External Drive "Not Ejected Properly"

[Jimmysb]

macOS is not Windows, not even close.

The setting in your screenshot has nothing to do with the power on the monitor. It does have to do with what the GPU is doing in the Mac. So, if the display is set in Settings, Lock Screen to "Turn display off when inactive" is set, for example to 5 minutes, then after five minutes of no activity, the screen will go dark. The monitor is still powered on, just the display is off. That saves most of the power consumed by the monitor. If you don't turn on the setting in your screenshot, when that timer expires and the screen goes dark, the CPU will then sleep, which leads to the drive disconnect issue as I described earlier. So, it's connected, logical and controllable. My settings are that the "Prevent automatic sleeping..." is ON, the "Turn display off..." is set for 5 minutes. I don't use any screensaver as those were originally developed to prevent "burn in" on CRT displays, a problem that doesn't exist with good quality flat screens.

Jake, many thanks, and I understand what you are saying, and I appreciate that it has nothing to do with power to the monitor, so I assume (and I know what is said about assumptions ) that you do not actually use sleep mode.

 

[MacInWin]

Jake, many thanks, and I understand what you are saying, and I appreciate that it has nothing to do with power to the monitor, so I assume (and I know what is said about assumptions ) that you do not actually use sleep mode.

Not fully. I let the display sleep (go dark), but I keep the CPU ticking over. That keeps the drives alive and connected. When I want to use the machine, I tap the space bar, or any key, and the screen wakes up. The external monitor takes a bit longer than the internal screen on the MBP, so my screen is a jumble of windows for a second or so, then the external monitor is completely awake and the windows assigned there move there and all is well. What I think is happening is that when I tap the key, the CPU goes into full operations, wakes the GPU that turns on the internal display and connects again to the external monitor, that then has to go through its own wake up process and then the GPU sorts out where everything goes. As I said, it's a second or two before all is as I want.

When I travel and have no external monitor, the MBP display is ready almost immediately after tapping a key.

But the CPU is on, all the time.

 

[Jimmysb]

Not fully. I let the display sleep (go dark), but I keep the CPU ticking over. That keeps the drives alive and connected. When I want to use the machine, I tap the space bar, or any key, and the screen wakes up. The external monitor takes a bit longer than the internal screen on the MBP, so my screen is a jumble of windows for a second or so, then the external monitor is completely awake and the windows assigned there move there and all is well. What I think is happening is that when I tap the key, the CPU goes into full operations, wakes the GPU that turns on the internal display and connects again to the external monitor, that then has to go through its own wake up process and then the GPU sorts out where everything goes. As I said, it's a second or two before all is as I want.

When I travel and have no external monitor, the MBP display is ready almost immediately after tapping a key.

But the CPU is on, all the time.

Jake, with the setting as suggested, the issue has gone, though the question if the disk or data would be damaged by the issue does not seem to have been discussed.

However, this has now highlighted my other issue of "Static" on my HDMI monitor, but instead of discussing here I have written up the issue in my other HDMI monitor thread:

Mac Mini - HDMI Monitor issue

I am running a Mac Mini (M1) with Ventura (13.1), which I have only recently bought. Initially I had just a HDMI monitor connected, and when the system went to sleep after a while without use when re-starting sometimes the monitor was just "static" black and white dot flickering. A google...

www.mac-forums.com

 

[Jimmysb]

A quick update: After reviewing this thread Hubs, Hubs and More Hubs, I bought this item https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09PRG6XB6/, the UK equivalent, after which I rearranged my connections on my Mini, including where I plug my Seagate drive in. With the new hub, instead of using the apple USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter, I plugged the drive straight into the Mina USB3 A socket, and I no longer get the ejection message.
However, I have put an SSD drive in the hub, and get the ejection (error) message for that drive, I have tried with both "allow hard drive to sleep" and with that switched off. I assume direct connection to the Mini allows it to manage the drive correctly, and via an adaptor this does not occur.

 

[Jimmysb]

With one of the updates the issue disappeared, for SSDs plugged into USB C via adaptors, and all has been well with both my SSDs (USB-A) both connected via a USB-C hub.
No update additions or changes to my Mac (as far as I know), but this morning I had a single not ejected etc message for each drive, and it has happened whilst using the Mac.
Going to do a re-start, and see how that fairs.

 

[pm-r]

With one of the updates the issue disappeared, for SSDs plugged into USB C via adaptors, and all has been well with both my SSDs (USB-A) both connected via a USB-C hub.
No update additions or changes to my Mac (as far as I know), but this morning I had a single not ejected etc message for each drive, and it has happened whilst using the Mac.
Going to do a re-start, and see how that fairs.

It's most annoying when the message pops up as to what possibly caused the problem with so many connections and tiny wires that could be partially broken in the cables but did you possibly move any of the devices or cables to cause the problem?



- Patrick
=======

 

[Jimmysb]

It's most annoying when the message pops up as to what possibly caused the problem with so many connections and tiny wires that could be partially broken in the cables but did you possibly move any of the devices or cables to cause the problem?



- Patrick
=======

Nothing has been touched, but it happened to both SSDs simultaneously.

 

[ferrarr]

Shut the Mac down for a minute, then start it again.

 

[Jimmysb]

This morning all seems well!!