I recently bought a 4TB WD My Book external hard drive, and it was working perfectly until I tested it with a 15-foot USB extension cord. While it was connected this way, the drive turned from good to bad according to CrystalDiskInfo, and I started seeing high read errors. Interestingly, all my other hard drives were still showing as good. After about 30 minutes, I plugged the HDD back in without the extension cord, and it shows good again with no read errors and all SMART data looking fine. Should I still return it since I have a warranty?
2 Answers
The problem can often be related to the length of the cable. Longer cables can lead to potential voltage drops and signal loss. The maximum recommended length for USB 3.0 is generally about 10 feet, so you're already pushing it with 15 feet. If you're frequently having issues, it might be worth investing in a higher-quality cable or keeping it within the recommended length.
It's probably best to avoid long USB cables whenever you can, as they can lead to issues like data corruption or unstable connections. It's hard to say for sure if the extension cord caused the error, but if the HDD is working fine now, you might be okay. Just keep an eye on it. If it happens again, definitely consider returning it.
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