Forum Discussion
Windows 10 forced update broke my computer
I can't reformat this laptop. I have a piece of software on it that is the only copy I have, & only works because I was logged in when they got rid of it and forced everyone to go with the newer version I don't want. Not to mention it has all of my info on it in offline mode.
1. I didn't realize the update affected my external HD which has all of my files on it until I tried to play some music & it kept spinning. Then I started to get a popup saying it needs to be formatted. OMG. I plugged it into my desktop that has Win 7 on it & it also wants me to reformat it. WHY??? What did Windows do to it?
2. I had to restart my laptop 5 times before the Open shell would load & it takes forever to load.
3. It broke my Thunderbird, but now I know why my emails never loaded, it's because it can't get access to my external HD.
I can't believe this. I don't know what to do & no, I don't have a thumb drive with the restore point thingy on it. I needed that, didn't I?
But how would that fix the external HD?
At least I don't think I have it. I may have put it on a thumb drive, but I can't remember & wouldn't even know how to tell.
2 Replies
Rolling back to a pre-update version fixes the failure caused by forced updates.
First check if your External HD is mounted or can be mounted.
To check if your external hard disk is mounted (i.e., recognized and assigned a drive letter) on a Windows system, and what to do if it’s not, follow these steps:---
🧭 Step 1: Check if the Drive Is Mounted
✅ Method 1: Use Command Line to List Volumes
Open Command Prompt and type:
diskpart list volumeThis will show all mounted volumes. Look for your external drive by size or label.
---
✅ Method 2: Use File Explorer
- Open **File Explorer** (`Windows + E`)
- Look under **This PC** for your external drive
- If it appears with a drive letter (e.g., E:, F:), it is mounted✅ Method 3: Use Disk Management
- Press `Windows + X` and select **Disk Management**
2. Look for your external drive in the list of disks
- If it shows up with a **drive letter**, it's mounted
- If it shows as **“Healthy”** but has **no drive letter**, it's not mounted
- If it shows as **“Unallocated”** or **“RAW”**, it’s not properly formatted or partitioned
🛠️ Step 2: If the Drive Is Not Mounted
🔹 Case 1: No Drive Letter Assigned
- In **Disk Management**, right-click the partition on the external drive
2. Choose **Change Drive Letter and Paths**
3. Click **Add**, then assign a drive letter
4. Click **OK**
🔹 Case 2: Drive Shows as “RAW”
This means the file system is corrupted or missing. You can:
- Try running `chkdsk` (though it may not work on RAW drives)
- You may want to use data recovery tools.
- After recovery, reformat the drive---
If your external drive is not being recognized as formatted, you can try using the `chkdsk` command in Command Prompt to check and repair file system errors. Here's a simple and commonly used command:
chkdsk X: /f🔍 Explanation:
- `X:` — Replace this with the actual drive letter of your external drive.
- `/f` — This option tells `chkdsk` to fix any errors it finds on the disk.✅ Example:
If your external drive is assigned the letter `E:`, you would run:
chkdsk E: /f⚠️ Important Notes:
- If the drive is severely corrupted or unformatted, `chkdsk` might not run and could display a message like “The type of the file system is RAW.” In that case, `chkdsk` cannot repair it because it only works on recognized file systems like NTFS or FAT32.
- If the drive shows as RAW, you might need to use data recovery tools before attempting to reformat.- Press `Windows + X` and select **Disk Management**
