Using Disk Manager for Problem Determination

Disk Manager is a Windows® system utility located in:

Control Panel
  System and Security (this level is shown only if View by is Category)
    Administrative Tools
      Computer Management
        Disk Management

For a hard drive problem, Disk Manager can help to quickly isolate the cause. If a drive is undetectable in Disk Manager, it may experience hardware failure. Data recovery may require an expert and may cost several hundred to a few thousand dollars. If the drive is displayed in Disk Manager, the problem is (not always but) most likely drive corruption. You can buy File Scavenger® and save data from a corrupted drive for $50.

• If a drive is not shown in Disk Manager, it is not detected by the computer hardware. See "Drive Undetectable by Disk Manager".
• If a drive is shown in Disk Manager but files are inaccessible, see "Corrupted Drive".
• If a drive is shown in Disk Manager but hangs or drops offline intermittently, see "Drive Hanging or Dropping Intermittently".