4

i have a problem trying to safely remove an external portable drive in Ubuntu 14.04 because when i tried to safely remove the drive it closes for a while but then just keeps coming back(mounts itself again and opens a window).

there was that one time only that when i safely remove the drive it just completely removed the drive where the drive stopped spinning and the LED indicator turned off just like when i safely remove it in Windows. i did not changed any settings i just turned on my computer, copied a file, then safely removed the drive.

what is the problem with this? is there a solution? i just wan't to safely remove my drive by making sure it stops spinning and the LED indicator is off. i know its possible because it happened once.

Additional info that could be useful Drive is a Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB Ubuntu 14.04 is a fresh installation.

if you need additional info just ask.

Goyzki
  • 41

2 Answers2

0

Install udisks.

sudo apt-get install udisks

Then try to execute this command in the terminal, open terminal with CTRL + ALT + T

sudo udisks --unmount 'device' && udisks --detach 'device'

Replace 'device' with the name of your device, might be /dev/sdb1. If you are unsure execute the command mount in the terminal and post back the result here.

Markus Rexhepi-Lindberg
  • 131
  • 1
    hi the result is 'Detach Failed: Device is not a drive. – Goyzki Oct 23 '14 at 09:50
  • hi it works for a second the led turns off but then it also remounts the device again. just like using the safely remove. i hope i'm not damaging my hard drive by constantly trying to remove it trying different solutions. – Goyzki Oct 23 '14 at 10:02
  • Have you tried clicking the 'eject' button instead of 'safely remove'? – Markus Rexhepi-Lindberg Oct 23 '14 at 11:09
  • i don't see an eject button displayed. but i can see it with some of USB flash drives. i also tried disabling auto mount with dconf editor. but it won't spin down and turn off the power.

    PS: the sudo udisks umount and detach only worked twice then it stop responding, it won't even let the LED turn off for a second anymore.

     – Goyzki Oct 23 '14 at 22:37
  • This seems to be a common problem on newer Ubuntu versions. This bug has been reported on launchpad and many have confirmed it. You can read about it here https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nautilus/+bug/792085 and maybe find some answers or tips. This is the best information I can give you as my knowledge is quite limited. – Markus Rexhepi-Lindberg Oct 24 '14 at 12:53
  • 2
    Adding to the discussion, this problem occurs only when the external disk is connected via USB 3.0 port. – moosambi2020 Jun 30 '15 at 10:56
0

The answer to this question solved this problem for me:

Prevent USB Drives from auto-remounting after remove

In particular, I used the command

gvfs-mount --eject "file:///media/$USER/DISK_LABEL"

with '$USER' replaced by my username and 'DISK_LABEL' replaced by the name of the drive (e.g. TOURO, 16GB_USB, etc.)

Community
  • 1
Dan Yard
  • 5