How to Fix ‘External Hard Drive I/O Device Error’ on Windows 11/10

How to Fix ‘External Hard Drive I/O Device Error’ on Windows 11/10: It is possible to increase the amount of data that can be stored on your computer by using external hard drives, which are practical storage devices that also make it easy to transfer files. On the other hand, if you are utilising an external hard drive on your Windows 11/10 PC and you come across an I/O Device error, it can be very annoying.

There are a number of potential causes for this error, some of which include problems with the disc, difficulties with the hardware connectivity, or driver incompatibilities. It is possible that you will receive the following notice while you are attempting to access the contents of an external hard drive or when you are initialising the drive: “The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.” It is most likely that the driver or the transfer settings is the source of the problem.

However, you will also experience the problem if your computer encountered a power failure while you were attempting to access the hard drive or initiating the initialization process. Before beginning to implement the appropriate solutions, it is recommended that you first perform some preliminary tests to discover whether the problem is with your personal computer or with your hard drive. Here are the ways how to Fix ‘External Hard Drive I/O Device Error’ on Windows 11/10.

What is an I/O Device Error?

On the other hand, if there is an issue with the device that stops Windows from reading its contents or writing on it, this is known as an I/O device error. Depending on the device, it may appear on the hard drive (HDD or SSD), an external hard disc, a USB drive, an SD card, a CD or DVD, and so on.

If the external hard drive displays a disc I/O device error, you will not be able to transfer data from your personal computer to or from the drive. The majority of the time, when an I/O device issue occurs in Windows 10, you will receive the notification that reads “The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.”

What are the causes of ‘External Hard Drive I/O Device Error’ on Windows 11/10

1. Faulty USB or Connection Issues: Loose or damaged USB cables or ports can lead to connection problems, resulting in I/O errors.
2. Corrupted or Outdated Drivers: Outdated or corrupted drivers for the external hard drive or the USB controllers can cause I/O errors.
3. Faulty External Hard Drive: Physical damage or malfunction of the external hard drive itself can lead to I/O errors.
4. File System Corruption: Corruption in the file system of the external hard drive can cause communication issues and trigger I/O errors.
5. Virus or Malware Infections: Malicious software can interfere with the proper functioning of the external hard drive, leading to I/O errors.
6. Power Supply Issues: Insufficient power supply to the external hard drive or issues with the power source can result in I/O errors.

How to Fix ‘External Hard Drive I/O Device Error’ on Windows 11/10

Update USB Drivers

1. Press Windows key + X and select “Device Manager.”
2. Locate and expand the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section.
3. Right-click on each USB driver and choose “Update driver.”

Change the Drive Transfer Mode

1. To start, press Windows+X and then choose Device Manager from the list.
2. Now you need to add more IDE/ATA/ATAPI devices.
3. You will see that a section has opened and is showing a list of the IDE, ATA, and ATAPI channels.
4. Click Properties from the menu that comes up when you right-click on the channel where the drive is linked.
5. This is the second IDE route for you.
6. Next, click on the “Advanced” button and pick “PIO” from the list of transfer modes. That too for the gadget that stands for the right drive.
7. This thing is 0, then click OK and leave all of them.

Run CHKDSK Utility

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator by pressing Windows key + X and selecting “Command Prompt (Admin).“
2. Type chkdsk /f X: (replace X with the drive letter of your external hard drive) and press Enter.
3. Allow CHKDSK to complete the scan and repair any detected errors.

Change Drive Letter

1. Right-click on “This PC” or “My Computer” and select “Manage.”
2. Navigate to “Disk Management.”
3. Right-click on your external hard drive and choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”
4. Assign a new drive letter to the external hard drive.

Check for Disk Errors Using SFC

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
3. Allow SFC to complete the scan and address any issues found.

Check & Repair Device in Command Prompt

1. Press Windows+X to start.
2. Now, pick Command Prompt from the list.
3. You have to pick “Yes” for OS to be able to start the Command Prompt as host.
4. Type chkdsk G:/f /r /x when the command line window comes up. You need to copy and paste this so it doesn’t go wrong.

Conclusion

The I/O device error is a really frustrating problem that a lot of people who use Windows keep talking about complaining about. “Input/Output” is what “I/O” stands for. The presence of an I/O device error indicates that there is a problem with reading or writing data from or to your hard disc. The USB, external hard disc, hard disc drive, solid-state drive, DVD, CD, and other devices all display this problem. It will no longer be possible for you to copy data to or from this device once this error has been displayed.

Questions and Answers