USB Drives Randomly Disconnect and then Reconnect

On my laptop I have a USB drive where I keep all of my data. It is always plugged in while the laptop is in use. However a number of times the USB drive disconnects itself and then immediately reconnects. I get the notification that my Y drive has been connected. This causes problems for my synchronization application that constantly monitors changes on my C drive. I have changed all of the Power options that prevent the drive from powering down when not in use but the problem still happens. This problem happens on all of my USB ports. The external drive is a Western Digital My Passport 2 TB drive. This problem is getting to be a real nuisance. I have only had the laptop for 5 months. In searching the internet there seems to be a lot of people that have been having this problem but I couldn't find a suitable solution. I never had this problem with any previous laptops that used this external drive. The laptop is running Windows 8.1 with 12 GB RAM and a 1 TB hard drive. This is the operating system that was installed on the laptop when I purchased it. Has anyone found a fix for this type of problem? Thanks,Joyce

This is a known bug and Microsoft are working on a fix. They plan to fix this before Firefox 4 reaches release candidate phase.
A workaround is to change a preference in Firefox:
# Type '''about:config''' into the location bar and press enter
# Accept the warning message that appears, you will be taken to a list of preferences
# Locate the preference '''html5.enable''' and double-click on it to change its value to '''false'''
If you do this, remember to set the preference back to true by double-clicking on it again when Firefox 4 release candidate is made available, the bug should be fixed by then.

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USB drive randomly disconnects (and causes deep traversal in Time Machine)

I have two external drives connected through a USB hub and they get sometimes randomly disconnected. Sometimes when I plug the drives in, only one appears on the desktop. Then I unplug them, plug them back in and just the other drive appears.
The other problem is that I back up one of the drives to the other using Time Machine and when the drive disappears by itself, Time Machine needs to perform deep traversal of the whole drive AND backs up the whole drive from scratch (see the console log below).
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks,
Peter
8/5/08 Aug 5, 7:20:33 PM /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[27374] Node requires deep traversal:/Volumes/monster reason:kFSEDBEventFlagMustScanSubDirs|
8/5/08 Aug 5, 7:24:31 PM /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[27374] Starting pre-backup thinning: 203.69 GB requested (including padding), 43.57 GB available
8/5/08 Aug 5, 7:24:31 PM /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[27374] No expired backups exist - deleting oldest backups to make room

The USB hub could have a problem (or not enough power); try connecting the drives directly to the Mac and see what happens. Is it a powered USB hub, and are the drives self-powered (i.e. each drive gets its own power from a wall socket/surge protector)?

External hard drive keeps disconnecting and then reconnecting

External hard drive on Time Machine, running via USB keeps disconnecting. Get the pop us that the drive wasn't disconnected properly. This Mac is brand new as is the hard drive. It is a Seagate 1T Free Agent.
After a minute or two it reconnects. I've run Seagate diagnostics and it says the drive is fine.
Any suggestions?

See #A1 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for a handy widget that will display the backup messages from your logs.
See what that shows; there may be a problem with the backup, which results in TM ejecting the drive. If so, the disconnect may be a symptom, not a cause. If so, see #C2 there. If not, or if you're not sure, copy and post them here.
Also, to rule out other USB problems, disconnect everything but keyboard and mouse; connect the drive directly to your Mac (no hub).
Make sure all connections are snug and secure.
Try other ports, cables, and combinations of the two (a plug that works fine in one port may not make good contact in another one, and throw intermittent errors).

Is there a way to get automator to turn off dropbox if my external drive is disconnected and possibly reconnect drive and restart dropbox?

I am using my Time capsule to contain my iPhoto and some larger image folders as I have a 128gb macbook air.
I use dropbox to backup these folders using a program called MacFropAny to create links to these folders on the ext drive.
All works well until the drive is not there and dropbox has a fit and starts to delete all my folders (75gb worth)
This gets quite frustrating... I have an automator script that runs on log in to make sure that the drive is connected, this is cool, but I would like something that says something like:
if drive is disconnected > close dropbox if open > attempt to reconnect drive > if drive is reconnected restart dropbox
Is this possible to have an automator script that "listens" for a drive being disconnected and then run?
Many thanks in advance.

Yes. Sign in to the iTunes store, click below Quick Links where it says Purchased and start downloading your previous purchases.
If you have content on an iPod then this is an alternative approach:
Recover media from iPod
See this post from forum regular Zevoneer for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
tt2

When I open firefox before connecting (via 56k modem) or if I leave a previous section open, disconnect and then reconnect, firfox does not work, it remains offline, even though internet is connected. I have to close firefox and reopen

When I open firefox before connecting (via 56k modem) or if I leave a previous section open, disconnect and then reconnect, firfox does not work, it remains offline, even though internet is connected. I have to close firefox and reopen

Thanks for the reply. I never get the option to "Restore Previous History" from History. I don't even have the box checked that asks to delete the history when Firefox closes. I don't know what's wrong, no matter what, I always lose everything. I have the box marked "Show my windows and tabs from last time" for when I open Firefox, but it never shows that, just my homepage. Also, when I check my History, it only shows the pages that I opened since I started Firefox, nothing from before. Even if I were to open up 10 pages now, close Firefox, and open it, the history would only show the homepage that opened this time, not any of the 10 pages that I opened 5 minutes ago.

Network drives randomly disconnecting, unable to reconnect

I have been having an issue with network drives randomly disconnecting. When I try and reconnect using the Connect to Server dialog, the share is greyed out. My current workaround has been to open up terminal and run umount /Volume/Share_Name, and I am able to connect again afterwards. This is happening multiple times a day, and across multiple servers. I have poked around the forums and seen some people with similar issues, but the solution of connecting with cifs:// instead of smb:// has not made any difference.

which ultimately means apple didn't do enough testing before releasing the last patch
This is not always, and may not be, the case. What many don't realise is that many 3rd party developers stray from the 802.11 series specifications in an attampt to boost speed and get one up on their competitors. For instance D-Link, amongst others, use a short preamble setting by default in some of their routers to improve performance. However, this is non-standard and when it comes across wireless network adapters that don't support this then you have problems. They assume that their network adapters are being used for "maximum speed and compatibility". Whether Apple should or should not support a short preamble is another subject altogether.
However, I do agree with you in that Apple should put more work into their Airport software.

My macbook pro 15" usb drives keep disconnecting and transfer speeds become very slow.

Both the usb drives on my macbook pro 15" (2012 model) have been transferring speeds very slow and when i try to use my harddisk it keeps disconnecting. Please help

when i try to play games like minecraft and somtimes when im on the internet, ive been doing some research and apparently my cpu is really low, %User: 2.68 %System: 1.87 %idle: 96.74, is that bad? and also it is very quick to charge but like i said cant keep a charge for very long, end up having to charge it almost twice a day

Skype disconnecting and then reconnecting?

Okay, so my skype disconnects reconnects every 2 seconds and it keeps going forward in time, have tried so many solutions to try and fix this, I have even reset my whole computer, I am completely clueless on what to do now.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Reverting to the older Skype 6.14.0.104 version should solve the "time-travelling" issue.
http://community.skype.com/t5/Windows-desktop-client/connetion-problems/m-p/3658855#M303470
After installing the 6.14.0.104 version from the provided link make sure to disable automatic updates:
Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Automatic updates ->Turn off automatic updates
However, you should also try the "fix" provided in this Microsoft support article:
https://support2.microsoft.com/kb/895980

IPod gets disconnected and the reconnected

Hello everyone,
I have an iPod Shuffle 1Gb.
It has worked fine for about six months.
I upgraded iTunes to version 5.0.1.4, and it also worked fine... until recently, when it insisted on me having to upgrade my iPod Shuffle to version 1.1.2. If I clicked Cancel, iTunes closed!
Ok, so I upgraded my iPod, and then the trouble started: Everytime I try to transfer songs from my library to the iPod, the iPod quickly disconnects and then reconnects, but the transfer is cut!
Sometimes I am lucky if I can transfer one small song before it happens, but this is not the way it is supposed to work, I'm sure.
I have tried to downgrade the iPod back to version 1.1. But... as soon as I opened iTunes it told me that I needed to upgrade my iPod, and, again, iTunes closed if I refused to upgrade.
To the Apple-developers:
1) Please fix these problems as soon as possible!
2) Please leave the users with a choice to use older versions of the firmware. As you should know by now, the newest versions are not always the best!
Best regards
Claus Holm, Copenhagen, Denmark

Yes, I have tried that.
And now I have just done it again, hoping it would help...
But I should never have done it!
The problem persists, and now, again, I have to go through transferring all my songs to my iPod one or two at a time.
Any other suggestions, please?
Regards
Claus, Copenhagen

The HP (USB connected) and Epson (wireless) printers keep losing their connection with my Mac mini. I have to physically disconnect the HP and then reconnect for the Mac to find it. Turning off the wireless Epson doesn't work. All software is updated.

My HP (USB connected) and Epson (wireless) printers keep losing their connection with my Mac mini. I have to physically disconnect the HP and then reconnect for the Mac to find it. Turning off the wireless Epson doesn't resolve anything. All software/drivers have been updated.

My HP (USB connected) and Epson (wireless) printers keep losing their connection with my Mac mini. I have to physically disconnect the HP and then reconnect for the Mac to find it. Turning off the wireless Epson doesn't resolve anything. All software/drivers have been updated.

My MAC OS X 10.7.5 keeps dropping Wi-Fi randomly for a few seconds, and then reconnecting.

I do a lot of browsing and sometimes gaming - I notice that at random intervals, usually around 30 minutes, my wi-fi will drop and then reconnect (without me having to do anything) in about 10 seconds. It's really frustrating. I know it's not my internet because my brother has a Macbook Pro also and his doesn't drop connection.
Running MAC OS X 10.7.5
bought macbook around August and I haven't found a fix for it since then.
-I have searched for a fix but I haven't seen anyone with this exact problem.
THANKS!

I had a problem with my friends new MBP too. These steps fixed it. Keep me posted.
First, Check for software updates, by clicking on the Apple () and then on 'Software Update'
Then try
SMC Reset
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
PRAM Reset
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405

My imac randomly restarts and then takes 45 minutes to load. What can I do to fix it?

I upgraded to Mavericks as soon as it released a few weeks ago. This is the only change I've made, no new programs or apps otherwise. Last week my imac randomly restarted and then took 45 minutes to load. It's done this about 5 times in the last week. I need some help resolving this.
I've gone through the disk utility to repair/verify the hard drive, and it's done nothing to solve this issue.
I do have a time machine and am wondering if it would be too drastic to reformat and restore from the time machine.
Any help would be appreciated! I have work to do!
Imac 21.5 inch mid 2010, OS X Mavericks

OK here they are:
Hardware Information:
          iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)
          iMac - model: iMac11,2
          1 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3 CPU: 2 cores
          16 GB RAM
Video Information:
          ATI Radeon HD 4670 - VRAM: 256 MB
Audio Plug-ins:
          BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0
          AirPlay: Version: 1.9
          AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0
          iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3
System Software:
          OS X 10.9 (13A603) - Uptime: 0 days 2:54:13
Disk Information:
          WDC WD5000AAKS-40V6A0 disk0 : (500.11 GB)
                    EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 499.25 GB (277.14 GB free)
                    Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
          HL-DT-STDVDRW GA32N
USB Information:
          MICRONET FANTOM DRIVE     2 TB
                    EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    Time Machine Backups (disk1s2) /Volumes/Time Machine Backups: 2 TB (201.03 GB free)
          Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
          Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
                    Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
          Wacom Co.,Ltd. CTH-460
          Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub
                    Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard
          LaCie P'9231 Desktop Drive 2 TB
                    EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
                    LaCie (disk2s2) /Volumes/LaCie: 2 TB (1.15 TB free)
          Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Kernel Extensions:
          com.rogueamoeba.HermesAudio          (4.1.0)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
          [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist
          [loaded] com.crashplan.engine.plist
          [invalid] com.crashplan.engine.plist.save
          [loaded] com.flipvideo.FlipShareServer.launchd.plist
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist
          [loaded] com.leapfrog.connect.shell.plist
          [loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist
          [loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist
          [loaded] com.rogueamoeba.hermes.plist
Launch Agents:
          [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist
          [loaded] com.flipvideo.FlipShare.AutoRun.plist
          [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist
          [loaded] com.wacom.pentablet.plist
User Launch Agents:
          [loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist
          [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
          [loaded] com.crashplan.javacheck.plist
          [not loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac.trashSizeWatcher.plist
          [not loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac.volumeWatcher.plist
          [loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist
          [loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist
          [loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist
User Login Items:
          Monitor
          Dropbox
          CrashPlan menu bar
          Google Chrome
          HazelHelper
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          DivX
          Flash Player
          Flip4Mac WMV
          Growl
          Hazel
          MacFUSE
          PenTablet
Internet Plug-ins:
          AdobeAAMDetect.plugin
          Default Browser.plugin
          DirectorShockwave.plugin
          DivXBrowserPlugin.plugin
          Flash Player.plugin
          FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin
          Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin
          googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin
          iPhotoPhotocast.plugin
          JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
          NP_2020Player_IKEA.plugin
          npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin
          o1dbrowserplugin.plugin
          OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin
          OVSHelper.plugin
          QuickTime Plugin.plugin
          Silverlight.plugin
          WacomNetscape.plugin
          WacomTabletPlugin.plugin
User Internet Plug-ins:
          CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin
Bad Fonts:
          None
Time Machine:
          Skip System Files: NO
          Auto backup: YES
          Volumes being backed up:
                    LaCie: Disk size: 2 TB Disk used: 846.34 GB
                    Macintosh HD: Disk size: 499.25 GB Disk used: 222.11 GB
          Destinations:
                    Time Machine Backups [Local] (Last used)
                    Total size: 2 TB
                    Total number of backups: 36
                    Oldest backup: 2013-10-25 13:10:19 +0000
                    Last backup: 2013-11-09 15:08:15 +0000
                    Size of backup disk: Too small
                              Backup size 2 TB < (Disk used 1.07 TB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU:
               8%          WindowServer
               6%          PenTabletDriver
               3%          ConsumerTouchDriver
               2%          Google Chrome
               2%          EtreCheck
               1%          Dock
               0%          Dropbox
               0%          CrashPlan menu bar
               0%          fontd
               0%          GoogleTalkPlugin
Top Processes by Memory:
          410 MB             java
          377 MB             Google Chrome
          246 MB             mds_stores
          197 MB             com.apple.IconServicesAgent
          131 MB             Adobe Bridge CS5
          115 MB             Finder
          115 MB             Google Chrome Helper
          82 MB              WindowServer
          66 MB              Dropbox
          49 MB              PenTabletDriver
Virtual Memory Statistics:
          8.92 GB            Free RAM
          5.04 GB            Active RAM
          800 MB             Inactive RAM
          1.26 GB            Wired RAM
          1.65 GB            Page-ins
          0 B                Page-outs

Can a time machine usb drive backup the data from an external usb drive connected to and airport extreme*

can a time machine usb drive conected to my mac book backup the data from an external usb drive connected to and airport extreme ?

Hi Adam, if you think yoiur HD may be failing you could do a TM restore onto the new disk. I would rather see you do a clone either SuperDuper or CarbonCopy Cloner.Of your internal drive. That way you have a bootable backup in case it does fail.
btw - what are the symptoms of your failing drive?
-mj
Message was edited by: macjack

Easy question I'm sure. imac hard full (500gb) mostly from iphoto. no capacity left. what are my options? I've thought of an external drive of 1tb and then a 2nd external drive of 3tb to back up both???? please help.

easy question I'm sure. imac hard full (500gb) mostly from iphoto. no capacity left. what are my options? I've thought of an external drive of 1tb and then a 2nd external drive of 3tb to back up both???? please help.

Those are the options - more space is more space.
Moving the iPhoto Library is simple:
Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
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

I replaced the battery on my RAID card, when I booted my mac pro up, I get the folder with the question mark. I used a boot USB drive to boot and when I looked in the RAID utility, my RAID 5 volumes were no longer showing, advise.

I replaced the battery on my RAID card, when I booted my mac pro up, I get the folder with the question mark. I used a boot USB drive to boot and when I looked in the RAID utility, my RAID 5 volumes were no longer showing, advise.
Ernest

Not sure if I'm following you. I have 4 hard drives installed on my Mac Pro. I had a RAID 5 configured and functional for about 5 months. My battery died on the RAID card. I replaced the battery, seated the RAID card back in the slot I removed it from. When I booted to the USB drive to look in the RAID utility, I could see the battery is charged but my volumes are not showing.
The drives don't show in disk Utility. I built the RAID with the RAID Utility and they did show there. I have a early 2008 Mac Pro, Mavricks OS running Mac Server

USB Drives Randomly Disconnect and then Reconnect

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