USB HDD Kills Win 8.1 not Chromebook or Other Linux system

My Win 8.1 machine was set up with 2 hard drives, an SSD for the OS, and an HDD for my user data. After a random reboot (I had changed the Workgroup name) just after the login screen appears, the second HDD thrashes and then crashes the win 8.1 OS. If I disconnect the second user data drive the OS loads and runs fine.

To try and figure out what was going on, I pulled the drive and plugged it into a USB drive enclosure. When I plug the enclosure into a running WIN8.1 machine, it thrashes for 10 seconds and kills the OS. The same thing happens when I plug the USB drive enclosure into my wife's WIN 8.1 laptop....poof goes the OS. So then I plugged the enclosure into my Chromebook (linux) and the Chromebook can read all my files just fine with no problems (doing a backup now).

So the big question is, what is Windows 8.1 searching for on my drive the second it gets plugged in.....i.e. what indexing file, executable file, security status, or partition status can I change or delete off of the second drive so that it doesn't piddle off the OS. What does the WIN 8.1 autorun the second a new drive gets seen by the OS?

Is the other two machines set to boot off of USB, if available? Check their bios settings. Your computer should not have crashed, just because you changed the workgroup name. Sounds like something else is going on with your computer, or that drive.

No neither machine is set to boot off of USB, and in both cases this is a secondary drive. Something happens when windows recognizes a new drive, either explorer looks for an index, a security program does something, etc. I am just not sure what it is. It is impossible to debug within windows because it BSOD's the machine. In Linux, the drive loads and the data is fine (still coping 2 terrabytes to a backup) so it is not the HDD itself that is the problem...... It is some file ? that windows is trying to autoload or autoexecute? I just don't know what file is?

Can you use some malware or av from Chromebook to check that HDD ? I suppose you checked system with some antimalware programs while it's running without HDD in question.

Yes, I have checked the OS that is running for malware, etc. In fact, I created a bootable USB with a minimal win 8 system on it, booted from that to minimized the possibilities of what might be running on the system itself, and even in that case, when the second HDD is added the system BSODs. It really seems like it is something the WIN 8 OS itself is looking for or autorunning when a drive gets added to its configuration. Are there files that WIN 8, or PNP looks for to autorun on a drive mount? Where on the HDD?

I am still copying the Data on the HDD to a Linux based backup station (usb 2.0 is slow), I will scan than system when it finishes.

Try turning off the AutoPlay feature in Control Panel, if its enabled. If that works you can then scan it for viruses etc from Windows.

Before your problems began, did you disconnect or move your harddrive data cable to a different location?
If you slightly tug on the data or power cable to your HDD, does it move easily or come off?
Lastly, did you enter your bios for any reason immediately before your problem began? Not change, just enter?

Have you checked the indexing options in control panel, sounds like it might be trying to index the drive when connected

If not, go into indexing options, tell it to rebuild them (could take a while) then connect the drive when it finishes to see if its any better

alpha - Autorun was set to autorun the file manager. I now have that turned off and will report when I get the drive back from my linux system.
Paulsalter - I think that indexing by the FileManager is the problem. However, you cannot turn it off if you cannot mount the drive (it is a drive property that only is accessible in windows when the drive mounts). So my question is what files can I safely delete in the NTFS System Volume Information directory that FM with automatically rebuild?

While it's still attached to Linux machine, you can delete folders "$recycle.bin" and "Sytem Volume information". Upon reconnect, windows will rebuild those two folders.

With Autorun off and the "$recycle.bin" and "System Volume information" folders deleted, it still causes a BSOD when the USB enclosure is added to the Windows machine.

I hooked it back up to the Linux DiskStation, shared it, and mapped the network drive onto my Windows box to grab a copy of my most critical files, and I am now Virus scanning the entire mapped drive. Assuming that finds nothing (which I highly anticipate that it will) I will look at the other partition on the drive, which Linux mounts separately; that partition is bootable so maybe something in it is causing windows to throw up all of the sudden....even though I am not booting from it .