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Why Does My E Drive Keep Disappearing? Recover Now
Why does my E drive keep disappearing in Windows File Explorer? No worries, there are many reasons for this situation, and we can quickly recover it by following 4 methods.
By Lora / Updated on September 13, 2024
“Yesterday I shut down and update my computer. After the update finishes and it shut down, my brother pulled the Wi-Fi cable from the computer and used it for his laptop. After reattaching the said Wi-Fi cable to the computer and launching it, some shortcuts at the desktop disappeared. All of these are shortcuts to files in drive E or D. This PC shows that only drive C is attached. Drive D and E are gone. How do I make both of these appear again?” – Reddit
Are you experiencing a similar situation described above? You couldn’t find your drive (e.g. E drive) in Windows File Explorer. If the answer is yes, you came the right way. This article will go through possible reasons and a few different ways to fix the "E drive keep disappearing" issue. You can also use it on other local drives.
Why Is My E Drive Not Showing Up?
Hard drive problems (e.g. E drive suddenly missing) are complicated, and many factors cause this issue, of which the Windows update is the most possible reason. Also, there are some other reasons, such as physical problems with hard disk connection, the drive letter loss, partition corruption, etc.
- Windows updates. After you install the Windows updates, some system settings and configurations may be changed.
- The drive letter is missing or incompatible. Maybe your other drive takes up the E drive letter.
- Accidentally deletion. The E drive may be accidentally deleted in Disk Management when you make some disk partitioning operations.
- The drive is hidden. You may set the disk status to hidden for data security but forget.
- The disk driver is outdated. The disk driver is a bridge to communicate between your operating system and devices. It determines whether your device is recognized or showing up.
- Physical problems with the drive itself, such as connection issues, faulty cables, or a failing drive, can prevent it from being recognized.
4 Fixes to E Drive Keep Disappearing in Windows 11 or 10
After you know "why does my E drive keep disappearing", you'd better take action immediately to fix this issue and restore the E drive and the data in it by following 3 methods. If you delay taking action, you may be at risk of data loss. They are also suitable for other computer drives missing issue, such as the D drive keep disappearing in Windows 11 or 10.
Fix 1. Recover Disappeared E Drive without Losing Data
If your E drive keep disappearing in Windows 11 or 11, try to employ a professional third-party partition recovery software -AOMEI Partition Assistant to help you. With the user-friendly interface, it is easy-to-use for everyone without much technical knowledge required.
With its Partition Recovery wizard, you can easily recover deleted or missing partitions in just 4 steps, and even don't need to know "why does my E drive keep disappearing".
Step 1. To recover missing partitions without losing data, you could download AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional first. Then, open it and select "Recover" > “Partition Recovery".
Step 2. Select the targeted disk that includes the missing E drive and click “Next”. Select “Fast Search” in the pop up window as it saves time and effort in finding lost partition.
Step 3. After the scanning completes, it will list all of the missing drives on the disk. Select the missing E drive and click “Proceed”. The missing E drive will be recovered in seconds.
Fix 2. Rescan Disks in Disk Management
Rescanning the targeted disk in Disk Management could reload the disk and solve the E drive disappeared issue in Windows 11 or 10.
Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select “Disk Management”.
Step 2. Select “Action” > “Rescan Disks”.
Fix 3. Reassign a Drive Letter in Disk Management
Check whether the E Drive is available or not in Disk Management. If it is visible but without a drive letter, you need to assign a new drive letterfor it.
Step 1. In Disk Management, locate the missing E drive through its capacity.
Step 2. Right-click the missing E driveand select “Change Drive Letter and Paths...”.
Step 3. Click Add or Change to select a new drive letter and click Apply > OK to confirm it. After the process completes, the disappearing E drive will be accessible in File Explorer.
Fix 4. Uninstall or Update Disk Driver
If the E drive missing issue is caused by the storage driver, you can resolve it by reinstalling or updating the driver to the latest. If you want to update the hard drive driver, you need to download the latest available hard drive driver from the official website of the drive manufacturer and follow the steps below to uninstall/update the device driver.
Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select “Device Manager”.
Step 2. Locate “Disk Drives” and expand it.
Step 3. Right-click the disappeared Edisk and select “Uninstall device”.
Step 4. Restart the computer. Windows 10 will reinstall the hard driver automatically.
You can also select "Update driver" in Step 3. Then, select“Browse my computer for drivers” to locate the unpacked latest driver andclick “OK” afterward.
How to Recover E Drive Data
If the disappeared E drive is available now in File Explorer, but you finds some data is missing, try to employ professional data recovery software for Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Windows Server. We strongly recommend you use MyRecover to retrieve lost files due to its strong algorithms and comprehensive data loss scenarios.
MyRecover- Core technologies. Embedded with advanced scanning algorithms, it will thoroughly scan your drive for deleted or lost data which lays a basis for a high success rate.
- 200+ file types: It can recover images, documents (e.g. recover Word documents), audio, videos, emails, compressed files, etc., without reducing the quality, up to 200+ formats.
- Highlight features. It allows users to search or filter deleted files quickly, preview, and recover them while scanning saving precious time.
- Comprehensive scenarios. It can handle a wide range of data loss scenarios, such as accidental deletion, virus-infected, corrupted or formatted disk, lost partition, and more.
- Recover deleted files in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc., and Windows Server for free over 500MB.
100% SecureStep 1. Download and install professional Windows data recovery software - MyRecover. After installing, launch it, hover the mouse over the drive E, and click Scan.
Step 2. It will run two advanced scanning methods - Quick Scan & Deep Scan automatically and display all the found files or folder on the selected drive E. You can filter and preview files on it.
Step 3. Select the desired files on drive E and click the Recover x files button. You will then be asked to select a location. Please select a new location instead of the original location, which may cause further data loss.
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The restore button will display the number of selected files and their full size. You can use it to determine the integrity of the recovered files.
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You can recover files in the accessible drive for free, up to 500MB in total. Try advanced editions if you want to recover unlimited files.
Conclusion
Why does my E drive keep disappearing? Various reasons could lead to the E drive not showing up in Windows 11 or 10, especially after the Windows update. There are four ways to fix and recover missing E drive. It’s recommended to use partition recovery software - AOMEI Partition Assistant. It's easy for everyone to operate and can help you manage hard disk partitions effortlessly.
Though professional partition recovery tools could help you restore missing computer drives, they couldn’t solve the issue when there are some physical problems. Making a regular backup could be the best way to protect your data. AOMEI Backupper Standard freeware is worth using for everyone to back up, and restore systems, files, disks, and partitions.
FAQs
How to recover deleted E drive?
What would corrupt a hard drive?
How to tell if a hard drive is corrupted?
Can a corrupted hard drive be recovered?
Usually, the reasons for damaged disk are mainly divided into logical error, such as corrupted file system, and physical damage. The logical error can be fixed easily with a DIY method, for example, using trustworthy data recovery software to retrieve data on it. We recommend you using MyRecover.
How do I fix a corrupted drive E?
