Well this is a random post. I talked to Gamevet about it but fuck you Nintendo.

I was checking out an old YT video about the external storage options and found out there was a hidden function in the settings menu. When you're in the menu, Highlight the Data Management options & then hold down the D-pad for about 5 seconds. After that while still holding the D-pad, Hit the + and - buttons at the same time to bring up a hidden option to disable the external device's auto shutoff. Doing this 100% fixed the issue with that original drive I have and the system now runs perfectly.

I mean god damn what a lame as hell way to hide a fix.