Is this 4TB external drive counterfeit or failing?
I recently bought a 4TB Seagate OneTouch portable HDD and wanted to test it before using it. Windows shows the expected capacity of about 3.7TB, but SeaTools and…
external HDD
Is my nearly full 10TB external hard drive failing?
I use a nearly full 10TB external hard drive to store video files. Over the past few days, it has occasionally disappeared from my PC until I unplugged…
How can I recover data from an external hard drive that may be failing?
I have two identical 2 TB external hard drives. I regularly back up one with Seagate Toolkit and bought the second as an additional safeguard, but when I…
BitLocker suddenly rejects a password that used to unlock my external drive
I have an external HDD protected with BitLocker that contains important files. My Windows installation is on a separate NVMe SSD, and I had been unlocking the HDD…
What Are the Technical Trade-Offs Between a Bare HDD in a USB Dock and a Prebuilt External Drive?
I need additional storage for backups and archival data, and I'm comparing two setups: a bare 3.5-inch internal HDD installed in a USB SATA docking station, or a…
Old Transcend StoreJet External Drive Has No Power or Activity
I'm trying to access an old Transcend StoreJet 640 GB external hard drive, model 380440-0124, that may be more than ten years old. It has been unused for…
Internal HDD in a USB Dock vs. Prebuilt External Drive: What Are the Technical Trade-offs?
I need additional storage for backups and long-term archives, and I'm comparing two setups: a bare 3.5-inch internal HDD used with a USB-to-SATA docking station, or a prebuilt…
Can a Small Bump Really Kill an External Hard Drive While It’s Running?
I have very limited desk space and short cables, so I usually keep my external mechanical hard drives near the edge of my desk beside my computer. During…
Can a Small Bump Kill an External Hard Drive While It’s Running?
I have very little desk space and short cables, so I usually keep my external hard drives near the edge of the desk beside my computer. During an…
Why does my Philips TV slow down when an 8TB USB drive is connected?
I have a Philips 65OLED810 connected to a WD My Book 8TB external hard drive formatted as NTFS and filled with movies. Whenever the drive is plugged in,…
External hard drive still appears after being unplugged
I connected a friend's external HDD to my PC and transferred some game files to it. After physically unplugging the drive, it still appears in File Explorer, and…
External hard drive still appears after being unplugged, but another PC says it needs initialization
A friend's external HDD was connected to my computer while we transferred game files to it. After unplugging the drive, it still appears in File Explorer and Disk…
Is an External Hard Drive Suitable for Daily Access to Art Projects?
I'm nearly out of storage on my custom-built PC and am considering a 5TB external drive for files I access every day. I'm a semi-professional digital artist, so…
Is an External Drive Suitable for Daily Access to Digital Art Files?
I'm running out of space on my custom-built PC and am considering a 5TB external drive for files I use every day. Most of the data would be…
Can an external hard drive reinfect a freshly installed Windows PC?
My Windows PC was recently infected with malware, so I'm planning a completely clean Windows installation. An internal HDD and an external HDD were connected while the infection…
Can an External Drive Reinfect a Fresh Windows Installation?
My Windows PC was recently infected with malware, and I'm planning to perform a completely clean Windows installation. An internal HDD and an external HDD were connected while…
BitLocker-encrypted recovery drive appears in Disk Management but not File Explorer
A Seagate 28 TB external drive was sent for data recovery. The recovered files are mostly music, and the recovery service encrypted the return drive with BitLocker before…
How Can I Verify an External HDD Was Wiped If Windows No Longer Detects It?
I have an external hard disk drive that no longer appears in my normal list of drives. I need to erase it completely before returning it under warranty.…
How can I verify that an external hard drive was wiped if my computer no longer detects it?
I have an external HDD that no longer appears in my computer's list of drives, and I need to erase it before returning it under warranty. I ran…
What’s a reliable and private way to back up my phone photos?
I don't know much about hard drives or transferring files, and I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the research. I want to move my photos and other memories off…