User profile for user: HeroGreat
HeroGreat Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

External drive NVME SSD, random ejection, error 100006

I bought this external NVME SSD enclosure, put in an Adata sx8200 pro 1TB.

It was working fine first with 2019 macbook pro. I finished the Time Machine backup.

Then the error started to happen. First, my 2020 macbook air m1, then my wife's macbook air m1, then the 2019 macbook pro, which used to work fine.


The issue happened when I was transmitting data to the drive, after a few seconds, drive lost, error message with code 100006 occurred, with the banner showing "disk not ejected properly", then the drive would be mounted-ejected automatically and looped for a while.


This issue happened when I was using the USB type-c to type-c cable (1GBs speed). I could use the Apple type-c cable without issue (but speed is horrendously slow). If using an adapter with type-c to type-A cable, it was slower, although much faster than Apple cable, with the use of a dongle.


Tried the desktop mac and it was working fine, considering it was working fine with 2019 macbook pro earlier without issue, it's not the problem of my drive, or cable, or cpu (intel or m1). So it has to be the Apple device.


After searching, I noticed almost all "specialists" could not understand this issue, but only replied with some "copy-paste" answer and ****** the user away and they never responded. I will try my luck although there is a great chance this will not be answered or solved by Apple related people.


I am almost sure this is a macOS issue, which resulted no solution. Like second gen iPad Pro 12.9 and many other iPads' intermittent touching issue, Apple only replace devices until there is a functional one. But if you are unlucky like me, you ended up stopping by the store 5 times and still got the faulty one.


Anyway, this issue only happened on mac devices that were "transferred" or "restored". When first using my macbook pro it was a fresh install, and the use of my drive was flawless. The desktop mac is also a fresh install. Only other macbook airs and then the restored macbook pro (using Time Machine) had such issues.


Considering all this, I want to put this down so people have similar issues could see this and potentially reinstall their macOS and only backup the files instead of whole system. Apple software issues are getting more and more and I am losing confidence for sure.


Good luck everyone.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Dec 20, 2020 11:46 AM

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User profile for user: HeroGreat
HeroGreat Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Dec 21, 2020 8:36 PM in response to tbirdvet

Hi, I am back with all tests I needed.


99% sure it's the Big Sur 11.1 issue.


  1. Same MBP 2019, originally on macOS 11.0.1, without issue when using 1GBps external NVME drive via type-c to -c cable, backed up via Time Machine. When upgraded to macOS 11.1, Error 100006 occurred. Same to both of my MBA m1 laptops, that I never noticed this problem until after upgrading to macOS 11.1.
  2. My current desktops still running macOS 11.0.1, which is probably why I had absolutely no issue.
  3. Reinstalled macOS on MBA m1, still no luck on default.


HOWEVER, I managed to find some interesting things.

  1. I tried to fix the external drive after error occurred, it returned error. Manually unmounted it(I didn't have to for the following tests, but it was my only option for the first time, stable and reliable macOS huh?), hit the "first aid", went smooth, then I was able to copy paste 3.5GB folder to external drive. Cost 5 seconds, no error, only for the first time. Same procedures didn't work at all other than the first try.
  2. Ran the "first aid", mount the drive, directly copy paste a 3.5GB video file to the root of the folder, worked flawless and cost 5 seconds)
  3. Tried to paste a folder (3.5GB roughly) of photos, error happened. Ran "first aid", copy all photo files directly to root of external drive, worked flawless and cost 5 seconds.


Conclusion so far: (about NVMe SSD external drive with up to 1GBps data transmit speed, type-c to -c cable)

  1. Files are readable and can be copied from the external drive to laptop
  2. Files can be written to external drive root directory.
  3. Folders can rarely been written to external drive without popping error code 100006
  4. This issue is only found on macOS 11.1 by far. However, there are still cases within last 6-7 years claiming similar issue.
  5. This can only be fixed by Apple, so fingers crossed, or use a SATA ssd external drive which only supports up to 500 MBps.


FYI:

I have met severe intermittent iPad Pro touch issue and knew a bunch of people who had same unluck.

No solution, no method could resolve the issue, except going to apple store asking for a replacement.

Since this is a software issue, I doubt apple would replace the device, so use your device wisely and unless apple wants to fix it, use other routes to save your data.


Good luck.

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User profile for user: woodmeister50
woodmeister50
User level: Level 7
21,063 points

Dec 22, 2020 6:21 AM in response to HeroGreat

I think the issue may be with the total ball of confusion

that is USB these days and combining support for USB4

(or pseudo USB4) and all the backward compatibility

(USB 3.2, USB3.1 gen 2, USB 3.1 gen 1, USB 3, USB2) and

need a score card handy to keep them all straight.

Add into that fray a "universal" USB-C connector.

Add that it with Intel Thunderbolt/USB controllers

and it is just becoming a mess.


The result, fixing an issue with one device creates issues

with other devices that were working just fine.


Backward compatibility and interoperability is a nice thing

but it creates multiple layers of complexity and multiple points

for breakage.


If the industry had let USB be USB and Thunderbolt be Thunderbolt

and never the twain should meet, a whole lot of problems would not

be around.

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User profile for user: dunnowins
dunnowins
User level: Level 1
4 points

Dec 21, 2020 3:34 PM in response to HeroGreat

Just chiming in to say that I am experiencing a nearly identical issue. I have a 2TB crucial ssd in an enclosure to which I transferred about 400 GB of lossless audio files from my 2015 Macbook Pro. This transfer, though a little slow, worked flawlessly. I have used that SSD and that Macbook Pro like this for about a year with no problems.


When I go to transfer the data from the SSD onto my new M1 macbook pro that I received last week I am met with the 100006 error code after about minute or two. I am using a USB A to C adapter that I bought from Apple. This has been very frustrating.


I actually don't think this just related to the transfer of files however. I have a USB C to HDMI adapter that I tried using to plug the laptop into my television. Same results but without the error message on the mac. It just disconnects randomly from the tv. It almost feels like faulty USB C ports on the laptop but I'm not sure I really think that's what's going on.

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User profile for user: woodmeister50
woodmeister50
User level: Level 7
21,063 points

Dec 20, 2020 12:42 PM in response to HeroGreat

Something to consider is that the drive enclosure or the drive

itself has become faulty?


Running on the slower USB port it may simply not get hot enough to

fail. These days, electronic devices get hotter the faster they run.


Also, the USB-C to USB-C cable could be faulty as well. Some cables

are just not made as well as others and can fail at any time.


Also, it is known that not all enclosure/drive combos work well with

Macs. (or consistently).

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User profile for user: HeroGreat
HeroGreat Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Dec 20, 2020 1:00 PM in response to woodmeister50

Too much info so I forgot to type those.


Enclosure is NOT faulty, fully functional on windows 10, iMac, and refresh installed MacBook Pro.


type-c to type-c cable is NOT faulty, tested on other pc/Mac and is flawless.


Heat is not the issue, temperature has been monitored the whole time.


As I mentioned, it worked perfectly fine with Catalina and Big Sur when OS was fresh installation.


So I’m 95% sure it’s the faulty OS since no one I found online has solved this issue with software tuning.


Yes, you can opt in for the slower speed option instead of the NVME 1GBps enclosure, but that would lose the whole point.

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User profile for user: mmbaba
mmbaba
User level: Level 1
4 points

Dec 22, 2020 3:12 PM in response to dunnowins

I think I'm seeing the exact same problem here;


M1 Mac Mini on 11.1

2TB USB-C NVMe (destination drive)

2TB USB-3 HDD (source drive)


Error 100006 at random times when transferring large files (photo libraries) from source to destination drive.


In my case, when it crashes, the USB-C drive becomes unreadable in Disk Utility. Only method I have found to recover it is to plug it in to a Windows PC temporarily, open Disk Manager (which finds the drive) then plug it back in to the Mac and it's there again.


I have a support case open with Apple now, grabbed some logs at the time of the crash, no other news yet.

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External drive NVME SSD, random ejection, error 100006

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