(Fixed) The Drive Is Not Accessible and the Parameter Is Incorrect

Have you ever encountered the problem of the drive is not accessible and the parameter is incorrect when you connect your external hard drive, SD card, USB drive, or any other storage media to Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc. This error can prevent you from opening the drive and accessing its files, and can even result in loss of valuable data.

In this article, we've gone through 8 ways to help you resolve this error and ensure your storage device connects smoothly. Moreover, we also provide you with methods to recover data from inaccessible drives.

What Does the Parameter Is Incorrect Mean?

"The parameter is incorrect" is an error message when the computer tries to access an external hard drive. Errors usually indicate a problem with the input or settings provided for a particular command or operation, i.e., invalid parameters or arguments or non-expected formats. When this happens to you, you will not be able to open the storage device or access the data in it on Windows.

Reason for "The Parameter Is Incorrect"

"The parameter is incorrect" error on Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 can be caused by many different reasons, the common causes of errors are:

• File system error: When the file system on the external hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD memory card becomes corrupted or damaged, the error will occur.
• Corrupt Windows system files: The underlying Windows system files can become corrupted, disrupting communication between the computer and the drive.
• Outdated software or drivers: When the operating system or drivers are outdated, it can cause compatibility issues and cause this error.
• Bad sectors: The presence of bad sectors on the external hard drive corrupts the internal data and can cause this issue.
• Malware interference: Malware can target critical parts like hard drives and thus cause this error.
• Hardware issues: Physical damage or failure of external hard drives, or storage devices can cause the error to occur.

How to Recover Data from Drives with "The Parameter Is Incorrect"？

Before correcting "The parameter is incorrect" error, it is important to recover data first to prevent hard drive data loss due to file system error, malware interference, and other reasons. It is recommended to use a professional data recovery software MyRecover to recover files from inaccessible drives.

• Recover 200+ formats: Recover deleted Microsoft Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, PPTX, ODP, CSV, WPS files, and more.
• Recover from various loss scenarios like file system errors, bad sectors, malware interference, etc.
• Support all types of drives: external hard drive, USB drive, SD card, etc.
• Support all brands of drives: SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, ADATA, Transcend, PNY, Lexar, Buffalo, WD, Seagate, Toshiba, etc.
• Excellent compatibility: Support Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Sever PC.

Steps to inaccessible drive data recovery

Step 1. Connect your inaccessible drive to your computer, download MyRecover and run it, hover the mouse over the inaccessible drive, and click Scan.

Step 2. MyRecover will scan your inaccessible drive automatically and thoroughly to locate all the found data on the inaccessible drive.

Step 3. Once the scan is complete, you will see a list of data that MyRecover found on the inaccessible drive. Select your desired files to recover and press Recover x files.

Step 4. You need to select a new location to avoid the recovered data from being overwritten.

Congratulations. Your data from an inaccessible drive has been recovered!

8 Ways to Fix Drive is Not Accessible and The Parameter Is Incorrect

After recovering data from your device, follow the methods and steps below to fix this issue easily.

Way 1. Scan for Viruses

A virus scan is worthwhile before delving into subsequent solutions. Windows Defender provides a convenient way to perform this virus scan. You can do it:

1. Open File Explorer, right-click on your drive, and select "Scan with Microsoft Defender."

3. With a full scan, select "Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan)" and click "Scan now." It can detect and prevent malware that may try to manipulate the master boot record.

Way 2. Disable and Enable Windows Defender

Sometimes, your antivirus software can produce false results. You can scan the affected drive with your antivirus software to see if any viruses or malware are detected.

1. Click the Start > Settings> Update & Security> Windows Security> Virus & threat protection.

2. Click Manage settings.

3. Turn off Real-time protection, safely eject the drive, and then reconnect it.

Way 3. Conduct Error Checking

Scan the problematic drive with a utility to see if that fixes the problem, you can manually check for errors by following the steps below.

Step 1: Open File Explorer on your computer, find and right-click your inaccessible drive, and select “Properties”.

Step 2: Go to “Tools” and find error checking. Click “Check” to proceed.

Step 3: To proceed, click Scan drive. It will check any errors on this volume and fix them.

Way 4. Run SFC

The problem of incorrect external hard drive parameters can also occur when the system files within the Windows system are lost or corrupted. You can use the Windows program - System File Checker (SFC) to scan for and correct corrupted system files.

1. Enter "cmd" in the search box, and click "Run as administrator" to open the Command Prompt window.

2. After opening, Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

3: When the scanning process completes, restart your computer and reconnect your device to see if the issue has been addressed.

Way 5. Execute CHKDSK

You can run CHKDSK to fix the parameter is incorrect error on your hard drive. CHKDSK scans and repairs file system errors and bad sectors on the hard drive.

1. Type "cmd" in the search box, and click "Run as administrator".

2. After opening, enter the command “chkdsk *: /f /r” (replace "*" with the letter of your drive), and press Enter.

3. This may take a few minutes depending on the size of the disc and the number of files on it. Following the scan, the CHKDSK tool will notify you if it discovers a problem or bad sectors.

Way 6. Update Disk Drivers

If the drive is not accessible and the parameter is incorrect on the external hard drive, it is possible that the Windows internal or external disk is outdated or malfunctioning. You can choose to reinstall or update the disk driver in the Device Manager.

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.

Step 2: ExpandDisk drives, right-click the drive, and select Update driver.

Step 3. Choose Serarch automatically for update driver software. It will install recent versions of drivers for the selected drive automatically.

Step 4: Once the process is complete, reboot your system. Try to access your device and see if this error still exists.

Way 7: Change Decimal Settings

Parameter errors can be caused by a syntax error in the date-time format. To ensure that this is not the case, take the following steps.

Step 1: Open Settings > Time & Language > Region & Language.

Step 2: Select "Additional date, time, & regional settings" and click "Change date, time, or number formats".

Step 3: Go to "Additional settings" and make sure the decimal symbol "." is used. Then click “OK”.

Way 8. Format the Inaccessible Drive

If none of the above solutions work, you can format the inaccessible drive to factory reset it. Here are steps to format:

2. Open File Explorer, right-click your USB card and click Format.

3. Select the supported File system, check Quick Format, and click Start.

Conclusion

Using the above 8 ways, you can easily solve the issue of the drive is not accessible and the parameter is incorrect in Windows 7, 8, 10,  11. If you are worried about data loss during this process, you can perform data recovery software MyRecover to recover data first.

Please back up your external hard drive regularly to reduce the risk of data loss. In the event of a disaster, you'll be able to quickly restore files from backups and get them back in no time.

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