Windows tells me external HDD needs reformatting

[Mayfly]

As per title but if I click OK it carries on working without problems.

Is this a case of W7 (Professional) not liking External HDDs (as I read somewhere) or the start of something that will only get worse?

I've done a search of the forum but nothing came up to give me any ideas. I am in the process of copying the drive to a new ex. HDD and will reformat once that's done but would like to understand more about it as my OH has the same problem with one of his ex HDD.

 

[archer]

Hey Mayfly, Welcome to SF.

Try this,. Test Disk. It will check for any missing partition table.

Also, this drive might be dying.

 

[fireberd]

I had that problem on a USB3.0 port. I would plug in the USB 3.0 interface drive and Windows would bring up the file manager and display files on the drive and then flip over and tell me the drive needed formatting. Connecting to a USB 2.0 port it was OK (although I would get the message about it could work faster in a 3.0 port), and connecting to a different PC with a 3.0 port it was OK.

Problem turned out to be the USB 3.0 port in the PC. (The motherboard has been sent back for warranty service, along with the USB 3.0 port problems it developed other problems).