Switch from a front case port to a rear motherboard port on a desktop PC.
Select the files you want to recover and save them to a different storage device, not the WD Elements drive itself. Part 4: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) how to use wd elements external hard drive fixed
Never yank out the USB cable while data is transferring. On Windows, click the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the system tray before unplugging. On Mac, drag the drive icon to the Trash bin to eject it. Switch from a front case port to a
If the troubleshooting steps don't resolve the issue, it's possible that the hard drive is faulty or corrupted. Here are some steps to fix a WD Elements external hard drive: On Windows, click the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon
A common reason for a WD Elements drive not being recognized is a driver loading error. To refresh the drivers, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and selecting it from the menu. Expand the "Disk drives" section and locate your WD Elements drive. If it is present but has a yellow exclamation mark, right-click on the device name and select "Uninstall device." Then, physically disconnect your WD Elements drive from the computer, restart your computer, and reconnect the drive. Windows will automatically reinstall the necessary drivers, which often resolves the issue.