External SSD Disconnects Repeatedly Mac Mini M1 (Big Sur)

dschommer wrote:

Has anyone had an issue with your external SSD's on Thunderbolt (and a few times on USB3) just randomly disconnecting? It disconnects and reconnects instantly and comes back online after tossing a notification not to disconnect a drive without hitting eject.

This was an issue with some drives requiring too much voltage for the port, but I've only seen it happen to HDDs, not SSDs.

Which SSD (specifically) are you using?

Similair issue. Brand new (bought 1 week ago) Mac Mini M1 (15 GB, 512 GB), macOS Big Sur, 11.2.3. Attached a iMounts - Mac Mini SSD + hub docking station, with a Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1TB SSD installed, connected via Thunderbolt. Works fine, however when left overnight I will get 3-4 disconnects warnings.

The volume is named "1TB". In Console I get the following messages if I filter on a related activity ID:

default 09:04:15.845602+0200 deleted 132 updateServiceInfoAmount NO CHANGE for <private> at 3 on <private>

default 09:04:15.846306+0200 deleted Updating service info amount: 0, serviceID: <private>, volume: <private>, urgency: 3 pushed: FALSE, timestamp: 640595055.846253

default 09:04:15.846340+0200 deleted 132 updateServiceInfoAmount NO CHANGE for <private> at 3 on <private>

default 09:04:15.847522+0200 deleted Updating service info amount: 0, serviceID: <private>, volume: <private>, urgency: 3 pushed: FALSE, timestamp: 640595055.847470

default 09:04:15.847551+0200 deleted 132 updateServiceInfoAmount NO CHANGE for <private> at 3 on <private>

error 09:04:15.850656+0200 deleted 215 Unable to validate mount point: <private>

default 09:04:15.850686+0200 deleted 1426 com.apple.deleted_helper APFS Purgeable update for Calling process: com.apple.appkit.xpc.openAndSav on "All Volumes" ET: 0.024706, results:

default 09:04:15.850697+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_URGENCY : 3

default 09:04:15.850708+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_URGENCY_LIMIT : 3

default 09:04:15.850717+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_PURGEABLE_BY_CONTAINER : 1

default 09:04:15.850769+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_TOTAL_PURGEABLE : 1

default 09:04:15.850807+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_NO_CACHE : 1

default 09:04:15.850919+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_TOTAL_AVAILABLE : 3004587744

default 09:04:15.850946+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_TOTAL_FSPURGEABLE : 0

default 09:04:15.850994+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_ID : com.apple.cache_delete

default 09:04:15.851038+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_QUERY_PATH : SLOW

default 09:04:15.851087+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_CALLING_PROCESS : com.apple.appkit.xpc.openAndSav

default 09:04:15.851119+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_VOLUME : /Volumes/1TB

default 09:04:15.851162+0200 deleted CACHE_DELETE_ELAPSED_TIME : 0.00524925

default 09:04:15.851246+0200 deleted PurgeableOperation result: CACHE_DELETE_URGENCY : 3, CACHE_DELETE_URGENCY_LIMIT : 3, CACHE_DELETE_PURGEABLE_BY_CONTAINER : 1, CACHE_DELETE_TOTAL_PURGEABLE : 1, CACHE_DELETE_NO_CACHE : 1, CACHE_DELETE_TOTAL_AVAILABLE : 3004587744, CACHE_DELETE_TOTAL_FSPURGEABLE : 0, CACHE_DELETE_ID : com.apple.cache_delete, CACHE_DELETE_QUERY_PATH : SLOW, CACHE_DELETE_CALLING_PROCESS : com.apple.appkit.xpc.openAndSav, CACHE_DELETE_VOLUME : /Volumes/1TB, CACHE_DELETE_ELAPSED_TIME : 0.00524925

default 09:04:15.851313+0200 deleted valid cache for: <private> (<private>) at Tue Apr 20 09:04:15 2021

default 09:04:15.851353+0200 deleted staled cache for: <private> (<private>) at Tue Apr 20 09:03:36 2021

default 09:04:15.851368+0200 deleted 1640 totalAvailable updated results

On M1 Mac Mini 16GB and having the same NvMe SSD disconnecting problem while editing on FCPX. It's so frequent that is almost impossible to use it.

[Checked] TB3 Cable

[Unchecked] Put hard disk to sleep

Expected Apple support to bring our attention to other things instead of looking at their hardware/software issues. Hope that more will voice out so that something can be done.

My M1 macbook air has this issue with several external SSDs.

The first one was a 1TB Hard Disk. I could copy the files into the PC but couldn't copy as it would return an error and unmount itself. As the hard disk was bit old so I simply tought it was an hardware problem.

As a replacement I bought an ORICO NMVE M2 enclosure and mounted a 500gb Crucial P2 M2 / NMVE.

The speed is impressive when I test it, but if I have to copy or move files bigger than 5 GBs then it usually fails to copy and unmount itself.

When I plug it again, I succeed the copying process but it takes a really long time to finish it.

So it is a 2 step process. The first step always fail at the end, the second one succeed but it is slow.

This problem happens with every micro SD that I use with digital cameras.

As I bought the M1 macbook for video editing porpuses I have to say that it is really annoying, because we are not talking about a cheap laptop and I have to copy lot of video material.

Hope it is a software problem and it would be fixed soon.

Yes, it happens with Caldigit Thunderbolt 3 docking station (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZPV8DF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) as well. I would suggest that all of us give the links to our devices that aren't working so that Apple can see them and possibly check to see what those devices are doing that may help them narrow down this issue.

I'm running into this problem too. I have a Mac Pro 6.1 running 10.14.6, Sabrent 4TB Rocket, and Sabrent USB 3.2 Rugged enclosure.

It worked ok for several weeks plugged directly into the USB port but I wanted more speed, so I got the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 and attached it using the Apple thunderbolt 2 adapter. The speeds were over twice as fast but about once a week the computer will lock up (I can only move the mouse cursor, all applications get the spinning beachball, but music will still be playing), and then eventually after several minutes the drive will be ejected and the computer unfreezes. The drive will not show back up in Disk Utility until I unplug it and replug it, though the enclosure does still show up in System Info under the USB 3 hardware bus. Just unplugging it as soon as the computer freezes works the same and skips waiting around.

I gave up on that and went back to plugging directly into the computer but today it froze the same way. I noticed today not long before it happened that the transfer speeds were kind of erratic and slow but maybe not related. Usually it will freeze at any time even when not doing any file transfers, and doing lots of heavy hundreds of GB transfers will go fine except for this once a week freeze.

I'll try turning off the disk sleep under Energy Saver to see if that helps. The Lacie USB-C spinning drive I was using previously had zero issues so I may have to give up on the idea of fast and small external storage for now.

Hadn't realized myself that M1 compatibility was necessary. Makes sense in retrospect.

Using a M1 Mac mini with 256GB internal and 16GB RAM

I am having the same issues with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YB4DDRB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Also don't see any M1 compatibility notes here. Just a suggestion to format as ExFAT.

Thinking I'd rather just go with the case you recommended back in February... assuming it's still up and running. Mine just keeps falling off and reconnecting... have several notifications when I leave my desk for a few hours.

Thanks, great advice.

Having the same issue on a non-M1 Macbook Pro (2019) running Catalina 10.15.6. Could this be an issue with Lightning/USB-C compatibility? It seems like this problem persists across Intel/M1 Macs and across operating systems, but it seems like the common thread is it affecting models with Lightning ports.

My issue is connectivity with a Samsung SSD. I've tried multiple cables and continue to get random disconnections with "disk not properly removed" and error 10006.

I think my solution will be to use an older Mac (that has its own hardware issues) to remove the files from the hard drive and upload to web-based storage.

I have two NVME USB 3.2 drives that disconnect about once a month for no apparent reason. MY TB drive does not. All enclosures are running the same NVME drive. Different cables makes no difference. Did this with Big Sur and Monterey both on M1 Mac.

ckbarlow wrote:

@IdrisSeabright

Regardless, the ports need to work.

If you're having a hardware issue, I'd suggest contacting Apple and arranging to have them evaluate your computer. Some of the diagnostics can be run remotely.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

I have the Mac mini M1. This spontaneous dropping of my external USB drives attached to a hub may have started earlier on rare occasions, but became a non-stop thing after I did my 12.0.1 upgrade. I'll get the Disk Not Ejected Properly message, usually for a single drive but sometimes for more or all of them. Generally, with the exception of that single one, they don't even appear to have dropped off more than momentarily if at all. I swapped cables on the drive that always drops off and stays off, and it made no difference. I'm thinking this one drive might be bad, but would that cause those momentary Ejection/Remount cycles for the others?

Not true - since at least Catalina. Don't cut us slow-to-upgrade folks out of the conversation!

A lot of musicians/producers/composers like myself always wait to update OSes because of inevitable compatibility issues with the various 3rd-party tools we need to do our jobs. So I'm still on Catalina, and I have this exact problem.

I have this issue as well. Just bought a new Mac Mini M1, and added the Satechi hub for Mac mini with ssd enclosure. This SSD disk gets "not properly ejected" regularly (mostly when computer is coming back from sleep, but once randomly, just as I was typing this). The disk is not used often, just for eventual extra storage, since I bought the Mac Mini with 512 Gb, and I formerly had a Mac Mini with 1Tb.

Now I also have two USB3 external HD that are plugged through a powered USB3 hub. They never get disconnected.

Same issue. M1 Mac Mini 16GB/256 iOS up to date, with OWC Envoy Express and 1 TB Samsung 970 Evo connected directly to the TB port. I've had this setup since February of last year with no issues. For the past couple of weeks now the drive is disconnecting and immediately reconnecting with the notification to eject it before unplugging it. Does not matter if I'm reading/writing to the SSD or not. All software is up to date.