You may encounter the Disk0 Unknown Not Initialized problem when connecting an external hard disk to your Windows system. Disk Management may not allocate enough space to the hard drive, making it impossible for data to be accessed. These are the steps to fix this error. Let’s first look at what could be causing the problem.
Disk 0 Unknown Not Initialized Reasons
We have listed some common causes that could lead to the disk 0 unknown not initialized issue below:
- Corrupt/Incompatible/Outdated device driver
- MBR Corruption
- Partition missing or lost
- Bad Sectors
- Corrupt File System
Disk 0 Unknown Issue Not Initialized
Follow the steps below to fix Disk 0 Unknown Not Initialized:
Note: Sometimes the drive may not be recognized by the BIOS. If this happens, turn off your computer and restart it. The problem may be fixed by restarting your computer.
Method 1: Update Device Driver
It is possible that the Disk 0 Unknown not initialized problem could be due to an damaged, outdated or an incompatible driver for the device. In this situation, you should upgrade the driver for your device. For this, you must follow by following the steps below:
- Use the Windows + X keys simultaneously, and then select Device Manager.
- From there, choose the device’s category and then double-click on the device to update the driver.
- Once you have that, click the ‘search for automatically updated driver software’. Windows will locate the most recent driver.
If you are unable to find the current driver software for your device, uninstall the driver you are currently using and install the driver that is compatible with your device.
Method 2: Build MBR Boot
MBR also known as Master Boot Record is susceptible to boot sector viruses that could cause damage or even destroy the MBR on the external drive, which can cause the “Disk not initialized and not allocated” issue. The solution is by re-building the MBR using Microsoft’s Windows Command Prompt utility. These are the steps to follow:
- Open command prompt and type these commands:
- exe /fixmbr
- exe /fixboot
- exe /rebuildbcd
- Click the Enter key, end the command prompt window. Verify that the issue is still there.
Method 3: Initiate an External Hard Disk to the Computer
If you discover space that is not allocated when you check whether the device is in good condition with this Disk Management utility, then initiate the initialization process for the device using the steps listed below:
- Open disk management and find the drive that’s not yet initialized. It will show as not allocated.
- Right-click the disk you want to allocate and then select an Initialize Disk option.
- Select the partition type of your disk (MBR or GPT) and then click OK.
- After that, it will bring you to the primary screen in which the drive will show as basic and online.
- Finally, check ‘this PC’ and see whether you are able to connect the drive or not.
Method 4: Run CHKDSK Command
The CHKDSK utility checks to check the quality of data on the drive and helps solve various file system issues. Follow the steps below to execute the CHKDSK command in windows cmd.
- Simultaneously press Windows + X keys and open Command Prompt.
- Enter Chkdsk/f/rd: within the Command prompt window, and click on the Enter key.
We have discussed the techniques to fix the above mentioned error. However, certain methods, like diskpart utility, or fixing space that has not been allocated could result in data loss. Therefore, it is recommended to take backups of your data prior to using these techniques.
If the above solutions do not resolve the problem with the uninitialized hard drive problem and you are unable to fix the issue, use the services of a reputable and experienced data recovery service provider such as ‘Stellar’ to recover data from your hard drive. Stellar data recovery services are the best data recovery savior. They have 15 branches across India. Hard drive recovery cost varies from case to case and in data loss situation.
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