SSD drive issue awake from sleep

TimRichards

Well-Known Member
Seeing some discussion of SSD drives in the fusion drive Vs. HD thread, I have as issue with a Samsung SSD external. I'm running mid 2015 MBP with 16 GB of memory and a 250GB SSD and the OS is 10.14.5. (* I had hoped to get a larger internal SSD but it wasn't available from Apple when I jumped in) I keep a larger volume of photos and music ( mostly) on the external drive. Sometimes when I awake the laptop from sleep I get an error message that says the Samsung was not ejected properly. But, of course I have not ejected it, I leave it plugged in. The actual USB plug is not being jostled or moved while the computer is in sleep - I normally just walk away from it when I'm done...and ideas?
 

chas_m

Well-Known Member
Check your Energy Saver settings in System Preferences and make sure that under the "Power Adapter" tab that "Put hard disks to sleep when possible" is NOT checked.

If that doesn't fix the issue, it could be that the external drive is still formatted for exFAT or Windows use, and Windows has a feature called Hibernate (think Deep Sleep) that Macs recognise as disconnected. Reformatting the drive to the current default should fix that if that is what is causing the issue.

If all else fails, there are inexpensive Mac apps like Jettison and Mountain that will auto-(properly)eject external drives when the machine starts to go to sleep.
 

TimRichards

Well-Known Member
Thanks you Chas. I've checked the setting for 'put hard discs to sleep' and it is not checked on. Also I've checked the format on the external SSD, it is Mac OA Extended (journaled). One thing I just though of, I'll try putting it to sleep manually a few times and see if that results in any issues. I'm pretty sure in the past I have been doing this without a problem. I'm under the impression that SSD internal drives have come down in price, so now may be the time to upgrade my MBP from the 250 GB internal to 1TB or such? Then I can dispense with the external drive. Any feedback most gratefully received. I think I got the machine in late 2015 (or early 2016??) and it performs completely adequately for my mostly-office type tasks and some photos and light movie stuff.
 

chas_m

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure how easily (if at all) those machines can have their storage upgraded. Talk to an authorised Apple Tech (London Drugs, Simply, et al) about your options, or check Macsales.com (Other WorLD Computing).
 

TimRichards

Well-Known Member
Thanks Chas. It does look like my machine is upgradable! Great news. FYI, If I go through the LD Apple licensed reseller I called, it's about $1170 plus $160 plus 2 hours of labour, for a 512 GB. (A new MBP starts at about $1700). I've discovered a local 'tech whiz' that comes well recommended who is ordering a 2TB that looks to be coming in about $600 installed. With any luck I'll be retiring the external drive to backing up photos and music rather than working from that drive.
 

chas_m

Well-Known Member
I wish you luck, but using an unauthorized tech carries some huge risks if something goes wrong. PC techs often think they can do Apple repairs, often with very bad results. LD sees a LOT of botched Apple ”repairs” done by PC techs.

I’m EXTREMELY suspicious of this ”tech”’s claims. As you will see from an internet search, a 2TB non M.2 SSD costs at minimum $300US ($400 Canadian). The 2015 MBP uses a proprietary SSD — it CANNOT be replaced with an M.2 or any other brand of SSD. The only non-Apple source for that part that I know of is Other World Computing, which charges $800US for the 2TB version.
 

TimRichards

Well-Known Member
Thanks Chas. As always I appreciate your comments. I shall return to this space after the experiment is concluded. It will be about two weeks as I am busy with other issues in the immediate future.
 

TimRichards

Well-Known Member
I think it’s time to update. I have used the new 2TB SSD for about two weeks, and it seems to be working fine. There were some issues along the way. One being the need to upgrade to Catalina, the other was an issue restoring from a prior Time Machine backup. So, upgraded to Catalina, then backed up, up then switched drives, then restored. The tech had trouble with fiddly adaptors, but the second one worked. The new drive is an Intel 2TB (cost about $250) plus labour. It took longer than anticipated, but the result is in two weeks of ‘normal use’ I haven’t seen any issues. With the new big fat drive I am slowly reorganizing my data - e.g. moving music and photos onto the new internal drive. Music (65GB) seemed to work ok. Photos next.
 

chas_m

Well-Known Member
it sounds to me like what you actually have there is a 2TB **SSHD**, not an SSD. An SSHD is also called a Fusion drive, a small SSD for caching married to a traditional hard drive.
 
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