 'd:', 'e:', 'f:', etc.
- Type dir /ah. You will now see the files/folders with hidden attributes.
- Type attrib [name of file/folder] -r -a -s -h.
- You should repeatedly type dir /ah after un-hiding some files/folders so you know if the files/folders are now appearing or hiding.
- Finally check your external hard drives, all data should be there.
Please note:
- If you're going to unhide files, you should type the whole name plus the expanded-name. Example for file named party: attrib party.jpg -r -a -s -h.
- If you have folder names with 6 characters or more, type the first 6 characters followed by '~1'. Example for folder named birthday: attrib birthd~1 -r -a -s -h.
Possible cause 2 – there are file system errors.
In some cases, the files may be not showing in external hard drive because the file system is corrupted or because it doesn't contain a recognized file system. At this time, you had better recover data from external hard drive firstly.
Here's how to confirm:
- Right click on the external hard drive.
- Choose Properties.
- Select Tools tab and click on the Check now button.
- Check Automatically fix file system errors from the pop-up window.
- Click on the Start button to begin and wait for the process.
Possible cause 3 – 'CheckedValue' is suffering from virus infection.
Here's how to fix:
- Run Regedit.
- Then, follow this route in Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedFolderHiddenSHOWAL.
- Check whether the data value of CheckedValue is 1.
- If NOT, delete CheckedValue, create a new DWOR in the blank and rename it as CheckedValue. After that, modify the value data as 1.
Possible cause 4 – the mirror image in memory is damaged.
Sometimes the mirror image in memory is damaged and the operating system does not respond a timely refresh, which happens by chance.
How to fix: restart the computer and then reconnect the external hard drive to check if the actual files are shown.
That's all for the solutions. In fact, each solution has helped many users get rid of files not showing in external hard drive problem, and I also hope they are helpful for you.
2 Cases for Missing Files from External Hard Drive
But what's the real story? How exactly did they disappear? These kinds of questions are all over the internet. The following mentioned examples are just a drop in the bucket.
Case 1:
I have a problem with my external hard disk. I saved some school documents on my drive. When I got to the school computer to copy my home task, then I noticed all my folders went missing, except ones that are not in folder. I still have my used memory, but can't see my folders. Please help me!shegzy4 from Makeuseof
Case 2:
Hey guys I have a problem with my external hard drive .. 2 days ago I've bought a new laptop and when I plugged my hard drive into it to install some games I found that it doesn't contain anything except 2 files. Also it shows 900 GB used space and this means that my old files are still there. So please help me return them back because I need them. By the way I've tried showing hidden folders and everything in folder options.Sarooo from Tomshardware
Faced with such confusion, most users behave like ants on hot bricks, while some users skillfully find that if they try to type the path or address of a specific folder, it opens. However, typically you have stored large numbers of files and folders in the external hard drive and you cannot remember all names of folders…So any better idea?
Learn More about External Hard Drive
Different from internal hard drive, an external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer via USB, eSATA, or Firewire. External hard drives typically have high storage capacities and are often used to back up computers.
Having our videos, pictures and other large files copied to an external hard drive is a safe way to back up things. Besides, external hard drive is always acting as a data storage medium and transmission medium, thus you don't have to carry on computers with you everywhere.
External Hard Drive Becomes a Necessity in Modern Life
External hard drive enjoys many advantages when compared to other storage devices, so they are getting more and more closely to our daily life. Today people are accustomed to bring an external hard drive with us in case of data transmission, such as to deal with working paper between office and home.
By using external hard drive, you can avoid the network requirement, the uploading and downloading process, and time. But, if your families share one computer with you at home, there will be a big risk of data loss. So backing up important data to external hard drive becomes a wise choice.
During the process of using external hard drives, you will inevitably encounter some difficulties, 'external hard drive doesn't appear in My Computer' and 'files not shown in external hard drive'. I have laid my emphasis on the second issue in this post.
Characteristics That Make External Hard Drive Popular
External hard drives usually have the following advantages in common:
- Small volume: an external hard drive is usually several inches in size, such as 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches in common.
- Large capacity: external hard drives always adopt large capacity and the unit is always Terabyte.
- High speed: external hard drive connected via Firewire usually works at high speed, which makes it rather easy to transfer data between computer and external hard drives.
- Portability: since external hard drives have small volume, it is available to carry them everywhere.
- Easy to use: external hard drive is very easy to handle. It can be applied in both Windows & Mac and will be automatically detected in a few seconds. Then you can use it like internal hard drive.
- Lower cost per GB: the price of external hard drive is getting lower and lower due to proven technique. Normally you only spend several cents per GB on an external hard drive.
Bottom Line
I have noticed 'files not showing in external hard drive' is a frequently asked question in many forums. Therefore, in this post I have summarized almost all feasible solutions for users who have got a headache on this issue.
Remember, external hard drives today have become indispensable medium for us to deal with data backup, privacy protection, data transmission, and so on, so you need to pay more attention to the operations you have made during the usage to avoid unnecessary trouble.
What's more? Once something unlucky happens and leads to serious data loss, you should stop all operations and turn to reliable solutions quickly, so as to ensure the largest possibility for data recovery.
Files Not Showing in External Hard Drive FAQ
- Open File Explorer the way you like.
- Select View from the menu bar.
- Click Options and choose Change folder and search options.
- Go to the View tab and look for the Advanced settings area.
- Check Show hidden files, folders, and drives and click OK.
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How do I transfer files to my seagate external hard drive?
'I have some precious pictures, files, videos, etc on my computer that truly need to be backed up !!!! Thus, I bought Seagate Backup Plus. It's said this is a backup drive. But It does not show as a backup drive when I plug it into my Windows 10. What's wrong? How do I backup files on Seagate external hard drive?'
Don't worry about it! This is what I will share with you in the following. As far as I know, this is probably a connection issue or the disk driver is outdated. And there are 3 different Seagate external drive backup software for you to backup files on Seagate external hard drive, namely Seagate Dashboard, Backup and Restore, and AOMEI Backupper.
Honestly, the third one is smarter, which has more advanced features and allows you to backup only changed files or folders. Also, it has an intutive interface, so all users can understand this software easily and quickly. Therefore, if you want a simple & effective way, it will be a great choice.
Why backup files to Seagate external hard drive?
Talking about the reason, there are 2 main reasons to backup files on Seagate external hard drive. Let's see them specifically.
Ensure the security of your precious data. Most computers users save data on their laptop or desktop, but there is a great risk of data loss in the event of failure, such as, system crash, disk failure, virus attack, ransomware etc. To minimize the risk, you can backup files to external hard drive, like Seagate Backup Plus.
External hard drive is very portable to take. Aside by the security issue, you may want to save the common used files to a portable storage device and take it everywhere, so you can view files on external hard drive anytime. Seagate external hard drive is one of the portable storage devices.
Seagate Dashboard: use Seagate external hard drive to backup files
This is the first method to backup files on Seagate external hard drive. You will use Seagate Dashboard, a seagate external drive backup software, which comes along with Seagate Backup Plus or Seagate Center. Without further ado, let's get started to reveal Seagate backup Plus how to use.
Step 1. Connect Seagate Backup Plus to your computer and make sure it can be detected. Then, access Seagate external hard drive in Windows Explorer and double-click the Seagate Dashboard Installer.exe to install this software
Step 2. Launch Seagate Dashboard and then select PC Backup in the home page.
Step 3. Then, click Protect Now and Back up Now to backup all non-system files.
Notes:
◑ About how do I know when Seagate backup is complete, you can see the green backup progress bar and percentage. And when the task is complete, these indicators will disappear.
◑ Seagate Dashboard can also be a Seagate automatic backup software, which allows you to backup all personal folders (non-system files) or specific folders with New Backup Plan option. It supports multiple Seagate automatic backup options, including snapshot, weekly, monthly, daily, hourly, and continuously.
Backup and Restore: backup files using Seagate external hard drive
As said before, Seagate Backup Plus is one of the backup drives. It's is compatible with Windows and Mac. And it has a great capacity, even up to 8TB. Aside by that, it supports a faster speed. Then, let's have a closer look at how to use Seagate external hard drive in Windows 7/8/10 to backup files.
Step 1. Install Seagate Backup Plus drive on your computer via an adapter. Then, click Use this drive for backup under AutoPlay window, and wait for Windows Backup to start.
Step 2. Pitch on Let Windows choose or Let me Choose, then click Next.
Note: If you just want to backup files saved in libraries, on the desktop, in default Windows folders, you can choose Let Windows choose. If you want to backup specific files or folders, you can choose Let me choose.
Step 3. The default schedule setting is set to 7am every week. If you want to change it, click Change schedule. Then, review your backup settings and click Save settings and run Backup to finish the last step. Wait until you see a prompt like 'Windows Backup has completed successfully'.
Note: Backup and Restore utility (Windows 7) is very useful. It can help you backup files and backup system as long as you have a common external hard drive. However, it may fail to encrypt and compress backup images. Also, it cannot support differential backup.
AOMEI Backupper: backup files on Seagate external hard drive
Reading here, you may already know how to backup files using Seagate Backup Plus. Frankly speaking, it's not a perfect way to backup files.
I strongly recommend you using Seagate automatic backup software AOMEI Backupper Professional. With it, you can backup files to Seagate external hard drive automatically, even with only changed files. It supports daily backup, weekly backup, monthly backup, incremental/differential backup, etc. Also, you can choose to compress backup files if it's too large In addition, you can encrypt backup files if there are any sensitive data.
Then, let's take Seagate Backup Plus as an example and have a closer look at how to backup files to Seagate external hard drive. Before starting any operation, please connect Seagate Backup Plus drive to your computer and download the free trial file backup software AOMEI Backupper Professional.
Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper Professional. Then, click Backup and File Backup to summon the next window
Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder to select files from the local computer.
Step 3. Select Seagate Backup Plus drive as the destination path.
Step 4 (Important). Click Schedule, then click daily under the General tab and select differential backup under the Advanced tab. Then, click Start Backup if there are no problems.
Notes:
◑ Differential backup is much safer than incremental backup, because it will contain all the files in the original backup and the newly added or modified. Even if one of the image file is damaged, you still can restore files from backup.
◑ This version of software is only suitable for Windows 7/8/10/XP/Vista. If you are using server computer, you could consider upgrading to AOMEI Backupper Server.
How to view files on Seagate Backup Plus?
In the minds of many users, where is my backup file may be a question. Here I will show you the answer. To view files on Seagate backup drive, such as, Seagate Backup Plus, you could delete old backup using Seagate Dashboard or use the built-in explore image feature in AOMEI Backupper. Details are below.
Method 1: View files using Seagate Dashboard.
Open Seagate Dashboard, select the BackupPlus in the Dashboard, click Info and View Files to go to the target path. Does microsoft 365 cost money.
Tip: Also, you can see your files in the Seagate external hard drive. You can go to (My) Computer and the backup drive, open the folder named Backup and with your PC name subsequently, click on the C folder and go to Users > Username>Documents, then double-click the files to check it.
Method 2: View files in virtual partition.
You can launch AOMEI Backupper Professional, go to Tools > Explore Image, select backup image and time point, then click Save As and select a path for the image file, then wait until the process is completed. Finally, go to the path and see your files.
Note: If you just want to check the integrity of backup files, you can click Settings at the lower left corner and tick Check backup integrity on complete. It's much convenient.
How to delete backup files from seagate external hard drive?
Some users reported that Seagate Backup Plus slim full. Do you have similar questions? See below and I'll show you how to delete backup files from Seagate external hard drive. Here are 2 ways.
Method 1. Delete backup files using Seagate external hard drive.
You can select PC Backup on the home page and then backup task, click the drop down menu and choose Delete to delete this task. If this is a Seagate automatic backup plan, please select the box next to Delete backed up files and click Delete.
Method 2. Delete backup image regularly with AOMEI Backupper.
How To Use Seagate External Hard Drive
You can Go to Home, click the three bars icon > Edit Backup > Backup Scheme > Enable Backup Scheme, then select a scheme settings from the drop-down menu. After that, it will automatically delete old backups by a specific role.
The meaning of creating one or more backups are to continuously protect your data and OS. If you delete all the backups, it is against the original meaning. And you may delete the latest backup mistakenly. Thus, the second way is more useful. It will keep the latest backup and delete other backups with a specific role.
Conclusion
Honestly, it's necessary to backup files on Seagate external hard drive, because the backup image could protect and recover your files in case of system crash, virus attack, etc. Of course, if you can create a Seagate automatic backup, so much the better.
All of the given solutions can help you do this. But if you don't want to backup all files everytime, the last one will be a better choice. Its incremental/differential backup can backup the changed files only after the full backup.
External Seagate Hard Drive
In addition, this software still supports many useful features, such as, three compression level, encryption, backup scheme to delete backup files, event trigger backup, system backup, disk backup, universal restore, replace HDD with SSD, create bootable media etc. Any interest? Please download this software to enjoy these features.