Laptop's USB 3.0 will not detect WD 'My Passport' external HD (but detects other thumb drives and appliances)

Aristo_

Reputable
Dec 5, 2015
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4,510
Hello!

I've had a problem with my laptop for a long while now; it has two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports. The 2.0 ports work just fine, but the 3.0 ports are finicky. They will work with small thumb drives but they usually do not detect my WD Passport external hard drive at all.

The laptop is a little old; it's manufactured by Sager Midern Computer Inc. and uses an Intel Core i7-2630QM CPU @ 2.00GHz. It's currently running a 64-bit Windows 10 Pro, ver. 10.0.10586. BIOS is American Megatrends Inc. 4.6.4.

I can go into my Device Manager and see "Renesas USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller -0.96" but it tells me the controller is up-to-date. I'm not sure if the problem is on my computer's end or the WD drive's end. I scan it for errors regularly but it seems fine each time.

This is the device in question.
 
Solution
Hey there, Aristo_!

+ 1 on what 2iceblitzed mentioned. However, I'd not use Windows Updates for the driver updates. Instead, I'd advise you to go to your laptop manufacturer's website and download the USB hub controller drivers for your model from there. Windows Updates tend to install more generic and outdated drivers, so it's recommended to use the hardware brand-specific drivers.
You can also try to uninstall & reinstall the WD My Passport external as a device from Device Manager and see if that will help you get the drive properly recognized. If you have access to another PC/laptop, I'd also try plugging the external HDD there, just to check how and if it will get properly detected in the USB 3.0 ports.
If you have a...
Hey there, Aristo_!

+ 1 on what 2iceblitzed mentioned. However, I'd not use Windows Updates for the driver updates. Instead, I'd advise you to go to your laptop manufacturer's website and download the USB hub controller drivers for your model from there. Windows Updates tend to install more generic and outdated drivers, so it's recommended to use the hardware brand-specific drivers.
You can also try to uninstall & reinstall the WD My Passport external as a device from Device Manager and see if that will help you get the drive properly recognized. If you have access to another PC/laptop, I'd also try plugging the external HDD there, just to check how and if it will get properly detected in the USB 3.0 ports.
If you have a spare USB 3.0 cable lying around somewhere, you can give it a try with the WD My Passport as well.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted. :)
SuperSoph_WD
 
Solution

webdevii

Distinguished
Oct 31, 2010
21
0
18,520
USB 3 unlike USB 2 or 1 use a different interface software, you must install the software that comes on disk from the unit, even the built on mother board style USB 3.0 ports are special.

Rob
ps try a site called USB Gear