Having problems with my Wd elements 4tb external drive. Stored some .mp4 video files on my drive to watch them through my laptop, but they keep on disconnecting using Windows media player and also vlc player, in fact any media player. However if I play those same files saved on my laptop’s internal hard drive they play normally. Don’t understand what the problem is. My laptop’s OS is windows 10.
I’ve had my 4TB Elements External for a few years now … have never encounted the issue you’re having 
Try a different USB Cable ?
Try a different USB Port on your Computer ?
Try a different Computer ? (Friend, Family, Work etc)
Thanks for your reply, I’ve tried everything, I’ve also tried a USB Pen drive and the video files work on that. I have a feeling the drive might be corrupted in some way but I need to be sure what the problem is.
A “Pen Drive” is solid state and does not require much power to operate compared to a 4TB traditional spinning HDD … so, that’s not really a good “Test” (especially if it’s a power issue that’s causing it to disconnect)
Try another HDD of equal or less capacity … other suggestions,
Have you run a Scandisk on the Drive ?
Have you tried WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostics ?
