1. Check that the external hard drive is properly connected to your laptop via its cable.
2. Try a different cable to ensure that the issue is not with the current cable.
3. Make sure the power chords connected to the hard drive are properly connected.
4. Unplug the external hard drive, restart the laptop, plug in the external hard drive again.
5. Confirm that the external hard drive is set up properly under System Settings.
6. Inspect if the drive appears in File Explorer or Disk Utility.
7. Consider other software possibilities or hardware considerations that might prevent recognition.