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Fix: External Hard Drive Keeps Disconnecting

By AndroidGreek Team
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Hard drives have always been the best choice for storing to keep your data safe. Meanwhile, there are other ways to connect to the PC and store data, such as a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, and more. While external hard drives likely store more compared to secondary storage options. Some users have reported that their external drive keeps disconnecting, so you can use our troubleshooting.

You can use this quick guide for both HDDs and SSDs. Most people encounter the error on Windows 10. Meanwhile, there could be a primary reason why you have recently upgraded Windows from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. Today we are going to share how you can fix the external hard drive that keeps disconnecting.

Fix: External Hard Drive Keeps Disconnecting

After every minute, an error might occur while transferring data. This error shows up in case your hard drive doesn’t permit or you might need to tweak the Power Management settings. Reportedly, a user also faced errors such as slowing down, not working, not recognized, not accessible, not initialized, freezing, and slow loading. So let’s fix it without further ado. Let’s check this out.

Connect to a different USB Port

The problem might be there because of the device port; try a different USB port. This is most likely to fix the error. However, we recommend you use the USB 3.0 port for better connectivity and to resolve this issue.

Disable USB Selective Suspend Settings

If you have tweaked the USB Selective Suspend Settings option, simply disable USB Selective Suspend Settings.

  • Open the Control Panel
    • Press the Start Menu, search for Control Panel, and click on Control Panel.
  • Click on Power Options, and then click on Power Plan.
  • Then, select Change Plan Settings, and then click Advanced Power Settings.
  • After that, head over to USB Settings and disable the USB Selective Suspend Settings.
  • Click on Apply and click OK to save the changes.
  • That’s it. Reboot your computer and check whether the problem is solved or not.

Try using another storage device and another PC

It is also possible that your computer uses a lot of storage in the background, which is most likely to be the reason why the hard drive isn’t functioning. We suggest you re-check with another device. If this and the above-mentioned don’t work, follow the upcoming guide.

Prevent turning off mass storage devices.

Windows, by default, enables Power Saver Mode for your USB Root Hub. So you can disable it and resolve the issue. Follow the instructions mentioned below.

  • Open the Quick Start Menu.
    • You can also use Windows + X at the same time.
  • Now, click on the Universal Serial Bus Controller, and then double-click on the USB Mass Storage Device.
  • Select Power Management and then uncheck the checkbox “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
  • Click OK to save changes, and then reboot your PC.

Disable USB Legacy Support in BIOS

You can use BIOS to clean the system cache, and it might fix a temporary glitch or bug. Here are the step-by-step instructions mentioned below.

  • Open the Quick Start Menu.
    • Use Windows + X together.
  • Navigate to the external hard drive.
  • Double-click on it and go to Policies.
  • Click on Better Performance.
  • Now check the checkbox “Enable Write Caching on this device.”
  • That’s it. Click OK to save the changes.

Install the USB 3.0 Controller Driver

If your hard drive is still reconnecting, then you should check the driver. Hardware requires a driver to execute. To find the correct driver, you can either use Driver Booster, which allows you to automatically download and install the driver update, or you can check with your motherboard manufacturer to download and install the driver manually. Once you install, restart your computer to save the changes.

Use KeepAliveHD

This is one of the best Windows programs that can write and rewrite small files on your hard drive. It also prevents the hard drive from enabling sleeping mode, and there are more functions that this program offers. It is likely most useful for those who frequently use the hard drive.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you so far, and you have resolved your issue so far. Thanks for being with us. We would like to know your valuable opinion and feedback. If there is any query, share it with us in the comment section below.