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Fix: “A device which does not exist was specified” on Windows

You might have seen this error message while accessing the drive in the file explorer. When the error appears, you might not be able to see the basic information about the disk regardless of Windows detecting the drive. However, there are some methods that can help you to get rid of this error message.

Even though hardware issues like broken USB ports or SATA can cause this error. However, insufficient permission, mismatching drive letter, and outdated motherboard chipset drivers can also be the leading causes behind this error message.

This error message is correlated with the error message 0x800701b1, although some of the mentioned methods here might work fixing the error code mentioned here, it’s still best to follow methods mentioned in our dedicated article for this issue, If you are facing 0x800701b1 while transferring files please refer to, “How to Fix Error Code 0x800701b1 in Windows“.

We explained in detail below what could cause this error. We recommend reading the causes carefully as one of them might be the main contributor in your case:

• Not Having Permissions To Access The Device Drive- The error can often be caused by insufficient permissions, causing the error message. Although when you connect an external or internal drive to the computer, all the permissions are automatically set. However, in some situations, the drive permission might not be appropriately configured, which might be the reason for this error.
• Mismatching Drive letter- When we connect a drive to a computer, Windows automatically assign a letter to the particular drive. However, if the drive letter is not assigned correctly, you will not be able to access the drive until you change the drive letter.
• Hard Disk Issues- The error can also be caused by a hardware issue because there is a possibility of a defective drive causing this error. To ensure that, check the disk through another computer if applicable.
• Outdated Motherboard Chipset Drivers-The error can be a result of outdated chipset drivers. To ensure that you have the latest version of the driver, visit the manufacturer’s website.
• Faulty Motherboard Header- If you are using an internal hard disk, there is a chance that your motherboard header is damaged, and thus the error is being triggered. To fix this, you will need to replace the mother header.
• Defective USB Ports- If you are using a USB, try changing the port, as it might be defective and prevent you from accessing the data. Hence, checking all the ports one by one is recommended to access data.

1. Give Appropriate Permission To Access The Drive

Usually, the error occurs due to insufficient permissions to the drive. You cannot access the drive if you do not have appropriate permission. However, when we plug an external or internal drive, all the required permissions are set automatically for the user.

Sometimes, we might receive error messages while accessing the drive due to the lack of permissions. However, To avoid errors, we might need to change the drive permissions as they might not be appropriately configured. Below are the steps:

1. Open the File Explorer and right-click on the drive, which is causing the error
2. Go to Properties
   
3. Click Security from the top bar
4. Click on Edit and check the Full Control option under Permissions For Authenticated Users
   
5. Once done, click Apply and click OK
   
6. After giving full control, try accessing the drive to check if the error is fixed.

2. Change the Drive Letter

The mismatching drive letter can lead you to this error message. You can see the drive letter shown in the error message. If that drive letter does not match the one you can see in the disk management utility, the error will likely appear. Therefore, try manually changing the drive letter by following the steps below:

1. Press the Windows key and type Disk Management
   
2. Open the disk management settings
3. Right-click the causing drive
4. Then, click Change Drive Letter And Paths
   
5. A short Window will open; click on the Change button
6. Then, change the drive letter from the alphabet dropdown menu
7. Click OK and click Yes when warning popups
8. Once done, try accessing the drive to check if the error is resolved.

3. Uninstall And Reconnect Device

If the error is not fixed yet, another solution you can apply is to uninstall the device via the disk management utility, which might fix this error. Remember, after uninstalling the device from the disk management, you will have to open your CPU case to remove and reconnect the drive, as it might not be connected properly, and due to that reason, you might frequently receive this error message. Below are the instructions to do that:

1. Right-click the Start Menu and click Device Manager
   
2. Expand the Disk Drives option
3. Right-click the drive causing the error, then click Uninstall Device
   
4. Again click Uninstall to conform
5. Once done, shutdown the computer and open the CPU case
6. Disconnect and reconnect the hard drive, then check if the error is fixed.

4. Re-Scan Disks

You can also try using a Re-scan Disks option if none of the methods has worked. Re-scanning the disk will detect the changes and update the disk information according to changes. In simple words, it refreshes the disk, which might help fix this error. To do so:

1. Open the Disk Management by searching it from the Start Menu
   
2. Select the hard drive, which is not accessible
3. Click Actions, then click Rescans Disks
   
4. Once done, try to access the hard drive and check if the issue is resolved.

5. Re-create Disk Partition

If the error still persists, try re-creating a partition using the diskpart utility to fix this error. Diskpart is an inbuilt tool that allows users to manage partitions, volumes and disks. You can easily create partitions by just executing commands through the command prompt. Below are the steps to do that:

Note: Please try other solutions before following this one, as this solution will delete all the data inside the problematic disk.

1. Click Start Menu from the left pane
2. Type Command Prompt and right-click on it
3. Choose Run As Administrator
   
4. Now type diskpart and hit enter
5. Then type list disk and hit enter
6. Note: If you are able to see a causing disk, type select disk and the number of the disk. For example, select disk 0
7. Then, type the following commands one by one

clean list disk create partition primary select partition 1 active

After creating a partition, assign a letter to a newly created partition by typing the following commands

format FS=NTFS label=Data quick assign letter=g

Once done, close the terminal by typing exit and check if the issue is resolved.

6. Update Motherboard Drivers

Motherboard drivers are essential for all components as they make components function properly. If they are outdated, you will likely face issues like this. Hence, it is important to keep the drivers updated.

To update the chipset driver, you must visit the motherboard manufacturer’s website and download the driver from there. For the guidelines, you can read the full tutorial from the website to install the chipset driver.

1. To check the version of your motherboard drivers, press the Windows key and type msinfo32
2. Click OK to open the system information
3. If the Bios version is outdated, go to your manufacturer’s website to download and install the latest driver by following the given instructions.

7. Change Motherboard Headers

If none of the methods worked, there may be a possibility that the motherboard header is not working properly, and for that reason, the USB is not connected correctly, and the error is frequently displayed. To fix this, you will need to visit the technician to describe your issue.

How to Fix “A Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified” Error

Have you ever encountered the “a device which does not exist was specified” error? Some users reported this error occurred when they failed to open the drive in File Explorer. If you are bothered by this error, just read this post of MiniTool Partition Wizard to find out the best fixes.

A disk that does not exist was specified. This is shown when I try to open my USB flash drive. And please tell me how to recover data if possible, otherwise, just tell me how to solve this.

from Microsoft Community

When the “this device cannot start. (code 10) a device which does not exist was specified” error occurs, the device may be detected by your system but you are not able to view the basic information of the drive. The specific error message is shown as the picture below.

The hard drive error “a device which does not exist was specified” mostly occurs for different reasons. For instance, hardware issues (e.g., faulty USB ports or SATA) may cause this hard drive error. Besides, outdated or corrupted drivers, bad sectors on the drive, or conflicting drive letters may also lead to this error.

In addition, this error may occur when you do not have permission to access the device driver. What’s more, if there are issues with the hard disk and motherboard header, the error may also appear. How to fix the “this device cannot start. (code 10) a device which does not exist was specified” error? You can try several methods listed below.

How to Fix This Device Is Not Present (Code 24) Error in Windows?

This post will offer you five solutions for “This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed. (Code 24)”.

How to Fix the “a Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified” Error

When you encounter the “this device cannot start. (code 10) a device which does not exist was specified” error, the first thing you can try is to reboot your computer. A reboot can help you fix most problems on your computer. After restarting, you can check if the error still exists.

Besides, there is a possibility that your storage device has issues. You can try to disconnect the hard drive from the slot manually and then reconnect it. Then you can attempt to open your hard drive to see if the error still exists. If the error still exists, you can refer to the following methods.

Method 1. Assign Enough Permissions to Access the Drive

Sometimes, the error occurs when there are not sufficient permissions or controls on the hard drive. You cannot access the drive if you don’t have permission. You can refer to the following steps to change the drive permission.

Step 1. Open the File Explorer and then right-click your problematic hard drive to select Properties. In the pop-up window, click the Security tab. Then click the Edit button to change permissions.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, check the Full Control Allow option under the Permissions For Authenticated Users section. Click Apply and OK buttons sequentially to save the changes.

Step 3. After assigning full permission, try to open the partition and then check if the error is fixed.

Method 2. Change the Drive Letter

If the error is caused by the mismatching drive letter, you can try to change the drive letter via the ways given below.

1. Use Disk Management

First, you can change the drive letter in Disk Management. Follow the detailed steps below.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and select Disk Management.

Step 2. Right-click the affected partition and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.

Step 3. Then a short window will pop up. Click the Change button.

Step 4. In the pop-up window, select one drive letter from the drop-down menu, and then click OK to save the change. Then click Yes to confirm the operation.

Step 5. Once done, you can check if the error is fixed.

2. Use Diskpart

Also, you can use Diskpart to change the drive letter through the following steps.

Step 1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run box. Then type diskpart in the box and press Enter key to open it.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, type the following commands to change the drive letter. Press Enter key after each command to execute.

list volume

select volume * (* represents the number of the partition which you want to change the drive letter of)

assign letter=* (* represents the letter you want to assign)

exit

3. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

Another way is to use MiniTool Partition Wizard to change the drive letter. As a professional partition manager, MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you manage your disk and partition safely and conveniently. There are numerous useful functions in it.

For instance, the Change Letter function of MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you change the drive letter. Besides, the Label function can help you rename the partition. In addition, if you want to move your operating system to another disk, you can use Migrate OS to SSD/HD Wizard function of it.

Now you can follow the detailed steps below to change the drive letter by using MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 1. Download MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition, install and launch it to get its main interface.

Step 2. Right-click the partition that you want to change the drive letter of and select Change Letter.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, select a drive letter from the drop-down menu and click OK. Click the Apply button to apply the changes.

After changing the drive letter, you can try to access the drive and check if the hard drive error is fixed.

Method 3. Make Changes to the Device Driver

If the hard drive error still exists, you can try to update the device driver or uninstall the device via Device Manager, which may repair the “a device which does not exist was specified hard drive” error.

1. Update the Device Driver

First, you can update the device driver to fix the error through the steps below.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and select Device Manager. Then in the pop-up window, click Disk drives to expand it.

Step 2. Right-click your disk and select Update driver. Then you can follow the on-screen instructions to update.

Step 3. After updating, restart your computer to check if the error is fixed.

2. Uninstall and Reconnect the Device

If the error still exists, you can try to uninstall the device and then reconnect it.

Step 1. In Device Manager, click Disk drives to expand it. Then right-click your disk driver and select Uninstall device. In the pop-up window, click Uninstall to confirm the operation.

Step 2. Once done, close your computer and then open the CPU case. You can disconnect your hard drive and then reconnect it.

Then restart your computer to check if the error is fixed. On boot, Windows will reinstall the disk drivers automatically.

Method 4. Re-Scan Disks

Re-scanning the disk can detect the changes in the disk and update the disk information. You can try to re-scan the disk through the following steps.

Step 1. Open Disk Management and then click Action to select Rescan Disks in the pop-up window.

Step 2. Once done, you can check if the error is fixed.

Method 5. Check and Repair Bad Sectors

1. Run CHKDSK

You can use Command Prompt to check the bad sectors on the hard drive. Press Win + R to open the Run box. Then type cmd in the box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys to run it as administrator. In the prompted window, type chkdsk *: /f /r /x (* represents the drive letter of the selected hard drive) command and press Enter key to execute.

However, sometimes there may be some issues with running CHKDSK such as chkdsk getting stuck. Thus, it’s recommended that you use a free CHKDSK repair alternative – Surface Test of MiniTool Partition Wizard.

2. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

The Surface Test function of MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you check the hard drive. After launching the main interface, right-click the problematic hard drive and select Surface Test. Then click the Start now button. If there are bad sectors, the blocks will be marked with red color.

Besides, you can further use Check File System to check and fix file system errors.

How to Check Hard Drive and Fix the Error? Solutions Are Here!

Have you ever troubled for by disk error or a partition error? This post will show you how to check hard drive for error and fix them.

Method 6. Update BIOS Drivers

If the BIOS drivers are outdated, you may likely face the “a device which does not exist was specified hard drive” issue. Follow the detailed steps below to update the Bios.

Step 1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run box. Then type msinfo32 in the box and press Enter key to open it.

Step 2. Then you can view the system information. If the BIOS Version is outdated, go to your manufacturer’s website to download and install the latest driver.

How to Check If Drivers Are up to Date? Here Are Details

If your drivers get outdated, you may encounter some errors that can affect the computer use. How to check if drivers are up to date? Steps are here.

Method 7. Recreate Partition on the Disk

You can try to fix the “this device cannot start. (code 10) a device which does not exist was specified” error by recreating partitions on the affected disk.

Note:

If there is any important data on the problematic hard drive, you’d better back up the data on the disk to avoid data loss.

1. Use Diskpart

Step 1. Open diskpart and then type the following commands in the window to create a partition. Press Enter key after each command to execute.

list disk

select disk * (* represents the number of the disk having the problematic drive)

clean

create partition primary

list partition

select partition 1

active

Step 2. After creating the partition, you can type the following commands to format the newly created partition to NTFS and assign a letter to it.

format fs=NTFS label=* quick (* represents the name of the partition)

assign letter=* (* represents the letter of the partition and you can choose the one you like)

2. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

If you are not familiar with the commands in diskpart, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard to recreate the partition. It’s simpler and more convenient to operate.

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard, then right-click the disk containing the problematic drive and select Delete all partitions. Click Yes in the prompted window.

Step 2. Then right-click the unallocated space and select Create. In the pop-up window, you can modify the Partition Label, File System, Drive Letter, Size and Location, and so on. Then click OK.

Step 3. Click the Apply button to apply the changes.

Once done, you can restart your PC and then check if the error is fixed.

How to Recover Data from the Problematic Device

To recover lost data from the inaccessible hard drive, you can use the Data Recovery function in MiniTool Partition Wizard. You can click Data Recovery on the main interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Hard Drive Recovery: Recover Lost Data and Restore Lost Partition

Do you know how to make hard drive recovery? This article will show you how to make hard drive recovery including data recovery and partition recovery.

Bottom Line

This post has introduced seven methods to fix the “a device which does not exist was specified hard drive” error. You can feel free to have a try on them. If you still have problems or better suggestions, you can tell us in the comment zone below.

Besides, if you have issues with using MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can contact us via [email protected] or leave us a message.

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About The Author

Alin is a new member of MiniTool. Her articles are mainly about disk & partition management, data recovery, and hard disk issues. She is enthusiastic about acquiring computer knowledge and helping users to solve problems with computers. To provide more useful and professional solutions, she will keep learning and know more computer knowledge.

How to Solve the Specified Disk Is Not Convertible Issue

Why the specified disk is not convertible happens when converting MBR to GPT using Diskpart? This post will explain and show you how to fix it in a simple way.

By Dervish / Last Updated May 12, 2023

Error: The specified disk is not convertible

«Hello everyone, I need to convert my system disk from MBR to GPT. I prepared a Windows installation USB and booted from it, trying to use the command prompt in Windows PE to convert the system disk, but when I input the «convert mbr to gpt» command, I received an error message: «The specified disk is not convertible.» Can anyone tell me why this happens and what is the solution?»

As we know, MBR and GPT are two different partition styles. In most cases, we are using MBR disk. However, with the development of tech, the status of GPT disk has risen. Compared with MBR, GPT has advantages in disk capacity and primary partition numbers. And you should convert MBR to GPT for Windows 11 updates if you upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 from «Check for updates».

Why «the specified disk is not convertible» happens?

When you use the Command Prompt to convert the disk, you may receive: «Virtual Disk Service Error: The specified disk is not convertible». The reason for this error is that there are partitions on your hard disk. The Command Prompt supports converting MBR/GPT to MBR/GPT, but one of the most important conditions is that there are no partitions on disk, including system partition. So you must clean the partitions on the hard disk before conversion.
In order to solve this problem, you need to enter the following commands in Diskpart:

● list disk
● select disk 1 (1 is the disk number of the hard drive you want to convert)
● clean (This operation will wipe all data on the selected hard drive, please backup important data before you start.)
● convert gpt

After that, type in «exit» and press Enter twice to exit Diskpart.

Warning: You cannot convert the system disk to GPT because Windows does not support deleting the system volume.

Fix «The specified disk is not convertible» without deleting partitions

If you don’t want to clean the disk when converting MBR to GPT or convert system disk to GPT, you can choose AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to directly convert disk from MBR/GPT to MBR/GPT without losing data. It can convert the system/data disk when Windows is running, and the there is no boot failure problem on the converted disk. More importantly, it can complete this job with a few clicks.

Please download the Demo version to see how to fix convert MBR to GPT the specified disk not convertible.

Secure Download

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Right-click on the disk that shows “virtual disk service error the specified disk is not convertible” error message, and then select the option “Convert to GPT”.

Step 2. Click «OK» to continue.

Step 3. Click “Apply” to begin the conversion.

When the conversion has completed, you need to change Legacy BIOS to UEFI boot mode before you can load Windows.

Conclusion

If you want to fix «the specified disk is not convertible», AOMEI Partition Assistant must be your first choice.

In addition to convert between MBR/GPT to MBR/GPT. It can also convert dynamic disk to basic, convert primary partition to logical partition, and more functions are waiting for you to unlock. If you are running Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012, 2008, 2003, then Server Edition will provide you with the perfect solution for any errors that you may encounter!

Free Partition Manager

• Resize and Move Partition
• System/Disk Clone
• Convert MBR/GPT Disk
• Check & Fix Disk Errors

Still Need Help?

Have your problem been solved? If not, please input query in the search box below.

A Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified: 5 Easy Fixes

Try these methods to fix a device which does not exist was specified

Hasibul Kabir is a Tech-Enthusiast Blogger, Web Developer & Hobbyist Game Developer. Writing about Technology, mainly Windows, Mac, iOS, etc., is his main focus, besides doing some computer. read more

Updated on October 4, 2023

• Sometimes, for temporary or permanent issues, you may get the error a device which does not exist was specified while accessing a specific disk drive on Windows.
• Internal damage, outdated chipset driver, permission issue or for any physical damage may trigger this problem.
• To fix this issue, you can update the driver, modify permission and do other things described in this article.

Are you facing a problem with the message a device that does not exist was specified? We have done some deep research and prepared a solution for you. For details, go through this article.

Usually, this problem appears when you try to access a disk drive. If there is an issue, you will end up getting an error with the following error message:

Location is not available

Drive is not accessible

A device which does not exist was specified

If the external hard drive is not showing up, that is a different problem. It is because you will get this problem only when the disk appears, but there is something wrong. It can occur with any type of storage device, including SSD, HDD, or other external USB drives.

Why does the device which does not exist was specified occur?

Usually, this problem occurs due to the following reasons:

How we test, review and rate?

We have worked for the past 6 months on building a new review system on how we produce content. Using it, we have subsequently redone most of our articles to provide actual hands-on expertise on the guides we made.

• Problem with the driver letter: When you connect a drive to your PC, Windows automatically assign a driver letter. However, sometimes, it may not be assigned correctly due to internal problems. In this case, you may face a device that does not exist was specified problem with that hard drive or USB disk.
• Hard disk or SSD issues: If there are too many bad sectors or some other issues on your hard disk or SSD, it may cause the problem.
• Outdated driver: Outdated motherboard chipset drivers can also be a reason for this issue.
• Lack of permission: If you do not have enough permission to access the disk drive, you also may get the error.
• USB port problem: Faulty USB port can cause a device that does not exist was specified with any USB storage drives.
• Problematic motherboard header: If the motherboard header is damaged or there is a problem with the SATA cable, it can trigger the problem.

How can I fix the device which does not exist was specified?

Fortunately, you can take some effective steps to eliminate this problem. However, before that, you must ensure the following things:

• Restart your PC and see if it helps.
• Update Windows to the latest version.
• Make sure the disk drive has no internal damage.
• Find and repair any bad sectors of your disks. You can consider using these bad sector repair tools.
• Make sure that the USB port or SAT cable, or motherboard has no faults.
• Update the motherboard chipset drivers to the latest version. Consider using Outbyte Driver Updater in this case.

After ensuring these things, go ahead and follow these methods to fix a device which does not exist was specified.

1. Tweak permission

1. Open this PC.
2. Right-click on the problematic drive and go to its properties.
3. Go to the Security tab and click on Edit.
4. Tick on Allow for Authenticated Users.

Now, try to access the disk and see if it has solved the problem or not.

2. Uninstall the drive and try again

1. Open the Start Menu, type device manager, and press Enter .
2. Right-click on the problematic disk drive and choose Uninstall.
3. Restart your PC.

3. Change the drive letter

1. Press Win + I on the keyboard to open Windows Settings.
2. Go to System and click on Storage.
3. Go to Advanced storage settings and click on Disks & volumes.
4. Click on Properties for the problematic disk drive with the drive letter.
5. Click on the Change drive letter.
6. Choose a drive letter and click on OK.

Changing the driver letter is one of the most effective methods to solve a device which does not exist specified. So, it has a good chance of solving the problem for you.

4. Rescan the drive

1. Press Win + R on the keyboard to open Run.
2. Type the following command and hit Enter : diskmgmt.msc
3. Click on Action from the menu and choose Rescan disks.

Rescanning may detect the disk again and may fix previous issues. However, if Windows doesn’t recognize the drive, learn how to detect a new hard drive on Windows.

5. Recreate disk partition

1. Go to Disks & volumes as shown in method 3.
2. Then, go to the problematic disk properties like method 3.
3. Click on Delete.
4. Go back.
5. Click on Create volume and complete the steps.

Recreating the disk volume can fix a device that does not exist was specified. However, you will lose data as the disk will be cleaned and formatted.

Please note that this problem also may appear with an error code 10. In this case, you may get the message something like This device cannot start. (code 10) a device which does not exist was specified. Don’t get confused with any similar error code like Xbox Controller error code 10.

If none of the above methods work, it may indicate that the physical disk drive may have some problem. Or it can be the motherboard issues. In this case, we suggest you contact a technician to resolve it.

This article has described how you can get rid of the problem: A device which does not exist was specified for a Hard drive, SSD, or any USB storage. If you have any opinion or a helpful idea, let us know in the comment box.