Connect backup, let the drive mount on the desktop.Ģ.

You just erase it and create another backup.ġ. 'it's a backup' of data that already exists (on your primary drive). It doesn't hurt to erase a backup, because, well. What I would do at this point is ERASE the WD drive, and start over with a 'fresh backup'. 'But I am old, it is late, and I am confused!!' Personally this is what I would recommend if you are not technical, and a new HD is not a cost issue.īefore you add the new HD in Time Machine, remove the old disk (WD) in Time Machine first. You are correct you can just replace the hard disk and start a new Time Machine backup. To be honest if the WD HD is more than 3 years old, I would just replace it with a new one. Someone technical can make an assessment of what the HD problem is by running diagnostic tests. While it can also make any bad sector (physical) errors not addressable, it may be a sign that the hard disk is starting to die, and you run the risk that more bad sectors to develop in the future. Reformatting the disk would fix any non physical errors.

The current errors on the disk could be as a result of unplugging the disk while it was still writing data or other software errors, or it could be that the disk is starting to fail.

I would recommend that reformatting a disk is done by someone that understands the process. When you click Eject on the device name, Windows will display a message that the device is Safe To Remove Hardware.Be careful, if you are not sure what you are doing you could inadvertently reformat your internal HD rather than your external backup WD drive. The device name should appear with Eject. When you click on the icon, it should list all the removable devices that are attached to your Windows computer. To eject removable devices from Windows, locate the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon on the taskbar or corner overflow as highlighted below. How to safely remove external drives in Windows 11 Even if you use an optical disc like a CD or DVD, you can use the same steps to eject the disc from your computer. To learn how to properly eject or remove a USB drive from your Windows computer, follow the steps below:Īgain, if you don’t do it properly, you may lose your important data on the disk. Just like there’s a proper way to shut down or reboot your computer, there’s also a proper way to eject an external USB device from your Windows computer. There’s a proper and improper way to get things done in Windows. There’s always a process to get things done in Windows.

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