MacBook Air M1 - External Seagate HDD Unbelievably Slow?!

Question

Level 1

39 points

MacBook Air M1 - External Seagate HDD Unbelievably Slow?!

Hi all

So I just bought a MacBook Air M1. I carried out a clean install, and am now looking to import some files from my external HDD. It's a 2TB Seagate Backup Plus model SRD00F1, formatted to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encypted), in a case with a Micro B port. On my older MacBook Pro Late 2013, it works absolutely fine.

However on my Air M1, it takes nearly 3 minutes to even mount, and when it does it's unbelievably slow to import files, over a minute for a 10Mb file!

Any ideas what's going on here?

Thanks :)

Posted on Jan 22, 2021 7:53 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

machineage Author

Level 1

39 points

Jan 25, 2021 3:08 AM in response to chuck_3rd

Hi chuck_3rd

My MacBook Air is running 11.1

I tried a different cable, it made no difference. There are no other peripherals attached to my MacBook. I also tried both ports, no difference.

If I do try to transfer a file, it stutters, and eventually hangs. I then can't eject the disk, so I have to shutdown.

I found if I left the drive attached, eventually the 'Disk not ejected properly' warning would be presented:

OK so I started my MacBook in safe mode. It works! Mounts quickly, transfers 1Gb in a few seconds and doesn't hang. I tried mounting / ejecting a few times, and aside from a couple of occasions when it wouldn't eject (had to eject a couple of times to get it to eject), it seems fine.

So what could it be conflicting with?

Thanks.

Reply

Answer 2

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Jan 24, 2021 6:49 PM in response to machineage

Hi machineage,

Congratulations on your awesome new MacBook Air! We appreciate you reaching out through Apple Support Communities, and are more than glad to look into this with you and help in any way we can.

To start please let us know the exact version of macOS installed on your new computer. This can be found under Apple menu () > About this Mac.

Have you had a chance to connect your external drive using another cable? Are there any other adapters or peripherals connected to your Mac when this slow performance issue occurs? If so, what happens when you disconnect the other peripherals?

Does the issue occur when you start up in safe mode and test again? This will help to isolate the issue if due to some incompatible login items or installed software.

Here's a guide with the recommended steps:

How to use safe mode on your Mac

We're here for you if you've got any questions.

Have a great day!

Reply

Answer 3

Jan 25, 2021 11:00 AM in response to machineage

Hi machineage,

Thanks so much for testing and getting back to us here. Does the issue return after restarting your Mac?

To isolate the issue further to one or more of your login items, you'll want to complete the steps in the following guide:

Remove login items to resolve startup problems on your Mac

Take care!

Reply

Answer 4

SnickZ.

Community Specialist

Jan 25, 2021 2:55 PM in response to machineage

Hi machineage,

Thanks so much for confirming, and for the screenshot. In that case, as the issue returns when starting normally, and you've checked your login items, you'll want to reach out to Apple Support directly at this point to investigate further.

You may contact Apple Support using your preferred contact method listed on the Apple website here:

Get Support

Take care!

Reply

Answer 5

machineage Author

Level 1

39 points

Jan 25, 2021 11:07 AM in response to machineage

Hi barberlives123

Yes the issue returns when I boot into normal mode. I tried a few times now times booting into safe mode, and it works perfectly in safe mode, just not in normal mode.

I checked for login items, and there's nothing showing:

Reply

MacBook Air M1 - External Seagate HDD Unbelievably Slow?!

Similar questions