Q: Disk Drive ejecting itself

I just wanted to re-iterate from my replies that this is not a Time Machine issue -- I don't use it and I still have this problem.

The problem started immediately after upgrading the iWeb stuff -- since we don't use it, I always unchecked it during software updates over the last 6+ months. And literally, as soon as the computer restarted, the drive started ejecting itself (a 500 GB Iomega USB 2.0).

Barb

I am having the same problem. This began when I updated to 10.6.5. This NEVER happened before the update to 10.6.5. At first, I thought that it was due to an unpowered USB hub connected to my AirPort Extreme. Took the hub off the AirPort and replaced it with a powered hub. USB drives still self eject - less frequently, but none the less, they still self eject. Today this started to happen with my Drobo connected through a self powered USB Hub. This doesn't seem to be associated with sleep/wake. It doesn't seem to be associated with any particular activity. It just happens randomly.

This must be a problem with 10.6.5.

I just took my Drobo off the hub, and so far it has not self ejected in the timeframe that it had twice previously while connected to the hub.

The hub works fine. Everything else connected stays connected.

Well, it is not the hub. The Drobo just self ejected while connected directly to my macbook

You are probably right. I just thought it might be Time Machine related because of the two brand new drives, the Time Machine drive is the one that keeps ejecting, the other one is fine. It might be important to note that the Time Machine drive is almost full but backups take place with no problem. This might be an indexing issue. Perhaps, indexing large volumes?

As an aside, I have a third 2TB Seagate drive that I haven't taken out of the box yet. At some point, I might try to set that up and switch to that drive as my back up, but I don't want to open it till I understand what is going on. This seems to be happening to enough people that I don't think its random.

Wow...didn't realize so many people were having this problem. I got my iMac just a few months ago and everything was working fine with my LaCie 1TB. It's running on its own power and at first was only ejecting the partition that I use for TM (the other one would remain mounted while the one for TM would eject), but now both partitions are ejecting. I'm also using a smaller WD 60GB and that one hasn't given me any problems. Seems this may be a TM issue?

Today my Drobo self ejected during Time Machine save. I turned off Time Machine, and so far the Drobo has remained mounted. All partitions remain mounted, and I have been using the partitions without difficulty. At my home, the drive that I use for Aperture ejects itself occasionally. The Time Machine drive has remained mounted.

I have posted this into Apple's support feedback.

I am not sure how these forum are monitored and whether these are included in their product development, but if everyone posts this into their support feedback, hopefully we'll get a fix soon. This is the first real problem that I have had with OS X since OS 10.4.

I've had this happen with 2 different firewire 800 drives one was a LACIE and the other is a ministack from Newtechnology macsales.com. In one instance I was copy 191GB to the newertechnology drive and some how it ejected while I was away from my desk. Another instance I went for lunch with the LACIE plugged in and when I came back I got and error from OS X saying the drive had been ejected with our properly unmounting.

Message was edited by: blee4, changed os version.

I have to admit I didn't go through the complete thread, but for me an eye-opener was the hint to the Energy Saver System Preferences in

http://discussions.info.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8393048

"- Click the 'Sleep' tab.

- If there is a check mark beside 'Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible', uncheck it and see if that makes a difference."

Seems about a month ago I tried the whole shut down, unplug, re-plug, restart thing, and I've had no ejections sine that time.

Folks,

Are any of you familiar with an SMC reset, and has anyone tried it for this problem?

Thanks.

An earlier post reported solving the problem just by restarting - one of the suggested fixes before resorting to an SMC reset. I restarted my MBP and the USB drive to powered Hub to AirPort Extreme has remained mounted for more than a week now.

My MB started ejecting my Dobo only when running time machine. Even when the Drobo was directly connected to my MB it would eject within a minute or so of TM starting. When I turned off TM, the drive stayed connected. I will find out next week whether a system restart or an SMC reset fixes it.

A system restart on my MBP seems to have resolved the problem with one of the external drives self ejecting.

Unfortunately, neither a system restart nor an SMC reset has resolved the problem with a Drobo connected to an MB self ejecting. Time Machine worked fine, but during a sync with Carbon Copy Cloner, the drive repeatedly self ejected.

By the way, the external HD involved in my particular problem is a G-Tech Mini 500GB 7200 rpm, and I'm using it with Time Machine which the HD seems to be working very nicely with.

Anyway, I actually did an SMC reset at the suggestion of an Apple online tech, but it didn't solve the problem. Today I tried another Apple tech who suggested I do a full system check (using the applications disk that came with my MBP), and the check eventually found a hardware error 4SNS/1/40000000:TmOP-62.250 (whatever that means!).

The system check took quite awhile, and I had to phone back later to talk with someone about it. The next tech couldn't find any reference to an error by that "name", and he suggested I visit the Genius Bar at my local Apple Store.

I did so, and my assigned Genius plugged an Ethernet cable into my MBP to do some diagnostic work. He found that everything, including the Firewire port, was okay. He reckoned the problem is being caused by power sometimes being shut off at the Firewire port (and I suppose other ports as well) when I put my MBP to sleep when on battery power and, of course, when I wake it up I get the "disk not ejected properly" warning.

Thing is, though, I don't have the problem every time I wake it up from sleep when on battery power, so that's a bit of a mystery.

Anyway, the Genius suggested that I not worry about the problem, not be concerned about any files on my G-Tech Mini being lost or corrupted, and basically ignore the ejection warning when it appears. Well, that's easy for him to say!

I'd really rather have the problem solved so I can then sail on as serenely as I used to with my previous MBP and its companion G-Tech Mini 250GB which gave me no trouble at all (interestingly, though, when I tried using the 250GB on my new MBP, I got the same ejection problem).

The Apple tech who suggested that I do a system test also suggested that I send a note about the situation to Apple.com/feedback. She claimed that Apple pays close attention to that source of feedback, so maybe we'll get more attention to our problem. But many of you folks no doubt have a lot more experience of dealing with Apple, so maybe you can enlighten me about the possibilities here.

Thanks for your input into this. My experience has been that the self eject has nothing to do with sleep/wake or battery power. This has happened while connected to power and while "awake."

For me "not worry about the problem" is a terrible response.

I have posted this issue in the Apple feedback, and please, please everyone else that is having the problem needs to post there as well. This is an unacceptable instability that limits work flow and makes file transfer/backup unreliable.