I want to know how to unplug my external drive safely. I've looked all over the net and read everything fro drag it into the trash to shut down the computer, then unplug. I have my external drives hidden from my desktop.
Would I have to go into Finder and drag them into the trash?
How do I know if they are busy? I think the light may flash but I'm guessing.
Thanks.
Rita
Hi, Rita,
Since your external is hidden, I'll suggest that you open a finder window, where it should appear in the Sidebar, and click on the eject icon next to it. (If it's not in the Sidebar, refer to Finder > Prefs > Sidebar.)
As for your light, I've got one drive with a light that flashes and one with a non-flasher.
I either wait for the flasher to stop flashing or touch the non-flasher with my fingertips to feel when it has stopped spinning to be certain that whichever has been ejected.
Once I'm certain my drive has been ejected, I first flip the power switch, then unplug the cable from the drive...then from my deuced Mac(hina).
Hope this helps.
Alternatively, you can show the drive on your desktop (where it will only appear when it's plugged in), control-click on it, and click on "Eject."
