Problems with external in Vista

[msrosie]

I have a WD external that I have had no problems with until recently. Now, I can't open some .rar and .zip files, I can't right click on folders and I can't make new folders. I am not out of space, there is about 145GB free space. I have run Ad Aware on my computer but I can't get it to scan the external. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Edited to add: I have managed to get an error message a couple time, here is what it says:

An unexpected error is preventing the operation. Make a note of this error code ......

Error 0x8007045D: The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.

I should also add I performed a system restore to before the problems started, to no avail.

[Expertz]

You can try to resolve this issue by following the below method:

1. Start / Run / devmgmt.msc / OK.
2. Expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
3. Double-click the channel where your CD drive is connected, typically the Secondary IDE Channel.
4. Select the Advanced Settings tab.
5. For the Device that represents your CD drive, toggle Transfer Mode to PIO Only and press OK.

(You may also need to select auto detect on the selected drive).

[msrosie]

Expertz, thanks for the suggestion, but to clarify it's not my DVD drive that's affected, it's my external hard drive. Do your instructions still apply? Thanks.

[EINSTEIN_007]

The error message that you have address to your issue is with backing up your computer. So if the below doesn't correct the issue please let me know and if possible include some information with your computer specs.

1. Go to "System Settings" and uncheck the drives so they no longer create shadow copies. (Restore function in Vista)
2. Apply the new settings to erase all existing shadow copies.
3. Then reset by checking th eboxes you unchecked.
4. Now try to backup the whole computer again. Once you delete all shadow copies (restore points) it should work.

It appears a shadow copy error is conflicting with the backup process.