If you are experiencing this error message, then you have probably either used an external hard drive that is corrupt or your USB flash drive is unreadable. In either case, you can find a solution to this issue by trying one of the fixes mentioned below. In addition to the solutions listed below, you can also try resetting the SMC to see if it fixes the problem.
Unreadable USB flash drive
There are a number of ways to fix an unreadable USB flash drive. One of the most common ways is to format it. However, formatting will erase all of the files and data on the drive. This can be problematic if you need to recover photos from a USB data stick. A good option for recovering data after formatting is to use eProvidence’s recovery software.
First, open the Disk Utility application on your Mac. This can be launched from Finder > Applications > Utility. You can click “Show All Devices” to see the details of the USB data source you’re connected to. In this way, you can identify which files are unreadable. If you see any unreadable files or folders, the next step is to format the USB data drive.
If you’re worried that formatting an unreadable USB flash drive will wipe out all the data on it, you can try using a data recovery tool. This program will analyze the unreadable flash drive’s files and recover them from it. Depending on the nature of the data on the device, this data recovery tool might require a more detailed analysis of the drive’s internal components.
If you can’t format your unreadable USB flash drive yourself, you can download a free data recovery program that will do the job. This software will scan your USB drive, identify any files that are inaccessible, and perform various other steps to fix the problem. It will even help you recover deleted files and formatted data that have been lost.
If formatting your USB drive does not help, you can always reformat the drive using Disk Utility. Note that reformatting is not a good idea unless the drive is formatted in a compatible file system for macOS. Make sure that you back up your files before reformatting. Also, make sure that the drivers are updated.
An unreadable USB flash drive can be a problem with the NAND memory chips. When you connect your drive, you may get an error message telling you that the device is faulty. This error message can indicate any number of physical and technical reasons for the drive’s malfunction.
Corrupted external hard drive
If you’ve recently connected an external hard drive to a new computer or port, or have just noticed that the drive has become corrupted, you may want to use some data recovery software to recover your data. While it is possible to restore data from a corrupt external drive, you should be cautious and save all important data to an alternative drive first before attempting to fix the disk.
Corrupted external hard drives can be fixed manually by using a command prompt. If you’re using a Windows operating system, you can use the command prompt to run a number of utilities to repair the drive. Among these programs are CHKDSK (Windows’ in-built utility) and sfc /scannow (Windows’ built-in file repair tool).
Using the chkdsk command will fix a corrupted external hard drive. This command will analyze the hard drive’s sectors and fix data in the affected areas. The /f and /r options help identify bad sectors on the disk. You must follow the directions carefully, or you might end up losing all your data.
NTFS file system cannot be recognized by Mac OS X
NTFS is a file system that was created by Microsoft for Windows, and is not natively supported by Mac OS X. However, you can still read and write to NTFS files, if you have the proper tools and permissions. Luckily, there are several third party NTFS drivers available for the Mac.
NTFS supports disk quotas, so that businesses can control the amount of storage space they allocate for certain files. It also includes file system journaling and a Master File Table (MFT) that logs changes to the files. Although NTFS does not guarantee high performance or high bandwidth, it can be used with other operating systems.
NTFS is a file system that was originally developed for Windows NT version 3.1. Many external drives are formatted in this format by default. However, there are some disadvantages to using this file system. First of all, NTFS is not fully compatible with macOS. This can result in kernel panics and theoretical data loss.
The most common solution to this problem is to install an NTFS driver for your Mac. There are several options available, but the most straightforward is to buy a third party app that allows you to mount an NTFS read-only hard drive on your Mac. EaseUS NTFS for Mac is one such app. It also allows you to transfer files from your Mac to an external hard drive without formatting.
Besides formatting your hard drive, the problem can also occur if your external drive has an NTFS file system. This will prevent your Mac from accessing the data on the drive. You can fix this problem by using a program such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional.
If you encounter an error message, this is an indication that your external hard drive is not properly formatted for Mac OS X. If the problem is not related to the file system, the problem may be caused by other issues, such as a corrupted disk or a read-only disk permission.
Resetting the SMC can fix the problem
If you’ve attached a disk to this computer and then noticed that it’s unreadable, the system management controller (SMC) may need to be reset. The SMC manages power on your Mac. When it’s not working properly, it can reduce battery life. To reset it, restart your Mac with a plugged-in power supply. For Intel-based Macs, you’ll need to follow a different process.
If you’ve tried resetting the SMC, but still have the problem, you may have a hardware problem. This problem typically affects Mac OS or USB ports, but it can also be caused by a virus. Try re-inserting the disk gently or changing USB ports or cables.
