Windows 10: External USB HDD windows file system problem

I have a 2TB (=1.81TB) external USB HDD 'My Passport' on my laptop running latest Windows 10

I format it, and it shows 1.81TB free.

I copy over 1.37TB of files in four folders. When the copy finishes, I select all 4 folders, rt-click, properties and it correctly shows 1.37TB of files there.

However, the free space on the drive is now not 1.81-1.37=440GB but only 113GB. I have done a view - show protected operating system files but the only extra file that shows up is system volume information 0 bytes.

Why is the disk only showing 113GB space? I have run Seagate tools against the drive and is shows 'Pass'

Note: I created a new folder on the drive called 'P'. I moved the four folders into P, right-click P - properties and it shows P has a size of 307GB not 1.37TB. Moved the four folders out of P to root again and they show back as 1.37TB

:)

 

external HDD

Hi,

Usually, this problem occur due to software incompatibility or corrupted USB drivers. For us to better assist you, we would like to clarify the following:

• Have you made any recent changes on your computer prior to the issue?
• Which driver did you uninstall? Have you reinstall the driver? If yes, how did you reinstall the driver?
• Have you check if the external HDD is visible in Device Manager?

If the issue still persists after uninstalling some games, we suggest that you run the troubleshooter for hardware and devices. If you're using the latest Windows 10 version, follow these steps on how to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter:

• Click the Start button and select the Settings
  icon.
• Choose Update & Security from the list.
• Click Troubleshoot in the left pane of the window.
• Under Find and fix other problems, select Hardware and Devices and click
  Run the troubleshooter.

We're looking forward to your reply.

 

Boot from external USB HDD

Hello!

Any laptop should be able to Be booted from an external HDD.

You can check this back accessing your BIOS and then checking if the BIOS gives you an option to boot from USB.

If that option is listed, then you're good to go!

 

Quirky behaviour with external HDD

Since you have already checked Device Manager and did not see any errors, we suggest that you manually uninstall the device drivers for your external drives. Doing this will allow the system to install the driver for your external drive automatically and
correct any error. You can follow the steps below to uninstall the device driver:

• Search for Device Manager via Cortana and hit the
  Enter key.
• Go to View, and click Show hidden icons.
• On the Device Manager, check under Universal Serial Bus Controllers (if the drive is connected via USB). The drive should appear as a USB Mass Storage Device.
• Uninstall the USB Mass Storage Device listed in the Device Manager.
• Restart your PC.
• After restarting, allow the default USB Mass Storage Device drivers to be automatically downloaded by windows. Make sure that you are connected to the internet for this process to push through.
• Reinstall all other drivers from the support website of your External drive.

We look forward to your response after completing the steps.