external boot ssd stopped working

Hi,

I understand your hesitation to download and run EtreCheck. It goes to show that you’re an experienced computer user and are hesitate to download new apps on your Mac. Luckily, EtreCheck is safe and trusted, and is developed by a long-time and highly respected member of these very Apple Support forums. 

However, if you’re still weary, that’s OK. There are some manual diagnostic steps we can take. To start, using this Apple Support article as a guide, Get system information about your Mac - Apple Support, please let us know what year your Mac is, the model, and what version of macOS you are currently using.

Next, please upload a screenshot of your Mac’s storage information. In the Finder, choose Go > Utilities, then double-click the Disk Utility icon. (Disk Utility is located in the /Applications/Utilities folder.) Alternatively, Click Launchpad in the Dock, type Disk Utility in the search field, then click the Disk Utility icon. Once Disk Utility is open, take a screenshot of the screen it automatically opens to. By default, Disk Utility will open to your Mac’s startup disk, which is the volume we need information on. Next, select View > Show All Devices, and select the top-level, non-indented, disk entry in Disk Utility. In most cases, this name will be one of the following:

• APPLE HDD…
• APPLE SSD…
• Fusion Drive

Finally, take a screenshot of the newly selected entry. Upload all screenshots here. 

Additionally, it is recommended you Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac in order to identify and potential issues. Let us know the results of this test. 

Finally, list any anti-virus, anti-malware, cleaning, or VPN software you have installed. 

Jack

Download and run Etrecheck.  Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

Copy the report

and use the Additional Text button to paste the report in your reply.

Then we can evaluate the report to see if we can determine the cause of the problem.

Run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper. This report will provide important details about your Mac which will help us troubleshoot the issue.