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Issues with new external hard drives - files won't open

Started by granitemason55 · · 👁 3 views · 17 replies

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Participants granitemason55Jerry Robinson56Michael Jackson10gentlecyclist16Alexander Murphy96Alex Johnson4Christian Torres3
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#1 ·
Hello,

Lately, I’ve been running into a real headache with every single new external hard drive I buy.
This is already my second recent purchase—bringing my total collection up to six now—and I feel like I’m just throwing money down the drain when these devices fail after only two days of use.

My computer has solid security software installed, and as far as I can tell, I haven't been hit by any viruses (I did run some checks to be sure).

My older external drives eventually gave out simply due to old age, though I managed to limp them along and fix them somehow.

However, these two most recent ones—which were also by far the most expensive!—are constantly acting up.
And I can promise you, none of them have been dropped, nor have I been tossing them around.

Essentially, shortly after I save a file (usually a drawing or a photo I've been retouching in Photoshop), I find that the external drive—or the computer trying to read from it—simply refuses to open that file. Either it says it can't open it at all, or it claims the file might be corrupted or in an unsupported format (even though they are standard .jpg or .psd files).

On top of that, the moment I attempt to save a file directly to the external drive rather than my local machine, Photoshop hangs, freezes up entirely, and forces me to kill the program manually. Consequently, I’ve started losing incredibly valuable, highly detailed illustrations that represent over eight hours of intense work.

I am truly at my wit's end here; I'm wasting both precious money and the time I should be spending on my projects, all while frantically trying to troubleshoot these failures. To make matters worse, I've completely run out of storage space on my actual computer, so I have nowhere left to stash new files. It feels like I might actually have to revert to using DVDs, which are supposedly less reliable than externals, proving that all this "advanced" technology doesn't mean a thing under the holy spirit. It turns out that these massive, high-tech 2TB external drives can be nothing more than a complete waste of time.

Does anyone have a solution for what I'm going through?

Thank you,

Edit: I have heard about the idea of moving all my data to the cloud as a permanent and secure way to store everything, but of course, that comes with a subscription fee. Honestly, the thought of putting things that are private, intimate, or the direct fruit of my own creativity and intellect (which is quite sensitive regarding copyright) onto the web doesn't inspire much confidence in me. Has anyone actually tried this? What is the name of the service or program people usually use? Is it truly as secure as they claim, and is it worth shelling out dollars for? (I estimate that everything I've ever created totals somewhere around 100,000 Terabytes, if not significantly more).
Jerry Robinson56 Jerry Robinson56 Regular
320 messages
joined Apr 2013
#2 ·
100,000 Terabytes 🤔 ... is that just an excessive amount of zeros?

I suspect the issue lies with the computer's USB port. Try saving the exact same file to your local drive and then to the external disk, then check the settings to see if the file sizes match. Furthermore, I strongly advise against using cut/paste operations; if a transfer error occurs during the process, you risk losing the entirety of the file...
If you handle large amounts of data regularly, invest in a USB hub to plug into, rather than relying solely on the machine itself. I personally recommend Verbatim drives, or if you happen to stumble upon Taiyo Juden , though I am unsure if they have ceased production. Those were exceptional; I checked mine after 13 years and everything still functions perfectly...
Keep them away from heat and direct light.

That said, 5400 RPM hard drives remain the most budget-friendly option (lower speeds should theoretically lead to a longer lifespan, and Seagate has proven quite reliable to me over the years.
The critical thing is to maintain two copies. When burning CDs, limit yourself to 10 times the speed, or 4 times for DVDs, regardless of what the software says. Regardless of any verification process, you should always manually open a few files after burning to ensure they actually work.
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#3 ·
Jerry Robinson56 said:One hundred thousand terabytes. Just let that number sink in for a moment. 🤔 I mean, am I being a little excessive with all these zeros?

I might have gone a little overboard. 😁I have to be honest, there are times during a single photo shoot when I’ll end up with upwards of three hundred shots, yet I can barely pull five truly representative images from that pile to actually put on display. It reminds me of something a famous photographer once mentioned—forgive me, the name escapes me at the moment—who remarked that his first 10,000 frames were nothing more than total garbage. He insisted that it takes years of constant refining to actually master the craft, because, let's face it, raw talent alone just isn't enough.

Jerry Robinson56 said:I have a nagging suspicion that we might be looking at a hardware issue with one of the USB ports on the computer itself. If I were in your shoes, I’d try saving that same file both locally on your computer and onto an external drive, just so you can double-check the settings and confirm that the file sizes match up perfectly. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when dealing with data integrity. Also, if I can offer a little piece of advice, I’d really suggest avoiding the "cut and paste" method. If any kind of hiccup or error occurs during the transfer process, you run the risk of ending up with a corrupted or incomplete file, which is a headache nobody needs.

Looking back on it, I’ve started to suspect that the real culprit might actually be the USB port itself. I usually plug my external drives into a four-port USB hub, and while I make a point of cleaning it regularly, there's a fair chance it's just choked with dust or simply reached the end of its lifespan. It's one of those things that eventually just gives up on you. However, if the issue lies deeper—specifically within the port where the hub connects to the computer—I'm looking at a much bigger headache. I might have to haul the entire tower back to the Geek Squad for repairs, which would be quite frustrating considering I just had the whole thing serviced only two months ago.

Jerry Robinson56 said:If you find yourself constantly tethered to your desk, I honestly think you should consider investing in a decent USB hub. It’s one of those small upgrades that really pays off in terms of convenience; instead of fumbling around trying to plug everything directly into your computer, you can just tuck the hub away and save yourself all that repetitive plugging and unplugging. As for storage, if you're looking for reliability, I'd personally recommend picking up some Verbatim drives—or, if you happen to stumble upon some Toshiba ones while you're out shopping, they tend to be a solid choice as well. I'm afraid I don't quite follow what you mean by "taiyo juden." If you could provide a bit more context or clarify your thought, I would be more than happy to engage with you on the topic.I honestly can't say for sure if they've actually phased out production yet, but man, those guys were truly top-tier. I went back to check on my old unit from thirteen years ago, and I have to say, it still runs like a dream... everything is working perfectly.
It’s probably worth mentioning that you should really try to keep this away from any direct heat or intense light sources if you can help it.

I’ve been working like a total maniac lately. 😁 I occasionally find myself sketching at 600 DPI, which usually prompts a few eye-rolls from the rest of the group; they tend to label it as pure megalomania, claiming I’m just putting unnecessary strain on my computer's hardware. However, that specific resolution is absolutely essential for the large-scale prints I sell. If I don't go that route, I end up working at 300 DPI, but then I have to double the physical dimensions just to compensate.
I’ve gone through quite a few different brands over the years—some Verbatim, some Maxtor, and some Toshiba—but I have to say, my Maxtor drives have consistently been the most reliable workhorses in my collection. They don't suffer from those annoying power cycles where they randomly shut down right after you turn them on; they just stay steady and present when you need them. However, I'm currently having a bit of a headache because my most recent Maxtor is actually letting me down. I suspect part of the issue might be that my internal drives are getting a little too crowded. I've only got about 25 GB of free space left out of roughly 370 GB on both my E: and F: drives. They've been sitting in the "red zone" for quite some time now, and I have a nagging feeling that this lack of breathing room is slowing down my entire system and making my external drives struggle to perform properly.
Everything is tucked away safely in a cool, dark spot, so my conscience is relatively clear on that front. My only real headache is that the power strip cord is incredibly short and it’s plugged into one of the rear outlets—the two front ones are actually broken since the prongs got bent—so I end up keeping my external drives on the floor. I'm a little worried that might be a complicating factor, though I do try to rotate them and let each one sit on the floor for about three days at a time.

Jerry Robinson56 said:Still, those 5400 RPM hard drives really are the most budget-friendly route you can take. Since they run a bit slower, they should theoretically last longer, and personally, Seagate has always been quite reliable for me over the years.
The real trick is to make two separate copies of anything important. When you're burning CDs, try to do it no more than ten times, or maybe four for DVDs, and regardless of whether you run a verification, just make sure to manually open a few files after the burn is finished to ensure everything is intact.

Does it count as redundancy if I save one massive folder of documents onto the same external drive, just split into two distinct folders? I'm assuming that if one specific file gets corrupted, the damage won't spread to the identical file stored elsewhere.

Also, is it possible that forcefully closing Photoshop while I was working on an illustration saved to an external drive—specifically by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete and selecting "End Task" from the Task Manager—could have caused the file itself to become corrupted?
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#4 ·
Jerry Robinson56 said:Try saving the exact same file onto both your computer and an external drive, then check under the settings to see if the file sizes match up perfectly. Also, I’d strongly suggest avoiding the whole cut/paste routine; if any little hiccup happens during the transfer, you might end up with a corrupted, incomplete file.

That is actually what I've been doing. The thing is, the icon—that blue and white one—shows up just fine, and it displays the correct file size (matching what's on my computer), and I can even open the Properties window without any trouble. However, the image itself simply won't open or display; it's completely inaccessible. I even went as far as downloading Geek Squad, but it didn't help me at all.

Geek Squad ran an analysis on my data and flagged it with "Windows Damage Severity - high". Does anyone know what that actually implies in plain English?

And one more thing—does anyone know of a truly reliable program that can bring unopenable files back to life without interfering with my antivirus software? Ideally, I'm looking for something that doesn't try to act like its own security suite and just focuses on repairing images. It would be wonderful if it were actually free, rather than those programs that claim to be free only to trap you with a measly 14-day trial at the end.
Jerry Robinson56 Jerry Robinson56 Regular
320 messages
joined Apr 2013
#5 ·
granitemason55 said:It is entirely possible that I have overextended myself slightly. 😁In all seriousness, I’ve had photo shoots where I walk away with upwards of three hundred shots, only to find that perhaps five of them are actually worth exhibiting. It’s a sobering reality. I recall a renowned photographer—forgive me, the name escapes me at the moment—once remarked that his first 10,000 frames were nothing more than pure garbage. He insisted that it takes years of meticulous refinement to truly master the craft; talent, quite frankly, is never enough on its own.

🤣 It is a matter of taking things one step at a time, yet ensuring that every single piece is accounted for. 🙂
It is only natural that, before you settle into a predictable routine of automation, you find yourself positioning yourself correctly at exactly the right moment—though one must admit that photography has changed drastically. Much like anything else in this life, you learn through experience, both from others and from your own inevitable mistakes. If a composition fails to please the eye, it remains a failure regardless of who was behind the lens; I have seen some truly catastrophic shots lately that were nothing more than loud, garish disasters.

granitemason55 As requested:
Upon further reflection, I suspect the culprit might actually be the USB port itself. I’ve been plugging my external drives into a four-port USB hub, and while I make a point of cleaning it regularly, there is a distinct possibility that dust has managed to infiltrate the connections. It is entirely plausible that the hub has simply reached the end of its functional lifespan and finally given up the ghost. However, if the fault lies within the actual port on the computer tower where the hub connects, I am facing a much more tedious prospect: hauling the entire machine back to the repair shop—which, mind you, I just had serviced only two months ago.

Not quite. Those are gold-plated contacts—four strips, actually—which are substantial enough that a single horizontal contact should suffice. If you are working with a desktop PC, you could probably manage it in about 30... $17 One could simply purchase some additional USB connectors and plug them in themselves; there is no real mystery to it. However, I would advise against using those cheap, multi-port hubs. Instead, opt for single-connector adapters—they are significantly more reliable and offer far better build quality. If you want to be truly efficient, you might consider investing in an external drive enclosure that supports hot swapping. This allows you to connect and disconnect drives seamlessly while the computer is running. While it is always wise to properly eject external hard drives before removal, you can generally pull out thumb drives whenever you aren't actively using them without needing to go through the formal unmounting process.
There is also the possibility that you are dealing with a fundamental issue within the operating system itself. 😁It happens quite frequently: you buy a brand-new hard drive only to find it’s completely dead on arrival. I’ve spent the last few weeks painstakingly migrating data off a 0.5 TB Samsung drive just so I can finally file a warranty claim. Since it carries a five-year warranty, I intend to hold them to it.

granitemason55 said:I am working like a maniac. 😁 I often find myself working at 600 DPI, much to the visible annoyance of my peers. They roll their eyes and dismiss it as pure megalomania, claiming I’m simply taxing my computer for no reason. However, they fail to grasp the practical necessity: that specific resolution is mandatory for the large-scale prints I sell. Alternatively, I might drop down to 300 DPI, but only if I compensate by doubling the physical dimensions of the canvas. It is a matter of technical requirement, not ego.
I own a collection of Verbatim, Maxtor, and Toshiba drives, though I must assert that Maxtor has historically proven itself to be the most reliable and consistent among them. Unlike the others, it doesn't suffer from those infuriating cycles of failing to spin up or shutting down randomly upon activation; it remains a steady, constant presence. However, my most recent Maxtor acquisition has been a complete disappointment—it has failed me entirely. I suspect the issue might stem from my internal drives being hopelessly overcrowded. Both my E-drive and F-drive are currently sitting at about 25 GB of free space out of roughly 370 GB. They have been deep in the "red zone" for quite some time now, and it is highly probable that this lack of breathing room is dragging down my system performance and throttling the efficiency of my external storage as well.

🙂 If that ritual brings you joy, then by all means, stick to it. Everyone has their own little ceremony when it comes to their workflow; I certainly have my own specific finicky habits when I’m handling video editing. From a technical standpoint, you really ought to be running two separate hard drives—or even three if you’re opting for a RAID setup to ensure your data is safely duplicated. Relying on partitioning a single drive won't cut it; you need two distinct physical mechanisms to actually see a difference. That is how you achieve any meaningful increase in speed. As long as you have enough RAM, a heavily loaded drive isn't an insurmountable issue, though it would be wise to run a defrag every now and then to keep things orderly. My strongest recommendation, assuming you haven't already made the leap, is to use an SSD as your primary boot drive. If you don't have one yet, buy one. When your livelihood depends on digital performance, there is simply no excuse for being outdated.

granitemason55 said:The drives have been tucked away in a secure, cool, dark spot, so my conscience remains entirely clear on that front. My only lingering concern is the power strip; the cord is frustratingly short, and I’m forced to plug it into one of the rear outlets because the two front ones are both busted—bent out of shape, really. Consequently, I have to keep the external drives sitting on the floor. It feels like a potential liability, though I am attempting to mitigate the risk by rotating them regularly, letting each individual drive sit on the floor for no more than three days at a time.

🤣 You really ought to attempt some level of organization. It genuinely helps, even if certain individuals—myself included—seem incapable of functioning without a bit of chaos. 🕺

granitemason55 said:If I take one massive directory of documents and save it onto the same external drive, but split it into two distinct folders, does that count as a backup? My assumption is that if a specific file becomes corrupted, the damage won't spread to the identical version stored elsewhere on that same drive.

You don't actually get to choose which drive handles the storage; you simply manage how they are utilized. Think of them like separate plots of land in a rural county. It is far more efficient to maintain two distinct parcels simultaneously. I have encountered all manner of system failures over the years, and experience has taught me that... Murphy's Law isn't just some catchy phrase people toss around when things go sideways; it’s an immutable principle of the universe. It states that if anything can go wrong, it will. People like to treat it as a joke or a bit of bad luck, but those of us who have actually navigated the complexities of life know better. It is a fundamental certainty. It’s about the inevitability of error. You prepare for every contingency, you double-check your work, you follow every protocol to the letter—and yet, the moment you least expect it, the system fails. Whether it's a minor technical glitch in an office in Chicago or a massive structural failure in a major American corporation, the outcome remains the same. Entropy always wins. I've seen it happen countless times. You plan a perfect trip across the States, meticulously checking every flight and hotel reservation, only to have a freak storm ground your plane or a sudden strike shut down the highway. It isn't malice from the universe; it's simply the way things function. Chaos is the default state; order is the temporary anomaly. We spend our lives fighting an uphill battle against this reality, often pretending we have more control than we actually do. We don't. We just manage the inevitable. - The law. It’s a heavy concept, isn't it? We like to think we live in a society governed by logic and fair principles, but anyone who has spent any significant time navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth of the American legal system knows better. It’s less about justice and more about who can afford the most expensive attorney to interpret the fine print. One moment you're following the rules, and the next, you find yourself caught in some technicality that feels more like a trap than a guideline. It's exhausting, really. 😁
I shall be following the developments closely.

granitemason55 said:Is it actually possible that force-closing Photoshop while working on an illustration saved to an external drive—specifically by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete, pulling up the Task Manager, and selecting "End Task"—could have caused the file itself to become corrupted?

If the save process hadn't actually finished, the system really ought to have flagged it with a warning. However, I suppose that’s entirely possible. It’s one of those things that can happen even when you're just copying files from one partition to another within the machine itself; sometimes computers simply glitch out, resulting in a partially corrupted image file.
Jerry Robinson56 Jerry Robinson56 Regular
320 messages
joined Apr 2013
#6 ·
granitemason55 said:That’s precisely what I am doing. However, the icon appears—that blue and white one—and it displays the correct file size (matching what is shown on the computer), and Properties can be opened just fine, yet the image itself won't open; it's inaccessible. I even downloaded Geek Squad, but it didn't help at all.[/I]

>

Try saving to two different drives or thumb drives simultaneously. I once had an experience where everything on some burned CDs passed verification perfectly; they showed as successfully burned and correctly reported the space occupied on the disc, yet nothing could actually be opened. When parts of the files are missing, regardless of whether the extensions are correct, you are essentially stuck.

Quote:
granitemason55 says:
[I]The same Geek Squad tool ran an analysis on my data and reported, "Windows Damage Severity - high." What does that actually signify?
If Windows 10 has betrayed you, a full reinstallation is likely necessary. I would personally recommend that you stop using the machine you're working on for internet access altogether. I have an old machine running XP 14 that has functioned flawlessly for over a decade on its original installation; it has only touched the web once to handle licensing. If you can, revert to Windows 7—specifically the 64-bit version so you can actually utilize more RAM.
I used to work with 300 MB! photographs in Photoshop using only 2GB of RAM without any issues, so while extra memory might not be strictly mandatory, it certainly doesn't hurt.

granitemason55 said:And yes, which program is truly the most reliable for recovering unopenable files without interfering with antivirus software? I mean a program that doesn't try to sell me its own suite of security options, but simply focuses on repairing images. And ideally, it should be genuinely free, rather than masquerading as such only to trap me in a 14-day trial at the end.

That is a difficult question because it remains unclear how the computer corrupted the data or specifically what is missing from the file. I will need to consult a friend of mine who works in professional photography to see if there is an application capable of recognizing and somewhat rejuvenating a damaged file. You can send some examples to my email /ide pp/ so I can see if I can manage it with a professional program designed to read damaged disks...
Michael Jackson10 Michael Jackson10 Active Member
140 messages
joined Feb 2023
#7 ·
granitemason55 said:Yeah, looking back, I think the culprit might be the USB port. I plug my external drives into this 4-port USB hub, and maybe it's just choked with dust—even though I clean it regularly—or maybe it's just totally worn out and hit its limit. But if the issue is actually with the port where the hub plugs into the computer itself, I'll have to haul the whole rig back to the Geek Squad (which, by the way, I just had serviced two months ago).

If I were you, I’d look right there: stop plugging an external HDD into any kind of hub. Ideally, don't even use the front panel USB ports on the case, and definitely stay away from those multi-port hubs like that 4-port one of yours.
Technically, you can "daisy chain" USB devices, meaning you can link cable to cable, but then everything depends on how good the cables are, how clean the contacts are, and the quality of the actual USB outputs—especially if you're using those front-facing case ports.
By adding that hub into the mix, you've introduced a variable we know nothing about. Does it have its own power supply? What's the build quality? Who knows.
Keep in mind that an external HDD is one of the bigger power hogs you can plug into a USB port, and a standard USB 2.0 port only puts out about 500 mA under perfect conditions. Your hub probably isn't providing more than that; in fact, it's likely providing less. Hubs are meant for connecting several small peripherals, and once they all start grabbing their slice of power, you're basically screwed.
That's why external HDDs often come with those "Y-splitter" cables—they're designed to "steal" extra juice from a second USB port if one isn't enough.
I've had plenty of weird experiences with my own externals: on my desktop, it worked fine with just one cable, but sometimes it demanded both, and at a buddy's place, it wouldn't work at all because his old PC had a weak power supply or a crappy motherboard with bad USB delivery.

The bottom line? Try plugging your external HDD directly into the rear USB ports on the back of the computer. Use it that way for a while and see if it stays stable. Only after you're sure the drive itself is fine should you start blaming the computer hardware.

Cut all those "extenders" out of the equation. Remember, USB carries both data and power, and all those extra cables and hubs cause voltage drops, weaken the current, and clog up communication. Hubs—like that 4-port thing you're using—are really intended for "lightweight" stuff like mice or other tiny gadgets that don't need a constant, heavy stream of data.

If you absolutely can't reach the rear ports (since cables are often too short), try a single, decent USB cable. Just make sure it's short—maybe around 20 inches—and thick; thicker usually means higher quality. Think of those old-school cables that used to come with early smartphones: thick, clear insulation, and you can see that silver shielding inside...
gentlecyclist16 gentlecyclist16 Newcomer
5 messages
joined Jul 2017
#8 ·
Michael Jackson10 said:If I were you, I’d look right at that specific setup: stop plugging an external HDD into any kind of extension cable, if possible don't even use the front panel USB ports on the case, and heaven forbid you plug it into one of those cheap hubs—like that 4-port thing you're using.

+1

I was just reading through this myself—a string of extension cables followed by a little hub, when USB cables are already notoriously flimsy by design... and I'm supposed to just trust my entire day's worth of work to that unstable mess? 🤔

For anything actually important, I’d always rather just plug a larger drive directly into the machine, because SATA is SATA... it's faster, sure, but more importantly, the interface is just way more reliable than USB.
Alexander Murphy96 Alexander Murphy96 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Jan 2019
#9 ·
Thanks everyone for the invaluable advice 👍

It didn't even cross my mind, though it’s perfectly logical—this tiny little hub of mine provides next to no amperage.

I've decided I'll just buy a single extension cable, or perhaps a hub like the one suggested on this page:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answer...t-usb-hub.html

...specifically, a "Powered USB3 Hub": "It comes with its own power supply block that plugs into the wall and draws virtually no power from the host computer's port. The power supply unit should provide at least 0.9 amps PER PORT for as many ports as the hub has. Here is one that is much more than you need - it has 10 ports (one of which is designed for charging certain devices) and can supply up to 10 amps total to its combined load, so it certainly can handle 5 drives at 0.9 amps each."

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Anke...b3+powered+hub
(though it says it won't ship here, I might try getting it through someone in France).

Otherwise, I'll just plug the external drives directly into the case, as you all suggested, since that's clearly the safest way. 🙂
Alex Johnson4 Alex Johnson4 Newcomer
5 messages
joined Nov 2007
#10 ·
Elizabeth Sanders64 said:Or I'll just plug the external drive straight into the tower like you guys suggested, since that's obviously the safest bet. 🙂

Look, just ditch those USB hubs already and plug the drives in directly like everyone else told you to.
It’s not some perfect setup anyway—those drives are meant for backups, not for heavy daily lifting. If you've got anything actually important on there, double-check everything and stop cutting corners with cheap cables and flimsy USB hubs.
Michael Jackson10 Michael Jackson10 Active Member
140 messages
joined Feb 2023
#11 ·
Elizabeth Sanders64 said:Thanks everyone for all the great advice! 👍

It totally slipped my mind, but it makes sense—this tiny little hub of mine just isn't pushing enough amper.

Like I was saying: those hubs are meant for "lightweight" peripherals. They're basically just a fancy way to swap ports or add extra slots without plugging everything directly into your PC or motherboard.

An external HDD isn't exactly "lightweight" peripheral when you think about power draw or how critical it is. With an HDD, you need steady, constant power without any fluctuations, plus rock-solid data transfer. You really only get that by using a single USB port plugged straight into the board. Whether that's "direct" via a shorter cable or just using the original one... well, that's the deal. That's it. For other stuff like mice or keyboards, it's not a huge deal if a few bits drop; you might just see the mouse stutter. But with a drive? You can't risk that.

You also have to realize that USB cables, hubs, and whatnot... even if they claim to be "standard compliant," they almost never perform well at their maximum rated lengths. Even if a cable says it can go up to 5m, it’s usually such thin crap that even a printer won't work on it because the voltage drop is just too high.

So yeah, USB hubs: best kept for less important, less "critical" gear...
Jerry Robinson56 Jerry Robinson56 Regular
320 messages
joined Apr 2013
#12 ·
@Michael Jackson10/">@@Michael Jackson10 🙂

Just a small observation from my experience: for the last six years, I have relied exclusively on USB3 external drives that come with a single dedicated cable, and they have functioned flawlessly. I highly recommend sticking with Verbatim
. Furthermore, as previously stated, one should avoid using hubs connected to multiple locations
.
Michael Jackson10 Michael Jackson10 Active Member
140 messages
joined Feb 2023
#13 ·
Honestly, it’s been a minute since I’ve brushed up on my own skills or stayed current, but I get plenty of chances to watch customers and IT equipment owners in action. It feels like 99% of them just want whatever is cheapest, even if it’s some sketchy knockoff from an online marketplace. And let's be real—probably two-thirds of them wouldn't know the difference between USB standards if their lives depended on it.
The folks who actually turn to forums for advice are really just the cream of the crop—which is awesome, because at least they're trying to figure out cause and effect. Most of the younger crowd? Total blank slates when it comes to actual tech knowledge. Plus, every time I stop by a local repair shop, I’m genuinely shocked to see people still running Pentiume d. za hardware in their setups.
I have this friend with a seven-year-old computer who insists it’s "basically brand new" just because he bought it. I don't even need to mention that his main priority back then was clearly "whatever costs the least." Now he acts baffled when other people can actually get things done while he can't. Like, what am I supposed to do? Call upon the holy spirit? Should I just wave a magic thumb drive and suddenly manifest a new i7, 16 GB of RAM, and an SSD out of thin air? Because apparently, spending any real money is totally off the table. It's wild—these are educated professionals making decent money, yet they act like buying a basic USB extension cable requires a full family council meeting to approve.
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#14 ·
Michael Jackson10 said:As I was saying, those hubs are really intended for connecting "minor" peripherals; they're essentially just a more elegant way to expand or manage your available USB ports instead of plugging everything directly into the computer or the motherboard.

An external HDD isn't exactly a "minor" peripheral, if we're talking about power consumption or, more importantly, the sheer criticality of its function. With an HDD, you absolutely need steady, continuous power without any fluctuations, and you need a reliable data stream. You can really only guarantee that if it's using a single USB port connected directly to the board. Now, whether "direct" means via a shorter USB cable or just sticking to the original cable provided... well, that's the extent of it. That's my take, anyway. When you're connecting other types of USB gear, like mice or keyboards, it isn't quite as critical if a few bits of data drop out—you might just notice a little stutter in the cursor's movement—but with a disk drive, that kind of thing simply isn't acceptable.

It is also worth keeping in mind that even though USB cables and hubs claim to be fully compatible and "up to standard," they almost never perform well at their maximum rated lengths. Even if a USB cable is technically rated for up to 5m, they are often such flimsy pieces of junk that you won't even be able to get a printer to work on them because the voltage drop is just too significant.

So, a USB hub is best left for less important, less "critical" peripherals...


Well, lesson learned. I have just plugged the external drive directly into the computer. The only downside is that I can't have both the external drive and my Wacom tablet plugged in at the same time while I'm drawing, which would have been lovely. Ideally, I wanted to be able to save my work simultaneously to the E/F drives and the external drive (for backup purposes) as I go, but now I'll have to save my illustrations to the internal hard drive first and then transfer them to the external one later. It looks like I'll have to get used to the tedious routine of unplugging one USB device to plug in another, or perhaps just rely on using a DVD.
I neglected to mention that the vendor pointed out that this latest Maxtor drive I was struggling with features a USB 3.0 connection, though he did note "it will still work with USB 2.0 ports." Since my hub is USB 2.0, it’s hardly surprising that everything was acting up. Given that this external drive is a demanding 2TB beast, it turns out the issues weren't just some random glitch, but were actually due to all the factors you mentioned.
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#15 ·
Jerry Robinson56 said:Just a quick observation from my side—for about six years now, I've been using USB3 external drives that come with just a single cable, and they have worked flawlessly every single time... I'd highly recommend sticking with Verbatim
and, as we discussed earlier, please try to avoid using those multi-port hubs if you can help it

Thanks so much! 👍
Christian Torres3 Christian Torres3 Regular
604 messages
joined Sep 2014
#16 ·
granitemason55 said:Fine, lesson learned. I just plugged the external drive directly into my computer. Now the only issue is that I can't have both the external drive and my Wacom tablet plugged in at the same time while I'm drawing—and I really wanted to be able to save my work to both the E/F drives and the external backup simultaneously. So, I guess I'll have to save everything to the internal hard drive first and move it to the external later. I'll just have to get used to constantly swapping cables or using a DVD.
I forgot to mention that the guy selling it told me this latest Maxtor I was struggling with has a USB3 port, but he added that "it should still work with USB2 ports." Since my hub is just USB2, it’s no wonder everything was glitching out. Plus, this external drive is a massive 2TB beast—so it wasn't just random nonsense; it was exactly what you pointed out.

Any USB 3.0 device is supposed to work perfectly fine on a USB 2.0 port. It's a bit weird that you can't run an external drive and a drawing tablet at once. If you're running out of ports on your motherboard, you could always just grab a card like these to give yourself three more USB 3.0 slots.
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#17 ·
Christian Torres3 said:Any USB 3.0 device should work perfectly fine when plugged into a USB 2.0 port. I’m a little confused by you saying you can't run an external drive and a drawing tablet at the same time; if you're running low on ports on your motherboard, you could always pick up a card like this one to give yourself three additional USB 3.0 slots.

Geez, shame on me! 😁 🤦 I had spent the entire time living under the assumption that I only had two front ports (which were broken) and one in the back, but after looking closer, I discovered two more unoccupied slots hiding right there. I had never actually given them a proper inspection; I always assumed they were a different shape and wouldn't accept the specific USB plugs I needed—mostly because I used to rely entirely on the supposed expertise of the technicians sent to fix my gear. It wasn't until I finally took a good, hard look that I realized I could just plug this clunky thing into another hole without any trouble. Honestly, I can't tell if I'm some kind of self-taught genius who solves technical glitches effortlessly—better than my dad or those engineers (according to them, anyway)—or if I am just a complete klutz, but in this instance, my artistic scatterbrainedness clearly won out. 😁 The trick is really about focusing and switching from that overwhelmed, chaotic mindset into a practical one where solutions become obvious. I shall now go sprinkle ashes over myself in shame. 🕺 🙂
granitemason55 granitemason55 MemberOP
17 messages
joined Oct 2016
#18 ·
granitemason55 said:Good grief, I really have to hand it to myself here. 😁 🤦 For the longest time, I was under the firm impression that I only had two front ports—which were broken, mind you—and one in the back, but I just discovered two more unused slots hiding right there. I’d never actually taken a close look at them before; they always looked a bit different in shape, leading me to believe they wouldn't fit the specific USB plugs I needed (since I usually just relied on the expertise of the pros I’d hire to fix my gear). It wasn't until I finally sat down and gave them some proper scrutiny that I realized I could easily plug this clunky thing into another port. Honestly, I can't decide if I'm some sort of self-taught genius who solves technical hiccups better than even the engineers I've worked with—to their own admission, of course—or if I am just a complete klutz, though in this instance, my artistic clumsiness definitely won out. 😁 The lesson learned is all about finding focus and shifting from that scattered, chaotic headspace into a practical mode where obvious solutions actually present themselves. I shall now go retire in shame. 🕺 🙂

And I suppose using a pseudonym doesn't help my case either; I'd make a pretty terrible spy 🙂 but the main thing is that the technical issue is more or less sorted. 🙂 (If anyone has any additional thoughts, please feel free to share them 👍)

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