{"id":3178,"date":"2014-04-22T20:00:54","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T20:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/help.cleverfiles.com\/?p=3178"},"modified":"2021-06-03T12:34:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T12:34:00","slug":"external-usb-drives-randomly-disconnecting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/help\/external-usb-drives-randomly-disconnecting\/","title":{"rendered":"External Hard Drive Keeps Disconnecting? Here\u2019s What to Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img src=\"\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/hard-disk.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-12855 colorbox-3178\" \/><\/p>\n<p>An external hard drive that keeps disconnecting and reconnecting may have a faulty cable, insufficient power, sleep-related issues, or failing hardware. Whether you use Windows or Mac, start with the checks below. They also apply to external USB SSDs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"alert alert-danger\" role=\"alert\">If the drive clicks, makes unusual noises, or was physically damaged, stop using it and seek <a href=\"\/data-recovery-center.html\">professional data recovery help<\/a>.<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_check_the_usb_connection_and_power\"><\/span><b>1. Check the USB Connection and Power<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Try a different USB data cable and another port on your computer. Connect the drive directly, bypassing any USB hub, dock, or adapter when possible.<\/p>\n<p>If the drive requires external power, check its power adapter. Disconnect unused USB devices to reduce power demand. These checks follow <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/hardware\/usb\/fix-usb-c-problems-in-windows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"external\">Microsoft\u2019s USB troubleshooting guidance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_check_whether_sleep_triggers_the_disconnect\"><\/span><b>2. Check Whether Sleep Triggers the Disconnect<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If the drive disconnects after inactivity, temporarily keep your computer awake during transfers or recovery scans:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Windows 11:<\/b> Open <b>Settings &gt; System &gt; Power &amp; battery<\/b> and adjust the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/experience\/power-battery\/power-settings-in-windows-11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"external\">sleep timeouts<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>Mac:<\/b> Open <b>System Settings &gt; Battery &gt; Options<\/b> or <b>Energy<\/b>, depending on your Mac. Adjust the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/mac-help\/set-sleep-and-wake-settings-mchle41a6ccd\/mac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"external\">sleep settings<\/a> and turn off <b>Put hard disks to sleep when possible<\/b>, if available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Restore your preferred settings after testing.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_if_it_disconnects_during_recovery_create_a_disk_image\"><\/span><b>3. If It Disconnects During Recovery, Create a Disk Image<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If the drive remains readable but disconnects during a Disk Drill scan, consider creating a <a href=\"\/help\/dmg-iso-backup.html\">byte-to-byte backup<\/a> first.<\/p>\n<p>Save the image to a separate, healthy drive with enough free space for the source drive\u2019s full capacity, plus extra room. Then scan the completed image instead of repeatedly scanning the original drive.<\/p>\n<p>If imaging repeatedly fails or the drive becomes increasingly unstable, stop and contact a <a href=\"\/data-recovery-center.html\">recovery specialist<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_check_for_file_system_errors_after_securing_your_files\"><\/span><b>4. Check for File System Errors After Securing Your Files<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once your data is backed up or recovered and the connection is stable, check for file system errors using <b>Windows Error checking<\/b> or <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/102611\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"external\">Disk Utility\u2019s First Aid on Mac<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These tools address file system problems. They cannot repair physically damaged hardware. Avoid formatting the drive while you still need to recover files.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-relative post-download\">\r\n<i class=\"box-60x36 icons icon-winmac-xs  \"><\/i>\r\nDownload Disk Drill data recovery app\r\n<a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-xs-block pull-right\" href=\"\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/dl.html\">Download now<\/a>\r\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n<\/div><p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An external hard drive that keeps disconnecting and reconnecting may have a faulty cable, insufficient power, sleep-related issues, or failing hardware. Whether you use Windows or Mac, start with the checks below. They also apply to external USB SSDs. If [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,52],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-recovery","7":"category-troubleshooting"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>External Hard Drive Keeps Disconnecting? Here\u2019s What to Do<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"External hard drive keeps disconnecting? 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