Our external hard drives do so much for us, they can be used to store backup folders, and large files and help us free up storage space on our system’s internal drives.
Since external hard drives serve many different case uses, it is no surprise to see all sorts of issues. Out of all the issues to run into, a slow external hard drive is one of the more common ones.
Why Is My External Hard Drive Slow?
Fragmentation on older hard drives-
As your drive is used over time, new data is written and existing data deleted. This could lead to your data being split into fragmented data that is stored in different parts of the disk increasing seek time and lowering load speeds.
File system corruption
If you have corrupted files or folders, it may either be extremely slow or won’t open at all. During such scenarios, you will need to be careful, and fixing corrupted hard drives may be risky with the wrong approach.
Connection issues
Faulty connections as faulty cables or lost ports could easily hamper your drive performance leading to slow load times and frequent disconnections.
Outdated drivers or firmware
Drivers and firmware can have a major impact on your drive’s overall performance. With outdated or faulty drivers, you may experience a myriad of issues that include a slow HDD.
Device overheating or hardware issues
If your external hard drive is old (5+ years) or has not been maintained well, you may see physical damage that will hinder its performance. A great indicator of physical damage can be overheating or scratches and dents on the hard drive’s exterior.
Solutions To Fix a Slow External Hard Drive
Preparation Task list
Before moving on to the solutions make sure to complete these tasks beforehand for best results.
1. Update Windows.
2. Update Drivers and Firmware.
3. Try Out your hard disk on another computer.
1. Connectivity Issues
First, we ensure that all the hardware is in check. Carefully examine the ports and cables. Try using your hard drive with a different cable, a different port, or a different system to see if you yield similar results.
2. Run Diagnostic Checks
There are several tests that you can run to check your external hard disk health. This will not only help you confirm if there is a problem, but you may also be able to fix it.
1. Windows Error Checking Tool
Using the Windows Error Checking Tool is an easy way to run basic diagnostics. This option will scan your drive for any file system errors or inconsistencies.
1. Open Windows File Explorer and access This PC.
2. Right-click on the external hard drive and select Properties from the drop-down list.
3. Access the Tools Tab and click on Check.
2. CHKDSK
CHKDSK is a command that you can use to check your external hard drive for file system corruption, bad sectors, and more. It may look a little complicated to a novice user, but it should be fine if you follow the instructions below-
1. Using the Windows search bar, locate Command Prompt and Run as Administrator.
2. Type in chkdsk B: /f /r /x and hit Enter.
(Replace B with the drive letter of your external hard disk)
/f- Scans for and rectifies errors.
/r- Scans for and fixes bad sectors while recovering readable data.
/x- To disconnect the drive before scanning and fixing.
3. Defragment External Hard Drive
Defragging your external hard drive will help reorganize all the data within it. This will streamline and optimize the workflow of your dive and boost speeds. You can do this by following the given steps-
1. Open Windows File Explorer and access This PC.
2. Right-click on the external hard drive and select Properties from the drop-down list.
3. Access the Tools Tab and click on Optimize.
4. An Optimize Drives window will open, make sure you select your disk and click on Optimize.
4. Format External Hard Drive (Last Resort)
Formatting is a drastic step, it cleans your drive of all your existing data and restores it back to mint condition (logically). When you do format your drive you will lose all the data on it.
PART 1: Recover Data From Slow External Hard Drive
You will need to extract your existing data from your drive before formatting. If you have a lot of data and your external hard drive is extremely slow, the chances of data chatting being corrupted during the transfer process are high. For this, you would need professional data recovery software.
SFWare Data Recovery is a professional data recovery software that will get the job done. With an advanced algorithm and simple UI, you will easily be able to recover data from extremely corrupted hard drives.
Note: Make sure to use another healthy external hard drive to store all the recovered data.
1. Connect the slow external hard drive and another healthy hard drive to your PC.
2. Download, Install, and Open SFWare Data Recovery.
3. Select the slow external hard disk and click on Start Scan.
4. All the recovered files and folders will then be listed.
5. Preview and select all the files and folders you want to save.
6. Select the healthy hard disk as the destination location and Save the recovered data.
After you have safely secured your data in the healthy hard drive. You can now proceed to format the slow one.
PART 2: Format Slow External Hard Drive
(Ensure that you have recovered all your data from the slow external hard drive before proceeding)
1. Open Windows File Explorer and access This PC.
2. Right-click on the external hard drive and select Format… from the drop-down list.
3. Select a file system (NTFS recommended) and click on Start.
Now transfer all the recovered data back to to repaired hard drive and use it normally.
To Conclude
I hope you were able to fix your slow external hard drive and boost its performance. Healthy hard disk management goes a long way in preventing issues in the long run. If you have any related feedback or queries, feel free to reach out.
