Computer won't recognize external hd

[cpeach91]

I have a WD My Book Essential external hard drive.  when I plug it in it does not show up under "my computer" but on the bottom of my screen its says safely remove "my book"  I don't understand why I can't see it under my computer if its showing it at the bottom. so somehow the comuter sees it but i cant use it. what should i do?

[ricardodegracia]

Hi

Make sure you plugged the usb cable on a usb port located on the back of the computer (if desktop) or directly to the usb port if you have a laptop. Plug the power adapter directly to the wall socket.

If the drive still don't show on My Computer go to Disk Management ( Start > right click on My Computer, click on Manage, on the computer management window click on the second option from bottom to top Disk Management).

Verify how the drive is showing if the drive is Healthy then the drive is fine and the problem is on you OS, but if the drive is showing as a raw partition or unalocated you will have to format it.-

[justmebethD]

hI. ive tried doing what you instructed but still my wd isnt recognized. And its only now that it isnt being recognized. Ive been using my wd for over a year now, however, last week , in a hurry i puled out from the port the usb connection without properly ejecting it. now that im pluggiin it on again, the computer wouldnt recognize the rpesence of my wd. HELP!

[ricardodegracia]

Hi

If after doing what I said above the drive is still not seen then contact WD , verify the drive's warranty and if the drive is still under warranty replace it.-

[Wayne]

did you check to see if the drive shows up in disk management?  if it does, then you most likely corrupted your file system.  in which case, you might be able to download a file recovery utility like test disk to regain whatever data wasn't corrupted.