Old USB Drive randomly giving "disk not properly ejected" errors

Discussion in 'Mac Basics and Help' started by LincolnsiPod, Feb 14, 2012.

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  1. LincolnsiPod, Feb 14, 2012

    LincolnsiPod macrumors 6502a

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    Nov 20, 2009
    #1
    I have an old WD Passport USB drive I'm using solely for backups. Every now and then the drive disappears (despite having its own power source) resulting in an error message "this disk was not ejected properly" when Time Machine tries to perform a backup. The issue clears up after clicking away the error message and it backs up successfully, but it's getting tiring seeing this pop up once a day or so. Is there a way to suppress this message or keep the driving from annoyingly ejecting itself (or whatever the crap it's doing) at least until I have enough to spring for a new drive?
     
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  2. chown33, Feb 14, 2012

    chown33 macrumors 604

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    Aug 9, 2009
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    #2
    It sounds like it's intermittently disconnecting.

    Check the USB cable. Swap it if you have a spare.

    Check the USB connectors (on the computer and on the drive). Switch to another USB port on the computer, or to a different hub if you're using a hub.
     
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  3. Makosuke, Feb 16, 2012

    Makosuke macrumors 603

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    Location:
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    #3
    In addition to bum USB cable or flaky (dying) drive/controller, it could also be a bad power supply--check the connections on that, and if you have an extra around (a lot of externals use the same 12V, 2A bricks), try switching that one in and see if it helps.
     
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