The Parameter Is Incorrect on External Hard Drive [6+ Tips]

Do you get the 'The parameter is incorrect' error message and cannot access your external hard drive, USB drive, or SD memory card? Here are four methods for you to fix the issue in Windows 10/8/7. If data loss happens in your external hard drive, use EaseUS hard drive recovery software to restore files.

Do not panic if the "Drive Is Not Accessible. The Parameter Is Incorrect" error occurs on your device. In this guide, you will learn:

What Is "The Parameter Is Incorrect" Error

'The parameter is incorrect' is an error that usually occurs in Windows 10/8/7 and prevents you from opening the device and accessing your data. It usually attacks an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD memory card with the message: Location is not available. D:\ is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect. 

Causes of this error:

Reasons	Description
💾Driver issues	The driver handles the communication between the hardware connected to the computer and the Windows system. If your driver is outdated, corrupted, or missing, it can cause a "parameter is incorrect" problem.
📁File system corruption	The file system manages data saved on the hard drive. If it has been corrupted, you can't access the drive with the location is not available, and the parameter is incorrect error.
📃Windows system files damage	A corrupted Windows system file may cause a breakdown in communication between the computer and the drive, resulting in this problem.
❌Bad sector	When a bad sector appears, it prevents you from accessing and reading the data contained in that sector.
😈Virus infection	Viruses can damage your disk's file system, system files, and hard driver. The parameter is incorrect error can occur if you are attacked by a specific virus.
🔅Power failure	A sudden power failure can damage your Windows system as well as your disk's file system, leaving you unable to access data properly.

Go through the following sections, and you'll get full data out of the inaccessible device. You'll also successfully remove the error from your hard drive, external hard drive, USB, SD, etc.

First Thing to Do: Recover Data from Hard Drives with "Parameter Is Incorrect" Error 

Note that some fixes for the "The parameter is incorrect" error may cause data loss on your storage devices, like hard drive formatting or running the CHKDSK tool. To protect your data, you should first recover your files from your hard drive or external storage devices with professional data recovery software.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can access everything on your problematic hard drive and get data off. Its advanced scan feature will thoroughly scan and restore all files on the HDD, SSD, external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, and more.

This data recovery software enables you to retrieve deleted files from emptied Recyle Bin, formatted or corrupted hard drive, lost partition, RAW drive, ete. Free download it and follow the guides below to recover data from an inaccessible hard drive. 

Video Tutorial:

Step-by-Step Guide:

Step 1. Use a correct USB cable to connect your external hard drive to your computer. Run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and you will see your external disk under External drives. This software supports all the popular external disk brands, including WD, Seagate, Toshiba, LaCie, SanDisk, Samsung, etc. 

Select the external hard drive and then click the "Scan" button. 

Step 2. As soon as the scan process starts, the software will find more and more lost and deleted data and display the data in the scan results. The recovered data will be nicely organized. You can quickly find the target files/folders by file type or search in the search box with exact file name. 

Step 3. You can preview the files found by EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard's scanning algorithms. Then, select files and click "Recover". To avoid data overwriting, we recommend that you save the recovered data to a different drive than the original Seagate drive.

After retrieving all your data from the external hard drive, USB drive, etc., storage devices, follow Part 2 below to permanently remove the "The parameter is incorrect" error.  If you found EaseUS data recovery software helpful, share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

Fix "The Parameter Is Incorrect" in Windows 10/8/7 [6+ Fixes]

Applies to: Remove the "Parameter is incorrect" error so as to make the drive not accessible and work again.

After restoring your data from your devices, follow the fixes in this part to remove the error and repair USB drives, external hard drives, or memory cards for reuse.

6 Fixes to Get Rid of "The Parameter Is Incorrect" Error:

Methods	Editor's Review	Risk Level
🛠️Turn to Hard Drive Repair Service	It is a handy method if you think fixing this issue by yourself is impossible. It is always the right choice to let the professional fix the issue.	Low
👩‍💻Run SFC to Fix Corrupted File System	You can repair corrupted system files by running SFC scannow command line in Command Prompt. Use CMD carefully if you are not familiar with the command lines.	Medium
⚙️Change Decimal Symbol Settings	The wrong settings may cause this issue, and you can simply change the decimal symbol settings to fix this issue.	Low
💾Format and Reset the File System	You should back up essential files before formatting and resettings the file system, or you will lose important data after the reset.	High
💿Run CHKDSK to Repair Disk Error/Bad Sectors	It is another command line that can help you fix this problem, and we should remind you to use CMD carefully if you are unfamiliar with the command lines.	High
✅Update drivers	Updating or reinstalling drivers can fix the parameter is incorrect issue easily.	Low

The former the fix is listed, the more effective it will be.

Fix 1. Turn to the Best Hard Drive Repair Service

The most effective way to fix the "parameter not correct" error is to ask professional hard drive repair services for help. EaseUS Data Recovery Services provides data recovery and hard drive repair services. It can easily repair corrupted, damaged, dead hard drives, USBs, SSDs, and NAS drives. Contact the experts to fix the "parameter not correct" error.

Fix 2. Run SFC Command to Fix Corrupted System File

The "parameter not correct" error is mostly within the computer system, where the system files are missing or corrupted.

You can use the Windows utility called System File Checker (SFC) to scan the corrupted system files. The tool automatically finds and fixes the files for you.

Step 1. Open Windows Command Prompt in the same way as shown in Fix 2.

Step 2. This time input SFC /scannow in the black window and hit Enter.

Step 3. Exit the Command Prompt when the scanning process completes. 

After this, restart the PC and reconnect your device to see if the problem has been resolved.

Fix 3. Change Decimal Symbol Settings

If the decimal symbol is not set to ".", you may encounter the "device parameter incorrect" issue on the computer. Here are the steps to change the settings and fix this issue:

Step 1. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Region & Language.

Step 2. Click "Additional date, time, & regional settings".

Step 3. Under the Region section, click "Change date, time, or number formats".

Step 4. Click "Additional settings", then in the Decimal symbol, type . (dot), and click "OK" twice. 

After this, restart the PC and try to access your hard drive, external hard drive, USB, etc., on your computer.

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Fix 4. Format Internal/External Hard Drive or USB to Reset the File System 

The most effective way to fix the "The parameter is incorrect" error is to perform high-level formatting, also called quick format in Windows. It will reset the file system of the target device, making it accessible again.

Step 1. Connect the inaccessible disk to your PC

Step 2. Open File Explorer and right-click the inaccessible device and select "Format".

Step 3. Reset the file system - NTFS (for Internal hard drive), FAT32 (for USB, external hard drive less than 32GB).

Step 4. Then click "OK", and the formatting will be done quickly. 

This operation will create a new file system for the volume and repair all the possible errors or corruptions on it.

Fix 5. Run CHKDSK to Repair Disk Errors/Bad Sectors

The CHKDSK command can check and repair file system corruption, errors, corruptions, and bad sectors on the external hard drive or USB disk with the "Drive Is Not Accessible. The Parameter Is Incorrect" error.

Note that the CHKDSK command will erase all data while fixing the device error. So make sure that you recover all data from the problematic device first with reliable data recovery software.

Step 1. Plugin your external hard drive, USB drive, or memory card to your PC.

Step 2. Open Command Prompt.

• In Windows 7: Type in cmd in a search box, hit Enter. Then click "cmd. exe" in the list of programs.
• In Windows 10/8: Type in cmd in the search box, right-click Command Prompt, and select "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Type chkdsk F: /f /x /r and hit Enter.

Replace F with the drive letter of your external hard drive or USB device.

Once complete, exit the Command Prompt and re-connect the storage drive to your computer. See if the error persists.

Fix 6. Update Disk Drivers

The disk drivers handle the communication between the hardware connected to the computer. If your driver is lost, damaged, or outdated, you will notice strange hard drive performance, such as the hard drive does not display. Updating or reinstalling the driver can fix the "parameter is incorrect" issue.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows Start button and select "Device Manager".

Step 2. Find and expand "Disk drives". Select and right-click your internal or external hard drive and click "Update driver".

Step 3. Click "Search automatically for drivers", and the best drivers for your device will be installed. 

Step 4. If no updated drivers are available, you can try to uninstall and reinstall the disk drivers. 

Bonus Tips to Fix The "Parameter Is Incorrect" Error

In addition to the aforementioned fixes, you can try the tips listed below to make your drive usable and accessible:

• Run Antivirus Software 
• Perform a Clean Boot
• Run PC in Safe Mode

How to Protect Drive Against The "Parameter Is Incorrect" Error

After implementing the methods provided in Part 1 and Part 2, you should now be able to access your storage devices and data without any issues.

However, this is not the end yet. It makes sense to learn some useful tips to prevent hard drives, external hard drives, or USB from the "parameter incorrect" issue.

Try the tips given below to protect your data and your device from this error fully:

• #1. Back up important data regularly
• #2. Run antivirus software frequently
• #3. Plug and unplug external devices properly
• #4. Update disk driver timely

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Conclusion

"The parameter is incorrect" usually hints at an unseen problem on a hard drive or a removable storage drive, blocking the data access. In view of the reasons for such an error, you should have a clear understanding now.

To address this issue without losing data, you need to perform data recovery with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard in advance. 

Among all possible fixes, formatting is the most efficient way to remove this error and make the device accessible again. If you directly formatted your hard drive and lost data, use EaseUS data recovery software to recover formatted hard drive as soon as possible.

The Parameter Is Incorrect FAQs

You can read the questions and answers below if you still have problems.

1. What does Parameter error mean?

The Parameter error is a standard error that is most commonly seen when trying to copy, move, or delete a file. This error typically occurs because the file you're trying to modify is currently in use by another program.

2. How do you fix the Parameter is incorrect in Windows 11?

To fix the Parameter is incorrect error:

1. Fix 1. Run FSC
2. Fix 2. Change Decimal Settings
3. Fix 3. Format Device
4. Fix 4. Run CHKDSK

3. How do I fix error 87 Parameter is incorrect?

1. Use the DISM command-line correctly
2. Revert Windows Update and clear Component Store
3. Run SFC /SCANNOW tool
4. Run CHKDSK tool
5. Run System Restore