PC Freezes, Buzzes, and Restarts When Playing Games From an External SSD
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MellowCactus47
My PC only freezes, makes a buzzing sound, and restarts when I play games installed on my external SSD. I'm wondering whether the problem could be caused by a faulty USB port, cable, insufficient power, or the SSD itself. Would moving the drive to another USB port be a good first step, and what else should I test?
Answers
The external SSD is the most likely place to start investigating, since the crashes only happen with games stored on it. Try a different USB port—preferably a rear motherboard port rather than a front-panel hub—along with a different cable if possible. Then test the same game from an internal drive. If it works normally there, check the SSD’s health and temperatures and consider replacing the drive or its enclosure. Also check Windows event logs and make sure the system isn’t overheating or losing power, since the buzzing and restart could point to a broader hardware or PSU problem.
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MellowCactus47: I’ll try another direct USB port and test one of the games from the internal drive. If the problem follows the external SSD, I’ll check the cable, enclosure, and drive health next.