External Disk Drive not ejecting

I have a MacBook Air which doesn't have a disk drive built in so I bought an external one. I put a DVD in it, it all worked perfectly normal, once finishing the DVD I shut down the computer like I would normal but I forgot to eject the disk.  Its never been a problem before but now it wont eject the disk thats in there. It makes sounds that its going to but it doesn't, still plays the disk thats in there as well. Someone please help me fix this problem!

Props to Kappy.
Five ways to eject a stuck CD or DVD from the optical drive
Ejecting the stuck disc can usually be done in one of the following ways:
  1. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the
      left mouse button until the disc ejects.
  2. Press the Eject button on your keyboard.
  3. Click on the Eject button in the menubar.
  4. Press COMMAND-E.
  5. If none of the above work try this: Open the Terminal application in
      your Utilities folder. At the prompt enter or paste the following:
        /usr/bin/drutil eject
If this fails then try this:
Boot the computer into Single-user Mode. At the prompt enter the same command as used above. To restart the computer enter "reboot" at the prompt without quotes.

Similar Messages

  • External hard drive not ejected properly?

    Hi.
    I've just bought a 1 Tb Hitachi external hard drive, to use for Time machine back up.
    It's connected using the supplied USB 2 cable.
    It installed OK but whenever my mac goes to sleep and I reawaken it, the message appears that the disk was not ejected properly and that next time I should go to finder etc etc.
    Could I be damaging the data on the drive? Maybe even - Heaven forbid - lose it?
    Thanks

    Jim586 wrote:
    Hi.
    I've just bought a 1 Tb Hitachi external hard drive, to use for Time machine back up.
    It's connected using the supplied USB 2 cable.
    It installed OK but whenever my mac goes to sleep and I reawaken it, the message appears that the disk was not ejected properly and that next time I should go to finder etc etc.
    Could I be damaging the data on the drive? Maybe even - Heaven forbid - lose it?
    Hi, and welcome to the forums.
    Yes, an improper disconnect can damage the directory structure on the disk. Do a +*Repair Disk+* per #A5 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum.
    I'd start by checking with Hitachi's web site: see if there are updated drivers and/or firmware for Snow Leopard. Even though you just bought it, it may have been in stock somewhere for a while and not have the latest goodies.
    Also see if there's an automatic sleep or "spin down" feature on the drive that you can adjust or disable.

  • Why is my External Disk Drive immediately Ejected?

    I have an external hard drive that I've mounted many times onto my iMac running OSX 10.9.2. Now all of a sudden when I try to mount it I get the error message: "Disk not properly ejected". This even when I just connected it. When I tried again the disk image shows up for a second then I get the error message again.  I connected the drive to my laptop and no problem.
    I tried to run disk utilities but the drive doesn't show up.

    Do 2-3 SMC and PRAM resets with NO peripherals attached and then attempt to connect the EHD. Your cable may need replacing or there could be other issues.

  • An external disk was not ejected properly and now i cannot see it

    I have a simpledrive external disk that I use for Time Machine.  It is connected via USB.  I believe my daughter unplugged the drive without properly ejecting it and now I can't see it.  When I plug it in to the USB port it powers up, but I cannot find it, even in the disk utility.  The Mac is not seeing it when it tries to run Time Machine.  I tried connecting it to my old PC as well just to see, but it is doing the same thing there.  Any ideas for how to get this cleared up?  Thanks!

    Problem solved...I decided to unplug the power from the external disk, and afterwards it showed up again.  Don't ask me why, but it worked.

  • TM - External Disk Drive Not Detected in Recovery Mode

    Hello Apple Lovers,
    I am using the My Passport for Mac 500GB disk drive with time machine on my MacBook Air to create data backups.
    I checked the disk for any corruption using Disk Utility. No issues were found. I find the disk works excellantly in terms of creating backups and restoring them inside time machine.
    I cannot detect my external disk for restoring entire images of the OSx in recovery mode. For some reason, TM will not detect my backup disk in the recovery mode. I use the WD Security software on my disk to lock it, however, never before has the security lock posed any problem to me. I used to see a prompt appear for me to unlock the drive in recovery mode on attempting to access the TM backups.
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    megaram wrote:
    I use the WD Security software on my disk to lock it, however, never before has the security lock posed any problem to me. I used to see a prompt appear for me to unlock the drive in recovery mode on attempting to access the TM backups.
    You will need to avoid using third party software if you hope to access the disk and data in recovery mode.
    If the WD software encrypts your data recovery mode will need a way to decrypt it. Recovery mode is a 'reduced mode' that only runs Apple software (not third party software) so the WD drivers that decrypt the disk will not be installed & Disk Utility or Migration Assistant will not be able to open the data on the disk.
    There have been long threads that make me steer clear of using ANY Western Digital drive software with 10.9.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5475136?start=0&tstart=0
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6202 <- WD had to remove software from Macs because it ruined peoples data on 10.9.
    There are other threads on WD disk tools causing errors on 10.9, external hard disks do not require the use of additional software on OS X - these apps & drivers are mostly junk that is not a good idea to install.
    If you really want to protect your data with encryption the features are already built in to OS X, it's called Filevault. It will encrypt your internal HD & your Time Machine backups (when the OS is encrypted). It works with Apple tools & doesn't rely on any third party drivers.
    You will need to disable the 'WD security lock' and make sure the disk works without the WD software if you hope to have any chance of reading it in recovery mode.

  • Message: external disk was not ejected properly. Is this happening when my computer goes to sleep?

    I am not sure why I keep getting this message since I am usually good at remembering to eject the disk before turning it off. A thought occured to me that my computer is set to go to sleep every 3 hours which might be causing it to eject improperly. I have just come from a computer that 2 internal drives so I didn't have to deal with an external TM backup that was running all the time. Do I have to turn sleep mode off to avoid this problem?

    Oh yeah I forgot to say I use an ETHERNET connection.

  • Seagate FreeAgent 500GB external disk drive not recognized

    After installing Mountain Lion Time Machine worked at first but after a few days the backup failed saying it could not create a backup folder. After troubleshooting with verify disk it stated the disk needed to be repaired. After clicking on repair, it was unable to be competed because it could not unmount the disk.
    After rebooting the Mac Mini can no longer see the external dirve.
    Does anyone know if my data is lost or how I can get it to be recognized again?

    If you cannot get the computer to recognize it the prognosis isn't good. There are lots of possible causes but two things I'd definitely try. 1) if you can, try mounting it with another computer. 2) if the device supports both FW and USB see if it mounts connected via USB.

  • External HDD: Shows not ejected properly when the drive is still present

    Hi,
    I have a Seagate 500 GB external HD, the big one with power adapter. I connect to my MBP with a USB cable. Recently, every now and then, I am seeing the message "Your external disk was not ejected properly. Always make sure you eject blah blah..." even when the disk is firmly planted onto the Mac. I can see the disk in my desktop and finder. But keep getting this message nevertheless.
    Another observation is - If I have Picasa open, Picasa fails to load the pictures in the external HDD when this happens. Pictures that has been earlier added to Picasa library, that is, which should ideally show up when the HDD is connected.
    Any ideas?

    Try a different USB cable. If that doesn't work, go to Seagate's web site and open a tech support request with them. If a new USB cable doesn't help, there is probably a problem with that disk drive such as outdated firmware.

  • Has any one come up with a solution to the "the disk was not ejected properly" when using time machine with an iMac and seagate back up drive?

    I recently bought an iMac and love it.
    Only proplem I have is I keep getting an error message "the disk was not ejected properly"
    Everything is backing up fine on my Seagate 2TB external USB drive.
    Each time there is access on the seagate and it stops in between needing to back up again I get this message.
    Can anyone help?

    The drive is malfunctioning.
    If the drive has more than one interface (USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, eSATA), try one of the other interfaces.
    Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
    Try a different cable.
    If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
    If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
    Disconnect all other devices on the bus, or as many as possible.
    If the drive is bus-powered, but has an AC adapter, connect the adapter.
    If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, it has to be replaced. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

  • The disk was not ejected properly. ... External HD was removedWhat disk?

    I recently experimented with the backup software that came with my Western Digital external hard-drive, as an alternative to Time Machine. Unsatisfied with the WD program, I deleted it once I switched to another, larger hard-drive, from Seagate, and have switched back to Time Machine. Ever since I removed the WD drive and deleted the WD software (by highlighting the file name in Finder and pressing delete), every 15 minutes or so I get the following message: "The disk was not ejected properly. If possible, always eject a disk before unplugging it or turning it off." Did I properly delete the software? Is the error message related to the software and WD hardware, which perhaps the Mac continues to look for though it's been disconnected? The software was programmed to launch a backup a few times every hour, I think.

    If you can see the drive in Disk Utility (Applications -> Utilities), then I'd suggest reformatting/repartitioning it. I just got a new LaCie external HD and it had some sort of software on it - I simply ignored it and set it up by clicking on partition. If you are only going to use it with a Mac, use "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the format and (under options) "GUID Partition Map". You can choose 1 or more partitions. It will then erase the drive properly and you should be good to go. If you need to use the drive with both Mac OS and Windows, I can't help with the format because I don't do Windows, but if you click on the "?" in Disk Utility, there should be plenty of help there.

  • Waking iMac has The disk was not ejected properly. I have OS 10.8.5 using My Book Thunderbolt Duo external HD.

    Waking iMac, since last OS10.8.5 update, gives "The disk was not ejected properly" message.  Western Digital sent a replacement drive to find out the problem doesn't go away. I have tried Option, Command, R and P at start up. This doesn't help. Anything else I might try to rectify the situation?

    The drive is malfunctioning.
    If the drive has more than one interface (USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, eSATA), try one of the other interfaces.
    Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
    Try a different cable.
    If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
    If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
    Disconnect all other devices on the bus, or as many as possible.
    If the drive is bus-powered, but has an AC adapter, connect the adapter.
    If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, it has to be replaced. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

  • My iMac will not let me install an external disk drive. What do I do to install it?

    How do I install an external disk drive?

    Is this a new external drive you are trying to set up for the first time?
    If so, connect it to the Mac, launch Disk Utility in the Utilities folder and format it as noted here:
    http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/04/format-an-external-hard-drive-or-usb-flash-drive- for-mac-os-x/
    All data on the disk will be erased!

  • Ever since upgrading to Lion I keep getting the error message "disk was not ejected properly."

    Ever since upgrading to Lion on my iMac G5 Intel Core 2 Duo, I keep getting the error message "disk was not ejected properly."  I have repaired permissions and reformatted my external LaCie 2TB USB hard disk, but the error continues.  I use this disk for my Time Machine backups.  This always seems to happen when the computer wakes from sleep, but not consistently.  The computer was asleep overnight and backed up as soon as it awakend this morning.  Two hours later I get the improper ejection message.  I have used the same external disk with Snow Leopard (all versions), but never had this error message or problem.  This disk has been in use without any problems since February, 2011. Upgrading to Lion is when this problem began. This is the below message (but from online image from Snow Leopard, but Lion message is essentially the same).

    I had a similar issue. Mine was with a Seagate GoFlex drive. The solution was to install GoFlex for Mac 1.1.2 which included a 64-bit driver to disable the drives built in sleep timer:
    http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=goflex-mac-install-softw are&vgnextoid=77002aaf8cc5d210VgnVCM1000001a48090aRCRD
    I document how I discovered this in my blog post:
    http://www.innerexception.com/2011/10/tale-of-computing-misery-how-to-fix.html

  • Can i get an external disk drive for my MacBook 5,1

    My disk drive on my MacBook 5,1 (model #A1278) is bust. It will not accept a dvd/cd at all, it won't let it in...not an inch!  seems like it's stuck in eject? as if there is a disk inside but as far as i know there is not.  Nothing i have tried makes any difference.  So i am wondering if i can buy an external disk drive, but this info is not obvious to me on the Apple Store website!

    Probably pretty much any one would as long as it can be connected to your Macbook with USB or Firewire or what it has.  Read the fine print when it refers to system requirements.  In most cases that refers to bundled software which you probably don't need.  Usually if there's OS limits for Macs it's something like you must be running OSX 10.2 or newer.
    I would start looking on a site such as www.mac-sales.com which caters for Mac users so you can be assured their stuff is compatible.  You can get something pre-assembled or you can buy an enclosure and a drive separately and assemble them yourself.  My preference would be for one where the drive is powered independently, though that does tie you down to an outlet.  On the other hand with an external drive you're not going to be walking around the room.
    I guess one Mac compatibiltiy issue would be if the drive is bootable.  Not all third party drives can boot your Mac should the need arise.  I'm not so familiar with Macbooks that I am up to date on this and this might be one thing you could ask the vendor (and a reason for going with a vendor who knows Macs).

  • URGENT!!! external hard drive not readable in Finder

    I have a G-Raid external hard drive. Yesterday I accidentally plugged out the cable while it was connected to the iMac. there was usual notice that "the disk was not ejected properly". What happens now is that whenever I plug it back via Firewire 800 it doesnt appear neither in Finder nor disk utility. But when I plug it vby USB 2.0 it works... help me what to do, I appreciate it
    Message was edited by: vladog

    Hi vladog
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities
    You may have tripped the FireWire overload protection when you disconnect or reconnected the Drive.
    Eject and disconnect all peripheral devices FireWire and USB, then reset the iMac's SMC.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
    +1. Shut down the computer.+
    +2. Unplug the computer's power cord.+
    +3. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.+
    +4. Release the power button.+
    +5. Attach the computers power cable.+
    +6. Press the power button to turn on the computer.+
    Then test the G-Raid by reconnecting it to the FireWire port.
    Dennis

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