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Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk frustration

Hi all,

I recently purchased a 2TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk external hard drive. Unfortunately, there seems to be a conflict with either my hardware or software. The drive seems to go to sleep after a period on non-use and consequently crashes the Finder and various apps when trying to gain access. I can see the icon for the drive... even navigate down some recently used directories, but then I'll go too far, get the beach ball and have to force restart the entire machine. The same will happen if I'm using an app trying to access files on the drive. I can force quit the app and/or Finder, but they will not be available for use until I force quit the entire machine. I've been trying to solve this problem for a couple weeks now without success, so I thought I'd turn to the Mac community here.

* The drive has been reformatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
* I have used Seagate Diagnostics and the drive passes all tests.
* I have disabled drive sleep under Energy Saver.
* I have tested the drive on a MacBook running the same OS as my iMac (10.6.6) without a problem.
* I have disabled Time Machine backup to a TimeCapsule to see if that helps. Does not.
* I have disconnected other drives to see if that helps. Does not.
* I have disabled virus scans, media servers and other apps (that I know of) that sometime run in BG.
* I have tried different USB ports and different wall plugs.

I'm beginning to think there is some sort of compatibility issue with my hardware, but it could still be some sort of software that is conflicting. I simply cannot find the pattern.

I spoke with Seagate support and we got as far as the recommendation to test on another machine. The drive seemed to work fine there, so I'll have to continue troubleshooting with them from that point, but I thought someone here might have some ideas as well.

27" iMac - 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Mac OS X (10.6.6), 4GB Ram / ATI Radeon HD 4850

Posted on Feb 9, 2011 8:54 AM

Reply
190 replies

Dec 26, 2011 11:36 PM in response to Bill Fant1

Question: Did you ever here the drive clicking? I did when I had a 1.5 TB drive. A ever so slightly clicking seemed to be perfectly blending in with noises that happen around the computer. It clicked along for several months, while I wasn't aware that clicking was definitely a sign of a defective drive. Of course eventually it got worse and ultimately very bad and I lost a lot of data. A lot. I also looked at USB ports as possible villain. I'm still not 100% convinced that usb hubs and/or connections are without any fault. When it had grown to disaster levels I mentioned to my son (then still working for Apple and attending training sessions routinely) why this external drive was clicking. He immediately told me that the drive was for sure defective. I called Seagate and It never was doubted that the drive was defective. I paid $10 to have another drive send ahead of time and then return the defective drive to them in same package within a given time, or else get charged. Anyway, there was no problem, all went smooth and fast. The only problem was, the replacement drive that was just sent to me started right away clicking. The clicking sound I had been before so acustomed to without suspecting that it was the sound of a defective drive, sounded now to me like a superloud warning sirene. I called immediately Seagate. Now I was not believed, they said that this was too much of a coincident. But isn't winning in the lottery just as rarely happening as twice having a clicking hard drive? They finally agreed to send another drive and I said I would refuse to pay another $10 to receive a refurbished and possibly a defective drive. I didn't need to pay, I received a brand new 2TB drive in exchange for the 1.5 TB drive that had clicked. I have 2 of these 2TB drives. I haven't heard any clicking ever since, neither did I have any other problems.

Dec 30, 2011 1:23 PM in response to Bill Fant1

I just purchased a new Seagate GoFlex 4TB drive and am having the same problem. Some times I even have to hold the power button down and try to reboot 2 or 3 times before I can get back up. Everything appears ok for a while with the drive but then it happens again.


Don't seem to be getting any answers out of seagate so I think I will return the drive to Best Buy tomorrow.

Jan 2, 2012 1:24 PM in response to Gregory Zwick

I think that the last I said was that I was going to look for a replacement and then send the Seagate back. On the Seagate forums, I saw another mention of removing ALL Seagate files using either "Find Any File" (http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/) or "EasyFind" (http://www.devontechnologies.com/).


I used "Find Any Fle" to search for anything with seagate in the name and remove it. Once I restarted the Mac, everything has been just fine. As far as I'm concerned, I now have the hard drive I originally wanted - raw storage with no overlying system trying to second guess what I need.

Jan 4, 2012 9:52 PM in response to Bill Fant1

I am actually having the opposite problem with my Seagate GoFlex Desk 2TB drive. It's connected via USB 2 to a mid-2011 iMac running Lion 10.7.2. Regardless of the Energy Saver "put hard disk to sleep" setting, I can only get the GoFlex to spin down if I allow the iMac to sleep. Once the iMac goes to sleep, the drive spins down a few minutes later. If the iMac never sleeps, the drive never spins down. I tried installing the Seagate Mac software, but all that does is activate the capacity lights on the drive's case. I believe this software is actually supposed to deactivate the drive's internal spin down timer and allow the Mac to handle it via Energy Saver, thus preventing the drive from spinning itself down. But as I said I'm having the opposite problem.


I tested the drive on an older Mac running 10.5.8 (Leopard) and the drive properly obeys the Energy Saver setting and spins down even if the Mac doesn't sleep. So I know the drive itself is okay.


I have gone back and forth with Seagate support about this and they finally told me to contact Apple because the drive spins down properly with an older version of OS X, but not with Lion, so according to them it's Apple's fault.


Anyone have any ideas on how to get this thing to spin down without putting the iMac to sleep?

Jan 5, 2012 6:13 PM in response to Bill Fant1

I just purchased a GoFlex Desk 2TB USB 3.0+2.0 to use with a MacBook Pro OSX 10.6.8 and have the same "Finder hang" problem encountered by others when transferring video files. I have reformatted the drive, re-installed the Seagate software, installed the Seagate No-Sleep program, and removed all Seagate programs using FindAnyFile, all to no avail. I have other Seagate HD's that I've had no trouble with, so I thought this was a good purchase - from the sounds of it I'm better off returning this HD and looking for something else. 😟

Jan 5, 2012 10:01 PM in response to Nigel St.Nigel

Hello Nigel,


your #1 problem is the USB 3 connection, which isn't compatible with Macintosh. In this discussion somebody talked about a converter plug or so which converts USB 3 back to USB 2. You got to get back to USB 2 to have the drive compatible with your Mac. My preference would be, if you asked me, take the drive back and get one with USB 2 or Firewire. If you keep the drive, there will always be some problems, and I guess also always more bridges to overcome the problem. I was lucky when I contacted Seagate and was responded to by one lady technician who told me what obviously not everybody knows, that USB 3 isn't compatible with Mac. I'm a staunch Mac defender and user since 1993. There is a lot of talent around at Apple. Apple has internally nurtured also a trait that doesn't add to their greatness, but helps the business: how to keep secret when a feature might leave the impression that the newest Apple system is not up with the latest developments of other companies, which have jumped ahead in their developments and Apple is "not yet" compatible to connect or exchange. Isn't that a typical characteristic of Apple which probably was once a Steve Jobs rule? "Don't make waves, most Mac users would not ever come across this problem. The few who do, have a good chance that not too long from now we are catching up with this small problem, or somebody comes up with a bridge building solution that will help. But to go and announce to the entire computer world that Apple has a minor compatibility problem, is counterproductive. In the meantime, do as if it doesn't exist, and silence, silence, silence. Not many will have negative occurences because of it. It's not necessary to be overly sensitive. Silence is the word! Meanwhile we are working on it." Then the day will arrive, and it will be announced as a big improvement and a software update will be released with fireworks going up...etc." As much as I identify with the Mac, it's almost personal, I am also aware of some flaws and weaknesses. Just as I know I can never become a perfect person, neither can Apple have ever the perfect product. Also Apple can only strive. And when a problem surfaces that only a few users will face, no need to advertise it. No need for the Apple engineersto to fall publicly to their knees, hitting their chests and fall into a chant in unisom 'Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa'. No, better be silent! And the silence that follows is deafening. Anybody who is a Mac user about as long as I am has experienced this at least once before, and it can be a costly experience.


Therefore the best way to respond to such a situation: As long as you still have it at your finger tips, do yourself a favor, take the USB 3 drive back and don't settle for a #2 solution. Get yourself back to the better #1 solution, because ultimately you have to deal with the problem and the best advice, even an advice that works fine, still makes you working with a #2 solution having it running according to a good advice. The day will come that Apple announces "a great improvement" (now making it sound as if USB 3 is one of their own developments [fireworks and applause]), stay with USB 2 or Firewire. There are oodles of high capacity external drives around, you are not married to Seagate? But of course we are meanwhile slaves to "larger capacity by higher transfer rates". Probably in a year or so, this situation of USB 2 and/or USB 3 gets only one response: "What are you talking about?" Meanwhile you may choose to live without the headache and "this trick might work like it did with others, but then again it might not." It's your choice. I would take it back, as long as you still are within an acceptable time frame. I would do it before you lose tons of data like I did, which is now irrecoverably gone.


Good luck

Jan 9, 2012 1:27 PM in response to Nigel St.Nigel

As I said much earlier in the thread, I am by no means sure that Seagate's No-Sleep program actually does what it is supposed to. On the one hand, if I were correct I would have expected Seagate to have produced a revised version by now. On the other hand, I have not yet heard anyone say that they have used that program and it works. I did indicate in my earlier post why I had doubts about the Seagate program (though it was an earlier version). Now if some bold expert were to look closely at the Seagate program and maybe test out a modification of it!

Jan 14, 2012 8:27 AM in response to heide-frankfurt

let's not confuse or lose sight of things.


the usb 3 drive go flex drive is backwardly compatible with usb2, and works fine with a mac with the included plug.


if there is a sleep issue, or something else, i have no reason to believe this is being incompatible with a mac or usb2.


so far, i've been burning mine in for 8 hours straight, since i bought it last night. so it's not a good sleep test, but it's moving data just fine.

Jan 15, 2012 4:32 PM in response to Bill Fant1

I have the GF 2TB. Disconnects on its own. So I've reformatted in Windows, using the software from Seagate to set Never Sleep. Once you use it on the Mac, it will mount but it will be in MS-DOS Fat 32. Once mounted on the Mac I refoatted to Mac OSX extended journaled. After a few minutes it will disconnect on its own again.


I'm going to reformat it back to MS-DOS Fat 32 and use the Seagate software to set never sleep again. This time I won't refomat to Mac version and see if it stays alive.


By the way the Seagate Mac version doesn't have an option to turn off sleep.

Jan 15, 2012 8:47 PM in response to Bill Fant1

Update. Formatting to MS-DOS FAT and running in Windows, the drive stays up. Doesn't disconnect when drive spins down. Clearly this product being marketed as Mac OS compatible is a lie. Seagate is a company I will never buy from again. Check out their user forums. Lots of Mac users stating the situation and no fix, reply or help offered by Seagate. DO NOT BUY THIS DRIVE if your a Mac user.

Jan 15, 2012 10:29 PM in response to Bill Fant1

The key is to NOT use any seagate software.

I've loaded this entire drive twice. 4 gb worth of data all went ok without the swag ate driver pack.

Without it the activity light on drive won't work -- but the drive will work.


When I tested with the drivers on 10.7, the drive froze durin use and prevented the

Mac from rebooting. It ha to crash-reboot to Uninstall then the drive worked fine.

Jan 16, 2012 2:28 AM in response to SuperSizeIt

SuperSizeIt wrote:

By the way the Seagate Mac version doesn't have an option to turn off sleep.


The Seagate comes with Windows software allowing one to turn off sleep IIRC. The Mac version does not, but there is downloadable software that is supposed to turn off sleep for a Mac. As mentioned above, I don't know if it works, though. The Mac software can be found at

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=goflex-mac-install-softw are&vgnextoid=77002aaf8cc5d210VgnVCM1000001a48090aRCRD


What was the result of your formatting in Windows and setting it to never sleep, and then using the Windows formatted version on the Mac? You did not say.


Message was edited by: danco34 to give location of software

Jan 16, 2012 8:13 AM in response to SuperSizeIt

we're obvioulsy having very different results with the same product -- nominally the same anyway.


i used the uninstaller that came with the software to regain full use of the drive (minus the status lights). and stop my mac from freezing, failing to reboot etc. i didn't bother with a searching app


do you remember what firmware version yours has?


i don't remember mine and am not about to reinstall software to find it again.

i downloaded the latest driver software kit from seagate, never touched anything that came on a stale cd.

then quickly uninstalled it.


my working situation:

-GUID format

-10.7 os

-regular usb connection

-firmware unknown, but i just bought the drive, so maybe recent.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk frustration

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