Unable to detect my external and cannot intialize. I/O error.

[izatyhanis]

Hi. i have a problem with my external. yesterday suddenly my comp. cannot detect my device. it say ready to use but nothing appear. i try to resolve by google it and its say have to intialize, but when i try it, it say the request cannot be performed because of an I/O device error. how should i do..?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, izatyhanis!

I'm really sorry to hear about your issue. What is the model of your external drive? You are not giving a very detailed information, but I can suggest a couple of things that might help you:
1/ Try to 'Safely Remove' the external drive and then reconnect it again, sometimes a simple reset can be the solution.
2/ The error might be because of the drivers on your computer. So I'd advice to try the HDD on another PC/laptop.
2/ I'd also suggest to check if you have the latest firmware update of your external drive. If it is outdated, it can reflect the performance of your drive.
3/ Can you access the drive through Device and/or Disk Management? If yes, what is the information the tools show about the drive?
4/ Another thing you can try is to check the HDD through Windows' Command Prompt (run it as administrator), type chkdsk x: /r (where x: is the drive letter of your external drive), this will locate bad sectors and recover readable information.

Hope this helps.

 

[izatyhanis]

i already try what you've suggest before but still. i have a problem exactly like in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkxXIwe9md8 . Type of external : WD.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Well, that's rather unfortunate, I think it's RMA time!

I'd suggest then to do one last check with Data LifeGuard Diagnostics and do an Extended test and see what the software will tell you about the issue.
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=810

If the errors still can't be fixed I'd suggest to contact tech support right away.
http://support.wdc.com/contact/contact.asp?lang=en

You can as well check your warranty : http://wdsupport.wdc.com/warranty/warrantycheck.asp?custtype=end
If it's still covered, you might get a replacement.

I hope this works for you.
SuperSoph_WD