What causes disk management not loading on Windows?

Common causes of disk management not loading include: Virtual Disk Service (VDS) not running, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service stopped, Corrupted disk driver or storage controller, USB drive causing enumeration hang, Third-party disk utility conflicting, Storage Spaces or dynamic disk corruption.

How do I know if I have disk management not loading issues?

Common symptoms of disk management not loading include: Disk Management hangs on "Connecting to Virtual Disk Service", Disk Management opens but shows no disks, "The RPC server is unavailable" error, Disk Management crashes when opening, Disks appear as "Unknown" or "Not Initialized", Can't right-click on a partition (context menu frozen).

Can RescuePC fix disk management not loading automatically?

Yes, RescuePC Toolkit includes automated scripts that can diagnose and fix disk management not loading issues with one click, without requiring technical knowledge.

Fix Disk Management Not Loading on Windows

Symptoms

You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:

•Disk Management hangs on "Connecting to Virtual Disk Service"
•Disk Management opens but shows no disks
•"The RPC server is unavailable" error
•Disk Management crashes when opening
•Disks appear as "Unknown" or "Not Initialized"
•Can't right-click on a partition (context menu frozen)

Common Causes

⚠Virtual Disk Service (VDS) not running
⚠Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service stopped
⚠Corrupted disk driver or storage controller
⚠USB drive causing enumeration hang
⚠Third-party disk utility conflicting
⚠Storage Spaces or dynamic disk corruption

Solutions

Solution 1: Start Required Services

1Press Windows + R, type services.msc
2Find "Virtual Disk" — right-click > Start (set to Manual)
3Find "Remote Procedure Call (RPC)" — ensure it's running
4Find "Plug and Play" — ensure it's running
5Retry opening Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc)

Solution 2: Disconnect External Drives

1Safely eject ALL USB drives, external HDDs, and SD cards
2Close Disk Management if it's hung
3Open Task Manager and end any "diskmgmt" or "mmc" processes
4Reopen Disk Management
5If it loads, reconnect drives one at a time to find the problematic one

Solution 3: Use DiskPart as Alternative

1Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2Type: diskpart
3Type: list disk (shows all disks)
4Type: list volume (shows all partitions)
5Use diskpart for disk operations while Disk Management is broken
6To fix VDS: run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

FIXES THIS IN 5 MINUTES

Fix Disk Management Not Loading Automatically

RescuePC Toolkit includes 109+ automated repairs that fix this problem with one click. No command line knowledge required.

Download Now - Free Trial

No credit card required • Works on Windows 10 & 11

Automated Repairs for This Issue

🔧 Fix Disk Health

Browse More Hardware & Devices Guides

🔧Windows Hardware & Devices

Fix Hardware and Device Problems on Windows — 59 guides, 6 repairs