My drive suddenly doesnt sync with the computer

If your drive is suddenly not syncing with your computer, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check Power and Connections: Ensure that the drive is powered on and that all cables connecting it to your computer are securely attached.
2. Network Connection: If the drive is a network drive, verify that your computer is connected to the network and that the drive is online.
3. Refresh File Explorer: Sometimes, simply refreshing the File Explorer window can resolve syncing issues.
4. Rebuild Windows Search Index: If the drive is related to OneDrive, you might need to rebuild the Windows Search index. To do this, go to Start, type Indexing, select Indexing Options, then choose Advanced and click on Rebuild. This process may take some time.
5. Registry Check: If all files and folders are showing as "syncing," check the UseFindFirstFileEnumeration Windows policy in the registry. If it is set to True, it may cause issues with OneDrive. You can change it to 0 or delete the value altogether. Make sure to back up the registry before making changes.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, there may be a deeper problem with the drive or the syncing service that requires further investigation.

Hi,

I’m really sorry about the issue you’re running into, If your drive is still not syncing after checking power, connections, network, refreshing File Explorer, rebuilding the search index, and the registry, you can try these additional troubleshooting steps:

Windows Specific Solutions

• Check Disk Management: Verify if the drive is detected at a system level, even if it's not in File Explorer.
  • Press the Windows key + X and select Disk Management.
  • Look for your drive in the bottom pane. If it's there, check its status:
    • If it's Offline, right-click the disk name and select Online.
    • If it's Unallocated (black bar), right-click and choose New Simple Volume to format it (this will erase data, so only do this if you are sure you don't need the data or have a backup).
    • If it has a partition but no drive letter, right-click the volume and select Change Drive Letter and Paths to assign one.
• Update or Reinstall Drivers: Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause recognition issues.
  • Press the Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
  • Expand the Disk drives category.
  • Right-click on your external drive's entry and select Update driver, then choose Search automatically for drivers.
  • If that doesn't work, right-click the drive again and select Uninstall device. Disconnect the drive, wait a minute, and plug it back in. Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver automatically.
• Run the CHKDSK Utility: This tool can scan and repair file system errors that might prevent syncing.
  • Open the Start menu, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
  • Type chkdsk X: /f /r (replace X with your drive's letter) and press Enter.
  • The process may take some time.
• Disable USB Power Saving: Windows' power-saving feature can sometimes cut power to USB ports, causing disconnections.
  • Open the Control Panel and go to Power Options.
  • Click Change plan settings for your active plan, then Change advanced power settings.
  • Expand USB settings and then USB selective suspend setting, and set it to Disabled for both "On battery" and "Plugged in". 

Hardware & General Troubleshooting

• Test on Another Computer or with Another Cable: This helps determine if the issue is with the drive itself, the cable, or your computer's ports/system.
• Remove and Test the Bare Drive: If none of the above work and you're comfortable with hardware, you can remove the hard drive from its external enclosure and test it with a different SATA-to-USB adapter or by installing it internally in a desktop PC. The enclosure's internal components may have failed.
• Seek Professional Help: If the drive is making clicking, grinding, or buzzing noises, it likely has a physical hardware failure. Discontinue use immediately to prevent further data loss and contact a data recovery service provider.

Hope that this helps.

Kind regards,

See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/fix-onedrive-sync-problems-0899b115-05f7-45ec-95b2-e4cc8c4670b2 .