Solved: The Request Failed Due to a Fatal Device Hardware Error? http://activatemcafee.uk/solved-the-request-failed-due-to-a-fatal-device-hardware-error/ When a user transfers data between the computer and the external drives or between the built-in hard drive, some users may find a sudden popup saying that the request failed due to a fatal device hardware error. This error generally occurs when there are multiple devices or hard-drives are connected to the computer.