USB Problem

I use a USB connected drive for File History and have done so for at least the past 2 years.

Today W10 advised me that there was a problem with the drive and suggested a repair was needed. I clicked on the repair link and waited......and waited.... and waited. Checking Task Manager it did not seem that anything was happening.

I then tried to Eject the drive but it remained listed in Explorer. As I have other Backups I then tried to Format the drive but nothing happened. I then removed the drive and tried it in another device where it worked perfectly.

In Task Manager I noted that ntoskrnl.exe was running continuously at around 28% of CPU time. That is not normal. I then logged out and attempted to Shutdown but could not and eventually had to force the Shutdown with a power-off.

I disconnected the drive and did a cold start. When the start had completed I reconnected the drive and went to Device Manager, selected the drive and ran the Troubleshooter. The Troubleshooter reported that the drive was a USB 2.0 device which was connected to a USB 3.0 port and that it was not compatible. Well that is wrong on four counts. Firstly the drive is actually connected to a USB 2.0 port and secondly USB 3.0 should be backward compatible with USB 2.0 and thirdly the drive has been working perfectly for 2 years and lastly, it works on another machine.

And the ntoskrnl.exe issue and failure to Shutdown happens as soon as this drive is connected and even if the drive is physically removed.

So..... Windows seems to have got itself very confused about this drive.

Any ideas as to what I could try next?

Thanks.

T.

Ken, thanks for your reply and the link to the other Thread which I will read to see if there is anything there that is applicable to this situation.

T.

Ken, thanks again for your replies.

Windows is weird....

A change of cable solved the problem on this computer..... however, that cable works on a different computer. Why did I do Computer Science.... should have done something less weird, like knitting.

There are days when I need something stronger than coffee.

T.

Wiley Coyote said:

Every now and then I start considering 17th Century French Literature instead.

Now that could be something I could do..... for years now I have being trying to crack French, but waiters still look at me as if I am from planet Zen..... "excusez-moi monsieur, vous êtes de la planète Zen ?".

But if I started reading 17th Century French Literature I could tell the waiter exactly what planet he is from...

Great idea...

T.

Mike, thanks for your comment about USB3 contacts being less robust - did not know that, you learn something new every day.

There are two things about this issue that I don't understand.

Firstly, the message from Windows stating that the device is USB2 and it is not compatible with USB3. Strange, because every USB device (including this one) that I have used with a USB3 port has worked perfectly.

Secondly, as soon as the device is plugged-in the Process, ntoskrnl.exe runs, using about 28% of CPU time. No matter what I tried it was impossible to stop this Process. Even a Shutdown did not terminate the Process. That meant a hard-OFF and a cold-Start to terminate the Process - something I really don't recommend.

Why would a suspect USB cable invoke ntoskrnl.exe and why would it be impossible to terminate....?

I like mysteries in books of fiction, not on my Windows computers.

T.