Laptop freezing when being turned on with my external HDD connected


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Lately, my MSI Katana 15 B12VGK freezes when turning it on with my external HDD connected (it has a black screen and when I disconnect the drive, it procedes). Odd.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Sounds perfectly normal to me. Your laptop is trying to find the Boot Sector on the external drive. Only connect it AFTER Windows had completely booted up.

Cheers Mate,
TM :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

Never happens to me, I keep an external disk permanently connected. In the UEFI setup boot sequence, check that the first entry is Windows Boot Manager.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
I've not had the problem with USB drives attached but it they had ever been used in a computer I make sure to wipe them clean so there's no pointers to any boot process they may have previously had on them.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe M.2
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
TechnoMage2021 said:
Sounds perfectly normal to me. Your laptop is trying to find the Boot Sector on the external drive. Only connect it AFTER Windows had completely booted up.

Cheers Mate,
TM :cool:
Click to expand...

Then why wasn't this happening before? It doesn't have a boot sector.

Anibor_11 said:
Never happens to me, I keep an external disk permanently connected. In the UEFI setup boot sequence, check that the first entry is Windows Boot Manager.
Click to expand...

It's not but it was working this way, previously.

Berton said:
I've not had the problem with USB drives attached but it they had ever been used in a computer I make sure to wipe them clean so there's no pointers to any boot process they may have previously had on them.
Click to expand...

Even if the USB drives don't any boot sector (like my external HDD)?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Anibor_11 said:
Never happens to me, I keep an external disk permanently connected. In the UEFI setup boot sequence, check that the first entry is Windows Boot Manager.
Click to expand...

I set it as that and I still have this problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
That would indicate that the External USB HDD is starting to fail.
If you can start the computer and get the drive recognized, download Crystal Disk Info from my signature.
If it says the drive is anything less then Good, it needs to be replaced.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 77000 3.60
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GEForce RTX 2060 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two 27" Dell 4K monitors
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    M.2 NVME SSD, 500 GB; Two 2TB Mechanical HDD's
    PSU
    850w PSU
    Case
    Cyberpower PC
    Cooling
    Water cooled
    Keyboard
    Backlit Cyberpower gamiong keyboard
    Mouse
    Backlit Cyberpower gaming mouse
    Internet Speed
    1 GB mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
I tried the external HDD on another USB port and I didn't have this issue and tried other USB drives on the USB port where I'm having problems with the external HDD and I didn't too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Spunk said:
That would indicate that the External USB HDD is starting to fail.
If you can start the computer and get the drive recognized, download Crystal Disk Info from my signature.
If it says the drive is anything less then Good, it needs to be replaced.
Click to expand...

Read what I posted meanwhile.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Did you try Crystal Disk Info or DiskGenius to view the SMART Info?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 77000 3.60
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GEForce RTX 2060 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two 27" Dell 4K monitors
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    M.2 NVME SSD, 500 GB; Two 2TB Mechanical HDD's
    PSU
    850w PSU
    Case
    Cyberpower PC
    Cooling
    Water cooled
    Keyboard
    Backlit Cyberpower gamiong keyboard
    Mouse
    Backlit Cyberpower gaming mouse
    Internet Speed
    1 GB mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Spunk said:
Did you try Crystal Disk Info or DiskGenius to view the SMART Info?
Click to expand...

I just tried Crystal Disk Info. It says it's good but now I'm worried about the internal SSD which says it's good 89% when I bought this laptop in April, 2023. Also, why doesn't it show a percentage for the external HDD unlike with the internal HDD and does "good" mean it won't have issues in the short-them?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Percentage is used for SSD drives only, not HDD's. This is a list of the SMART data for your drive
89% means that 11% of the SSD write area has been exhausted. As you may or may not know that SSD's have a limited amount of writes to the drive.
Depending how old this drive is and how much you are writing to the disk, it has a LOT of life left in it. Just keep an eye on it. Probably several years.

As for your external, you now know that that USB port has an issue with the drive and to not use it with this drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 77000 3.60
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GEForce RTX 2060 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two 27" Dell 4K monitors
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    M.2 NVME SSD, 500 GB; Two 2TB Mechanical HDD's
    PSU
    850w PSU
    Case
    Cyberpower PC
    Cooling
    Water cooled
    Keyboard
    Backlit Cyberpower gamiong keyboard
    Mouse
    Backlit Cyberpower gaming mouse
    Internet Speed
    1 GB mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Spunk said:
Percentage is used for SSD drives only, not HDD's. This is a list of the SMART data for your drive
89% means that 11% of the SSD write area has been exhausted. As you may or may not know that SSD's have a limited amount of writes to the drive.
Depending how old this drive is and how much you are writing to the disk, it has a LOT of life left in it. Just keep an eye on it. Probably several years.

As for your external, you now know that that USB port has an issue with the drive and to not use it with this drive.
Click to expand...

The SSD came with the laptop.

Then why doesn't it have with other USB drives?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
The SSD drive is not a USB drive. Only the internal OS SSD drive will have a percentage
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 77000 3.60
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z390 UD
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GEForce RTX 2060 Super
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two 27" Dell 4K monitors
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    M.2 NVME SSD, 500 GB; Two 2TB Mechanical HDD's
    PSU
    850w PSU
    Case
    Cyberpower PC
    Cooling
    Water cooled
    Keyboard
    Backlit Cyberpower gamiong keyboard
    Mouse
    Backlit Cyberpower gaming mouse
    Internet Speed
    1 GB mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Spunk said:
The SSD drive is not a USB drive. Only the internal OS SSD drive will have a percentage
Click to expand...

And what about this percentage? Is it bad?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
I just tried the external HDD with another USB cable and I still have this issue. Also, this problems happens when turning on the PC, not when restarting it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Sometimes when windows tries accessing a disk and the disk does not respond, or lags on responding, it can cause weird things to happen such as freezing. It isn't super common, but typically its only explorer freezing and not the entire system. Some drivers/antivirus can also cause conflicts.

You can try connecting the drive to another machine and formatting it. And then using disk check on it to check for bad sectors if its a hard disk external. If it is an ssd, then perhaps some of the memory cells are failing. Look at the smart health with something like crystal disk info.

Some manufacturers also have a tool to check health of the drive. Look up the external drive support info to see if they have a health tool.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5700 X3D
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4 3600mhz Gskill Ripjaws V
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 4070 Super , 12GB VRAM Asus EVO Overclock
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0) 2560 x 1440 @ 170hz HDR
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung nvme ssd
    2TB XPG nvme ssd
    PSU
    CORSAIR RMx SHIFT Series™ RM750x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
    Case
    CORSAIR 3500X ARGB Mid-Tower ATX PC Case – Black
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240 CPU Water Cooler
    Internet Speed
    900mbps DOWN, 100mbps UP
  • Operating System
    Chrome OS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Chromebook
    CPU
    Intel Pentium Quad Core
    Memory
    4GB LPDDR4
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14 Inch HD SVA anti glare micro edge display
    Hard Drives
    64 GB emmc
andrew129260 said:
Sometimes when windows tries accessing a disk and the disk does not respond, or lags on responding, it can cause weird things to happen such as freezing. It isn't super common, but typically its only explorer freezing and not the entire system. Some drivers/antivirus can also cause conflicts.

You can try connecting the drive to another machine and formatting it. And then using disk check on it to check for bad sectors if its a hard disk external. If it is an ssd, then perhaps some of the memory cells are failing. Look at the smart health with something like crystal disk info.

Some manufacturers also have a tool to check health of the drive. Look up the external drive support info to see if they have a health tool.
Click to expand...

I already formatted it and Crystal Disk Info says it's good.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
Windows 11 User said:
I already formatted it and Crystal Disk Info says it's good.
Click to expand...
has disk check found any errors? Does connecting it to another machine cause it to freeze in the same way?

Do you have an updated bios?

Since this is only happening when you start the computer, I just wouldn't bother having it plugged in then to avoid the issue.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5700 X3D
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4 3600mhz Gskill Ripjaws V
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 4070 Super , 12GB VRAM Asus EVO Overclock
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0) 2560 x 1440 @ 170hz HDR
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung nvme ssd
    2TB XPG nvme ssd
    PSU
    CORSAIR RMx SHIFT Series™ RM750x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
    Case
    CORSAIR 3500X ARGB Mid-Tower ATX PC Case – Black
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240 CPU Water Cooler
    Internet Speed
    900mbps DOWN, 100mbps UP
  • Operating System
    Chrome OS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Chromebook
    CPU
    Intel Pentium Quad Core
    Memory
    4GB LPDDR4
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14 Inch HD SVA anti glare micro edge display
    Hard Drives
    64 GB emmc
andrew129260 said:
has disk check found any errors? Does connecting it to another machine cause it to freeze in the same way?

Do you have an updated bios?

Since this is only happening when you start the computer, I just wouldn't bother having it plugged in then to avoid the issue.
Click to expand...

No, but I didn't check if it had bad sectors. Don't know, I've yet to try it.

Yes, I do.

That's what I decided, though I sometimes forget it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Katana 15 B12VGK
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12650H
    Memory
    16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR5-4800MHz SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate 16:9 IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    SSD 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4
    PSU
    240 W Power Supply
    Case
    Core Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Boost 5
    Keyboard
    Backlit keyboard with numeric keypad and PT-PT layout
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
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