Apple Mac mini m4 error: Disk Not Ejected Properly.

I have this reoccurring error that happens whenever I wake up my MacMini m4 from sleep. I have read many existing threads on this problem, and nothing seems to be relevant, such as reboot your iPhone (yes that was one of them), a bad hub, drive, cable, etc etc. Some of the questions regarding this error go back 5 years, so it is possibly an intermittent issue.

I'm running a brand new MacMini M4 with everything else also brand new. The device giving me the error is an OWC Express 1M2 (bus-powered) NVMe external drive enclosure with a Kingston 4TB SSD inside, and a certified Thunderbolt 4 cable (also tried a non-certified cable without luck, and a different brand of external drive enclosure).

The OWC is directly connected to one of the 3 TB4 ports on the rear of the MM-M4, so there are no 'hubs' involved.

As I sit here, I have 8 copies of the error message on screen (and this time, that's all there is), but I have had as many as 40 to 50 iterations. Unfortunately there is no 'clear all' option available (that I know of), so I have to click on each one to get rid of them, but the drive itself is still not visible, so I have nothing to click on, even after all the error messages are gone.

If I reboot or restart, the drive appears for a couple of seconds, then disappears just before the stream of error messages appears.

NOTE: Also, an old Samsung 1TB is still visible as a valid drive even after it has been ejected and physically been removed (which is totally illogical).

There is also a 1TB SSD used as a backup drive which appears to be OK.

Another possible issue is the drive light is ON continuously (at present). I would assume it would only be lit during data transfer, but I may be wrong.

Is there anyone that has successfully fixed this error (please no 'suggestions' that are untested). I need a working solution please...

Regards, Greg.

Mac mini, macOS 15.1

Posted on Dec 8, 2024 9:08 PM

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C5Pilot

Level 1

45 points

Posted on Dec 25, 2024 2:58 PM

I disagree with the idea that there is "no" benefit from the sleep function on later Macs, even on my Mac Mini M4 Pro with the very latest hardware and OS. There is a benefit from the sleep function when you consider it places my OWC Express 1M2 in standby mode with the light off, going from feeling like a little space heater with the well designed heat sink doing its job, to sitting idle and cold to the touch. In this sleep state my UPS also reports the total system power, including my 27" Studio Display (on but asleep) is only one (1) Watt, going from 40+ watts when awake but idle! One watt, amazing! Everything is ready to go right after I wiggle my mouse and it wakes within 1-2 seconds, drives still mounted*. That is just too cool (no pun intended) to give up on, and how the hardware and software was engineered to work.

Having said all that, I agree that if you just can't get sleep to work as it should, it is not worth endless troubleshooting. It might make more sense to just disable sleep and let everything just draw whatever power it does and not worry about unnecessary component wear since this hardware is designed to last many years fully powered and running warm. You will upgrade before that anyway.

*As I mentioned in my other post, I did have some rare and random Drive Not Ejected Properly notifications after sleep but I think I may have resolved that now by fixing another possibly related issue I will also post about separately because others have been complaining about it. That is the issue of having a UPS (in my case an Eaton 5SC) connected by USB cable (for status reporting and auto shutdown by MAC OS) causing the Mac Mini M4 go to sleep and put external drives like the 1M2 asleep but wake up every few minutes, repeatedly. I suspect this constant sleep/wake every few min for hours with the external drive light going dark and blinking back/forth may lead to an eventual hiccup between the drive and OS. I noticed that by unplugging the USB cable to the UPS and just having it as a non-communicating power outlet, the Mac Mini and external drive would sleep peacefully and wake normally as expected. Then I found that if I connected an APC UPS (Back Ups Pro 1000 S) to the Mac Mini with the USB cable, the sleep functioning was still normal and now I still have the UPS status communication and auto shutdown capability. So I am now using the APC unit with no problems at all, no disk eject notifications after sleeping normally/consistently. I am disappointed that the Eaton 5SC was causing some issue with USB communication interfering with Mac Mini sleep because that is the UPS I wanted to keep using, but good for APC apparently having better communication compatibility with the Mac Mini and Sequoia.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has had this issue with UPSs with USB connections and sleep.

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,452 points

Dec 23, 2024 12:06 PM in response to GregHudson1954

GregHudson1954,

Apple does not read or participate in these user to user forums. So no, TheLittles is not a moderator.

If users that have enough points see something that needs corrections, they can request that Apple make any modifications. Sorry, I don't recall how many points are needed these days. Modifications can be things like requesting: edits in a post that violate the Terms of Use, moving a thread to a more appropriate forum, etc... The final say however is Apple's. If you would like to speak to someone from Apple, you always can visit an Apple Store and speak to a Genius or if you have technical questions, give AppleCare ( AppleCare Contact Info ) a phone call. If you have feedback that you would like to offer to Apple please use www.apple.com/feedback. And of course if your computer is eligible for service (meaning it is not obsolete and vintage) you can book an appointment at your local Apple Authorized Service Provider. You can start that process by clicking the Support link in the upper right of this page.

Dec 27, 2024 4:44 AM in response to hcsitas

hcsitas wrote:

Looks like (obstinate) faulty operation to me. Disable Sleep as per the instructions posted, should fix.

As for me, it looks like another Apple's bug. We are talking about Apple, carbon neutral company in near future, no chargers witch iphones included, no cables with airpods, no plastic on packaging boxes and now you are saying to disable sleep...:/ Is it Apple's carbon neutral way? I want to save enegry and earth's resources, not to have everything turned on 24x7. And note - my disconnections are happening when I'm working with my computer not when its sleeping. Another thing - when disks are connected to old mini with ventura on it - no problems at all with the same settings. I still want Apple to fix its problem. Internet is full of complaints about these disconnections everywhere. And again, its not Apple's fault for sure... It reminds me Jobs old bold statement about customers holding their iPhones not in the right way :)

But thaks for suggestion:)

Dec 28, 2024 2:06 PM in response to LdGilmoure

LdGilmoure wrote:

New Mac Mini M4, and HD drives in both an OWC 2 drive (USB-A 3.1 connection) external case and an Orico 5 Bay enclosure (USB-A 3.1) repeatedly have drives drop. I’ve tried with one or the other plugged in directly (via usb-a to usb-c adapter) and into a powered Orico 7-port USB-C hub and an Orico 4-port USB-A hub. I’ve tried these plugged into various ports on the Mac-Mini, front and back, and swapping out various cables. I have some external drive USB-C to USB-B (with extra bit on top) cables ordered but delayed.

Everything dealing with sleep is turned off.

Finally, an OWC Mini-Stack (USB-A 3.2) with an SSD installed, that has stayed connected for days: no issues.

I’m thinking of testing an external case with just an SSD installed it and see of that drops. If not, will then know that Mac Mini M4s do not work with HDD drives.

Please, fill feedback form for Apple to fix its bugs. Mini M4 is quite new, lets hope that this will be fixed after several updates as 15.x version is first one for Mini M4.

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Dec 28, 2024 9:26 PM in response to LdGilmoure

“Everything dealing with sleep is turned off.”

Snapshot of Energy Saver settings please, to confirm.

Dec 10, 2024 12:47 AM in response to TheLittles

G'Day TheLittles. After trying out your suggestion 4 hours ago, so far, the error message(s) have disappeared.

I am now going to add each App I had running at startup back in, one each day, and see what happens. I really only use one, a Tesla PowerWall Monitor, so I can see what's happening in the garage. The rest I can live without.

Fingers crossed it's fixed. Much appreciated, thanks.

Regards, Greg.

TheLittles

Level 10

202,955 points

Dec 11, 2024 8:12 PM in response to GregHudson1954

GregHudson1954 Said:

"[...]A super the following suggestion, I am also in the process of removing all (3) startup Apps to see if that helps, then unmount the drive in recovery mode. I doubt it will work, as it is all brand new hardware...[...]"

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Plug the Drive to Eject this Disk:

I take it you've recently plugged in this drive to your computer, and then just pulled it out. Do you still have this drive? If so, plug it in, and then drag its icon to the Trash --the drive won't delete, but rather it will be ejected. That has fixed this for me. If you don't have this disk, then you might be out of luck.

Dec 25, 2024 11:18 AM in response to hcsitas

G'Day hcsitas. You make a bold statement 'Sleep is faulty operation on later Macs.'

Some solid evidence would be appreciated, not just copying and pasting your 'solution' from another thread.

This 'Disk error' problem has only started since I upgraded from a Mac mini M1 to an M4.

I will ask Apple how to solve it seeing how as I paid for 3 years of 'support'. *IF* they can fix it, I will post the fix here for everyone to read.

Regards, Greg.

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Dec 27, 2024 6:14 AM in response to Aladdin-lt

Shut if you really want to save power…what’s so hard to understand about that? Keeping the Mac on is fine too, we’re not in the power-hogging 2010s anymore. Chips are tinier, consume very little when idle. Startups and shuts take less than a minute. It’s a brainless decision for most, especially those not stuck to the past.

Just be sure displays are turned off either by timer or manually. That’s one area where the 2010s had it right - the right size, resolution and number. Today it’s bigger size and more power-hogging pixels, with as many of these gargantuan displays connected simultaneously to one Mac as the spec will allow for, sadly.

Now, if you want to pretend to save the earth while also hogging power to the max - yes, enable Sleep. There’s no better way 👌😂…have a nice day!

Jan 13, 2025 3:41 PM in response to hcsitas

Shut instead of sleep requires a username / password to wake up.

Sleep instead of Shut allows me to instantly wake up the Mac with my Apple Watch. (no username password required).

As for the power usage as mentioned by someone else, it is irrelevant to me. I have solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall that keeps the house running 24/7 (with backup), meaning no more blackouts here, and no power bills either.

So, yes, the *IS* a need for sleep mode IMO. You can keep yours too.

Regards, Greg.

Jan 13, 2025 4:16 PM in response to LdGilmoure

I'm still having all sorts of drive errors, the latest being an NVMe SSD in my OWC Express 1M2 which works fine when it is has been plugged into a non powered Satechi '10Gbps' 4 port hub and working fine...

I also tried the OWC with a new Satechi 'powered' Thunderbolt 4 hub, and the OWC does not power up.

If the OWC is then plugged into the 'old' Satechi hub, and THAT is plugged into the new powered hub, the OWC no longer works (old Satechi was moved from being directly connected to the Mac mini).

It appears that it may be a fault of the Satechi powered hub, or...

It may be a fault in the OWC (which is not Thunderbolt certified) as far as I know.

I have not as yet contacted the store I bought it from in Sydney, or OWC themselves, because I wanted to solve it myself.

I have tried different cables, including the unlabelled OWC (40Gbps), and an Intel certified TB5 cable (80Gbps), and neither work.

Any thoughts people ? Regards, Greg.

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Dec 10, 2024 8:32 AM in response to tbirdvet

😉👌👍

den.thed

Level 10

90,874 points

Dec 10, 2024 8:52 AM in response to tbirdvet

+2 👍

Dec 23, 2024 11:41 AM in response to TheLittles

I have a question for you re this subject. Are you a moderator? Because a message I created here disagreeing with your 'solution' has been deleted.

Jan 13, 2025 3:46 PM in response to Aladdin-lt

That Jobs suggestion was actually correct because of the way the antenna segments were positioned. I saw a documentary on it, and how it was fixed. Very interesting...

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Jan 13, 2025 9:46 PM in response to GregHudson1954

No, you can configure password-less startup to a default login account. Have fun! It’s guaranteed with Sleep 😁

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Apple Mac mini m4 error: Disk Not Ejected Properly.