Brand new WD Red Pro stops randomly

If your brand new WD Red Pro hard drive is stopping randomly, that's a serious issue—especially since this model is designed for NAS (Network Attached Storage) environments and should be highly reliable. Here are the likely causes and what you can do to fix or isolate the problem.

Key Symptoms

The drive spins down randomly or disconnects.

File transfers pause or fail midway.

The drive disappears from the OS temporarily.

Event logs may show I/O or controller errors.

Possible Causes

1. Power Supply Issues

Drives require steady voltage. If your PSU or power brick is unstable or overloaded, the drive may power down to protect itself.

SATA power cables could be loose or faulty.

Fix:

Try a different power cable and connector.

Use a different SATA power rail from the PSU.

For external drives, test with another power adapter.

2. SATA Cable or Port Fault

Faulty or loose SATA data cables can cause intermittent disconnections.

Fix: Replace the SATA cable with a known-good one.

Use a different SATA port on the motherboard or controller.

3. NAS or Enclosure Firmware/Compatibility

If you're using the drive in a NAS, check for firmware updates.

Some NAS models require approved drives or specific firmware revisions.

USB/SATA bridge chips in enclosures can cause compatibility issues.

Fix:Update the NAS firmware.

Confirm that your NAS supports WD Red Pro drives.

Try connecting the drive directly to a PC (internally or with a quality dock/enclosure).

4. Drive Firmware or Manufacturing Defect

Even new drives can have firmware bugs or factory defects.

Fix: Download WD Dashboard or WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic and run:

SMART tests

Full surface scan

Check firmware version and update if needed.

If errors are found, initiate an RMA.

5. Software or OS Issues

Power management settings in the OS or third-party tools can spin down drives prematurely.

Fix:In Windows, go to Power Options > Advanced Settings > Hard Disk > Turn off hard disk after... → Set to Never.

On Linux, check hdparm settings or any power management daemons.

Check for drive sleep timers in NAS or BIOS/UEFI.

Troubleshooting Checklist

Step Action Result

✅ Swap SATA cable Rules out bad cable

✅ Try different SATA port Rules out port/controller issues

✅ Run SMART & diagnostics Finds early drive failure

✅ Test in another system Confirms if system-specific

✅ Update firmware (drive/NAS) Fixes known bugs

✅ Monitor with logging tool Captures error codes for support

Tools to Use

WD Dashboard (Windows)

CrystalDiskInfo

smartmontools (Linux/macOS)

NAS vendor tools (Synology Assistant, QNAP Qfinder, etc.)

If All Else Fails: RMA It

WD offers a warranty (usually 5 years for Red Pro). If the drive is showing any signs of failure during diagnostics, or continues behaving erratically even in a different system, initiate a return or warranty replacement. Don’t take risks with data integrity.