Fix: The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error

The error “The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error” occurs when the hard drive/SSD on your computer is physically damaged, preventing the operating system from accessing or performing read/write operations on it. This error condition is also seen in removable drives.

This error is very common and in the majority of cases, the hardware is indeed physically damaged, preventing operations. However, there are some fixes you can try before attempting to back up your data and moving it to another hard drive.

What causes the error ‘The request failed due to a fatal device hardware error’?

As mentioned before, the error itself is pretty self-explanatory, indicating that there is either corruption or the hard drive is in a bad state. This error is most commonly caused by:

• The hard drive cable is faulty. If the cable is faulty, data cannot be transferred, prompting the computer to display the error message.
• There are bad sectors on the disk. There can also be corruptions and incorrect mappings.
• If the cable isn’t faulty and the hard drive shows the same error message on all computers, it likely indicates a hardware fault in the hard drive.

Solution 1: Verify hard drive using SMART attributes

Windows has a built-in feature called SMART analysis, which analyzes your hard drive/SSD and checks all parameters by performing minor operations. If the analysis returns results like ‘Bad’, ‘Caution’, or ‘Unknown’, it likely means there is a serious error, and you should back up your data as a first priority. After backing up, try to replace your drive.

1. Press Windows + S, type “command prompt“, right-click on the application, and select Run as administrator.
2. Once in the elevated command prompt, execute the following command:

wmic diskdrive get status

3. If the response is normal, as shown in the picture above, you can proceed with the other solutions.

Solution 2: Run Error checks and ‘chkdsk’ command

If the problem lies with the mapping of the hard drive or some minor error, there is a chance that it can be fixed using the ‘chkdsk’ command or the error-check utility in Windows. These commands scan the entire hard drive, and if they encounter any bad sectors or memory issues, those blocks are marked as ‘no-access’ zones.

1. Press Windows + S, type “command prompt” in the dialogue box, right-click on the application, and select “Run as administrator“.
2. Once in the elevated command prompt, execute the following command:

CHKDSK [volume [[path] filename]] [/F] [/V] [/R] [/X] [/C] [: size]]

Here [/F] will attempt to fix system errors, while [/R] will attempt to fix bad sectors.

3. If you are prompted to run chkdsk after a restart, press Y and reboot your computer.

If chkdsk is unable to locate any errors, press Windows + E, navigate to the access window, right-click on the drive and click Properties. Once in properties, click on the tab Tools and select Check under Error checking. Wait for the process to complete and reboot your computer.

Solution 3: Format your drive/initializing

Since this error also occurs in portable hard drives, you can try formatting the drive to see if this fixes the problem. Also, if your drive is not initialized properly, this error might also appear. Ensure that the hard drive is initialized and the correct partition style is selected.

1. To format the portable hard drive, press Windows + E and navigate to the drive access page. Right-click on the drive and select Format.
2. Uncheck Quick format and format your drive properly. After formatting, unplug the drive, plug it in again and check.

3. If the drive is not initialized, press Windows + R, type “diskmgmt.msc” and press Enter. Right-click on the volume and select Initialize Disk. Select the correct partition type and proceed.

Note: If, after following all the solutions, the error message persists, it is advised to try plugging the hardware into another computer to check if it gets detected. If the error still persists, consider replacing your hard drive.