Windows 10: Error code 38 problem for my external disk drives.

Hello,I have two external disks and I have a new code 38 error everytime I unplug them or my computer goes to sleep. I have tried to reinstall the drivers, but the problem persists. This problem did not exist before the last Windows update.The drive is not recognized and I have to restart my computer reboot before I can use my external hard drives again. This problem occurs with all my USB storage devices.I have an Asus VivoBook with an 8th generation Intel i5 processor. I am running Windows 10 HOME.Thank you.

:)

 

External Hard Drive configuration

So method one was correct step wise (from what I can tell) But it won't let me delete a partition even though the drive is unallocated.

 

External Hard Drive configuration

Hello,

Thank you for posting your concern here in Microsoft Community and welcome to the Windows 10 Family.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I would like to help you further from here.

From the description of the issue, I understand that the External hard Drive is undetected in your computer.

Please follow the below suggested methods and see if it helps.

Method 1: Check the Drive Partition in Disk Management

• Right click on "My Computer" and select "Manage" from the menu.
• From the "Computer Management" window select "Disk Management" from the menu on the left.
• In "Disk Management" check to see if the drive is visible. If the drive is found, look at the partition for the drive. New drives will be labeled as FAT32 and have a drive letter assigned.
• If the drive does not display as "Healthy," or shows the file format as "RAW," then the partition has become corrupt. It could also be corrupt if the bar above the drive is black and shows as "Unallocated."
• To make the drive usable again after a partition has become corrupt or lost start by right clicking on the drive in "Disk Management" and select "Delete partition" from the menu. Then right click on the drive again and select "create partition" from the
  menu. Follow the steps in the partition wizard to create a Primary partition.
• After the new primary partition has been created "Disk Management" will display the drive with an NTFS partition.
  

Method 2: Check the drive status in Device Manager

• Right click on "My Computer" and select "Manage."
• From the "Computer Management" window select "Device Manager" from the list on the left.
• From the device list, expand the "Disk Drives" category by clicking on the [+] symbol found to the left. If the drive is detected by the system, there will be an entry for your external drive.
• If it is not listed under "Disk Drives," expand the "Other Devices" category and see if there is an entry for an "Unknown Device."
• Right click the "Unknown Device" and select "Properties."
• Under the "General" tab, it will typically display "This device is not working properly" followed by either Code 10 or Code 28.
• Code 10 would suggest a potential power supply issue (typically 3.5-inch desktop external drives). If a second external drive with an equivalent power supply is available, try connecting the power supply to the drive.
• If a different power supply is not available, verify the problem by connecting to a different USB port or by connecting to a second PC.
• If the same error code is still displayed, create an RMA and return the drive under Warranty.
• Code 28 would suggest a driver error.
• Expand the "Disk Drive" category in "Device Manager" right click on the drive and select "Uninstall."
• Disconnect the external drive, reboot the computer and reconnect the drive when the computer has finished restarting.
• If same error is displayed, try connecting it to a second PC to verify the issue.
• If the drive fails on the second PC with the same error, create an RMA and return the drive under Warranty.

Hope the above information was helpful. If you need further assistance, please do let us know and we would be happy to help you further.

Thank You.

 

USB Devices not work - code 38

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that you are receiving an error Code 38 for USB mass storage device. I’ll certainly help you with the issue.



The error code 38 states that Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the device driver is still in memory. It is caused because the driver could not be loaded because a previous instance is still loaded.
For more information, see
Error codes in Device Manager in Windows.



I would suggest you to refer the troubleshooting steps mentioned below:



Method 1: Reboot your computer



The simplest way would be to reboot your computer and check if that helps.



Method 2: Rollback the driver



If the issue persists, I would suggest you to try rollback the driver and check. Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press and hold the Windows key + X, and select
   Device manager.
   
2. In Device manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
   
3. Right click on USB Mass Storage device and select
   Properties.
   
4. Navigate to the Driver tab and click on
   Roll Back Driver.
   
5. Restart the computer.
   

Method 3: Reinstalling the driver



If the issue persists, I would suggest you to try reinstalling the driver and check. Refer the steps mentioned below:

1. Press and hold the Windows key + X, and select
   Device manager.
   
2. In Device manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
   
3. Right click on the USB Mass Storage
   device and click on Uninstall.
   
4. Uncheck the box Delete the driver software for this device
   and click on OK.
   
5. Restart the computer.
   

Let us know how it goes.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator