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can't eject external drive
#38259 01/13/16 05:22 PM
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jchuzi Online OP
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I formatted a USB flash drive with Disk Utility (Mac OS extended, journaled) and quit DU. I then copied two files to the drive. When I tried to unmount the drive, I got a message that a program was using it and I was given the option to Force Eject (with a warning that data might be lost) or cancel. I opted to cancel and then restarted the computer.

After restarting, I was able to eject the drive and physically unplug it. (Yes, I could have shut down and then unplugged the drive but I opted for a restart.) I know that I could look in Activity Monitor to see which program was using the drive (which shouldn't have been the case) but I don't know what to look for. BTW, the same thing happened awhile ago with a HDD in a dock.

What should AM say? I could have quit the process from there. I looked but couldn't find anything that seemed relevant.

MODS: I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the Peripherals forum. Feel free to move it.

Last edited by jchuzi; 01/13/16 05:26 PM.

Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38260 01/13/16 05:48 PM
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Quote:
I then copied two files to the drive.

It might help us to know the contents of those files, Jon. (Any graphics, for instance?)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: can't eject external drive
artie505 #38261 01/13/16 05:55 PM
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One file was the 10.11.2 installer and the other was Carbon Copy Cloner (zip file). I plan to use them when helping a friend install El Cap. (That will save a lot of time. I just upgraded my internet speed with RoadRunner and the El Cap download was relatively fast at 37 minutes.)

No graphics.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38264 01/13/16 06:17 PM
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I've had to use similar workarounds in the past to unmount disks, without ever really knowing why. I opened Activity Monitor and was just confused - it kept jumping around so much I couldn't focus on anything. smile

I wonder if something that always runs in the background was scanning your flash drive? Spotlight? An anti-virus app?



iMac (19,1, 3.1 GHz i5, 12.7.4, 40 Gb RAM); MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, 8 Gb RAM, 10.14.6, 256 Gb SSD) Vodafone router and Devolo Wi-Fi Extender, Canon TS8351 printer/scanner.
Re: can't eject external drive
freelance #38266 01/13/16 07:36 PM
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I suppose that Spotlight is a possibility. This is the first time that I ever used the drive, so I never thought about excluding it from Spotlight. I don't have any anti-virus apps.


Jon

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Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38309 01/15/16 01:39 PM
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I seem to run into this quite a bit, and it regularly ticks me off. My biggest causes:
- documents open in editors (some editors lock files while open, others do not)
- a Terminal window CD'd to a directory on the device (I don't understand why this locks it)
- spotlight (MDWorker) is indexing it (recently spotlight has gotten much better at yielding and allowing ejects)
- Finder (for NO obvious reason, requiring a force-quit of Finder)
- hdiutil (for having a disk image opened that's saved on the volume I am trying to eject) Again this one has gotten better, I've seen these domino eject as many as three levels deep automatically on some occasions, and on other occasions I had to eject something manually.

In the end, I usually end up cracking open a terminal window to see who the guilty party is using LSOF. I have the exact same issues with trying to empty the trash when a locked file is in the can. Lets say I have a file XYZ123 or a volume XYZ123 that I can't eject/empty. In terminal:

lsof -nP | grep -i XYZ
Finder 1075 virtual1 16u REG 1,4 113904 132265544 /.Trashes/501/XYZ123.doc

lsof -nP | grep -i XYZ
hdiutil 1075 virtual1 16u REG 1,4 113904 132265544 /Users/virtual1/Desktop/XYZ123.dmg


If the image is mounted, it's probably best to find another way to dismount it or get Finder to do a "force eject". If some app has a document open for no good reason, you can just quit the app. If it's a hidden process (like mdworker) you can kill it with the KILL command to allow eject.

kill 1075
process terminated.

Spotlight can be annoying. It'll insta-respawn the worker and pick up right where it left off a lot of the time. Sometimes the only way to kick that particular dog is go into spotlight's privacy and privatize where the file is (even if only long enough to deal with the file)


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: can't eject external drive
Virtual1 #38311 01/15/16 02:19 PM
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Thanks, V1. Too bad I can't use the command "kill PITA process". grin


Jon

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Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38399 01/24/16 01:48 PM
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I tried an experiment: I copied two files from my internal drive to an external and then tried, unsuccessfully, to unmount the external. I quit and relaunched Finder with the same lack of success. Logging out/in also was unsuccessful. It seems that only a restart allowed me to eject the external.

This is not a big deal, since restarting takes about 15 seconds with my machine. I don't know if this information is useful, but there it is.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38434 01/27/16 03:08 AM
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Originally Posted By: jchuzi
One file was the 10.11.2 installer and the other was Carbon Copy Cloner (zip file). I plan to use them when helping a friend install El Cap. (That will save a lot of time. I just upgraded my internet speed with RoadRunner and the El Cap download was relatively fast at 37 minutes.)

No graphics.


Did you download the OS 10.11.2 "update" from the App Store? The reason I ask is that if you already have the full installer version of OS 10.11 or 10.11.1, there is a faster way to upgrade. Just download the Combo Updater. In fact, OS 10.11.3 came out last week, and one can get the Combo Updater from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1859?locale=en_US

It will be WAY faster than 37 minutes. I always download the Combo Updater whenever I upgrade the Mac OS. In fact, for El Capitan, here is the sequence I went through to move from Yosemite:

1. Downloaded OS 10.11.1 from the App Store, and installed it (I actually did a Clean installation on both of my Macs, and then used Migration Assistant to "migrate"/copy all the non-Apple stuff from my SuperDuper! backup. Also, some folks might be wondering why I started with OS 10.11.1, instead of OS 10.11. Well, the first beta for OS 10.11.1 appeared in early August, 8 weeks before OS 10.11 was released, and thus even though OS 10.11 was released near the end of September (with some initial issues), I had decided to wait until OS 10.11.1 was released, which was at the end of October).

2. When OS 10.11.2 came out, I downloaded and installed the OS 10.11.2 Combo Updater.

3. When OS 10.11.3 came out last week, did the same thing (ie, downloaded the OS 10.11.3 Combo Updater).

In every instance that I have upgraded via the Combo Updater, I have never had any issues.

Last edited by honestone; 01/27/16 03:10 AM.
Re: can't eject external drive
honestone #38438 01/27/16 10:44 AM
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I updated to 10.11.3 via App Store, not the Combo Updater. The download took about 3 minutes from that source. Obviously, I don't know how long the Combo would have taken but I suspect that it would have been longer because the Combo is a bigger file. The incremental update file was relatively small.

The 37 minutes refers to downloading the entire installation of El Cap, which I will use to install it on my friend's computer. I re-downloaded the entire 10.11.3 version and trashed the older version: No point in installing 10.11.2 and then waiting to update to 10.11.3. I might as well do the whole shebang in one shot.

I have never updated via the Combo, although many people recommend it. In all the years that I have been doing this, I have never had an issue.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38439 01/27/16 10:56 AM
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Originally Posted By: Jon
I have never updated via the Combo, although many people recommend it. In all the years that I have been doing this, I have never had an issue.

I've always used Combos to update, but my understanding is that the updates that come from the App Store are tailored to your specific Mac, and that would seem to make them the preferred way to go, reserving Combos for emergency use.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: can't eject external drive
artie505 #38440 01/27/16 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
Originally Posted By: Jon
I have never updated via the Combo, although many people recommend it. In all the years that I have been doing this, I have never had an issue.

I've always used Combos to update, but my understanding is that the updates that come from the App Store are tailored to your specific Mac, and that would seem to make them the preferred way to go, reserving Combos for emergency use.


I had never heard about that "tailored" business, and I question how accurate that is. As I stated above, I have always downloaded and applied the Combo Updater, and never had any issues applying it. Yes, the download does take longer, but in my case, if I needed to recover back to OS 10.11.3, after installing OS 10.11.1, I would then just apply the OS 10.11.3 Combo Updater, and be back in business quickly. (While that download is going on, I just visit other sites).

I also keep all the updaters on a separate folder, and with having a copy of the initial, full OS 10.11.1 file. If instead I had downloaded and kept the two incremental updaters OS 10.11.2 and 10.11.3, after doing the OS 10.11.1 installation, I would then need to apply those two incremental updates. Imagine if there are more updates to the OS. I myself would rather just apply one updater file, and be done.

Like the Combo Update, one can download that incremental update without doing it through the App Store. Here is the link for that:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1858?locale=en_US

I'm just going to stick with the Combo Updater. By the way, OS 10.11.4 is now in its third beta for testing.

Last edited by honestone; 01/27/16 11:38 AM.
Re: can't eject external drive
honestone #38441 01/27/16 12:18 PM
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Quote:
I had never heard about that "tailored" business, and I question how accurate that is.

See Topher Kessler's Differences between update options for OS X which spells it out as far back as Snowy:

Quote:
Apple's Software Update utility is the most common and recommended method for updating your Mac. It is available in the Apple menu and will analyze your system for the files you need in order to apply the latest updates. This is beneficial because it minimizes the download size, consolidates multiple updates into one update routine, and performs the update automatically. (Emphasis added)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: can't eject external drive
artie505 #38442 01/27/16 12:54 PM
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The Apple menu now contains only an App Store… command, not a Software Update… one.



dkmarsh—member, FineTunedMac Co-op Board of Directors
Re: can't eject external drive
artie505 #38447 01/27/16 05:26 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
Quote:
I had never heard about that "tailored" business, and I question how accurate that is.

See Topher Kessler's Differences between update options for OS X which spells it out as far back as Snowy:

Quote:
Apple's Software Update utility is the most common and recommended method for updating your Mac. It is available in the Apple menu and will analyze your system for the files you need in order to apply the latest updates. This is beneficial because it minimizes the download size, consolidates multiple updates into one update routine, and performs the update automatically. (Emphasis added)


For the quote about Apple's Software Update utility, you forgot to mention the next paragraph:

"While recommended for everyday updates, Software Update has a few drawbacks. The first is that it only provides you with the latest versions of updates, so if you want to upgrade a fresh OS X 10.6.0 installation to OS X 10.6.5, you cannot do this with Software Update because it will only provide you with version 10.6.7 (the latest version to date). In addition, since Software Update will only give you the files your system needs to be updated, then if you have experienced a problem with an update and need to reapply it, Software Update will read your system as already being updated and will not provide you with any more options."

Secondly, note that what the link says about the Combo Updater is the most positive of the 3 methods. Bur again, the important one for me is the ease of getting from the "base" OS up to the latest version.

Re: can't eject external drive
dkmarsh #38448 01/27/16 05:28 PM
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Originally Posted By: dkmarsh

The Apple menu now contains only an App Store… command, not a Software Update… one.


Yes, that is so, so true. I prefer to control the download process on my own, and besides the other advantages I mentioned, the links I provided for the downloads give me that control.

Re: can't eject external drive
dkmarsh #38449 01/27/16 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: dkmarsh
The Apple menu now contains only an App Store… command, not a Software Update… one.

I’m sure you and others here are aware of this, but for those who aren’t: strictly speaking, Software Update can be accessed via the Apple menu, albeit via the extra step of selecting About This Mac to bring up the relevant button on ATM's Overview tab.


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Re: can't eject external drive
alternaut #38450 01/27/16 06:35 PM
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Clicking Software Update from the Overview tab simply launches App Store. You might as well launch App Store and avoid the middleman.


Jon

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Re: can't eject external drive
jchuzi #38452 01/27/16 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted By: jchuzi
Clicking Software Update from the Overview tab simply launches App Store. You might as well launch App Store and avoid the middleman.


For some applications, that is the only way to get the original app or any updates. But, for a number of others, there are alternate (and in some cases, easier) ways of obtaining them. Whenever that option is available, that is the way I go about obtaining them.

Re: can't eject external drive
dkmarsh #38454 01/27/16 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: dkmarsh

The Apple menu now contains only an App Store… command, not a Software Update… one.

True, but I I quoted a piece that dates back to Snowy, at which time its nomenclature was accurate.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: can't eject external drive
honestone #38455 01/27/16 07:31 PM
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Originally Posted By: honestone
Originally Posted By: artie505
Quote:
I had never heard about that "tailored" business, and I question how accurate that is.

See Topher Kessler's Differences between update options for OS X which spells it out as far back as Snowy:

Quote:
Apple's Software Update utility is the most common and recommended method for updating your Mac. It is available in the Apple menu and will analyze your system for the files you need in order to apply the latest updates. This is beneficial because it minimizes the download size, consolidates multiple updates into one update routine, and performs the update automatically. (Emphasis added)


For the quote about Apple's Software Update utility, you forgot to mention the next paragraph:

"While recommended for everyday updates, Software Update has a few drawbacks. The first is that it only provides you with the latest versions of updates, so if you want to upgrade a fresh OS X 10.6.0 installation to OS X 10.6.5, you cannot do this with Software Update because it will only provide you with version 10.6.7 (the latest version to date). In addition, since Software Update will only give you the files your system needs to be updated, then if you have experienced a problem with an update and need to reapply it, Software Update will read your system as already being updated and will not provide you with any more options."

Secondly, note that what the link says about the Combo Updater is the most positive of the 3 methods. Bur again, the important one for me is the ease of getting from the "base" OS up to the latest version.

All of which fits nicely into your scheme but doesn't detract from the accuracy of my original statement about tailored downloads in the least.

Last edited by artie505; 01/27/16 07:59 PM. Reason: Complete statement

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: can't eject external drive
artie505 #38459 01/27/16 10:58 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
Originally Posted By: honestone
Originally Posted By: artie505
Quote:
I had never heard about that "tailored" business, and I question how accurate that is.

See Topher Kessler's Differences between update options for OS X which spells it out as far back as Snowy:

Quote:
Apple's Software Update utility is the most common and recommended method for updating your Mac. It is available in the Apple menu and will analyze your system for the files you need in order to apply the latest updates. This is beneficial because it minimizes the download size, consolidates multiple updates into one update routine, and performs the update automatically. (Emphasis added)


For the quote about Apple's Software Update utility, you forgot to mention the next paragraph:

"While recommended for everyday updates, Software Update has a few drawbacks. The first is that it only provides you with the latest versions of updates, so if you want to upgrade a fresh OS X 10.6.0 installation to OS X 10.6.5, you cannot do this with Software Update because it will only provide you with version 10.6.7 (the latest version to date). In addition, since Software Update will only give you the files your system needs to be updated, then if you have experienced a problem with an update and need to reapply it, Software Update will read your system as already being updated and will not provide you with any more options."

Secondly, note that what the link says about the Combo Updater is the most positive of the 3 methods. Bur again, the important one for me is the ease of getting from the "base" OS up to the latest version.

All of which fits nicely into your scheme but doesn't detract from the accuracy of my original statement about tailored downloads in the least.


Yes, that is true, but what I stated about the Combo Updater does not detract from my prior accurate statements about the Combo Updater. Also, when I upgraded from Yosemite to El Capitan, I first Erased and Formatted the internal SSD on both of my Macs, and then did a clean, "virgin" installation of OS 10.11.1. Such an installation was thus not tailored to either of my Macs, and thus it makes more sense for me to continue using Combo Updaters.

Last edited by honestone; 01/27/16 10:59 PM.
Re: can't eject external drive
honestone #38461 01/27/16 11:19 PM
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I wasn't aware that the Deltas were tailored prior to the App Store, so I stuck with the Combos, but in view of the tailoring and Apple's preference for the Deltas I'm going to use them from now on and keep the Combos as a troubleshooting reserve.

If, as you sound, you're an overstressed, strapped-for-time tech, I see the logic in you're scheme, but that doesn't jive with the time-consuming rigamarole you went through prior to upgrading, so I dunno.

Me, I've got plenty of time and nobody breathing down my back.

Quote:
Such an installation was thus not tailored to either of my Macs....

That gets us back to an unanswered question I posed when install discs gave way to App Store downloads, namely, is there still such a thing as a "retail", i.e. generic, version of OS X, or are the downloaded upgrades we get from the App Store tailored as are the Deltas?

My impression has been that they are, so I'll ask what types of Macs you used the same installer on?

And what has reformatting got to do with tailoring? (Edit:) If the App Store reads the specs of your machine, one would have nothing to do with the other.

Last edited by artie505; 01/27/16 11:21 PM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: can't eject external drive
artie505 #38471 01/28/16 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
I wasn't aware that the Deltas were tailored prior to the App Store, so I stuck with the Combos, but in view of the tailoring and Apple's preference for the Deltas I'm going to use them from now on and keep the Combos as a troubleshooting reserve.

If, as you sound, you're an overstressed, strapped-for-time tech, I see the logic in you're scheme, but that doesn't jive with the time-consuming rigamarole you went through prior to upgrading, so I dunno.

Me, I've got plenty of time and nobody breathing down my back.

Quote:
Such an installation was thus not tailored to either of my Macs....

That gets us back to an unanswered question I posed when install discs gave way to App Store downloads, namely, is there still such a thing as a "retail", i.e. generic, version of OS X, or are the downloaded upgrades we get from the App Store tailored as are the Deltas?

My impression has been that they are, so I'll ask what types of Macs you used the same installer on?

And what has reformatting got to do with tailoring? (Edit:) If the App Store reads the specs of your machine, one would have nothing to do with the other.


First of all, I am not "an overstressed, strapped-for-time tech". You certainly sound like you are. I strive to keep my Macs "lean and clean", and that goes along with having them run smoothly. Using the Combo Updater is one unstressful way of doing that. You, on the other hand, are going ballistic (and thus stressed out) about the use of the Combo Updater.

Also, I have no idea whether the initial download and installation of OS 10.11.1 was tailored to both of my machines or not. I still use (and continue to use) the Combo Updater. I've always had success using it. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Finally, I have plenty of free time, and thus just want to enjoy life. Sounds like that is an issue (and maybe some others!) for you.

Re: can't eject external drive
honestone #38478 01/28/16 10:43 PM
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I've been following this exchange, and I have to say that I don't really fully understand what either of you are saying. So please—both of you—consider the possibility that you each are failing to be understood by the other, and that that's the source of the mutual irritation, rather than two irreconcilable updating orthodoxies.

In any case, life is short. Stay cool.



dkmarsh—member, FineTunedMac Co-op Board of Directors
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