Hi there jimmyfingas,
If your external drive is showing the Time Machine icon on you Mac, have you ever used it for Time Machine backups in the past or do you use another external drive?
Let’s also start up your Mac in safe mode and see if this continues. This walks you through the steps: How to use safe mode on your Mac
Ensure your macOS is fully updated as well using these steps from Update macOS on Mac:
1. From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Software Update.
3. Click Update Now or Upgrade Now:
• Update Now installs the latest updates for the currently installed version, such as an update from macOS Big Sur 11.5 to macOS Big Sur 11.6.
• Upgrade Now installs a major new version with a new name, such as macOS Monterey. Software Update shows only upgrades that are compatible with your Mac.
If this continues after following all of that, then we would recommend reaching out to Apple Support to get the best assistance going forward.
Get Support
Cheers!
