Running (Check Disk) on an external drive is a standard way to fix file system errors, bad sectors, and drive corruption on Windows. How to Run CHKDSK on an External Drive

Type the following command, replacing X with your drive's actual letter: chkdsk X: /f /r /f : Automatically fixes errors it finds in the file system.

Running a repair scan can be stressful for a drive. If your hardware is physically failing, a deep scan might push it over the edge.