I/O Device Error Windows 10 occurs to internal and external hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives at the time of copying or reading data on the Operating System. The error comes with a message saying ‘The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.’ There can be a lot of reasons behind the appearance of the error to your Windows 10 device. And at the same time, there are many fixes of the error. And if you are already getting such an irritating error message we can help you to get out of the situation within moments. So, read the article carefully and resolve the error code smoothly.
Causes Behind the I/O Device Error Windows 10:
There are many possible reasons that can play a vital role behind the I/O device error on Windows 10. And here in this part of the article, we are presenting some of them:
- Because of some faulty or loose connection, these kinds of error can occur on your device. As your computer cannot recognize the connected device normally and reports IO error, if the storage device is not properly connected, or the USB port, USB adaptor, USB cable, or the card reader is broken or damaged then.
- Due to corrupt or incompatible hardware drivers, you might face such an error. As the Operating System may have a problem in detecting the device and lead to a device error because of some outdated, damaged, corrupted, or incompatible drivers of the storage device.
- If the Windows use an incompatible transfer mode, then it is quite normal to get such an error.
- A virus attack can also be the cause behind the error.
- Along with the above reasons a damaged storage device is also responsible for the occurence of the error code in your device. As this kind of unexpected device errors can occur due to some bad sectors or physical damages in the storage device.
- Due to damaged or excessively dirty removable media like memory care, CD or DVD this kind of error can occur to your device.
- You can also get the I/O device issue because of a wrong drive letter.
Therefore, the reasons behind the occurence of the error vary from user to user. That is why the fixes also vary according to the exact situation you are in.
Easy Processes of i/o Device Error Windows 10 Fix:
Let’s try to fix the error with the help of the upcoming methods. Perform the following steps one by one and check what can exactly help you to get rid of this error without wasting your valuable time.
We will describe these processes in details to help you to repair the error on an external hard drive without any hassle. Follow the upcoming methods and check what is going to help you:
Method 1: Check Hardware Connections:
You should make sure that the hardware is connected correctly before trying any other solutions as loose hardware or faulty data communication cable plays a vital role behind the occurence of the error. In this case, you have to check the cable that is connecting the PC and the device thoroughly if it is working properly or not. The external disk won’t be able to work properly if the cable refuses to work properly. Either you can try to connect the disk to a different USB port or you can even replace the current cable with a fresh and new one.
And when it comes to the other removable devices like SD card and USB flash drive and SD you should try to fix the error by inserting it to the USB port of the back of computer case. If you find that the error is still there, then you can try to connect the device to a different computer.
And to check the local hard drives, you have to open your computer case and then check the SATA/IDE cables, if they are properly in their slots. And remember that, try this process only if you are an advanced user. One mistake can damage a lot on your computer as there are too many internal items.
Method 2: Start Computer in Clean Boot State
With the help of this method, you will be able to know if the error is occuring to your device because of application conflict or due to a driver. In this method, we will tell you how to start the computer in clean boot state. The steps are stated below:
- First of all, to start the task you have to log in Windows as an Administrator. To do so, you have to invoke the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.
- And in the box type, ‘msconfig’ and then press Enter. This action will open the ‘System Configuration’ window.
- After that, on System Configuration window you need to click ‘General’. Then uncheck the box ‘Load startup’ items after choosing ‘Selective startup’.
- Now, you have to choose the option ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ after clicking the Service tab. And then, hit the ‘Disable all button’ option. Once you are done hit the OK button.
- And then, close all programs after saving any open files. Once you are done with that, reboot your computer. But this time the computer device will restart into a clean boot. After the completion of the reboot process, check if the error still persists by trying to access the drive or disk.
- If you see that, the error is resolved then, follow the above steps and enable the services one by one and find out the problematic program and fix the issue by uninstalling the application. After resolving the error don’t forget to change the setting to the original state.
Method 3: Change transfer mode in IDE channel properties
If the transfer mode for the drive is changed or incorrect, then the Operating System cannot transfer data between computer and device. In this case, to resolve the problem you have to change the transfer mode for the drive via. And to do that, you have to follow the next steps one by one accurately:
- To start the process, you have to navigate the Device Manager and then Right-click ‘This PC’ icon from Desktop. And there, from the displayed menu, select ‘Manage’. And from the Computer Management window, you need to select Device Manager.
- After that, you have to expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controller after locating it. And then, you will be able to see a list of many channels. Here, you have to Right-click the channel creating the I/O device error on your Windows 10 Operating System, and choose ‘Propertiesoption’. If you fail to identify the problematic IDE channel then you can choose the one labeled ‘Secondary IDE Channel’.
- And now you have to choose PIO only in the transfer mode box for the device that you will find on the Advanced Settings.
And then, you have to reboot the computer. After restarting the computer, check if the issue has resolved or not.
Method 4: Fix the Error Using Disk Management
Follow the upcoming steps one by one accurately and try to resolve the error with ease:
- First of all, in this method, you have to connect the uninitialized external hard drive, HDD or other storage devices to the device you are using.
- And then, you have to invoke the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously and then, in the Run box type in the command ‘diskmgmt.msc’ and press the Enter key.
You can even right-click ‘This PC’ and then choose the ‘Manage to open the Disk Management’ tool.
- After that from the appeared list, you have to find and locate the uninitialized, unknown external hard drive with I/O device error. And then to continue the process right-click on it and then choose Initialize Disk.
- Finally, you have to set disk as MBR or GPT and set the disk to initialize.
Now, restart your system and let the action work properly to keep all the changes. After finishing the task check if the Windows 10 is recognizing your external hard drive again or not.
Method 5: Fix I/O Device Error by Running CMD
The act of running the CMD command can erase all the data from the uninitialized hard drive.
- First of all, navigate the run box by pressing Windows + R keys together and then in the Run dialog box type in ‘diskpart’ and then press the Enter key,
- And then type ‘list disk’ and press Enter,
- Now enter the command ‘select disk F’ before hitting the Enter key, (You need to replace F with the drive letter of an uninitialized external hard drive.)
- Next, write the command ‘clean and hit’ and then hit Enter,
- After that, type the command ‘convert gpt’ or ‘convert mbr’ and hit Enter,
- Now, enter the command ‘create partition primary’ and press Enter,
- And then you have to type the command in ‘format quick fs=ntfs’ and then hit Enter,
- Next, you should write the command ‘assign’ in the box and then and hit Enter,
- Once you are done with writing all the above commands and hitting Enter type the command ‘exit’ and finish the process by hitting Enter.
Hope you have resolved the I/O device error Windows 10 with the help of the above-mentioned steps. Feel free to comment on our article by expressing your views on the comments’ section. If you want to get more such effective articles, then stay connected to our websites.
