How to Fix Windows Error 0x8007045D (I/O Device Error)

By ErrorFix · Updated October 24, 2026 · 7 min read

What error 0x8007045D means

Error code 0x8007045D carries the message "The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error." Every read or write your computer performs is a request sent to a storage device — a hard drive, an SSD, a USB stick, a memory card, or a DVD — and the device is expected to confirm it got the job done. When the device fails to respond correctly, whether the hardware is broken, the connection is bad, or the data on it is unreadable, Windows surfaces 0x8007045D instead of silently handing you garbage.

This error turns up in four typical situations. The most common is copying files to or from external media: the transfer starts, stalls partway, and Windows reports the I/O error, sometimes repeatedly no matter how many times you retry. The second is backups: Windows Backup or File History can fail mid-run when the target drive has a bad patch of sectors. The third is Windows installation itself, where setup halts with "Windows cannot install required files" and this exact code when it cannot read the installation media. The fourth is accessing a failing internal drive, where everyday file operations start failing one after another.

Common causes

• A loose, damaged, or overloaded USB connection: a wobbly cable, a failing hub, or a front-panel port that cannot deliver stable power makes the device drop out mid-transfer.
• A failing drive or worn-out flash media: aging hard drives develop bad sectors, and cheap or heavily used USB sticks and SD cards wear out their flash cells.
• A corrupt file system: improper ejection, sudden power loss, or interrupted formatting leaves the file system inconsistent, so reads fail.
• Outdated or corrupted storage drivers: a broken USB controller or disk driver can report I/O failures even when the hardware is fine.
• Corrupt installation media: a half-written or damaged Windows installer USB fails when setup tries to read files that were never copied correctly.

How to fix error 0x8007045D — step by step

Work through these fixes in order. The error is most often caused by something simple — a bad cable or a glitch — so rule out the cheap causes before suspecting the drive.

1. Restart your PC and retry the operation. Before touching any settings, shut Windows down completely, wait about thirty seconds, and power it back on. A fresh boot clears stale device states, stuck USB controllers, and half-finished transfer sessions that can make a healthy drive look broken. Retry the exact copy, backup, or install that triggered 0x8007045D. If the error disappears, it was a transient glitch and you are done.
2. Reseat the drive and try a different port or cable. Unplug the external drive, USB stick, or memory card and reconnect it through a different USB port, preferably one on the back of a desktop PC instead of a front port or hub. Swap in a different cable if you can, and avoid extension cables. If the drive still fails, plug it into another computer: if the error follows the drive, the drive is the problem; if the error stays on your PC, suspect the port, cable, or drivers.
3. Run CHKDSK with /f and /r on the affected drive. Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin). Type chkdsk X: /f /r, replacing X with the letter of the drive that triggered the error, and press Enter. The /f switch fixes logical file-system errors and /r locates bad sectors and recovers readable data. The scan can take from twenty minutes to several hours on large drives, so let it run to completion without interrupting it.
4. Update or reinstall the storage and USB drivers. Press Win + X and open Device Manager. Expand Disk drives and Universal Serial Bus controllers, right-click the failing device, and choose Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers. If the error persists, right-click the device and choose Uninstall device, then restart the PC so Windows reinstalls a fresh driver automatically. Outdated or corrupted storage drivers are a common cause of phantom I/O errors.
5. Repair Windows system files with SFC and DISM. Open Terminal (Admin) and run sfc /scannow, then restart when it finishes. If the error continues, run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth from the same admin terminal, wait for it to complete, and run sfc /scannow once more. Corrupted system files can make Windows misread perfectly healthy storage, and these two built-in tools repair them without touching your personal files.
6. Check the drive health with SMART data and back up your files. I/O errors that keep returning on different files are often the first symptom of a dying drive. Press Win + R, type cmd, and run wmic diskdrive get status for a basic OK or Pred Fail reading. For detail, install a free SMART monitor such as CrystalDiskInfo and check the reallocated-sector and current-pending-sector counts. Copy your important files to another drive or cloud storage immediately if any attribute shows caution or bad status.
7. If the error blocks a Windows install, rebuild the media and strip the setup. When 0x8007045D appears as Windows cannot install required files during setup, the installation media itself is usually at fault. Disconnect every external device except the installer, keyboard, and mouse. Recreate the installer from a freshly downloaded ISO using the official Media Creation Tool, trying a different USB stick if possible. Also enter the BIOS/UEFI and confirm the SATA mode is set to AHCI. Then restart the installation with the new media.

Did this fix it? Quick checklist

• The copy, backup, or install that triggered the error now completes
• CHKDSK finishes with no bad sectors reported (or the failing drive is replaced)
• wmic diskdrive get status shows OK for every drive
• Repeat transfers no longer fail with the I/O device error

If the error persists after all seven steps, stop stressing the hardware — every failed read attempt pushes a dying drive closer to total failure. Prioritize copying anything irreplaceable to another drive or cloud storage now, then run the drive maker's own diagnostic (such as Seagate SeaTools, WD Data Lifeguard, or Samsung Magician) for a definitive verdict. If the tool confirms the drive is failing, replace it and do a clean Windows install from freshly made Media Creation Tool media rather than cloning a damaged system onto new hardware.