Get “The parameter is incorrect” error in Windows 10 especially on external hard drive? Find causes and solutions to get “The parameter is incorrect” fixed in different cases.
Many a user report that they get an error message in Windows 10 that is “The parameter is incorrect”. As a matter of fact, that is an error that frequently occurs in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP and Vista. The cause for that error is various, so does the situation.
A majority of Windows 10 users say they get the error on external hard drive such as Seagate external hard drive and Western Digital external drive. When they try to open a drive on the external drive after connecting it to Windows 10, the error message box would prompt out as below: Location is not available. G:/ is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect.
Some users say they get the error under some other circumstances in Windows 10. For instance, the error appears when they try to transfer files from one location to another. Besides, changing a drive letter in Disk Management and Diskpart seems like to trigger the “The parameter is incorrect” error as well.
Facing such a common error, it is important to figure out what caused the issue and how to get it fixed using corresponding solutions.
Before getting into a further step, it might be good to briefly learn about Parameter. According to Wikipedia, in computing, a parameter is defined as “a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program”. Therefore, if the parameter is not correct, the function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program will not be able to continue normally.
Now, let’s get to know the specific causes and strategies for each condition.
When you get the error on an external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, memory card, or portable hard drive, you may find the hard drive becomes RAW in Windows 10 Disk Management. Virus infection would be the most possible explanation. Others would be USB port problem, bad sectors, improperly removing external drive, and corrupted file system.
If there are very important files on that drive, it is necessary to turn to professional data recovery software first. And then, take following measurements to resolve.
Perform disk check on the external hard drive
With the help of third-party partition manager software such as AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can quickly check and scan the file system and fix hard disk errors. As a free partition manager, it will help safely and effectively you check partitions and disks. It is free for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7. You can free download to have a try.
Run AOMEI Partition Assistant on your Windows 10/11. Right-click the drive you want to check and go to Advanced > Check Partition. In the pop-out window, you have three options available, check the error only, check and fix the error, and find bad sectors. Choose the one that suits you.
• Check external disk for errors in Windows 10/11
1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click the disk you want to scan and select Test > Disk Surface Test. It will mostly check the bad sectors of the selected disk.
2. Click Start to do the surface test. You may want to tick Quick Check to perform a fast test.
Or, you can also use CHKDSK to check file system:
1. Type command prompt in Windows 10 Search box, right-click it from the list and select Run as administrator.
2. Input chkdsk F: /f /r at the prompt and press Enter. You need to replace F: with the correct drive letter of your external hard drive partition.
Tips: if you get CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives returning message, it could be the problem of corrupted file system.
The command line will find and repair bad sectors on that drive. In the meantime, the data stored on those bad sectors will be lost. If it prompts to repair the external drive in restarting mode, type Y or Yes to support. For more information, please refer to check hard drive for errors in Windows 10.
Restart your Windows 10 after the repairing. If the incorrect parameter error exists still, it implies the cause may be a different one. As a result, you can format the external drive completely and build a new file system for that partition.
Format external hard drive thoroughly
Note: this method would erase all data on the external drive. Make sure all vital data are recovered.
1. Open Command Prompt as instructed. Input diskpart and press Enter.
2. Type these commands in order and press Enter after each input.
list disk
select disk n (where n is the disk number of the external drive)
clean
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs quick (you can replace ntfs with fat32 if the storage is smaller than 32GB)
assign letter=F
exit
Tips: to format large external storage to FAT32, please visit format 500 GB external HDD to FAT32.
In general cases, “The parameter is incorrect” on external hard drive should be solved till now. Nevertheless, there is another situation that may not be fixed with those solutions.
If you get the “Drive is not accessible. The parameter is incorrect” on external disk after upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, the remedy is different. A certain answer has not been found yet. So, reverting to the previous operating system seems like a solution. Also, check that if it is the problem of driver. Install a specific manufacturer driver for Windows 10 and have a try.
Apart from external hard drives, you may receive “The parameter is incorrect” in transferring files in Windows 10. Reasons for this error are destination partition is formatted with FAT32 and you’re transferring a large file (larger than 4GB); there is not enough disk room on destination drive to store the file; the partition table of destination disk is damaged.
In terms of those causes, it is not difficult to find the corresponding solutions. In the event of FAT32 partition and 4 GB file limitation, you can either compress the file to make it smaller than 4GB, or convert FAT32 to NTFS in Disk Management.
As for the insufficient disk space, think of changing a bigger drive for the files. In addition, if the partition table, generally master boot record (MBR), is corrupted. You need to rebuild MBR for the destination drive. The task can be easily completed with Windows 10 installation disc (command user interface) or free AOMEI Partition Assistant (graphical user interface). Take the easier one for example. Only 3 steps needed.
1. Download, install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click the disk that you used to store file and select Rebuild MBR.
2. Select the MBR type for your Windows OS in the pop-up window.
3. Click Apply and then Proceed to execute.
Tips: you may also want to learn how to fix MBR in Windows 10 of internal hard drive.
After formatting an external hard drive, Windows will assign a drive letter for that partition. If the drive letter is in use, you have to manually assign a different drive letter in Disk Management. In the process of changing drive letter and path, you’re likely to receive the error.
Besides, the similar error “Virtual Disk Manager: The parameter is incorrect” would emerge if you assign a drive letter in Diskpart. If you have a virtual swap partition, remove the partition, reboot your computer, change drive letter and path, and finally add the virtual swap partition again.
If that method does not work, try changing drive letter with aforementioned free partition manager AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. The steps are also as easy as ABC.
1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant, right click said partition and select Advanced > Change Drive Letter.
2. Specify the new drive letter for your partition.
3. Click Apply and Proceed to commit the pending operations.
When you try to clean or format a disk/volume in Diskpart, at the moment of process reaching 100%, you may receive the error “Diskpart has encountered an error”. In the event of clean command, try typing clean all may be a cure. If that does not work, you can perform disk partition cleaning or formatting with AOMEI Partition Assistant.
1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the partition you want to format and select Format Partition.
2. Specify the partition file system, label and cluster size.
3. Also, click Apply and Proceed to take effect.
Tips:
1. as for cleaning an external hard drive completely, please refer to wipe external hard drive in Windows 10 with detailed steps and screenshots.
2. You can recover lost data after formatting.
The “The parameter is incorrect” error in Windows 10 is a widely discussed problem in normal computer use. However, you don’t have to worry too much if you find the fix accordingly.
AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is a good help in solving normal disk partition issues. Its advanced version AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional provides more powerful features for advanced users. For example, you can perform disk partition operating with command line operations. Or, allocate free space from one partition to another directly without formatting or resizing.
Continue reading to know more information about the error "the parameter is incorrect."
1. Why does my external hard drive say the parameter is incorrect?
The “parameter is incorrect” error can be caused by unsafe removal of a disk, problems with cables or USB ports, bad sectors, file system corruption or disk writing errors, viruses, outdated Windows operating systems, or lack of latest updates.
2. How to fix a wrong parameter?
This article provides details on how to fix a parameter that is incorrect in different situations, including:
3. What is the wrong parameter in Windows login?
An “incorrect parameter” can prevent you from accessing many drives and files. External drive corruption (either physical or software) can cause this error.
With both commands, it is possible to recognize the incorrect parameter. Errors are not limited to these cases, but these are the most common.