You drive may not be getting enough power to work properly. Is it plugged into a USB 3.0 / 3.1 port. The plastic part of the port will be light blue, not white as on a USB 2.0 port. Or is the drive plugged into a USB hub? A USB 2.0 port or an unpowered USB hub may not provide the required power for portable drives.
If the cable provided with the drive has two plugs, make sure both are plugged in, ideally one into to a USB 3.0 port. Again, the extra plug is to ensure the drive is receiving enough power.
It's also a good idea to add one of these (dual plug USB cable) as not all PC USB ports provide enough power to properly use the drive.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, as much as possible, always unplug the drive at the plug end, not where it connects to the drive. The USB interface on the external drives are cheap and prone to failure, especially with constant plugging and unplugging at the drive end.
Also, add one of these to your PC toolkit. It's a dual plug