AVS cannot find Drive D to record

Open Disk Management first; if the recording volume is present but has no drive letter, assign D: to it so both File Explorer and AVS can access it.

Check and restore the D: drive

1. Right-click Start and select Disk Management. Alternatively, press Windows + R, enter diskmgmt.msc, and select OK. Disk Management shows physical disks and volumes even when they are absent from File Explorer.^1^
2. Find the intended recording volume by matching its capacity and existing volume label. Do not identify it by position alone.
3. Follow the matching result: The volume is Healthy but has no letter
   • Right-click the volume and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
   • Select Add.
   • Choose Assign the following drive letter, select D:, and select OK.
   • If D: is already occupied, assign another unused letter such as E: and use that in AVS. Assigning or changing letters requires an administrator account.^2^
   The volume has a different letter
   • The safest option is to keep that letter and select it in AVS.
   • Change it to D: only if D: is available and the volume does not contain Windows or installed applications. Changing the letter of a volume containing applications can prevent those applications from finding their files.^2^
   The disk is Offline
   • Right-click the disk label—the left-hand box that says Disk 1, for example—and select Online.^1^
4. Close and reopen File Explorer. Select This PC and verify that the assigned drive appears.
5. Restart AVS Media Recorder, open its output-folder selector, choose This PC → D: (or the letter assigned), create a folder such as D:\Recorded Music, and select that folder.

Avoid destructive options

If Disk Management shows the disk as Unknown, Not initialized, Unallocated, or RAW, do not initialize, format, delete, or create a new volume if it previously contained files. Formatting destroys the data on the partition.^1^

Instead:

• For an external drive, reconnect it directly to another USB port and check its power and cable.
• If it remains RAW, unallocated, or absent, use the drive manufacturer’s support or a data-recovery service before making disk changes.
• If the disk does not appear in Disk Management at all, Windows is not detecting the storage device; OneDrive settings cannot restore its drive letter.

OneDrive is a separate issue

OneDrive can redirect standard folders such as Desktop, Documents, and Music, but it does not substitute for a missing disk volume. Its folder-backup settings can nevertheless explain why AVS initially opens inside OneDrive.

After the drive is visible in This PC, either navigate away from OneDrive in the AVS selector or, if you no longer want the Music/Desktop/Documents folders backed up:

1. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area.
2. Select Help & Settings → Settings.
3. Open Sync and backup → Manage backup.
4. Turn off backup for the affected folder.
5. Choose Keep the files only on my PC if that is the intended location.

If OneDrive reports cloud-only files that cannot be moved, first make those files Always keep on this device.^3^

Stopping OneDrive backup is optional and will not make D: reappear when Windows itself cannot detect or mount that volume.

References

1. Disk Management in Windows | Microsoft Support
2. Change a drive letter
3. Back up your folders with OneDrive | Microsoft Support