USB trouble with external hard disk

[gene heskett]

On 2/23/25 04:59, Liam Proven wrote:
> On 22/02/2025 08:21, Volker Wysk wrote:
>>
>> Why can one faulty USB device cause the entire USB subsystem to freeze?
>
> When something goes wrong, all bets are off. Unexpected behaviour can 
> stop anything.
>
>
>> And,
>> is there a way to test the integrity of that harddisk?
>
> SMART tests as step 1.
>
> Also, try the disk in a different enclosure, or the enclosure with a 
> different disk.
Or if the cable is magenta colored, not red, but magenta and over 2 
years old, try another, differently colored cable.  test by tailing the 
log and touching the cable to flex it around bit. If the log explodes, 
change the cable. Some chemical interaction in that magenta plastic dye 
has turned the copper wire into a reddish dust that is a very poor 
conductor. You can cut it in two, tap the ends on a sheet of white paper 
and shake the dust out of the tubes that used to have wire in them.
>
>
Cheers, Gene Heskett, CET.
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