What does former volume not mounted mean?

The “former volume not mounted” error message occurs when a program tries to access a drive or external storage device that is no longer available. This error commonly appears in file sharing and torrent applications like uTorrent when the target download location is disconnected or unmounted.

The “former volume” refers to a disk volume, like an external USB drive or mounted network share, that was available when the download started but has since been disconnected or unmounted from the system. The error indicates the application can no longer find or access the specified download location.

This issue is often caused by external drives being unplugged or network shares becoming unavailable without properly disconnecting them first. It can also occur if drive letters change after a system reboot. The error typically appears when trying to resume downloads or read data from the now unavailable disk volume.

Definition

The “former volume not mounted” error message indicates that a storage device, typically an external hard drive or USB flash drive, that was previously connected to the computer is no longer mounted or accessible. The error often occurs in file sharing programs like uTorrent when the download location is set to a drive that is no longer connected.

Specifically, the “former volume” refers to a disk volume or storage device that the computer can no longer find. The volume was likely disconnected, unmounted, ejected, or possibly reformatted so that the operating system no longer recognizes it. The “not mounted” part of the error means this volume is no longer accessible at the mount point where it used to be connected.

In summary, the “former volume not mounted” error indicates the storage location or disk volume you were accessing is no longer available at the same spot it used to be mounted on your computer.

Causes

There are several common causes of the “former volume not mounted” error:

Disconnected drives: If an external hard drive or USB drive gets accidentally disconnected while a program like uTorrent is accessing it, this error can occur the next time the program tries to find that drive. Reconnecting the drive should fix the problem ^[1].

Boot drive errors: If the main hard drive containing your operating system experiences corruption or other errors, it may cause the “former volume not mounted” message. This indicates a more serious problem that requires further diagnosis and repair of the boot drive ^[2].

File system corruption: File system corruption on any drive, whether a boot drive, external drive, or network drive, can lead to this error. Running disk checks and repairs may be required to fix the underlying file system issue.

Affected Systems

The “former volume not mounted” error often occurs on Windows systems running popular torrent applications like uTorrent or BitTorrent. This is because these programs commonly save downloaded files to external drives that can become unmounted.

macOS and Linux systems can also encounter this error, but less frequently than Windows. Since macOS and Linux have more robust file systems, external drives don’t become unmounted as easily.

Overall, the “former volume not mounted” error primarily affects Windows systems running torrent/download manager applications like uTorrent, BitTorrent, etc. These programs attempt to access external drives that get disconnected, resulting in the error.

Troubleshooting

There are several steps you can take to troubleshoot the “former volume not mounted” error:

Check the connections – Make sure the drive is properly connected via USB, eSATA, etc. and that the cables are not loose or damaged.

Restart computer and drive – Shut down the computer and external drive, disconnect and reconnect the drive, then restart the computer.
Run CHKDSK – Use the Check Disk tool to scan the drive for errors and attempt to fix any file system problems.
Reinstall torrent client – Completely uninstall and reinstall the torrent client software.

Check Disk Utility – Use the Disk Utility app on Mac or Disk Management on Windows to verify if the drive is recognized properly.
Format drive – As a last resort, reformat the external drive, which will delete all data but may resolve any software issues.

If the basic troubleshooting steps do not resolve the problem, the drive hardware may be damaged or failed. You may need to contact a data recovery service or replace the external drive if it is no longer being detected properly due to physical issues.

Prevention

There are several steps you can take to try to prevent the “former volume not mounted” error from occurring in the future:

Always safely eject or unmount external hard drives, USB drives, or network shares before shutting down or restarting your computer. Quickly powering off or restarting while files are still accessed on an external volume can lead to corruption or loss of mounting information.
Make regular backups of important data stored on external drives to avoid potential data loss if a volume fails to mount.

When adding torrent files for downloads in applications like uTorrent, check that the selected download location is available and mounted before starting the download. Choose a location on an internal or reliably available drive if possible.
Consider installing the latest updates for operating systems, firmware, drivers, and software to potentially resolve bugs causing mounting issues.
Use a secure VPN connection if downloading torrents to help avoid network interruptions that could interfere with access to mounted volumes.

While not a guarantee againstvolume errors, following best practices like these can reduce the chances of external drives suddenly failing to mount properly on system restart.

Recovering Data

If the drive with the “former volume not mounted” error does not mount successfully, you still have options to recover data. Specialized Mac data recovery software like iBoysoft Data Recovery and Disk Drill can scan unmounted drives and restore files.

These tools bypass the mounting issue by directly reading the drive sectors and finding lost files. The recovery process involves:

Installing data recovery software on the Mac
Letting the software scan the problematic external drive
Browsing found files and previewing recoverable data

Choosing what to restore and where to save retrieved files on the Mac

Data recovery maximizes the chances of salvaging data after the “volume not mounted” error. But if the external drive has failed hardware, you may need professional assistance to extract data before it’s lost for good.

Seeking Professional Help

It’s advisable to seek professional assistance for a “former volume not mounted” error under any of the following circumstances:

You lack the technical expertise or confidence to perform troubleshooting steps. Attempting a fix without sufficient knowledge risks worsening the issue or losing data. Consulting an expert often provides the safest and most efficient resolution.

You’ve rigorously tried the standard troubleshooting steps without success. If you encounter persistent error messages or no change after verifying connections, rebooting devices, changing download locations, updating drivers, etc., seeking more advanced support becomes necessary.

The error poses significant disruption to major systems or results in substantial data loss. As the error can stem from failing hard drives or disk issues, immediate assistance helps recover data and restore operations.

You’re on deadline and require urgent restoration of file access, downloads, storage drives, servers, or productivity systems affected. Technician intervention likely expedites safe error resolution in a short time frame.

You lack confidence in your own troubleshooting skills or worry about accidentally worsening issues when attempting fixes. Experts have specialized knowledge to efficiently diagnose issues and implement solutions.

You want customized support tailored to your unique system setup and preferences during and after error resolution. Professional services provide customized attention and post-fix monitoring lacking in basic troubleshooting guides.

Related Errors

The “former volume not mounted” error is related to issues with drives being connected or accessible by a system. Some other common errors that indicate issues with drives or booting into Windows include:

The error “unmountable boot volume” indicates that Windows cannot access the system drive to boot from. This is often due to file system corruption or a disk hardware failure. Possible fixes include running chkdsk to check for errors, restoring from a backup, or reinstalling Windows.

The error “disk read error” occurs when the system cannot read data from a disk, often due to I/O device errors, cabling issues, corrupted files, or failing drives. Fixes can involve updating drivers, reseating connections, running the chkdsk utility, or replacing failing hardware.

The “NTLDR is missing” boot error indicates that a vital Windows system file is corrupted or missing, preventing the system from starting up properly. Solutions include rebuilding the BCD store, restoring from a system backup, or repairing the Windows installation.

Conclusion

“Former volume not mounted” is an error indicating that your Mac is unable to mount and access a previously attached storage drive or volume. This typically occurs because the drive was improperly disconnected from the system, which caused the volume information to become corrupted or lost.

As we discussed, common causes include forcefully disconnecting drives before ejecting them properly and hardware issues with the drives or USB connections themselves. The error mainly just affects access to data on the drives themselves.

To resolve this, it’s important to try standard troubleshooting steps like verifying physical connections, restarting your computer, running disk repair tools, and attempting to recover or back up data before reformatting. For advanced troubleshooting or recovery, seeking help from an experienced technician may be required.

While frustrating when it happens, being mindful of properly ejecting drives and maintaining your hardware can help prevent “former volume not mounted” errors from occurring in the first place. Following the solutions discussed, users can typically regain access to drives and recover important personal files.