Fixes For Error “The Request Could Not Be Performed Because Of An I/O Device”

When the Operating System does not perform an i/o action on the disk or drive, then the request could not be performed because of an i/o device error message might pop up on the screen.

Apart from that, you can encounter the other two messages that signify the i/o device error

“Only part of a read process memory/write process memory request was completed.”

“IO error codes like error 6, error 21, error 103, error 105, error 131.”

This problem generally appears with the external & internal hard disk, USB drives, SD cards, especially while trying to access the disk or drive on the device. Once you encounter this error message, you won’t be able to open the hard disk or drive.

A damaged media storage device can also lead to this error message. So, if you are also facing the same error message on your device then, follow the solutions listed in this post for a quick and easy fix. 

Causes for the Request could not be Performed Because of an I/O Device Error

Before going to the solution part, it is essential to be aware of the possible causes behind the occurrence of this error. Take a look below:

• An older version of the hardware drivers.
• Loose connection between the PC and hardware.
• Incompatible transfer mode that is used by Windows. 
• Wrong drive letter.

Now you can solve this error message by following these solutions. 

The Request could not be Performed Because of an I/O Device Error: Apply Easy Solutions 

However, there are various solutions to solve the request could not be performed because of an i/o device error message from the system. 

Below, you can see a list of solutions to get rid of this message from the device. Therefore, implement them accordingly.

Solution 1 – Perform a Clean Boot

Performing a clean boot can solve this problem from your computer. To do that follow these steps which are mentioned below:

1. Press the Windows Home button and along with the R key to launch the Run box. Type msconfig and then hit the Enter button or click on the OK option. 
2. Once you are in the System Configuration window, navigate to the General tab. 
3. On the General tab, click on the Selective startup and then untick on the Load startup items button.
4. Next, move to the Services tab and mark on the Hide all Microsoft services button. After that, select the Disable all options. Then, click on the OK button to save it. 
5. Once the task is finished, reboot your system and then check if the i/o device error is resolved or not.

Solution 2 – Install the Latest Version of the Device Driver

It is possible that this error message can trigger from an outdated or faulty device driver. So, you must keep the driver up to date. Therefore, take a look at the steps given below:

1. Press the Windows button to open the Start menu list and select the Device Manager.
2. In the Device Manager window, navigate to the left panel and find the device driver with the yellow mark, right-click on it to open the list.
3. After that, choose the Update Software Driver button to begin the update process. 
4. After completing the update process, restart the device. 

Solution 3 – Run Disk Cleanup

According to users, running disk cleanup can solve the i/o device error on your computer. Hence, the following steps will help you:

1. First of all, go to the Search box, type Disk cleanup and then press the Enter button.
2. On the Disk Cleanup section, select the files that you want to delete. Mark on the files. After that, hit the OK option.
3. Once you are done, reboot your computer and then check if the error message still occurs or not.

Solution 4 – Run CHKDSK

This solution will run CHKDSK to check and repair the disk error on the USB drive, hard drive, other devices to solve the request could not be performed because of an i/o device error message. Follow certain steps that you can apply to get rid of this error:

1. Open a Command Prompt window. 
2. Type chkdsk E: /f /r /x (change the letter E with the drive letter for your system) and then hit the Enter button to run this command.
3. Once the command is executed, check if the error message still shows up or not. 

Solution 5 – Change the Transfer Mode in IDE Channel Properties

If the Windows tries to use the transfer mode that the device does not support properly and you will receive the error message of the request could not be performed because of an i/o device error on the screen. So, you can change the transfer mode. Therefore, go through these directions:

1. At first, launch the Device Manager.
2. Locate and select the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers to expand it. 
3. Right-click on the controller where the drive is properly connected and select the Properties button from that list.
4. When the Properties window opens, move to the Advanced Settings tab and click on the PIO Only in the Transfer Mode box.
5. After doing these steps, select the OK option to save the changes. Now, check to see if the error message is resolved or not. 

Solution 6 – Change the Drive Letter

If the above-mentioned solutions do not help you out then you can try this solution to fix this error message from your PC. Here are steps that you can try out:

1. Right-click on This PC and select the Manage button and then click on the Disk Management option. 
2. On the Disk Management window, locate the Hard drive, SD or USB card, right-click on it. After that, select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.
3. From the next window, select the Change option. 
4. Select the Assign a new drive letter to the USB and then click on the OK option to save it. 

Wrapping Up… 

Here are six effective solutions to solve the request could not be performed because of an i/o device error message. Hopefully, you will be able to resolve this problem on your own performing these steps.