OS X 10.8.5 causes external disk to eject improperly

Ever since updating to 10.8.5 I'm having a problem with my external Time Machine drive when my iMac goes to sleep. When I return to the computer, the folling warning pops up on the screen:
I'm not doing anything differently than I've always done. This problem started right after installing 10.8.5, so I'm assuming the problem lies there. Anyone else having a similar problem? Anyone know of a fix? The drive is a 3TB LaCie d2 with a Thunderbolt connection. The Mac is a 21.5", late 2012 iMac with Fusion Drive.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.
Feedback
Or you can use your Apple ID to register with this site and go the Apple BugReporter. Supposedly you will get an answer if you submit feedback.
Feedback via Apple Developer

Similar Messages

LaCie 3TB external hard drive ejecting improperly

Anybody have experiences with a LaCie external hard drive ejecting improperly? Not able to run long enough to do proper back ups and file maintenace. Closes or ejects on its own.

I just replaced a 2TB LaCie with an 8TB model and encountered the same problem I would get a "disc improperly ejected" message and since my iTunes library is stored there the app would go into kernel panic and require a force quit. Very annoying.
I switched from the thunderbolt ports to the USB and have not had any issues since.
I never had any issue with my My older HD so I think maybe the Thunderbolt connector that came with the new drive was bad.

Connecting an external disk after ejection

Is it possible to reconnect an external disk after being ejected?

YESS!
I was just thinking it to be possible within Finder but I tried it with DU now and succeeded.
Thanks.

Ejecting external disk drive--eject drive only or "both partitions"?

Hello! I have a new Macbook Pro and just used Time Machine for the first time to back up all my data. I am ready to eject the GoFlex external drive, but I received this message:
“FreeAgent GoFlex Drive” is a partition on a disk that has 2 partitions. Do you want to eject “FreeAgent GoFlex Drive” only, or both partitions?
Does this mean the GoFlex external drive has 2 partitions? Or does it mean one partition is on the GoFlex drive and the other drive is on my laptop?
Any advice on which option I should choose?
Thanks very much!

FYI, I chose "eject all" and the world didn't end, so that's good. If anyone can explain to me what I did, though, I'd appreciate it. Many thanks!

External Disks Ejected Improperly During Sleep

New MB Pro with a LaCie 2Big Thunderbolt external ejects the external drives when it goes to sleep. I'll put the system to sleep in the evening and find it on in the morning with the "Disks Not Ejected Properly" message. The problem is intermittent. I see a lot of discussion about this but no experts have weighed in and there is no solution that works (including the "Swiss" solution).
I'm very concerned about damaging the data on my external, is there a solution to this problem, or a workaround?

Ask Apple. This is a long-running problem that predates Maverick. If you search "improperly eject" you will find many ciscussions and many different machines and configurations involved. I've got an iMac and a LaCie 2big Thunderbolt running Time Machine. I've "temporarily" solved the issue by turning off "sleep." That is, I have unchecked everything in the "energy saver" section of preferences. Before I did that I got the "improperly ejected" message. I turned off the LaCie and turned it back on and it showed up, without apparent damage of any kind -- except that until I did that there would be no backups to TM, so if I didn't notice the "imp" message, I might go for hours or days without.
This is either an inherent problem with Apple soft or firmware, or Apple has not communicated the right information to manufacturers such as LaCie which are building HDs wiuth Thunderbolt, apparently primarily for the new Mac product line.
LaCie support recently advised me that "Apple has recently acknowledged problems within current versions of Mac OS X that can cause external drives to become improperly ejected during system sleep. Patches from Apple to correct these issues are forthcoming." We shall see ............

External Disk Permission issues

I share my laptop with a colleague using 10.6.8
Tonight I had to do some shuffling of files on external disks. I kept getting asked to put in her password. The external disks were "read only" and only read/write under my log in, not hers.
I know how to "Find Info" and set the "Ignore permissions" check box so I can fix that... but I've wondered if that means there is some underlying installation error.
What causes external disks to suddenly become read only?
Random facts:
I've repaired permissions in her log in.
She has administrator privileges.
Thanks for any insight.

Is the disk that you are writing to also a bootable disk? In other words, is this the disk she uses to startup the mac from?
If so, you can't write to that disk without messing up the permissions. The general rule of thumb with any bootable disk is only ever copy from it when you're not booted into it. Changing the permissions from your end does not get around this. If you write into another bootable disk from 'outside' of it, you'll just corrupt the permissions for that user when they start up from it.
If you want to make things available to her from your disk, put them in your 'shared' or public folder, or even easier is use Dropbox or Skydrive.

10.8.5 Supplemental Update causing external drive error?

I'm seeing a lot of discussion about 10.8.5 having a bug that caused some external drives to eject improperly. I have never had this issue, but just did the software update -- which *I believe* was the 10.8.5 Supplemental Update, because I remember it saying this:
"Fixes an issue that may cause external drives to be ejected after the computer goes to sleep"
... and now I AM getting that error message sometimes after my computer is woken from sleep! So, for me, the Supplemental Update caused the problem that others had been having, but that I'd never had, with the previous update!
I'm assuming I'm fully up to date with my software updates because, when I check, there are no updates to be found.
It's frustrating because I never had this issue, and the update that was supposed to fix it for everyone else, cause it to start happening to me.
Any help or thoughts on this would be appreciated!

Try running the combo update.
10.8.5 Combo Update

Time Machine Disk Self-ejects, and more

I'm using a 1 TB FreeAgent GoFlex external USB drive as my Time Machine back up. Half the time it works perfectly, other times it suddenly ejects itself and I get a message about how the disk was ejected improperly. If I pop out the USB cable, then plug it back in, the disk remounts and goes on as before. Other times it will begin backing up, and seems to get stuck in "back up" mode. It keeps evaluating the main hard drive until it's time to shut down for the day. I can't make it stop. If I go ahead and shut down, the computer quits everything down to the bare desktop, then locks up. If I shut down while not stuck in "evaluating" the computer shuts down normally.
How do I make the disk quit self ejecting?
How do I keep it from getting stuck "evaluating" the disk?

I have a similar problem which only recently developed with my Seagate FreeAgent Desktop Classic. The drive ejects only during TM backups. Here's the message from the TM widget:
Starting standard backup
Backing up to: /Volumes/TM/Backups.backupdb
Event store UUIDs don't match for volume: Macintosh HD
No pre-backup thinning needed: 309.2 MB requested (including padding), 365.05 GB available
Unable to rebuild path cache for source item. Partial source path:
Error: (-39) SrcErr:YES Copying (null) to (null)
Copied 8845 files (84.6 GB) from volume Macintosh HD.
No pre-backup thinning needed: 534.6 MB requested (including padding), 280.31 GB available
Stopping backup.
Error: (-43) SrcErr:NO Copying /Users/angeloferraro/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player/#SharedObjects/EC6L7AJD to (null)
Copied 8625 files (184.9 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Copy stage failed with error:11
Stopping backupd because the backup volume was ejected!
Error writing to backup log. NSFileHandleOperationException:* -[NSConcreteFileHandle writeData:]: Input/output error
Backup failed with error: 27
have reformatted the external drive which has not helped.
No problem if TM is switched off. No disk errors with Apple's native disk utility, however Seagate's drive manager reports that "the selected drive failed its most recent diagnostic test" but does not provide any further information.
Have sent an email to seagate and awaiting their reply. Drive still under warranty.

One USB port does not work with external Disk or USB key

Hello,
Back to my iMAC there is 3 USB port. The second one - in the middle - does not work pluging an external Disk, an USB key or an iPOD nano. However it works well connecting a Wacom tablet.
Is there an explanation to this behaviour ?
More the keyboard is plugded on USB port 1 and the mouse on the keyboard. Time to time - especially at reboot - I have to unplugged the mouse and plugged again it in order it works.
In advance thank you for your answers
Regards

Since it does not work for three different devices, I will assume it is not something simple like a faulty USB cable. Since it does work for one device, I will also assume that the port is (at least partially) working.
As a test to narrow down the cause, I would try restarting from your Mac OS X installation disc (insert disc and restart with the C key held down).
At the first Installer screen (after language selection), go up the menu bar. Under Utilities, select to run Disk Utility. Now, connect the USB drive into that center port. Does it appear in the Disk Utility sidebar?
Please post back the result...

How do I create an iPhoto Library on an external disk

I have a project that has grown out of all proportion, and for space reasons I wish to move the iPhoto library from the system disk to an external disk and access the pictures from there.
Is this possible?
I have tried duplication the original library file moving it to the external disk. I then moved the original photos to trash but this caused BOTH iphoto library files to go blank.
Fortunately I was able to get back to square one.
Regards Peter

Peter:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
Regards
TD

What is causing a disk error when saving psd files or writing to cache?

The problem only happens when running Photoshop CC (2104) and Bridge (actually these are the only two programs I really use my external drive for) during a save or write operation to an external hard drive. I can work for hours, with multiple files open, saving, creating, etc. without a problem and then suddenly I'll get a message from Photoshop saying, "Could not save .... because of a disk error." or from Bridge saying, ".. unable to write to cache..".
When I quit and try to troubleshoot the problem, I find that, for some reason, Mavericks has put system files on my external (non boot) drive or, for whatever reason, thinks there is a system file on it. Consequently, the drive cannot be ejected (Error message: "... one or more programs may be using it...") and I cannot repair it using Disk Utility (Error message: " ... live file system repair is not supported"). I also cannot write to it (Error message: "... unexpected disk error has occurred (error code: -50)"). The problem persists even after quitting all other programs, which wouldn't surprise me if Mavericks thinks there is a system file on it.
I have force ejected the drive a couple of times but became concerned that I might be compounding the problem. Now I just restart my computer and run Disk Utility Repair Disk. (Don't know which is worse.) Disk Utility either doesn't find a problem or, if it finds one, it repairs it. After that, Photoshop and Bridge work fine for a while.
System information:
MacBook Pro 13" 2.4GHz with 16GB RAM, 500 GB HD (recently upgraded)
Apple Cinema Display
Mavericks (up to date)
G-Technology G-Drive (Gen 5) 2TB HD connected via Firewire 800 (latest firmware)
Unconfirmed observation: I believe the first few times this problem occurred, Firefox was up an running. I made a point of quitting all programs except System Monitor when running Photoshop and Bridge and I can't remember having the problem again. The the last time the issue occurred, today, however, Safari was up and running.
Is this an OS problem, a hardware (disk drive, cable, etc.) problem, a software problem (PS, Bridge) or some combination? I have put this much detail in the post hoping someone can share some insight into the cause. I will be sending this report to Apple and G-Technology and I will report any resolution, if and, hopefully when, I find one.

The only thing that will cause a disk error is an actual error from the disk.
Photoshop is just telling you what that OS told it about the error.
It sounds like you need to boot off another disk and try to repair your disk.
Also, make sure you have a backup. And check the SMART status to see if it is failing and needs to be replaced.

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.
Please take your time in replying to my post. I recovered my entire system last week and restored all the data using TM's twlight view. No rush! I successfully created a backup of my fresh OSx Mavericks on the MacBook Air with all the data restored using TM. I only wanted to troubleshoot this issue in case something occurs in the future that may require me to restore data using TM in recovery mode.
I browsed extensively through many of the discussions covering Time Machine. None mentioned my particular dilemma. Any assistance would be a valuable controbution not only to me, but other Apple users who may purchase My Passport for Mac drives and encounter a similiar problem.

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.

Itunes: An unknown error occurred (-50): external disk sleeping

Hi All.
I posted this question about a year ago, but never got a usable answer. However, now I have more info, and thought I'd give it another try.
I have an external disk that I attach via USB to my iMac running OS X 10.6.8, which is left on almost all the time. When I don't use the computer for an extended period, despite having the "Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible" unchecked in the Energy Saver system preferences, the disk in the external array spin down anyway.
Most of the time, when I return to the computer, the disks spin up just fine and there's no issue.
However, sometimes, when I return, I'll find the disk that was normally read/write is now available, but read only, and messages such as the following are in the console log:
     7/13/11 4:33:42 PM          kernel          disk3s2: I/O error.     7/13/11 4:33:42 PM          kernel      7/13/11 4:33:42 PM          kernel      7/13/11 4:33:42 PM          kernel          jnl: disk3s2: do_jnl_io: strategy err 0x5     7/13/11 4:33:42 PM          kernel          jnl: disk3s2: write_journal_header: error writing the journal header!     7/13/11 4:33:48 PM          kernel          disk3s2: I/O error.     7/13/11 4:33:48 PM          kernel      7/13/11 4:33:48 PM          kernel      7/13/11 4:33:48 PM          kernel          jnl: disk3s2: do_jnl_io: strategy err 0x5     7/13/11 4:33:48 PM          kernel          jnl: disk3s2: end_transaction: only wrote 0 of 12288 bytes to the journal!
The disk has my iTunes library on it, and iTunes complains "An unknown error occurred (-50)".
If I eject this 3Tb disk from the system and then use either 'Disk Utility' or 'diskutil' to mount it, it comes back up just fine.
My question is, is there a way to use the 'remount option on the mount command to fix this? If I try, I get
     # mount -o remount,rw /dev/disk3s2 /Volumes/Audio4TbRaid0     mount: -o remount: option not supported     #
If not the mount command, is there some hidden option to 'diskutil' that will do this without having to unmount the drive first (and cause all the open windows into the drive to go away)?
Thanks in advance for any help.

Just an update to this: It's definitely a problem with external (USB 2 connected) drives that go into sleep mode. When they spin up, they sometimes are in read only mode.
Unmouting them and mounting them again restores normal operations.
Annoying? You bet. Workaround? Yeah, I guess...

Why is osx continuously caching external disk?

While I am -using an/any application that does- reading from an external disk, free memory continuously decreases and inactive memory increases with the same amount, which is aproximately the amount of data read. At some time, os starts paging and the system renders useless, forcing me to reboot.
Closing the application or using another usb slot has no effect, I have to eject the USB or use purge -which makes other applications sluggish-. Format of the -external drive's- partition (GUID, MBR),(HFS+, FAT32, NTFS) does not matter. All of the drives are excluded from Spotlight (are not indexed). I have
OSXFuse but that is only for Truecrypt, info about partitions show native drivers.
Why is osx continuously caching external disk, can a configuration/app/plugin cause this, is there a way to avoid this? Is there a selective purge command for external disk cache? Does anybody have this problem with external drives, and also with Mavericks?
My EtreCheck (after a reboot) is:
EtreCheck version: 1.9.11 (43) - report generated June 15, 2014
Hardware Information:
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,5
    1 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
    4 GB RAM
Video Information:
    NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
    OS X 10.8.3 (12D78) - Uptime: 0 days 1:4:54
Disk Information:
    Hitachi HTS5450 disk0 : (160.04 GB)
        disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 94.62 GB (48.81 GB free)
        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
        BOOTCAMP (disk0s4) /Volumes/BOOTCAMP: 64.57 GB (44.49 GB free)
    HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS23N
USB Information:
    Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
    JMicron Storage 500.11 GB
        BKPFAT (disk1s1) /Volumes/BKPFAT: 443.2 GB (25.08 GB free)
        BKPNTFS (disk1s2) <not mounted>: 56.9 GB
    Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Configuration files:
    /etc/hosts - Count: 1
Gatekeeper:
    Anywhere
Startup Items:
    TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper: Path: /Library/StartupItems/TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper
Launch Daemons:
    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
    [not loaded]    de.jinx.SmartSleepDaemon.plist Support
    [loaded]    org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist Support
Launch Agents:
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
    [loaded]    org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist Support
User Login Items:
    GrowlHelperApp
    Google Drive
    witchdaemon
    BetterTouchTool
Internet Plug-ins:
    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 05 Check version
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.38 - SDK 10.6 Support
    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.1
    Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.38 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update
    o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.4.2.18903 Support
    googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.4.2.18903 Support
    Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30317.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
    Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 4.1.5f1 Support
    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
Safari Extensions:
    Bing Highlights: Version: 1.0.20
    ClickToFlash: Version: 2.5.1
Audio Plug-ins:
    AirPlay: Version: 1.7 - SDK 10.8
    iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.1 - SDK 10.8
iTunes Plug-ins:
    Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.8
3rd Party Preference Panes:
    Flash Player Support
    FUSE for OS X (OSXFUSE) Support
    GamePadCompanionPrefPanel Support
    Growl Support
    Java Support
    MenuMeters Support
    SmartSleep Support
    Tuxera NTFS Support
    Witch Support
Time Machine:
    Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
        25% firefox
         4% activitymonitord
         4% WindowServer
         1% hidd
         1% BetterTouchTool
Top Processes by Memory:
    254 MB firefox
    111 MB Google Chrome
    66 MB   Sublime Text
    61 MB   mds
    59 MB   Google Chrome Helper
Virtual Memory Information:
    1.72 GB Free RAM
    1.21 GB Active RAM
    416 MB Inactive RAM
    425 MB Wired RAM
    378 MB Page-ins
    0 B Page-outs

Try a restart.
Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.
Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.
Isolating an issue by using another user account

My MacBook Pro won't go beyond a white screen, after I pushed the restart button. How can I get it to a login? I have routinely backed it up, but don't know how to bring that up, nor if I have a boot file on that external disk. Help!

My MacBook Pro won't go beyond a white screen, after I pushed the restart button. How can I get it to a login? I have routinely backed it up, but don't know how to bring that up, nor if I have a boot file on that external disk. Help!

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
To restart an unresponsive computer, press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the power shuts off, then release, wait a few more seconds, and press it again briefly.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If a desktop Mac hangs at a plain gray screen with a movable cursor, the keyboard may not be recognized. Press and hold the button on the side of an Apple wireless keyboard to make it discoverable. If need be, replace or recharge the batteries. If you're using a USB keyboard connected to a hub, connect it to a built-in port.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

OS X 10.8.5 causes external disk to eject improperly

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