Automatic time machine backup problems in 10.6

[MD5Hash]

I have a user in my department who has been complaining of problems using his Mac Pro with a Western Digital MyBook via USB or Firewire, for the time machine automatic backup system.

He says it works fine if he plugs in the hard drive and runs a manual backup. But then, he'll return a few hours later, and then the hard drive will no longer be visible on his desktop and all subsequent automatic backups will have failed.

I assume this has to do with the external hard drive powering itself down. Seems stupid that there's no 'keep-alive' signal being sent to it to prevent that.

Is there any way to fix this problem for him? Or, barring that, is there a particular model of hard drive that MacRumors members are recommending for Time Machine usage - one that won't disconnect whenever it feels like it?

Thanks!

 

[JRoDDz]

sounds like you have a defective external drive. It should not do that.

 

[MD5Hash]

sounds like you have a defective external drive. It should not do that.

I've read a lot of websites about users complaining about their external hard drives spinning down and causing time machine issues. I figure it's the same thing here. We don't really deal with a lot of macs in our department so I was hoping for some advice from mac-savvy folks about the best hard drives to use with Time machine.

The user is already okay with needing to replace the drive. I just want to make sure he gets one that is the most 'friendly' to his needs.