0x800703EE error when copying to external storage on Windows 10

If you face an error 0x800703EE When copying files to and from external storage devices, this article will help you. This error may or may not be accompanied by this message – The volume of a file has been changed externally so that the open file is no longer valid.. This prevents you from copying the files.

Error 0x800703EE When Copying to External Storage

The causes of this error can be one of them:

1. A conflict with a third-party antivirus.
2. A service belonging to a backup program could block the program.
3. USB drivers may be corrupt or obsolete.
4. Windows backup and shadow copy of volumes might be disabled
5. Some system files may be corrupt
6. The external device drivers are corrupted.

Before you begin, you may be able to move the files to another location on your local drive, remove the USB device, reinsert it, and then try to move the file from your local drive to the USB device. If that does not solve the problem, try the following solutions to resolve the problem:

1. Reinstall the USB Controller Drivers
2. Check the Volume Shadow Copy and Windows Backup Services
3. Disable real-time protection for third-party antivirus products
4. Perform SFC analysis
5. Remove the filter drivers.

1) Reinstall the USB controller drivers

The problem could be caused if the USB controller drivers are obsolete or corrupt. In this case, you can update them as follows:

Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command. devmgmt.msc. Press Enter to open the Device Manager.

Scroll up to Universal serial bus controllers and expand the list.

Right click and select Uninstall the device for each driver individually.

Then reboot the system, connect to the Internet and the drivers will be reinstalled by themselves.

You can also download the external device drivers from the manufacturer's website and install it.

2) Check the shadow copy and Windows backup services

One of the reasons for the problem under discussion is that Windows Volume and Backup Shadow Copy Services may be disabled or not started.

Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command. services.msc. Press Enter to open the service manager.

Search the Volume Shadow Copy service and right click on it. Select Properties. Make sure the Startup type at Manual and that the service is started. If it does not, change it and click the Start button. Click Apply and then OK to save the settings.

Repeat the same process for the Window backup service and then see if you can copy now.

3) Disable real-time protection of third-party antivirus products

Many third-party antivirus products are known to cause conflicts with genuine files. They could become overprotective of the system. The solution to the problem, in this case, would be to temporarily disable real-time protection with these third-party antivirus products and see if that would help.

4) Perform an SFC scan

If system files are missing from the system, this could cause an error 0x800703EE with external storage. To resolve the problem, perform an SFC scan. It looks for missing or corrupt system files and replaces them.

5) Remove the filter drivers

This suggestion is only applicable if you see The volume of a file has been changed externally so that the open file is no longer valid. error message with the error code 0x800703EE.

Create a system restore point or back up the registry first, and then delete the filter drivers. To do this, run regedit and go to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control Class {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Select this key {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} then in the right pane, check if Upperfilters and Lower filters value are present. If they are, right click on the values ​​and select Wipe off to remove them and restart the computer. Otherwise, exit the registry editor.

Good luck.