MyBook disconnects after a few minutes

I created a topic a couple days ago about my 3TB WD MyBook not working. Well, last night I got it to work. If I leave it unplugged for about an hour, and then plug it back into my computer, I can get it to load for about five minutes or so and play files off of it. However, after about five minutes it just disconnects, and if I attempt to unplug and re-plug the power back into the outlet or hook the USB up to my computer, nothing happens. I usually have to wait about an hour or so before it will work again - and then it disconnects immediately.

What would this imply? An issue with something internally or just an issue with one of the cables? I don’t understand why it works briefly and then stops - at least I know my data is fine, but it’s still quite annoying that I have no way of recovering anything off the drive since the five minutes (give or take) isn’t enough to move anything over to my desktop.

You could isolate this issue  by using different cables.

This will help you better diagnose if a drive or cable problem.

You can also run checkdsk or a quick test with Data Lifeguard Diagnostics.

It also could be a power issue.  Try plugging your drive’s power adapter directly into a wall outlet.  And you might as well do the typical troubleshooting tips, try on another usb port, or even another computer, along with using a different cable.  Let us know how it goes.