My WD external hard drive has recently been disconnecting automatically while in use. Sometimes, the computer recognizes it again after a while.
The data on the drive is still accessible, and there are no obvious read or write errors. What usually causes this kind of issue?
This is often a USB or power issue rather than a data problem. Try a different USB cable/port, avoid USB hubs, and check your power settings. If it keeps happening, the drive or its enclosure could be starting to fail.
You can also have this issue because of a problem with the drive’s USB controller or enclosure, which Windows may not show as a normal read or write error. You can try a different USB cable, another USB port, and ideally another computer. If it keeps disconnecting everywhere, you can check the drive’s health with a third party SMART tool like Stellar and back up your important data right away.
