My 4TB WD My Passport external hard drive was working normally until it reported that it was out of space while I was downloading files. I paused the download and disconnected it. Since then, the drive's light blinks, but there is no unusual mechanical noise. Windows detects the device and shows some information in Properties, yet File Explorer freezes whenever I try to open the drive. The drive was purchased in 2022, has not been dropped, and is connected to a properly powered USB port. What could be causing this, and how can I access the data safely?
1 Answer
This sounds more like filesystem corruption or a drive beginning to fail than a simple USB power issue. First, avoid writing anything else to it and try a different USB cable, port, or computer. Check whether it appears normally in Disk Management and inspect its SMART health with a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo. If the data matters, do not immediately run CHKDSK, format the drive, or keep repeatedly reconnecting it, since that can make recovery harder. Ideally, clone the disk first or use a professional data-recovery service. If the data is backed up, you can then test the drive and reformat or replace it.
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