Recently a lot of people see the The request failed due to a fatal device hardware mistake message as they endeavor to admission or open an external disk or hard bulldoze from their computer.

If you happen to be in the aforementioned boat, don't worry. Here are five fixes that have helped users resolve the issue. Just piece of work your way downward until you discover the 1 that does the play a joke on for y'all.

Tabular array of contents

  • Ready ane: Cheque hardware connection
  • Prepare ii: Verify the SMART condition
  • Fix three: Update the deejay drive driver
  • Fix 5: Change the drive alphabetic character
  • Fix 5: Run chkdsk command

Fix 1: Check hardware connection

This error could happen if the external drive is not properly connected to your computer someway or other. And so information technology's important that you look into the hardware issues starting time. Below is a couple of hardware troubleshooting steps yous can try.

  • Re-plug in the external drive. Or, if you take a different port, switch to the different 1.
  • Check to see if the hard drive connectedness cable is tight. If it's loose, tight the cablevision. If it'south too old or cleaved, change a new one.
  • Try to connect the external drive to a different computer.

If you've tried the steps above and the error indeed disappears, then congrats you've resolved the problem! But if you have ruled out connection problems as the culrpit, please try Gear up two, beneath.

Fix ii: Verify the SMART status

SMART (Self-Monitoring, Assay, and Reporting Engineering) is a technology plant within HDDs and SSDs. Information technology is used to monitor the health condition of external drives. Since Windows has the characteristic built in, you tin apply it to clarify your hard drive/SSD.

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type cmd. Right-click on Command Prompt every bit it pops up and click Run as administrator.
  2. Click Yeah if prompted to give UAC permissions to proceed.
  3. In the Command Prompt window, type wmic diskdrive get status and press Enter.
  4. You'll exist returned one of the post-obit assay results:
    • OK. This suggests your external difficult drive is in a good for you condition. You tin follow Set up iii to go on the troubleshooting.
    • Bad, or Caution. Your hard disk is having an imminent failure. The fixes provided in this article may work for you; but if they don't, we advise you lot that you have your difficult drive to a maintenance store for repair.
    • Unknown. The command is having difficulty analyzing the status of the hard bulldoze. So information technology remains unknown whether your hard drive is facing an effect. If you lot suspect there is a potential failure with your hard drive, yous tin can follow the fixes below to see if they solve the problem. If it's no joy, nosotros propose you that you have your hard bulldoze to a maintenance store for repair.

Gear up 3: Update the disk drive driver

This problem may occur if you are using the wrong deejay drivedriver or it's out of date. So you should update your disk drivedriver to see if it fixes your trouble. If you don't have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you lot tin practise it automatically withDriver Easy.

Commuter Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. Yous don't need to know exactly what arrangement your calculator is running, you don't need to be troubled by the wrong driver yous would exist downloading, and you lot don't demand to worry about making a mistake when installing. Commuter Easy handles it all.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Commuter Easy. But with the Pro version it takes but 2 steps (and you get full back up and a 30-twenty-four hours coin back guarantee):

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Commuter Easy and click theScan Now push. Driver Easy will then browse your computer and detect any problem drivers.
  3. ClickUpdate All to automatically download and install the right version ofall the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires thePro version – you'll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).

    Note: Y'all can do it for complimentary if you lot like, but it's partly transmission.
  4. Don't forget to restrat your reckoner for the changes to accept result.
  5. Bank check to see if the The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error is resolved. If yes, then smashing! If the mistake persists, don't worry. Here are a few more fixes for you to effort.

Fix five: Change the drive letter of the alphabet

Every external disk connected to your reckoner is assigned a drive letter of the alphabet. Information technology is possible that in that location's a conflict with certain disks, which might forbid the system from accessing the data, hence the error. So you lot can try assigning a different letter for your hard drive.

Here are the steps:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to bring upwardly the Run box, then type diskmgmt.msc into the box and click OK.
  2. In Disk Direction, correct-click on the faulty drive and select Alter Drive Letter and Paths….
  3. Click Change….
  4. Cull a different letter for your hard drive, then click OK to confirm.
  5. Once finished, check if you can appraise the hard drive content properly.

Yet no joy? Please motion on to Fix 5, below.

Fix 5: Run chkdsk command

The chkdsk command is a built-in Windows utility that scans the hard drive for logical and concrete errors and fix them if it finds any. So you should run chkdsk command to come across if it helps mitigate the upshot.

"/f" is for fixing deejay errors; "/r" is for locatingbad sectors and "/ten" is for forcing the volume to dismount first when necessary.

Here is how to exercise information technology:

  1. On your keyboard, printing the Windows logo central and blazon cmd. Right-click on Control Prompt equally information technology pops up and click Run as ambassador.
  2. Click Yep if prompted to give UAC permissions to go along.
  3. In the Control Prompt window, type chkdsk *: /f /r /x and printing Enter.
    * represents the letter of the alphabet of the problematic disk.
    The command will start to scan and repair possible errors.
  4. In one case finished, restart your computer.
  5. Check to see if the fault bulletin is solved.

If all else fails, it's probable that your hard drive is experiencing some potentially serious damages. You'd better leave it in professional hands to tackle the problem.


That's it – hopefully this mail service helped. If y'all take any questions, ideas or suggestions, you lot're more than welcome to leave the states a annotate below.

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