User profile for user: Goatzilla
Goatzilla Author
User level: Level 1
19 points

External HDD not mounting after Ventura update

Hi, I do a lot of audio editing on my Mac mini and store all my files on an external HDD (Toshiba 1TB an a USB-A). It was working fine up until I upgraded to Ventura13.2 from Monterey, after which it's not appearing in either the Finder or Disk Utility apps. However, I can see it's there as a USB device in System Information, and the power light on the HDD is illuminated. It also appears fine on a MacBook Air running Monterey.


Ive searched this forum and see a lot of people reporting similar problems but couldn't find a solution - shall I just downgrade back to Monterey and wait to see if Ventura 13.next presents a fix?


(Side note - Ventura also hides my USB-C main monitor (LG) and I have to repeat this ritual of powering down the monitor, removing the USB cable, then powering down the Mac, then starting up again in reverse order for the monitor to work. Can live with that but cannot live without my HDD).

Mac mini, macOS 13.2

Posted on Jan 30, 2023 12:14 AM

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User profile for user: Lager1
Lager1
User level: Community Specialist

Posted on Jan 31, 2023 2:58 PM

Hello Goatzilla,


Before downgrading your software, let's try to narrow this down and isolate it more by testing in safe mode and a new user account.


Safe mode prevents certain software from opening and also forces the computer to run some disk checks similar to First Aid. This can actually resolve some issues. More information on starting to safe mode and steps to take after starting there can be found here: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support


"How to use safe mode


Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.

3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode”.

4. Log in to your Mac. You may be asked to log in again.


Intel processor

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.

2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 

3. You may be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see "Safe Boot" in the top right-hand corner of the window."


If the issue continues after the steps from safe mode, create a new user account (administrator) to see if the behavior happens there. This will let us know if it is system-wide or something within your user account: Change Users & Groups settings on Mac


Delete a user or group on Mac (to remove the test account once completed)


Let us know what you find.



Cheers!

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User profile for user: oltrebla
oltrebla
User level: Level 1
12 points

Mar 20, 2023 9:16 PM in response to Goatzilla

I have one SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD 2TB drive that I've purchased in June of 2021 and it is still working fine. I do video-editing and I eventually need more disk space. I just bought another SSD (exactly same product as the first one) and I've begun to run into the "drive mounting/data corrupting" problem that everyone else has in this discussion.


Likewise, when I first plugged it into my iMac Pro, it worked. A couple of days later, I tried opening the video files (MP4) that I've saved in this new external drive and the playback of them was all corrupted. I've tried every possible method that has been mentioned in every referable mac forum on the internet. Nonetheless, the same sequential steps of fail reoccurred on it. I've even returned the device to the store and exchanged for a new one. It eventually suffered the same fate.


If this problem with external hard drives (regardless RAID or SSD) has lingered onwards for such a long duration of time, why has Apple not corrected it (since Nov 2022?)? Does the iOS has a clockwork/routine procedure/task that runs to verify the mounting of an external disk before or after sleep/power-off? What on earth would be the reason that would even corrupt the data of external hard drives? This is not only unacceptable but genuinely ridiculous. I would have expected this to happen on PCs (which I've formerly owned with Xeon chips as well) but on a Mac?

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External HDD not mounting after Ventura update

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