why won't Windows 8.1 recognize external storage drives?

an external 3.5 HDD case is not recognized after changing to 8.1
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Verify that the USB drivers for the USB controller and related devices are properly installed. It is possible that in upgrading, the drivers specific to that hardware were lost and need to be reinstalled.

Other things to try:
Connecting the drive to a different USB port.
Connecting the drive to a different computer to see if it is recognized there.
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