External Hard Drive Crashes Explorer - How Do I Repair It and Back Up My Data Losslessly?

I suspect my WD external hard drive is defective. Whenever I connect it to the laptop and want to open it, regardless of which USB interface (3.0, 3.1) I use, Explorer crashes. However, if I wait a few minutes, it works again and the "No Response" error disappears. Then the hard drive can even be opened, and clicking back and forth between the individual folders is no problem either. However, the same drama happens when I try to open a file such as a photo. The crash then lasts until I simply pull the hard drive off, which also brings Explorer back to life.

When trying to copy files to the computer, Explorer hangs up again.

Strangely, the hard drive is shown as error-free in Disk Management. If, on the other hand, I check them for errors via Properties -> Tools → Check, the 0% of the progress is not exceeded.

Maybe it's a virus I started by clicking on a 16 year old I'd never heard mp3? Anyway, I've had the problem ever since. I've only had the hard drive for a year.

I'm slowly despairing! How can I back up my data with as little loss as possible? It is really important! What are the tricks of the professionals who made it their profession?

Make yourself a Linux live CD or stick. Start the machine with it and try to recover data. But first you could remove the drivers from the hard drive and then try again

First I would remove the plate and connect it directly to the PC in order to rule out a defect in the port chip in the external housing.

This is a phenomenon that I also noticed when I was always using the hard drive on a different computer.

I rather think that the computer has problems with indexing and is trying to do just that, but for some inexplicable reason it doesn't succeed.

I would recommend trying to get the data off the disk (if there's an old device) and reformat the disk on the computer.

But it would only be an idea.

You mean I should connect the hard drive to another computer and use it to save the data?

Correct. Then format the disk again on the current computer.

The first time I put the hard drive into operation, however, it was on the current computer.

Ah, was just a guess. What are you formatting on Hopefully not FAT32?

No, of course NTFS!

External Hard Drive Crashes Explorer - How Do I Repair It and Back Up My Data Losslessly?

Repairing: By taking them to a professional for repair and hoping they can still crack something.

Saving data: Not at all - especially because "loss-free" can't be guaranteed and you can't access the device without repairing it.
You're now learning the hard way why the need for backups has been advocated for decades. 🤷♂️

(I'm now assuming that you have the obvious: another USB cable and another USB port already through!)

Maybe it's a virus I started by clicking on a 16 year old I'd never heard mp3?

No. Or very unlikely.

I'm slowly despairing! How can I back up my data with as little loss as possible?