Warning pops up for no reason - problem?

[sgould]

I was browsing the web on my 27 inch iMac just now. It was the only computer that was switched on. The rest of the network was idle.

So, one computer, just me and the internet. After about 20 minutes of playing on the web, I got a pop-up window appear. The one that warns that a disc has been removed incorrectly.

There was no CD in the slot, no SD card, no .dmg files open. The only external drive is the one used for Time Machine. That's still working fine and is not disconnected. The internal hard drive is in one volume and not partitioned. Still running 10.6.8

Any reason why the message should appear? Is it a sign of an internal failure that's heading my way?

 

[DeltaMac]

That message would appear because an external storage device was removed, or disconnected before unmounting.
I don't think you will see that warning if a CD is ejected, or for unmounting a second internal volume, or even for unmounting a mounted disk image. I think it's reserved for storage devices.
Do you have any other USB devices attached, such as cameras, or card readers, or some other device that might be classed as a storage device in certain conditions, such as a USB printer?
You could review your system logs, to see if there's more details about which device reported a problem at that time?

 

[sgould]

The only external device connected is the Time Machine. That's still connected and working.

I'll have a look at the logs later and see if I can figure it out. I forgot about them...

Thanks for the reminder!

 

[jbarley]

I just recently solved a similar random error message with my TM USB external drive.
I was using a 1TB 2.5" external drive in the self powered mode, the problem went away after I plugged in the alternate wal-wart power supply.
The error message only pops up when the drive, for what ever reason disconnects, then it appears the drive would come back online without notice.

 

[sgould]

I've checked all the connections to the externals and they seem OK.

However, the log shows the following message. It's been logged frequently for the last three days.

11/09/2011 08:40:02 com.apple.backupd-auto[260] Not starting scheduled Time Machine backup - time machine destination not resolvable.

Looks like the Iomega 750GB Minimax HD I use for Time Machine backups is in need of investigation. All the lights are on an flashing but the disk is apparently not mounting. When trying to "Enter Time Machine", I get the message "Time Machine cannot be found"

Will do some cursory checks, but if the disc itself has failed it will be the second Iomega drive to have gone done this year. I rescued the two 250GB discs from the older Ultramax 500Gb drive and they are OK in different cases.

I'll try a reset etc and see what happens. I don't really want to lose the backups though.

 

[sgould]

Before I did anything, I checked the System Profiler. The disc appears there as if nothing is wrong.

Screenshot attached.

 

[sgould]

Ahhh!

I think the Iomega drive is dead. I've tried a restart. A different USB lead. Different USB socket in the iMac. The power supply is giving the correct voltage. But it's not recognised as a drive, although it appears on the USB list in System Profiler.

Tried it on my laptop and that doesn't recognise it either.

The only common factor seems to be the Iomega drive itself.

Time Machine is now backing up to a different drive. It may be some time.

Thanks for the help and guidance.

 

[sgould]

I left it plugged in and powered up, and after 20 minutes the attached message popped up.

The the icon appeared on the desktop and I can see the contents.

I assume it's a confirmation of the demise of the drive? I will copy what I can before it goes completely.