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In this article we will show you how to Fix ‘A Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified’ issue. When you connect an external device to the computer, you can see it in the file viewer window. Double-clicking on the item will let you use it.On a hard drive, we all keep our best pictures, videos, important files, folders, etc. It would be terrible to lose access to all data at once because of a problem with just one drive.
Here, we’re talking about the error “A device that doesn’t exist was specified.” When you connect your hard drive to the system, you’d expect it to show up in the File Explorer along with other system drive folders. But sometimes, when you try to use the hard drive on the machine, you may get an error message about a device that doesn’t exist. It’s normal to feel upset at such a time. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Microsoft Support site.
You can also recover your files with reliable data recovery software. What does “a device that doesn’t exist was specified” mean? Why does it happen, and when? It’s a mistake that stops you from opening your devices, which can be a problem if you want to use your SSD, hard drive, external hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, etc. This blog will show you how to fix ‘A Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified’ issue.
Uninstall And Reconnect Device

If the error is still there, you can try to fix it by uninstalling the device through the disk management tool. This may fix the problem. Remember that after you uninstall the device from disk management, you will need to open your CPU case to remove and restore the drive. If it isn’t properly connected, you may get this error message a lot. Here are the steps for how to Fix ‘A Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified’ issue:
- Right-click the Start button and click Device Manager.
- Open up the Disk Drives menu.
- Right-click the drive that’s causing the error, then click Uninstall Device.
- Click Uninstall again to agree
- After that, turn the machine off and open the CPU case.
- Check to see if the problem is fixed by disconnecting and reconnecting the hard drive.
Change the Drive Letter
This error message can show up if the drive name doesn’t match. In the error message, you can see the drive letter. If that drive letter doesn’t match the one you see in the disk management tool, the error will probably show up. So, try changing the drive letter by hand by going through the steps below:
- Type Disk Management by pressing the Windows key.
- Open the disk management settings
- Right-click the drive that won’t work.
- Then, click on Change Drive Letter and Paths.
- The Change button will open a short window.
- Then, from the alphabet dropdown menu, change the drive letter.
- Click OK, and when a warning pops up, click Yes.
- Once you’re done, try to use the drive again to see if the error is gone.
Re-Scan Disks
If none of the other ways work, you can also try the Re-scan Disks choice. When you rescan the disk, the changes will be found and the information on the disk will be updated to reflect the changes. In simple terms, it refreshes the disk, which might help fix this problem. To do so:
- Search for Disk Management in the Start menu to get to it.
- Choose the hard drive that can’t be reached.
- Actions, and then Rescans Disks.
- After that, try to use the hard drive to see if the problem is fixed.
Re-create Disk Partition
If the error still happens, try to fix it by making a new partition using the diskpart tool. Users can handle partitions, volumes, and disks with the built-in tool Diskpart. By typing words into the command prompt, it is easy to make partitions. Here’s what you need to do:
- On the left, click Start Menu.
- Right-click on Command Prompt after you type it.
- Select “Run as Administrator.”
- Now type diskpart and press enter.
- Then type list disk and press enter.
- Then, type each of the following commands:
- clean
- list disk
- create partition primary
- select partition 1
- active
- After you make a section, you can give it a letter by typing the following commands:
- format FS=NTFS label=Data quickassign letter=g
- Once you’re done, type exit to close the computer and see if the problem is fixed.
Give Appropriate Permission To Access The Drive
Most of the time, this error happens because the drive doesn’t have enough rights. If you don’t have the right permissions, you can’t use the drive. But when we plug in an internal or external drive, all the necessary permissions are set for the user immediately.
When we try to view the drive, we might get an error message because we don’t have the right permissions. But, to keep from making mistakes, we might need to change the drive rights because they might not be set up right. Here’s how to do it:
- Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive where the mistake is happening.
- Go to Properties
- In the top bar, click Security.
- Under Permissions For Authenticated Users, click on Edit and check the box next to Full Control.
- When you’re done, click “Apply” and then “OK.”
- After giving full control, try to view the drive to see if the error is gone.
What Caused the “A Device Which Does Not Exist Was Specified” Error
There are a lot of reasons why you might see that error (a device that doesn’t exist was mentioned). It could be a problem with the connection, a problem with permissions, or a problem with the tools. We listed a few common reasons why you can’t open your connected devices and get the error message “a device which does not exist was specified”:
- Improper connection
- Not enough rights to get to the drive
- Mixing up the drive letter
- Outdated drivers for the motherboard
- Hard drives with bad spots
- Problems with the hard drive
- Inaccessible drive
- Bad connection on the motherboard
- USB ports that don’t work
This mistake is common for more than just the reasons we’ve already talked about. The question now is how to solve this problem in a good way. If you first want to see if the problem is with your hard drive, we have an article with a quick way to check and fix the health of your hard drive.