Member Avatar for z3r0

I can't see my I:\ drive in My pc.
That's an external usb drive, and works ok. I can access it ok,
and disc works fine but it just won't show on My pc.

I don't want to change drive letter (can't explain reasons but simply can't).
I need it to be I:\
Shows ok on disck managment.

The problem started after trying a ?!!#** freeware, that "hided" the disc, (unfortunatelly, silly me,
was no technical support nor way to "unhide" it again. don't remember software name.

The thing is the drive is there, it just don't appear at all on My pc as an icon.

Tried deleting "NoDrives" regedit key (or setting it al to zero with no results).

Help!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gerbil

Dani AI

Generated

Brief summary and practical next steps that extend ’s observations and ’s pointer to the machine-wide policy hive.

The symptoms — an external USB volume that is fully accessible and visible in Disk Management but missing from "My Computer" — almost always point at a UI/hiding policy or a shell extension left behind by the freeware. Check the machine-wide policy (HKLM) as suggested, but also look for other hiding mechanisms, user-hive entries and shell-level helpers that often survive a simple registry edit.

Recommended troubleshooting sequence (safe, in-order):

  1. Boot Safe Mode. If the drive appears there, a third‑party shell extension or startup item is hiding it.
  2. Inspect both policy hives for hiding values (export the branch before changing anything):
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

    Search the registry for values named NoDrives and NoViewOnDrive (the NoDrives mask uses bit positions; I: = 256). If found, export the key, set the value to 0 or delete the value, then restart Explorer (or reboot).

  3. If gpedit.msc is present, check: User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Explorer → “Hide these specified drives in My Computer” and set to Not Configured.
  4. Check Folder Options → View and uncheck “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder” (removable-volume quirk).
  5. Remove remnants: run Autoruns or ShellExView to find unknown shell extensions or the hide-tool; uninstall the offending program. If the freeware can’t be identified, consider System Restore to a point before installation.
  6. If still invisible, try creating a new local user — if visible there, the problem is in the user hive (HKCU). Also inspect:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

    (Export before deleting keys.)

Cautions: always export any registry branch before editing. After any registry change, restart Explorer (taskkill /f /im explorer.exe then start explorer.exe) or reboot. These steps focus on non-destructive fixes that resolve hiding/policy problems without changing the I: letter.

Member Avatar for gerbil

The settings in this key, HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer override the setting in this key: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
So set the value NoDrives in the former key to 0 [zero].

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