How to Fix External Hard Disk Slow to Respond in Windows 11/10/8/7

Top 5 Ways to Fix a Slow External Hard Drive in Windows 11/10/8/7

Here are the top 5 solutions to fix an external hard drive that is slow to respond or unresponsive:

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Defragment external hard drive	Connect your external hard drive to your Windows 10 computer. Open "This PC" and select the external hard drive. Right-click on the drive and select "Properties". In the Properties window, click on the "Tools" tab. Click on "Check" to scan the drive for errors.Full steps
Fix 2. Clean up large files	To clean up your device, download and install Qiling CleanGenius, then select "Cleanup" on the main screen.Full steps
Fix 3. Check corrupted files	To manage your disk partitions, open Qiling Partition Master on your computer and locate the disk you want to modify. Right-click the partition you wish to adjust and select the desired action from the context menu.Full steps
Fix 4. Replace the cable	...on the back of the computer, as the front panel USB ports may be malfunctioning.Full steps
Fix 5. Remove viruses	Open your antivirus scanning tool, such as AVG, and select the "Scan" option to initiate a full system scan. This will allow your antivirus software to thoroughly search for and detect any potential malware or viruses on your device.Full steps

My External Hard Drive Is Slow to Respond

Here's a brief summary: If your Seagate 1TB USB 3.0 external hard drive is slow on Windows 10, try updating the drivers, checking for disk errors, and running a disk cleanup and disk defragmentation. You can also try formatting the drive, checking for malware, and ensuring the drive is properly connected to the USB port. If none of these solutions work, consider contacting Seagate support for further assistance.

Your external hard drive is taking a long time to load and is slow to respond when copying files, likely due to compatibility issues or outdated drivers on Windows 11/10. To fix the slow speed, try updating the external hard drive's drivers, checking for firmware updates, and ensuring it's properly connected and recognized by the system. You can also try formatting the drive or using a different USB port to rule out any hardware issues. If the problem persists, consider seeking further assistance from the manufacturer's support team.

If your external hard drive, USB, or SD card is experiencing slow response or transfer rates, there are cost-effective methods to fix the issue. Buying a new and bigger external hard drive may not be the best solution, and instead, you can try other methods to resolve the problem.

Also read: How to fix hard drive slow suddenly

Fix 1. Defragment External Hard Drive to Optimize the Performance

To improve your computer's and external hard drive's performance, run disk defragmentation to rearrange fragmented data and make your disks and drives work more efficiently. This process can help your computer and external hard drive run faster and smoother.

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to your Windows 11/10 computer.

Step 2. To access the properties of your external hard disk, open "This PC", right-click on your external hard disk, and select "Properties" from the context menu.

Step 3. To optimize your drive, select "Tools > Optimize" from the Disk Management window, then choose the drive you want to optimize and it will be automatically optimized.

defragment slow external hard drive

Fix 2. Clean Up Large Files on the Slow External Hard Drive

Heavy loads on the disk can cause it to slow down, even if it's not an external disk. This can happen when multiple tasks are performed simultaneously, such as downloading files, watching a movie, and scanning for viruses, all on the same disk. To speed up a slow external hard disk, cleaning up unnecessary large files or stopping some programs can help.

Qiling, a professional disk cleanup software, can help resolve issues such as slow speed, low transfer rate, or slow response times on external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, and other devices. By simply downloading and installing the software on your PC, you can follow the guidelines to speed up your slow-to-respond external hard drive with just a few clicks.

Step 1. To get started, download and install Qiling Partition Master Suite for free, then launch it on your Windows PC.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

To install and launch Qiling CleanGenius, hover your mouse on the "PC Cleaner" option on the suite, click the Download icon to initiate the installation process, and then launch the Qiling CleanGenius software once it's installed.

Step 2. To clean up your computer with Qiling CleanGenius, start by selecting the "Cleanup" option on the main screen, then click "Scan" to initiate the scanning process.

Step 3. When the scanning process is finished, select the large files you don't need and click "Clean" to delete them.

Step 4. After Qiling CleanGenius has finished cleaning the selected files, click the "Done" button to conclude the cleaning process.

Fix 3. Check and Repair Corrupted Files that Slows Down the Disk

Corrupted system files or bad sectors on storage devices can slow down device transfer rates. To address this, you can use Qiling's free partition tool to quickly check and repair file system errors. This tool can easily check and fix external hard drive errors, and it has additional features.

Increase C drive space with ease
Merge partitions to enlarge partition space
Create, format, or delete a partition
Perform MBR/GPT conversion without data loss

Steps to check and repair file system errors:

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Fix 4. Check and Replace the Cable to Fix Slow External Hard Disk

Sometimes, the USB cable or power lead can cause an external hard drive to respond poorly. This can be resolved by examining the USB cable and power lead when connecting the drive to a PC.

Step 1. Try connecting your disk to the back panel USB ports instead of the front panel USB port.

Step 2. Use a USB 3.0 port instead of a USB 2.0 port, as using a USB 3.0 device in a USB 2.0 port often doesn't work. Try using it in a compatible port and see if it works then.

Fix 5. Check and Remove Viruses from Your PC or External HDD

Viruses and malware can also cause a hard drive to respond slowly, as they can consume system resources and slow down the disk's performance.

Step 1. Open your antivirus scanning tool (e.g., AVG).

Step 2. To remove a virus, select the "Scan" option to find the virus. If there isn't a specific option, select the partition where the virus is located and let the tool scan it. Note that the process may differ depending on the security suite being used.

remove virus from slow external hard drive

After the scan, your antivirus tools can help you deal with the identified viruses.

Conclusion

If your external hard drive is running slowly, you can try one of several solutions to improve performance. If these don't work, you can try formatting the drive to NTFS, which will wipe all data and optimize the drive's performance - just be sure to back up any valuable data first.