Stop external drive auto-mounting with utf8=1 option

The filenames on my external disk aren't showing up right. I've used and am using a typical GNOME setup, and this only started happening when I stopped upgrading for a long while, then went with a complete re-install.
A little experimenting showed that mounting it without the utf8=1 option fixed those filenames. Given the labyrinth of HAL, DBus, udev and DeviceKit, how do I stop my vfat external drive mounting with utf8=1?
There's more info over at the cross-posted thread in Desktop Environments, but I felt it would be more appropriate to ask here instead.

I've "fixed" the issue by adding this line to /etc/fstab:
UUID=3BEC-9DA3 /media/WD\040Passport vfat rw,user,uid=1000,gid=100,shortname=mixed,dmask=0077,utf8=0,noauto,flush 0 0
This stops the utf8=1 option being used when I hotplug my external disk.
However, GNOME now has a phantom "WD Passport" external drive icon. It never seems to point to anything, and whenever it's so much as selected, an error dialog appears saying that nothing is mounted there. Another, actual drive icon can access the disk, but the phantom icon is annoying.
Does anybody have a better way of setting mount options in this setup than using /etc/fstab?
If not, does anybody know how to get rid of the phantom drive icon?

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External drive not mounting with FW800

Hi,
I have a strange problem... I am trying to connect a SATA 3.5" drive (Seagate Barracuda) in a Vantec NexStar enclosure to a MacBook Pro (17"), and the drive will mount (either on the desktop or in Disk Utility) when connected with FW400 and with USB 2.0, but not with FW800 (the enclosure has all three). It will not mount on another 15" MacBook Pro either.
The strange thing is that I CAN connect the drive to my Mac Pro through FW800 with no problems, and also to both a 15" and a 17" PowerBook G4!
Does this sound like a driver problem? Like maybe the driver for the Vantec enclosure is not compatible with the MacBook Pro?
If anyone has a clue what the problem might be, let me know!
Thanks,
Nayeli

The problem turned out to be the FW 800 cables that came with the Vantec enclosure. For some reason they work with my Mac Pro, but not with either the 17" MacBook Pro or the 15" MacBook Pros I tried.

[solved] External drive automatically mounted as read-only

Hi folks,
I have a strange issue with an external drive automatically mounted as read-only whenever I plug it to my laptop :
[sclarckone@archLaptop ~]$ mount
/dev/sdb1 on /run/media/sclarckone/dd type ntfs (ro,nosuid,nodev,relatime,uid=1000,gid=100,fmask=0177,dmask=077,nls=utf8,errors=continue,mft_zone_multiplier=1,uhelper=udisks2)
And I can't remount it as read-write :
[sclarckone@archLaptop ~]$ sudo mount -o remount,rw /dev/sdb1
mount: cannot remount /dev/sdb1 read-write, is write-protected
But of course, I'm able to mount it as read-write on other operating systems.
I have udisks and udisks2 installed on my system. I also belong to the storage group so I thought I could mount a filesystem as a normal user but I can't :
[sclarckone@archLaptop ~]$ mount /dev/sdb1 dd/
mount: only root can do that
I don't know whether it is relevant to this problem, but I have systemd and polkit installed as well... Does anybody has an idea of where the problem could come from ?
Thanks for your help !
Last edited by sclarckone (2012-12-13 21:45:04)

Check out following file :
/usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.udisks.policy
Look for mount a device and It should have configuration like :
<action id="org.freedesktop.udisks.filesystem-mount">
<description>Mount a device</description>
<description xml:lang="da">MontÃ©r en enhed</description>
<message>Authentication is required to mount the device</message>
<message xml:lang="da">Autorisering er pÃ¥krÃ¦vet for at montere et fil system</message>
<defaults>
<allow_any>no</allow_any>
<allow_inactive>no</allow_inactive>
<allow_active>yes</allow_active>
</defaults>
</action>

WD external drive not mounting

I just purchased a brand new WD My Passport 500GB external drive to go with my wife's new Macbook Air, which we recently updated to Mavericks 10.9.
However, the drive will not mount and is not even recognised in Disk Utility.
Any suggestions?
Ironically, her old PC formatted drive that's 5 years old mounts with no problem.

You are powering the drive from USB?
That's a terrible idea, except for travel drives.
The power consumption is at or above the maxiumum safe output for USB plugs. Its dicey for reliability and can overheat things and do damage.
So yes, either get a powered USB hub or buy a real, full-sized, plug-it-in-the-wall drive, or see if your WD drive as a power connector and yu can buy a wall adapter.
Grant

What external drives work well with a late 2011 MacBook Pro? I ask because I just found out the hard way that a Samsung EVO 840 does not. Also should I avail myself of something that works with Thunderbolt or Firewire?

What external drives work well with a late 2011 MacBook Pro (I7, Lion OS) apart from my Kingston flash and USB drive, and the SD drives that I use in my cameras and recording devices? I ask because I just found out the hard way that a Samsung EVO 840 does not. Also, should I avail myself of something that works with the Thunderbolt or Firewire connections? I'm looking to back up music and video files created and/or processed in Logic Pro and the Adobe Production Premium software suite (Premier Pro, After Effects, Audition, etc).

Hmm, not sure what problems you had installing this drive. The review here gives it good marks for Mac:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE1T0BW/produc t-reviews/B00E3W16OU
There does seem to be a lot of prep to make it work:
"1. Preparation to install your new shiny SSD
1.a You will need a migration tool (I used the Sabrent kit USB 3.0 to Sata that was suggested in these review) see link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQJME7Y/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&p sc=1
1.b You will need to download a trim enabler (mid 2012 macbooks only support native trim with apple brand ssd's) I recommend going to cindori.org and downloading trim enabler version 3.xx. You can do this step before or after the OS migration
1.c You cannot use the Samsung SSD migration software *don't worry Mac has its own imaging/migration utility*"
Also in those reviews:
" Only down side when using this product in a Mac Mini is you will be required to download and install Trim Enabler so that your drive performs optimally on your Mac device. This is an Apple issue, not Samsung, but it is an extra step you will have to take after you install the hard drive, and any time you perform an OS upgrade." He rant's on.
Personally I only deal with OWC:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/
They are very knowledgable and if there's a problem they will gladly take back the item. (Never happened to me yet - 8 years and counting).
Just upgraded my 13" MBP 2011 to 120 GB for $79. Adobe CS 6 opens in 3 seconds! Awesome!
When I was in Chicago I had a pro photographer for a client. She wound up with 4 internal drives in her Pro, 4 external drives and an dual array locked in a steel vault in the basement. All from OWC. OK she was a bit paranoid. Great client though.
As far as value for price:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MES3FH7500G/
500 GB for $130.
However as far as reliability is concerned:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/30/are-ssds-reliable/
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/173887-ssd-stress-testing-finds-intel-might -be-the-only-reliable-drive-manufacturer
So sudden power loss is an issue with SSDs.
Personally I'd go with a moderate sized SSD internally and a conventional external for backup. An array would be the most reliable.

Is Time Machine something that I can back up to in a separate particle of my new MacBook Pro or do I need an external drive to use with it?

.....ie we have Seagate external drives but both have Windows files on them, although plenty of room. Am I able to keep the Windows files on them and back up to them with Time Machine on new MacBook Pro? Don't understand....and not very clear. Thanks
Belinda

Belinda,
In order to use Time Machine the external volume must be formatted in Disk Utility as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". You can't use a drive that is formatted to be used for both a Mac and a Windows unit (exFAT, etc.). You should purchase a new external drive to use with Time Machine and never let your work go for over a week with hooking up to the TM drive and allow Time Machine to do it's thing.
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15” Late 2011), OS X Yosemite 10.10, 16GB Crucial RAM, 960GB M500 Crucial SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

How do I save albums, events in tact from iPhoto to external drive to comply with iCloud limits? Thx

How do I save albums, events in tact from iPhoto to external drive to comply with iClouds limits? (iMac Lion, need to remove 280gb of photos>

Not sure if I understand correctly?
Do you want to move 280 GB of photos from iPhoto on your Mac to an external hard drive?
If that is the case, iCloud has nothing to do with it. You can move your iPhoto library to an external drive to free up space on your internal drive.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iPhoto/8.0/en/6331.html
If that is not what you're trying to do, please rephrase your question. Thanks.

External Drive Not Mounting (iPod too)

Just got a new MacBook and when I initially attached my external drive, it mounted. I ejected it properly and when I attached it again, it no longer mounts. What happened and how to fix?
My iPod, on the other hand, never mounted.

Are you connecting the drive and iPod over firewire or over USB, Maan?
If its firewire, then it is possible that your FW port needs to be reset. To do this disconnect all devices , unplug the power adaptor and remove the battery. Wait fifteen to twenty minutes. Connect everything back up again and see if it is now working. (Mac Firewire ports are protected by a self resetting fuse. This process resets it. If possible you may want to try a new FW cable. Defective cables can often be the cause of these sorts of problems).
If it is a USB connection, try a PRAM reset - shut down the computer completely, then start up holding down the command (ie apple) option p r keys. Keep the keys pressed until the chimes have sounded three times.
If you still have no joy, post back.
Cheers
Rod

USB External Drive not mounting after use with Time Caplule

I have a 1TB external Lacie hard drive I have been using to store data via connection to my Time Capsule USB port.
I purchased a new HD to replace the Lacie and would like to use the Lacie as an external drive for my Macbook Pro.
Issue:
I erased all files on the Lacie before disconnecting it from the Time Capsule.
Connected the Lacie to my Macbook Pro via USB port.
Lacie disk spins, but never mounts - disk image never appears, disk just keeps spinning.
Ran Disk Utility. Lacie image shows up. Tryed to erase, but got an error that it wont mount.
Tryed to repare disk, but got the same message.
This also happens when I try to connect the Lacie to my iMac.
So, hooked it back up to Time Capsule. Disk shows up just fine.
What's going on???

Where does it show up - Finder or System Preferences/Time Capsule?
Try ejecting the drive, turning it off for awhile, restart the computer, and then restart the drive and plug it in.

Seagate Goflex external drive not mounting

Upgraded to Yosemite with no problems. However my Seagate 3tb external drive will not mount, but it is recognized in the disk utility and it is recognized on a pc but will not mount? Is there anything I can do? I tried the goflex thunderbolt dock, Ive tried usb, Ive plugged it into an older imac with 10.7 on it and it says "unrecognizable drive" and gives me options to initialize or eject. Is there anything I can use to just get these files off of here on win or osx?
I have also plugged in two 1tb drives seagate and toshiba and they both work perfectly. And, I have also updated the thunderbolt drivers and all that... I am at a loss of what to do next.

Okay found out the problem, on my exfat formatted drive, after I upgraded to Yosemite it basically created a new partition, a corrupted partition and would not mount my drive. However, I could open it and see it in Disk Utility.
Here's what I did to fix it:
Goto disk utility to see the name of you drive.
Open Terminal and type: sudo fsck_exfat -d disk1s1(this should be the name of your disk)
It will ask for your password then press, enter and it will display all files on the disk.
Then is will ask: Main boot drive needs to be updated?
Type: Yes
It will update and say that you can repair disk in disk utility.
Do that, and it will show up on the desktop.
Link to original forum post if you need more information:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4154638?start=0&tstart=0
Hope this helps, it was a headache for about a week but, Ive read osx does not handle exfat formatting very well.

External Drive not mounting anymore. HELP!

I was messing with permissions. I was trying to restrict others from using my external drive. I do know that I never removed myself. Now I see that my external LaCie 250GB drive will not mount. Both 'Disk Utility' and 'Disc Warrior' see and 'repair' the hard drive, but it still does NOT mount on the desktop. What can I do? Please help!
Robert
Dual 2.5 GHz G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3) 60GB Video iPod

I opened a 'Terminal' window and discovered that it appears I changed the owner. My username is bobbysteele. I changed it from 'admin' to my username (it's truncated - bobbyste). The permissions on the external drive are as follows:
d---rwx--- 16 bobbyste bobbyste 646 Jan 7 08:01 Jukebox01
It appears the permissions should be drwxr-xr-x because that is the setting for all other drives and folders. How can I change the permissions? Please help.

USB Drives auto-mounting at startup?

I am new to the Mac, on little issue i have with my wonderful MAC is when i restart\start up the Mac, the USB Drives \ USB jump drives are not automatically mounted like they do in windows.
In order for it to be found, i have to unplug and reconnect the cable, there has to be away to automount these USB drives, any ideas? thanks.

Hi, Matt. Welcome to the Discussions.
This may be an issue with the firmware on the USB devices you cited. The same behavior has been noted with certain FireWire drives: some must be powered on before startup to be recognized, others are not recognized unless they are powered-up after after startup.
For your USB hard drives, check with the manufacturer to see if there is a firmware upgrade available for the enclosure. For your USB Flash Drives, there's generally no way to update the firmware: you'll have to live with the behavior and connect them after you startup your Mac.
Note that before either disconnecting or powering off any mounted external drive — FireWire or USB, flash drive or hard drive — Eject the drive using any of the following methods:
• Click the drive's Eject icon in the Finder Sidebar.
• Drag the drive's desktop icon to the Trash.
• Control-click the drive's desktop icon, then select Eject from the resulting context menu.
• In Disk Utility, select the drive, then either:- Click Eject in the Disk Utility tool bar.
- Select File > Eject Disk.
- Press Command-E.Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

Seagate goflex 2TB external drive not mounting Yosemite.

Hello:
I have been using a Seagate golfer 2TB external HD for time machine since 2012. No problem with subsequent OS X upgrades. My last backup was performed 3 months ago in an iMac with Mavericks. Today I have a new iMac with Yosemite. Due to the new iMacs does not have firewire connectors, I had to buy an Apple adaptor from FW to Thunderbolt. When I plugged in the HD it did not mount. Checked the cables, changed HD connector, tried my MBP, changed the cable to a USB that comes with the Seagate and nothing happened. Run disk utility and the disk appears, but the information related to storage, number of files is unavailable.
I checked in Seagate webpage and found a software called Seagate dashboard. I installed it and run test feature. After the test the HD finally mounted but came with a warning that says something like this: "OS X could not repair the disk. Backup your data and reformat the drive". Run disk utility and all the info appeared. However, when I run migration assistant to migrate all my data to the new mac, the app does not find the external HD. Tried to run Time machine and it is not found, either. The only thing that I could do is to double click the icon in desktop and found that the Backups.backupdb file is there with all my backups.
Considering that the external drive is having problem, my question is: Can I "move" the Backups.backupdb file to the desktop of the new iMac, repair or erase the external HD using disk utility and then move again the Backups.backupdb file to the EHD to see if it works?.
Thanks.
Franklin.

Thanks Dan.
While I waited for an answer I decide to install a Seagate app called "Seagate Dashboard". This app have a feature that "test" your HD. I run it and I got a message that said something like I the disk has damaged and has to be repaired, please back up your data. After that the HD finally mounted in my desktop.
So, ok I have a dilemma: try to enter in my HD and drag the files I needed or pay a specialist to fix my problem. I chose the first one, drag and drop.
And finally I had success. I could enter in the backup the Time machine did and drag all the files I needed. As a matter of fact, I tried to use Migration Assistant and it worked perfectly.
My conclusion: I had luck, the pure one.
Now I decided to have two back-up instead of one. And accident can happen again I could not have the same fortune.

External drive not mounting

I recently got an Iomega eGo HD (160GB, FW 400/USB 2.0) for backup. I went with the FW since I learned from several Mac forums that the USB ports on my PowerBook (G4 15") were not likely to power an external HD.
Unfortunately, FW does not seem to work very well either. When I connect the portable HD to my PowerBook, there is action--the light comes on, the HD feels like it's spinning for about 5 seconds, but then it stops. The HD does not show up on my desktop, in System Profiler, or in Disk Utility.
I've done some simple troubleshooting--checked the connections, shut down my computer for 10 minutes then reboot--but that did not help. I don't have access to another computer right now so I can't determine if it's the HD itself. Iomega's site suggests that some Macs will not recognize drives over 128MB, but that appears to apply only if you're running OS X 10.2 (I have 10.4.11).
In a nutshell, the HD is not showing up at all, even though it does appear to be getting (some) power via the FW connection. Are there other things I can do? Would a smaller drive solve the problem? Do I just have to get a power cord (which I was hoping to avoid by getting a drive that had FW)? Or is this PB just inherently weak when it comes to powering external HDs? Thanks in advance.

Hi, Steve, and welcome to Apple Discussions. The symptoms are entirely consistent with the drive not getting enough power. I've seen several reports of this with Iomega drives in particular, even when they're connected via Firewire. I don't know whether Iomega uses particularly power-hungry drive units or bridge chipsets, or what the problem is with their external drives.
I recommend a) trying a different FireWire cable, and if that doesn't make any difference, b) either buying an AC adapter or returning the drive in exchange for another brand (or assembling your own from a bare drive and an external enclosure kit like this).

USB Thumb Drive Not Mounting With Mavericks

I have several Thumb drives (FAT32) that no longer mount on my iMac running Mavericks.
The thumb drives do not show up in finder nor do they show up in disc utilities.
The USB bus still seems to work since other USB devices seem to connect to it, but none
of the thumb drives do. I have done an SMC and PRAM reset with no luck. I do not have
TUXERA nor NTFS-3G so nothing their to disable.
I do have a Mac Mini running Mountain Lion and all thumb drives do work with that.
Out of ideas here.

But given that other USB devices work here — what sorts of other USB devices?
I have 2 external hard drives that work on the very same USB port and an external blu-ray drive as well.
Are there any add-on anti-virus or anti-malware "tools" installed?
None. Never have.
To check the USB bus, remove all hubs and all other external USB devices from this Mac, reboot, connect one of the thumb drives directly to the Mac, and try again.
Everything re-connected except for the thumb drives. External hard drive and Blu-ray drives popped right up but no USB flash drives.
Try a different and newly-created login, and see if the flash drives work there.
I used the Guest login and the same thing, everything works except the Thumb drives.
To check the local OS X installation, see if booting this Mac from the recovery partition (if one is present)
None is present.
or booted from another (external) OS X disk allows access to the thumb drives.
I have en extern HD that is blank, but I do not know how to install Mavericks on it then run it.
Is there anything in common among these failing USB disks? Same brand and model? Or a mixture of different thumb drives?
They are all FAT32, other than that no I have Cruzer, Kingston and PNY brands. 2GB 4GB and 16GB.
Are the OS X systems involved both similar configurations, or are they very different versions?
Mac Mini is Mountain Lion and has no issues with the thumb drive.
Intel iMac is Mavericks and my Mac Book Pro is Mavericks. Neither one of them can mount my USB sticks.
Thanks for your complete reply, you had some items that I did not try but unfortunately it did not help yet.

Stop external drive auto-mounting with utf8=1 option

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