Question WD External SSD (WDBAGF0020BGY-WESN) Causing Multiple Laptops to Reboot Randomly

[samborambo56]

I've been plagued by this issue for ages now. Here's the text from my original post where I suspected my issue was either ESET Antivirus/encryption or the external SSDs I was using.
I've now eliminated ESET as a suspect and I am left with only the SSDs as the cuplrit:

Okay so I started working for a company as self employed on my own laptop about 6 months ago - a Lenovo Legion.
At some point along the way my laptop started randomly rebooting and leaving no dmp files during either normal operation OR during heavier tasks like Premiere and Photoshop
I believe it was when I connected a couple of new SSDs. Or when the company forced me to install ESET encryption and antivirus.
The crashes weren't too frequent, so I ignored the problem, knowing that I was going to get a new machine in a couple of months once I started working for them officially.
I did swap RAM sets entirely in that time from a 16GB kit to a 32GB kit, as well as try to run the laptop with minimal peripherals (no mouse, no external display) I updated settings in the task manager relating to power, I did something with C states in the bios, I tried running the laptop directly from the wall instead of a UPS,I monitored temps which seem normal - but the random blackscreen and reboots persisted.
Fast forward a few months and I get an entirely new laptop - this time a MSI creator laptop. The crashes persist, again I try running with no peripherals to no avail, and even suffer a crash when the power cable is unplugged and ALL peripherals are unplugged (external SSDs included this time) - surely that must mean the issue is software (I'm looking at you, ESET)
Temps on this laptop were fine too, which makes sense as it was a brand new laptop.
So here's a list of things I've tried to fix the issue I've tried:
clean windows installs
Updated drivers
3 different sets of RAM
2 different machines
different BIOS and power settings on both machines
Unplugging peripherals
updating windows (obviously)
using different power sources for both laptops (battery, directly in wall, through Eaton UPS)
Running on integrated GPU vs dedicated
stress testing, looking at temps
and NOTHING has fixed this problem. So I'm down to two theories:
ESET is causing issues
A peripheral is causing problems and leaving them behind residually (because why else would my laptop crash with nothing plugged in and idle?)
Sometimes I get no random reboots for literally days, then
I already hear you asking if I've looked at the Event Viewer and yes, I have - the lead up to the reboots always look similar:
THE CRITICAL ERROR:
The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.
PRIOR TO IT DIRECTLY:
ACPI thermal zone \_TZ.TZ01 has been enumerated.
_PSV = 0K
_TC1 = 1
_TC2 = 2
_TSP = 2000ms
_AC0 = 0K
_AC1 = 0K
_AC2 = 0K
_AC3 = 0K
_AC4 = 0K
_AC5 = 0K
_AC6 = 0K
_AC7 = 0K
_AC8 = 0K
_AC9 = 0K
_CRT = 383K
_HOT = 0K
minimum throttle = 0
_CR3 = 0K
THEN:
File System Filter 'npsvctrig' (10.0, ‎1979‎-‎12‎-‎19T17:12:41.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
File System Filter 'UCPD' (10.0, ‎2053‎-‎03‎-‎18T12:17:45.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
File System Filter 'FileCrypt' (10.0, ‎1983‎-‎08‎-‎19T03:58:35.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
Volume C: (\Device\HarddiskVolume3) is healthy. No action is needed.
File System Filter 'WdFilter' (10.0, ‎2055‎-‎04‎-‎20T21:48:29.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
File System Filter 'Wof' (10.0, ‎2086‎-‎08‎-‎04T12:20:16.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
File System Filter 'FileInfo' (10.0, ‎2079‎-‎02‎-‎26T23:03:00.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
PLEASE NOTE, THAT WHEN ESET HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON THE MACHINE THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL ERROR:
File System Filter 'EAMONN' (10.0, ‎2055‎-‎04‎-‎20T21:48:29.000000000Z) has successfully loaded and registered with Filter Manager.
I am pretty much out of ideas. I'm going to return my Lenovo to a completely stock state and run it without plugging in the external SSDS or having ESET installed, stress test for a few hours, then leave booted but idle for as long as I can (ideally a few days) to prove to myself that there's nothing wrong with the hardware on the PC.
Please please can somebody smarter than me help fix this issue that has persisted across two machines with 3 different sets of RAM.

As we speak I have been transferring data via a powered USB type A hub, generating proxies in Premiere Pro and using my PC for hours and have experienced no crashes.
So, it may be too early to say but it does APPEAR that the problem is being caused by the two WDBAGF0020BGY-WESN SSDs being plugged directly in to the USB ports on both devices mentioned in the quoted section above. (I have tried using on USB A and C ports, but crashes happen when the drives are directly connected using either type of USB)

If this is in fact the problem, does anyone know why both of my laptops seem incapable of running the two SSDs via USB C without rebooting randomly? I should mention I am using the supplied power cables with both laptops.

 

[Ralston18]

Make and model USB hub?

Are you able to swap in known working USB cables to connect the SSDs to either directly to the laptop or to the hub?

"via a powered USB type A hub" - meaning that the hub has its' own external power supply that plugs into a wall outlet - correct?

What other devices, if any, are connected to the laptop(s) and how are those devices connected? Any power strips and/or surge protectors being used?

On the laptops: Look in Reliability History/Monitor for any error codes, warnings, or even informational events being captured just before or at the time the laptops crash or other problems occur.

Reliabiity History/Monitor is much more end user friendly than Event Viewer. And the presented timeline format may reveal patterns.

I also suggest looking in Task Manager, Resource Monitor, and Process Explorer for any unknown or unidentifiable apps, utilities, processes that are running.

Perhaps being launched at startup or later via some trigger in Task Scheduluer.