Nvidia Shield Not Recognizing USB Drive [How to Fix]
You want to download a new game on your Nvidia Shield TV, but the internal storage on the device is full. So, you connect a USB drive to the system to serve as additional storage. Unfortunately, your TV doesn’t recognize the drive.
If you are looking for a way to fix this problem, you are at the right place. This article will show you how to troubleshoot your Nvidia Shield, so it can resume reading your USB drive.
If your Nvidia Shield does not recognize your USB drive, you can quickly troubleshoot the device by unplugging and plugging back the drive to the TV. Rebooting your TV and updating the device might also fix the problem.
Keep reading to learn how to apply these tips in detail.
How to Troubleshoot ‘Nvidia Shield Not Recognizing USB Drive’
Unplug and Re-plug the USB Drive to Your Nvidia Shield
Sometimes, bugs appear on the Shield TV due to an overloaded memory or security problems. These bugs often cause the TV to misbehave. For instance, it may reboot without prompting or lose its ability to recognize a USB drive.
You can fix this issue by unplugging the USB drive from the system. Then, wait a few minutes before re-inserting the drive into the Shield TV.
If your Nvidia Shield TV doesn’t recognize your USB drive after this, the bugs might still be on the system. Try the next tip to remove them.
Reboot Your Shield TV
Another way to eliminate the bugs that prevent the Shield TV from recognizing your USB drive is to reboot the TV.
Here’s how to reboot your Shield TV:
- Unplug your Shield TV from its power source.
- Wait 5 seconds. Then reconnect the TV to the power outlet.
- The TV should turn on now.
Wait a few seconds for the TV to boot up. Then, check if the files on your USB drive appear on the screen.
If the TV doesn’t recognize the drive, try the next tip.
Your USB drive produces radiated emissions from its interface. These emissions often interfere with the performance of wired and wireless devices around them. During a power surge, these radiations may even affect the device that holds them.
Perhaps there was a power surge when your Shield TV stopped recognizing your USB drive. If so, the radiated emissions on your USB drive interface may have caused the issue.
The solution to this problem is to change your USB mode to Auto.
The Auto mode prevents your USB drive from interfering with your TV or any other devices around it.
Take the following steps to switch your USB mode to Auto on your Shield TV:
- Tap on your Settings tab.
- Select Device Preferences. Then choose System.
- Next, click on USB Mode.
- Change your USB mode to Auto.
Once you’ve set your USB mode to Auto, your TV should be able to read the files on the drive.
Update Your Shield TV
Updating your Shield TV can help you eliminate the bugs on the device. This is because firmware updates often come with bug fixes. Once your TV is free of these bugs, it should be able to recognize your USB drive.
Take these steps to update your Nvidia Shield TV:
- Click on your Settings tab.
- Next, tap on Device Preferences.
- Select About.
- Now, tap on System Upgrade.
Now, check if the Shield TV has recognized the USB drive. If it hasn’t, move on to the next step.
Download a New File Explorer
If your Shield TV hasn’t recognized your USB drive by now, you are probably using a glitchy file explorer.
Even if your Nvidia Shield TV and USB drive are working properly, a buggy file explorer may hide your files. This will make you wrongly assume that your TV can’t read your USB drive.
Consider downloading a secure file explorer. Several Nvidia Shield users swear by these file explorers: Solid Explorer, Total Commander, and X-plore.
After downloading your new file explorer, reboot your Shield Tv. Then, open the new file explorer and search for the files on your USB drive. If you can’t find them, try the next tip.
Check the USB Drive on Your PC
Your Shield TV might fail to read your USB drive because the drive is corrupted. In that case, you’ll need to fix it.
But first, you should confirm that the USB drive is actually faulty. You can do this by plugging your USB drive into your PC. If your PC doesn’t recognize the drive, it is most likely corrupt.
If you are using a Windows PC, you can fix your USB drive on the computer.
Follow these steps to fix a USB drive that isn’t recognized on your PC:
- Tap the Start button.
- Type in “Device Manager” in the search box.
- Then click on Disk Drives from the list of hardware.
- You should see the corrupt USB hard drive now.
- Press and hold the drive. Then click on the Uninstall button that appears on the screen.
- Wait for the system to uninstall the drive.
- Now, unplug the drive.
- Wait for another minute before re-inserting the USB drive into the computer.
- Your USB drive will load now.
- You should be able to view the files on the drive now.
After repairing the USB drive, disconnect it from your computer. Then, plug the drive into the USB port on your Nvidia Shield.
If your TV doesn’t recognize the drive after this, move on to the next step.
Related: How to Troubleshoot ‘Nvidia Shield Not Turning on’ Issue.
Factory Reset Your Shield TV
If your Shield TV fails to read your USB drive after you’ve tried all the tips above, you might need to factory reset the device.
Factory resetting your TV will remove all functional errors and bugs in the computer, thus giving the system a new slate.
Please note that a factory reset will also remove all the settings and apps on your TV. So, you’ll have to re-add them to the device.
Take the following steps to factory reset your Nvidia Shield TV:
- Tap on the Settings tab.
- Click on Device Preferences.
- Then, select Reset.
- Tap Reset again to confirm the action.
- Finally, click on Erase Everything.
Your Shield TV will recognize your USB drive after the reset.
Wrapping Up
Apply these tips correctly, and you’ll soon be able to access the files on your USB drive.
However, if your TV doesn’t recognize the drive after you’ve followed all the steps, contact Nvidia Shield Customer Support for further assistance.