External drives not ejecting properly

I'm using my macbook as a desktop system and a portable - I'm running two drives off of a powered USB 2.0 hub when it's set up at home. I eject the drives properly, but when I wake the machine up I get device removal errors. Wondering if there's an issue with running the drives off a hub or if anyone has had this issue running an external drive straight off the ports in the macbook.

Worked with the nice folks at my local genius bar... there was issue with the way the drive powers itself that was causing it to re-mount, thus the error. If you're having this problem either shut down your system completely before you disconnect or disconnect immediately after you unmount the drive.

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.

  • OT: Thunderbolt drive not ejected properly error message

    Hello all: I've got a MBPro 17 and a less than a month old LaCie 2T Rugged Thunderbolt/USB3.0 drive that I've started using. The drive randomly ejects itself and of course at the worst times. It could either be in use or nothing going and it just ejects.
    I've replaced the drive once at the Apple Store, but I think it's the OSX or ???  Any ideas?
    Thanks,
    Tolbert

    this may be an issue with my USB hub...its USB 3.0 with two "extra" powered all the time....one HD is just a normal non powred travel drive (seagate) and had a FIT with the powered port just now.  I have moved ALL external drives to the "normal" spots on the hub and see if its just the hub acting up

  • External Drive Not Working Properly

    I have a 30GB Lacie Drive I use to transfer data between my imac and my macbook (both are intel machines) - since upgrading to Snow Leopard, it no longer seems to be working properly. It lets me upload some smaller files onto it, but whenever i try to transfer a larger file, it stops after a few seconds and says that there is already a file by this name. I have tried doing a repair on the drive, but it still does not work. any ideas?

    I have a 30GB Lacie Drive I use to transfer data between my imac and my macbook (both are intel machines) - since upgrading to Snow Leopard, it no longer seems to be working properly. It lets me upload some smaller files onto it, but whenever i try to transfer a larger file, it stops after a few seconds and says that there is already a file by this name. I have tried doing a repair on the drive, but it still does not work. any ideas?

  • External harddrive error - not ejected properly

    I bought a new 1.5TB Seagate Free Agent (ST315005FDM201-RK) drive and connected it to my iMac running Snow Leopard. I'm using it as a Time Machine drive
    Every few minutes I get the "Drive not ejected properly" error dialog. The drive is still accessable - I think it reconnects itself.
    But literally, every couple of minutes I get the error. Any ideas?

    i too bought this HDD. Actually i bought two. One for my lady and one for me. i had purchased a seagate 2.5" portable and it did this too. i just bought a better cable for it and that fixed the problem. but on this 1tb im having the same problem only this time, a better cable isnt doing the trick... funny, both are connected to my 17" Macbook Pro OS X 10.6.2, but hers doesnt drop like mine does. So i too would like a solution, but ill give a few bits of info to see if anyone one else can help us. Hers is MS DOS formatted so she can share with her work computer... could that be a reason her doesnt randomly disconnect? Also, when its in constant use(rendering, or transferring large data) it never drops out. and last, mine has 2 partitions, both formatted the same, but there are two partitions... could that maybe be a cause? thanks for any help!

  • 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.

  • I am getting error message "Disk Not Ejected Properly Eject "FreeAgent GoFlex Drive" before disconnecting or turning it-" randomly.

    I'm getting a "Disk Not Ejected Properly  Eject “FreeAgent GoFlex Drive” before disconnecting or turning it…" message at random times.  I have seen other comments about this happening after the iMac wakes from sleep.  However, this is happening to me throughout the day even when I am working on the iMac.
    The iMac is up to date with OS X Version 10.9.  I had recently switched from a 500GB to a 3TB Drive, both are Seagate.  I have never had this issue prior to the switch.
    Has anyone else experienced this issue?
    I verified/repaired in the Utility Disk and a message popped up indicating the GoFlex looks "OK".

    No, I am not on the USB3 interface.  I contacted Seagate and they indicated that there is no known issue with OS X 10.9.  In my case, they are willing to send me a new Drive, since I just received the GoFlex on 12/06. Will post an update when I install the new one.  Hopefully this will solve my issue.
    I suggest you contact Seagate, if you haven't already, directly.  The representatives are very helpful.  Good luck.

  • My iMac is disconnecting all my media hard drives and giving "Disk Not Ejected Properly" message since updating to OSX 10.9

    Ever since I updated to OSX version 10.9 on my iMac, it is disconnecting all of my media hard drives and giving me the message: "Disk Not Ejected Properly." My hard drives are connected to my iMac through a Nitro Professional 8-port Firewire 800 hub/repeater, and a Firewire 800 cable from the Nitro hub connects to the back of my iMac. This configuration has been working fine for over a year. Suddenly, and immediately after performing the update about a week ago, the drives won't stay connected for more than a few seconds before the iMac disconnects from my drives. I've tried restarting and reconnecting many times and the same thing keeps happening.
    I have a new MacBook Pro (one month old) that I've been using temporarily to work with my photos and video on these drives as the drives are able to stay connected to this computer—I put a Thunderbolt adapter onto the Firewire 800 cable to connect to it. Luckily I had not yet updated it to the new operating system and I am afraid to do that. I've had the persistent message that Updates are available for my computer on my MacBook but I will not perform any updates for fear that I will lose access to my media drives. I am a professional photographer, so it's pretty disasterous if I can't access my drives. Please advise me what to do to keep my hard discs connected to my iMac and what to do to keep this from happening with my MacBook.
    Thanks in advance for your knowledge and assistance!

    Hello Roma2001,
    Thank you for the details of the issue you are experiencing with your FireWire hub. 
    I recommend following the steps in the section titled "Top troubleshooting tips" in the following article:
    USB and FireWire Quick Assist
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1151
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Best,
    Sheila M.

  • Device not ejected properly error message on all external storage devices: SD, Ext HD, iPod, IPhone, etc.

    All external storage devices (USB HD, iPod, iPhone, SD card reader, etc) are not staying connected.  Connection runs for 10-15 sec and the error message "card not ejected properly" appears.  Have reformatted cards, performed a OSx install disk permissions and disk repair, re-installed and updated OSx, and PRAM reset.  After the OSx reinstall I had no problems for about 2 days then my iPod shuffle sync triggered the error message.  I follow good practice in ejecting disks from the Finder window or iTunes.

    thought i had it licked after taking to the local service center.  they checked out the hardware and felt there was no problem getting power to the USB and SD ports, eg the suspected cause of the eject.  they thought it might be a buried permissions problem in some dl'ed software that the repair utility would not find/fix.  sooo...i wiped the disk and reinstalled everything from scratch.  worked for about a month and now its showing up again.  just kicked off my shuffle.  the sd reader self ejects after about 10 seconds.  dunno where to go from here.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • "disk not ejected properly" but is still mounted on desktop?

    Hi,
    I get a "The disk was not ejected properly" message, yet if I go to the Finder's desktop the drive is still mounted and accessible and read/write works fine.
    I've witnessed it happen once while viewing the desktop. The drive disappears momentarily for about 1.5 - 2 seconds, then shows up again. So It DOES eject, but it instantly re-mounts, and I mean in under 2 seconds and I've neder experienced a drive intentioanlly unmount/remount this fast in my life. It does happen more often when waking from sleep, but not only in that instance.
    Been having this bug since OS X Lion and on to the current version of Marveicks. I am posting this under Mavericks because it's not hardware specific to anything other than USB and LaCie. I am experiencing it on multiple machines, different models, with different external LaCie drives of differing types, with different USB cables. This does not only happen when waking from sleep (as most threads seem to indicate), it sometimes happens for no reason. 
    The common factors:
    All the external drives are LaCie drives (though vastly different models).
    Both affected Macs are 2012+ models with Thunderbolt interphases and USB 3 ports (am using USB ports for USB drives, no Thunderbolt adaptors). 
    I could suspect LaCie, but since it's new since Lion... well you get the picture. Something leads me to suspect a bug in OS X USB protocol, possibly on software, maybe even in firmware. Might be linked to energy saving. I have "sleep drives when possible" enabled, and though it might help to turn that off (I haven't tested yet) I just don't feel I should need to, I want unused drives to spin down and save energy.

    Hello there The Heftster,
    It sounds like your external drives are periodically disconnecting on their own from the computer causing the prompt saying that the drive was not ejected properly. I would start by resetting the PRAM on your computer with this article:
    OS X Mavericks: Reset your computer’s PRAM
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ph14222
    Shut down your Mac.
    Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Option, Command (⌘), P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
    Turn on your Mac.
    Immediately press and hold the Option-Command-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.Continue holding the keys down until your Mac restarts, and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
    Release the keys.
    Resetting PRAM may change some system settings and preferences. Use System Preferences to restore your settings.
    As well as the SMC on your computer:
    Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
    Shut down the computer.
    Unplug the computer's power cord.
    Wait fifteen seconds.
    Attach the computer's power cord.
    Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Take care,
    Sterling

  • The disk was not ejected properly

    I have 3 Seagate 1.5TB external USB drives. Two of which I am using with a MacbookPro 17" first gen. Latest snow leopard. The third one I am tethering to a Dell XPS server. The one attached to the Dell works fine.
    On the MBP17 Every now and again (randomly) the disk disappears from finder and I get this dialog:
    |
    | The disk was not ejected properly. If
    | possible, always eject a disk before
    | unplugging it or turning it off.
    |
    | To eject a disk, select it in the finder and choose File
    | > Eject. The next time you connect the disk, Mac OS
    | X will attempt to repair any damage to the
    | information on the disk.
    |
    | ( OK )
    I've replaced one of the drives through Seagate RMA and the same thing happens with the returned/refurbished drive. So, I really don't think there's anything wrong with the drives.
    I've tried at least 3 different USB cables of different lengths from different vendors. One is only 1.5feet & gold plated. Still, random ejects. Using the disk attached to an old dual G5 I have... I don't have this problem.
    Anyway, I am thus quite leery of using it for anything other than backups. I've never had the problem while actually copying files, only when I'm doing something else (like typing an email, or browsing the net).
    I recall having read some older Macbook Pro 17" owners having similar issues with >= 1TB drives on these forums [http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2151621&start=120&tstart=0] but no solutions.
    If someone can point me to a solution I would be very grateful.
    Message was edited by: phpguru

    @Gizmolab - Thanks for that reply. It seems like a decent theory. I found Seagate Diagnostics for Mac. It says it's only for drives that have a FireWire800 port. The ones I am using have USB only. I installed it anyway. When I run diagnostics it says no drives found so I cannot diagnose them. I'll see how it goes though, maybe it updated the driver.
    To add some more info to this thread... I figured I'd try Disk Utility to manage the drives manually. I've tried dismounting them and also just dragging the volumes to the trash when they are not in use, and using Disk Utility to mount them again when they are needed.
    What I've found is that in addition to the drives automagically ejecting themselves (and remounting again automatically about 20 to 30 seconds later)... is that a dismounted drive will automagically mount, too. Okay fine, I'll dismount them and unplug the USB cables, and reattach them when I need them.
    Disk Utility reports that there appears to be no problems with the disk... thankfully. While typing this reply, I heard the disk go to sleep and about 3 minutes later it just ejected itself dang it. So Seagate Diagnostics appears to be only for Firewire800 drives.

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