I/O device error for external and flash HDs

I was having the exact same i/o device error problem with my 1TB iomega external hard drive.
This is no joke but i fixed the problem by picking the hard drive up and shaking it and turning it on upside down..... it seems to be working just fine now, seriously! Give it a try

hello there... well am getting the same error as above mentioned not able to fix it. gimme any suggestion except to throw my memory stick away n asking me to send the card to u wud appreciate any help thank you

I was having the same problem with a new SD 4Gb memory card. After using the cmd prompt suggestion, still having problems. I was trying to use a small portable card reader (like a flashdrive). With a little more detective work I noticed that the newer, higher capacity memory cards are actually in a SDHD format. Very similar, but not recognized by my reader. Easy fix: use a reader which includes the new SDHD format. Good Luck!!!

Hi.

I am having the same I/O device error with my 250GB Seagate portable HD.
Here are what I have tried so far:
1) Did a virus scan only to find the device virus-free.
2) Plugged in to 2 computers (on different occassions) but experienced the same error.
2) Tried to fix the issue using the Device Manager method found on this website: "How to fix I/O Device Errors Step-by-Step" on Squidoo. Am not sure if I selected the correct device but the I/O device error still persisted.
3) Tried the cmd method but the chkdsk was aborted for some reason(Please refer to PrintScreen attached).
4) Can't find the Registry Cleaner on both of my computers - Window XP & Windows Vista.

Any advices would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I have a seagate 500gb external.. also tried the chkdsk method but its telling me that its a RAW drive and it cannot be accesed, what does tha mean..?
Any help would be awsim!

I joined this community just to thank IcaseI. I did exactly as he mentioned..and it worked.
I've a 250GB WD external drive. It wasn't reading. It was making those clicking sounds right after being plugged in. I disconnected connected it a 50 times at least. I checked on many forums.All suggested a checkup at some computer center. I had some 100gb of data..and all work. I was thinking how much would i spend..would i get the data back.blah. And then i came across this forum..and IcaseI's post.
And it works!
Yay!
THank you!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, I may have a silly solution - I am no techie so apologies if this does not work for you.

I had an I/O error too with my usb key. I couldn't reformat the key, open it, view files etc.

I tried all the solutions above incl chkdsk etc but that failed too.

Then by chance as a last measure of desperation, I tried the USB key on my girlfriend's computer (Vista, like mine) and the key worked immediately and perfectly!!

I then put the USB key back in my PC, and it started to work (and continues to work) perfectly!!
The USB key in question ia a SANDISK Cruzer Sync 8GB Titanium.

Hope this works for you.

Regards,
Tony

Same thing happened to me with a 7 in 1 card reader usb 2.0..

It would only make sense to me the following.

It works with my 2gb card and my 1 gb card. but not with my 8 gb card.. I can only guess this is because the card that does not work is a category 6.. And the reader is only compatible with the older slower cards. Or 8gb is too large.. TO me obsolete is the tell tale signs.. I would simply rather buy another cheap usb stick or something.

mix and match to trouble shoot before you go wasting your time, blaming yourself and your whole computer.. You could save more than time.

That method works! i ran chkdsk and it scanned my disk and now it works fine thanks ICaseI

What is an I-O Device Error?
The I/O device error means when your computer is not properly responding while reading the data while installing a program or even when you are copying data from CD to DVD drive. This error is more likely to happen when you are trying to transfer the data which your CD cannot use or don't recognize.

Some steps to solve the I/O device error:

o You should check for defective Disc in your computer:
You will generally get this message if your CD disc is dirty. You should take out the disc from the CD drive and check for any fingerprints or dust accumulated on the drive. Clean with soft cloth or wipe both the inner and outer sides. Try again after cleaning the disc.

o You should now check for defective drive in your computer:
This problem is seen sometimes when there is a problem with the drive. As it is not able to read the disc. For testing your drive you can take some CD's, which are working and if you get the same message of error then your CD drives needs to be repaired or cleaned. You can try to run the CD on anothercomputer if it runs their then there is problem with the drive.

o You may be trying incorrect transfer mode:
It may not be able to read the CD because of incorrect transfer method .You may need to alter some IDE properties.

o You should always check for loose cables in your computer:
First you should turn off your computer and check for wiring and connections of hard disk and the CD. Try to remove and reconnect them and try to copy the files again.

o Always keep updated CD drivers:
You should always keep updating the CD drivers, if CD drivers are old then the operating system won't be able to read it. For updating your CD drivers you can go to it websites and download the latest CD drivers.

Iam havin the same I/O device problem with my 500gb seagate expansion drive..iv gone thru the methods IcaseI preferd but evrything failed ..the disk is under warranty but iv purchased this from Dubai nw i leav in india and i cant get the replacement from here because i purchased that from Dubai..so the only solution is to repair..smbdy please help how to repair this drive..how to resolve this I/O device error .The drive can acess files when i pluged into my PlayStation2 [through SMS].help please any solutions..

ICaseI... I think i actually love you! You saved my 1TB external HD!!! At first it gave me an error saying it couldn't access it like many people here but then i unplugged waited for a while and then miraculously on some attempts it recognised the drive long enough for me to start the check and after that it seems to be working fine =]

is there anyway to do a chkdsk on a raw drive?

IcaseI thank you...thank you...thank you...this scan disk worked perfectly!!! I still don't believe it. I've had this external drive that has been a paperweight for 3 months just about ready to trash it and I came upon your forum entry. I totally did not think it would work, boy was I wrong. This is why forums and people submitting thier own experiences are sooooo important!! Thanks again,Kevin

P.S. someone asked what the "f" was for it's for "fix"