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External HDD keeps disconnecting randomly

Anonymous
2022-07-08T06:53:47+00:00

Out of no where, my HDD has started disconnecting itself a few minutes after it is plugged and requires me to manually turn the external drive on and off if I want to use it again.

What i've tried

  • Restarting my PC
  • Not using the HDD under stressful conditions and using better ventilation (to know if it could be a power or an overheating issue)
  • chkdsk (I have separated the HDD to 2 partitions and both did not have any bad files)
  • Reseating the HDD
  • Changing the plugs and ports
  • Turning off USB Selective Suspend

This problem appeared randomly this morning and I did not do anything yesterday that could have affected my drives

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-07-09T02:46:01+00:00

    Hi

    Welcome to Microsoft community.

    Your problem should be caused by USB power management. You could try the following steps first.

    1. Uncheck the USB power saving option.

    Right click the windows logo key in the lower left corner of the desktop, click device manager, and disable the USB energy saving option of your hard disk in the open interface.

    1. Check whether the power mode of your computer is automatically switched to energy-saving mode due to overheating. If so, you can try to adjust it back.

    Keep us posted if you encounter any challenges along the process.

    ***Note: In the event that you're unable to reply to this thread, please ensure that your Email address is verified in the Community Website by clicking on Your Account Name > "My Profile" > "Edit Profile" > Add your Email Address > tick "Receive email notifications" checkbox > click on "Save".***

    Best regards

    Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

    * If the error still exists, you could reply to this post again and we are glad to help.

    * We would appreciate that you take a few seconds to check and vote this answer if it helps, as it will be beneficial to more community members.

    20+ people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2022-07-20T09:01:33+00:00

    Hi

    Thanks for your reply and patience.

    Have you ever tried to change the USB interface or a hard disk cable to see if there are any changes.

    Keep us posted if you encounter any challenges along the process.

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2022-07-10T08:15:38+00:00

    I'd also like to add that after a disconnect sequence, the drive is 'inserted' sound plays (didn't do anything) and my notifications say that Windows does not recognize the device which I can fix by turning it off and on manually.

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2022-07-10T08:10:06+00:00

    Hi Derrick, thanks for helping me, I can't seem to solve the issue with the steps provided. A couple more things I tried is a system scan but it is no good.

    4 people found this answer helpful.
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