External HDD Eject = OK, but Unplug after = Kernel Panic?

[jman995x]

I have an iMac which I have a 6TB WD External HDD attached to.

I've never had a problem in the past with ejecting the HDD, then unplugging it (so that it's not running the disks for hours when I'm not using it).
However, the last couple of days when I eject the HDD, when I go to unplug it, my iMac has a kernel panic and restarts (with the grey screen and the restart message in multiple languages).

I've not only closed any program that was using the External HDD before ejecting it, but I've also gone so far as to open up Disk Utility, click on the main icon for the drive (even though the Named icon is greyed out, denoting it's been ejected, but is still connected), then clicked the eject button. But, to no avail....

Any ideas why something I've done the exact same way for the past 2 years is now causing a kernel panic / restart?

Thanks,

J.

 

[Taz Mangus]

I have an iMac which I have a 6TB WD External HDD attached to.

I've never had a problem in the past with ejecting the HDD, then unplugging it (so that it's not running the disks for hours when I'm not using it).
However, the last couple of days when I eject the HDD, when I go to unplug it, my iMac has a kernel panic and restarts (with the grey screen and the restart message in multiple languages).

I've not only closed any program that was using the External HDD before ejecting it, but I've also gone so far as to open up Disk Utility, click on the main icon for the drive (even though the Named icon is greyed out, denoting it's been ejected, but is still connected), then clicked the eject button. But, to no avail....

Any ideas why something I've done the exact same way for the past 2 years is now causing a kernel panic / restart?

Thanks,

J.

Curious why you don't just leave the hard drive connected and set the Put Hard Drive to Sleep when not in use option in energy saver. That is what I do. Usually within about 10 minutes after not being used my external hard drives all spin down and go to sleep. And I have 6 external hard drives (4-4TB Thunderbolt and 2-1TB bus powered) hooked to my iMac.

Anyhow, to your issue. What you are experiencing is not normal. I would suggest try booting into safe mode (reboot while holding down shift key) and see if the issue still happens.

 

[FrtzPeter]

I would say it's a software bug in Yosemite. I assume this isn't part of a Fusion Drive because if it was it would definitely cause problems, but I assume you would have known about that. If you have some of WDs drivers installed for the drive that may be the problem, and maybe an update is in order if available.

You could also check the "Bad Hard Drive" article under the following link:

http://scsc-online.com/How-To.html

It might help you, but I'm figuring an oddity with the drivers, or a bug in the OS…errrrr, I mean new feature.

 

[TheBSDGuy]

A few months ago on this site, somewhere, someone had installed a package on their system. I think it was a security monitoring package. It apparently put something on his second external drive that he wasn't aware of and it used it, unknown to the user.

If something like that is happening to you then it could cause problems because basically you'd be yanking one of an applications sources from the system in the middle of it being used.

Sort of a long shot but it might be worth looking into. My system has 3 external HDs connected to it and I can eject and remove them whenever I feel like it, even on Yosemite.

Another possible problem might be a driver that's installed with the drive.

 

[jman995x]

Thank you FrtzPeter and TheBSDGuy....both worth looking into.