Mounting disks through TB hub super slow

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Mounting disks through TB hub super slow

I have a CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt 3 hub that is connected to 2 USB drives (spinning backup drives, not SSDs), a monitor and Ethernet. I use it with 2 different Macs, each running Ventura. One Mac is a 2020 M1 Air, the other is a 2019 MacBook Pro (Intel). The 2 USB drives are used for Time Machine on each Mac, respectively. One is encrypted (for work), the other is not. This scheme has worked well for several years.

Recently, these USB drives take FOREVER to mount upon connection to the hub - as long as 20 minutes. During that time, the Mac may experience 5 to 10 seconds of complete freeze - all screen animations stop, the mouse won't move, etc. This occurs on BOTH MACS, so it's not an Apple Silicon thing. It's something shared.

I've checked the drives via Disk Utility and run First Aid, they appear to be fine. Once mounted, they work perfectly. What else should I look at, fellow Mac people?

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Mar 12, 2023 2:00 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Bradley Price1 Author

Level 1

69 points

Mar 16, 2023 6:44 PM in response to Bradley Price1

OP here. Solution was to replace my 2 aging hard drives with SSDs. Wow, 1TB SSDs are down to around $60!

The SSDs mount and unmount really fast on both Macs. Time Machine is re-established, all is well.

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Answer 2

tbirdvet

Level 6

17,096 points

Mar 12, 2023 4:13 PM in response to Bradley Price1

Do they mount quickly if connected directly to your Mac? Possible that the port on the CalDigit is having a difficult time suppling enough current to mount the mechanical drive. My CalDigit had that issue and I had to redo my connection layout.

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Answer 3

Mar 14, 2023 5:56 PM in response to Bradley Price1

My experience with HDs that do not mount properly is that something is wrong with the mechanism and need to be replaced. Failing to mount properly (and promptly) on different computers suggests the HD is in trouble and not the location of use. IF you did OS updates, maybe reformatting will solve, or checking with the manufacturer for similar reports and solutions.

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Answer 4

Mar 15, 2023 11:34 AM in response to Charles Palenz

Thank you, @Charles Palenz. These are older drives being used for Time Machine. I've ordered some new SSDs for replacement, I don't want to screw around with these problems!

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Answer 5

Mar 14, 2023 3:46 PM in response to tbirdvet

Hi @tbirdvet - thank you for the suggestion. Alas, that did not work. I have confirmed that the issue is independent of the CalDigit hub - even if I connect one of these spinning disks directly to the MacBook (via a USB-C to USB-A adapter of course) the mounting time is horrendous.

I have opened Disk Utility to see what is happening. The USB disk appears there after a few seconds, but then doesn't mount for another 30 seconds to several minutes. This occurs with 2 different spinning drives, one encrypted and one not, on 2 different Macs (2019 Intel MBP, 2020 M1 Air). I note that my Samsung T7 SSD mounts instantly, FWIW.

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Mounting disks through TB hub super slow

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