Windows 10: Windows Feature Update 1903 and Cumulative Update (KB4512508) corrupting external hard drive

I have a WD My Passport 0748 external hard drive that I use for backups. It was working fine before I was forced to install the latest 1903 Feature & Cumulative Update (KB4512508) on my 2017 Surface Pro running Windows 10 Pro. On trying to access the external hard disk after the update it kept spinning and after a long while showed root level directories. Clicking on a root level directory again put it in a very long spin after which it showed the next level directories. Then I got a notification saying my external connected device needs to be updated so I restarted. However that didn't fix the supremely slow drive access problem. I checked Device Manager to see if there were any updated drivers but Windows reported "The best drivers for your device are already installed" and there are no pending Windows or Driver updates in Windows Update. In the event log I saw a couple of "The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk1\DR1." errors. The external disk is so hosed that now I can't even access it on a Windows 7 machine. I'm trying the Windows 10 Optimize Drive feature to see if it will make the disk usable again.

What does this update do the file system of external drives and how can I fix my backup external disk?

:)

 

CANNOT DELETE A CORRUPTED FILE ON MY EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE ON WINDOWS 10

Hi Leenus,

Hard drive and other external memory storage can be corrupted on account of bad sectors which are no longer accessible or writable due to permanent damage. Your device or hard drive could also be infected by some type of malware. These are some of the possible
causes why you are experiencing the error "ERROR 0x80070570: The file or directory is corrupted or unreadable". To address this concern, we suggest performing the following troubleshooting methods:

Method 1

Check and repair disk errors or corrupted file system. This process can fix "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable" error caused by bad sectors, virus infection or file system corruption. To do so, follow these steps:

• Back up all of the files on the hard drive (except for the corrupted file).
• Using Search, type CMD.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and then choose Run as administrator.
• On the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk /f h: (h stands for your hard drive) and then hit the Enter key.
• Delete the corrupted file and check if you'll experience the same error.

Method 2

Format the hard drive. You can manually format the hard drive to permanently remove "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable" error. These are the steps on how to format an external drive:

• Plug the hard drive into your computer.
• Back up all of the files on the hard drive (except for the corrupted file).
• Open File Explorer and then click This PC.
• Click the external hard drive's name, click on Manage tab and then click on Format.
  
• Click Start and then click OK.

Keep us updated with the result.

 

CANNOT DELETE A CORRUPTED FILE ON MY EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE ON WINDOWS 10

I had the very same problem and this worked perfectly!!!

 

External Hard Drive

To address your concern, here are the troubleshooting steps that you can try. Follow the steps below:

Uninstall and reinstall the external hard drive program.

• In the Settings app, go to System.
• Go to Apps & features and locate the external hard drive program.
• Uninstall the program and go to the manufacturer's website to reinstall the updated version.

Uninstall and reinstall the Paragon driver software.

• Following the same steps mentioned above, locate the software in Apps & features
  and uninstall it.
• After uninstalling the software, go to the manufacturer's website to reinstall it.
  

To further isolate your concern, we'd also like to verify if the OneDrive app is enabled on your PC.

You can hit us back for additional help.

Kind regards.