My computer & External are not communicating well

My computer will recognize that my external is plugged in & it turns on but when I try to access it, it wont open, I’ve tried everything. I have very important files on it & I am afraid I will lose everything. Any ideas?

Test the drive with WinDLG - it should be listed as a download for your drive. If it fails the test it might be Data Recovery time. If not, I would test it on another machine first to see if it is recognized there. Oh - also try replacing the data cable.