If desperate guesses count
1. Restart in Safe Boot mode. If the external drive unmounts, turn it off and disconnect it.
2. Restart normally. If all is otherwise ok, reconnect the external drive and turn it back on.
I haven't a clue if you may also need/want to repair the directory with a utility such as DiskWarrior.
In any event, I doubt if the above can hurt or make matters worse.