It sounds like you are encountering some issues while transferring files from your PNY thumb drive to a WD external hard drive. There could be several reasons for this, including issues with the drives themselves, USB ports, or even the file system. Here are a few steps you might consider to troubleshoot the problem:
1. Check Your Drives : Make sure that both your thumb drive and external hard drive are functioning correctly. You can do this by trying to copy files to and from them using a different computer, or by copying different files on the same computer. If one drive is consistently problematic, it might be defective or damaged.
2. Change USB Ports: Sometimes, the problem might be with the USB port you are using. Try using a different USB port on your computer. If you are using a USB hub, try plugging the drive directly into the computer instead.
3. Check for Drive Errors: Use the built-in Windows utility to check both drives for errors. You can do this by opening File Explorer, right-clicking on the drive, selecting Properties, then the Tools tab, and clicking the Check button in the Error checking section.
4. Update Device Drivers: Make sure the drivers for your USB ports and external drives are up to date. You can update drivers through the Device Manager in Windows. Simply search for "Device Manager" in the start menu, expand the Disk drives section, right-click on your drives, and select "Update driver."
5. Use a Different File System: If you are trying to transfer a single file that is larger than 4 GB and your thumb drive is formatted with the FAT32 file system, the transfer will fail because FAT32 has a 4 GB file size limit. You would need to format the drive with a different file system, such as NTFS or exFAT, but remember formatting will erase all data on the drive.
6. Try a Different Copy Method: If you are using drag-and-drop to transfer the files, try using the copy-paste commands instead, or use a different file transfer utility.
Remember to back up all important data before proceeding with these steps, as some actions (like formatting a drive) can erase your data.
