How to Fix a Device Error on an External HDD
- 1). Plug the external hard drive into a computer. Ignore the device error message.
- 2). Single click the "Start" button on the computer desktop, then click "Computer" from the "Start" menu. A list of drives and storage devices will populate.
- 3). Right click the external hard drive that is reporting a device error and single click "Format" from the small context menu that comes up.
- 4). Click the "Quick Format" option on the "Format" menu, then click "Start" to format the external hard drive. This will erase everything on the hard drive.
- 5). Click "OK" when the format is complete. The external hard drive will now work correctly.
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