I bought a
WD Elements Portable
model number WDBUZG0010BBK-WESN.
It keeps disappearing and I have to unplug it and plug it back in.
I tried these suggestions:
Fix WD External Hard Drive Not Working/Recognized/Showing UP Error – EaseUS
I also changed the drive letter. But it still disappears.
Anyone have any ideas as to how I can stop this?
Thank you.
Windows 10 Version 20H2 (OSBuild 19042.985)
Try WD Elements Portable - WD
They have a knowledge base, they provide direct support & they have a user forum.
Best of luck,
Denis
I assume you've been connecting the drive to your PC via a USB 3 port. Try connecting it via a USB 2 port. If that works reliably, then the problem is either with your USB 3 port or (more likely) with your USB 3 drivers, possibly some corruption there.
Launch the Device Manager tool from Control Panel or by typing "Device Manager" in the search box. Scroll down and examine all the Universal Serial Bus controllers. Delete any devices that look grayed out (hidden devices). Do the same thing for the Storage Controllers.
Restart your computer and see if that helps.
If not, then the next step is to update all the USB 3 Extensible Host Controller drivers and the USB Root Hub drivers.
This might be a good time to backup your PC just in case.
Right-click on each driver and select "Properties" to see how old the driver is. If the drivers are old, then delete these drivers and restart your PC. Windows 10 will install the new versions of the drivers when your PC starts up. (Yes I know, you could just right-click on the driver and do "Update Driver." But it's probably better to clear everything out .)
I have a case turned in as I have searched their knowledge base and found nothing of use.
- - - Updated - - -
There is no where that says to delete the driver. The Elements USB driver is dated 2006.
It's Update, disable or uninstall.
I did find where in Power Management you can untick the box so the external hd stays on. So I unticked the box. I'll re-start my computer.
If that doesn't work what should I do with the 2006 driver?
Also, I have a 2.0 USB hub and my Elements won't work when I plug it into there. I have my printer and DVD burner plugged into the hub and they work fine. This is a new laptop, about 2 months old.
Thank you.
Don't worry about the 21st June 2006 driver. It is an MS driver not one by WD. MS uses that [false] date as a means of achieving a particular relative priority in case WD release their own driver.
[Whist not relevant at the moment, you might at some stage also notice MS using another false driver date - 21st April 2009.]
Denis
Last edited by Try3; 18 May 2021 at 08:47.
There are a number of YouTube videos that cover opening WD external drives. The trick is finding one that matches your specific model.
Some external WD drives have a USB interface that is part of the drive itself. (Rather than using a SATA drive with an adapter built in to the enclosure.) I don't know whether your drive is one of those. If it is, then there would be no point in opening the enclosure.
Quote