I know this is not an immediate solution but for future choices.

These name branded external drives are the worst possible choice. Always, always purchase a SEPERATE case/controller and hard drive. Again, why? Often the branded ones have the drive’s circuit board and the USB port imbedded in the same circuit board. If that circuit screws up you are often lost. The component solution (like a good hi-fi sound systems) allows you to easily take the drive out, if the USB part goes bad, and recover your software in another system or case.  If the drive dies replace it or upgrade to SSD or larger capacity. A no brainer!