Experiencing external hard drive recognition issues after updating to macOS Sonoma on an M3 MacBook Pro? You’re not alone. Many users are reporting that their previously reliable external drives have become completely unusable since installing the latest macOS update. This issue has led to significant frustration and potential data loss, highlighting a critical problem for professionals relying on external storage.
One user detailed their ordeal after a seamless experience with a LaCie 5TB rugged drive abruptly ended post-Sonoma installation. The drive, which functioned perfectly moments before the update, became completely unrecognizable immediately after. Extensive troubleshooting with Apple engineers, involving a full Saturday of diagnostics, yielded no solution. The recommendation? Data recovery services – a costly and uncertain path to retrieve valuable files.
Hoping to resolve the issue, the user invested in a brand new LaCie 8TB d2 professional drive, directly from Apple. Initially formatted as exFat, it seemed to work, offering a glimmer of hope. However, this proved short-lived. After a couple of weeks, the exact same problem resurfaced – the MacBook Pro ceased to recognize the new external drive entirely.
Another grueling day spent with Apple engineers again resulted in a dead end. No immediate fix was available, and the issue was escalated to a higher engineering team, with a vague promise of a resolution in “several weeks.” As of now, no update has been received, even after the 14.4 update, which was anticipated to address such bugs.
Both Apple and LaCie support have acknowledged the problem but offered no concrete solutions. LaCie, while offering “complementary” data recovery for the newly purchased 8TB drive, provided no assistance for the original LaCie rugged drive, dismissing it with a “too bad” response. This mirrors a similar situation reported during the Ventura rollout, suggesting a recurring pattern with macOS updates and external drive compatibility.
For users facing similar situations, the immediate aftermath of such drive failures often involves considering data recovery. However, prevention is always better than cure. Before considering drastic measures like data recovery or specialized Disc Repair Scan Tool Pc Boot Stop solutions that might be needed in severe data corruption scenarios, it’s crucial to understand the potential risks associated with OS updates and external drive compatibility.
While the term “disc repair scan tool pc boot stop” might evoke images of last-resort measures for severely damaged drives or PCs failing to boot, in the context of the Sonoma issue, it highlights the user’s desperate need for solutions. When a system suddenly stops recognizing external drives after a seemingly routine update, users are left scrambling for answers and tools to regain access to their data. While software tools might not directly solve the Sonoma compatibility issue, they become relevant in the subsequent steps of data recovery or drive diagnosis if the problem persists and data loss occurs.
Summary of the Issue:
- macOS Sonoma update is causing external hard drive recognition failure on M3 MacBook Pros.
- Both LaCie rugged and LaCie d2 professional drives are affected.
- Apple engineers have been unable to provide a fix after extensive troubleshooting.
- LaCie support offers limited assistance, primarily data recovery on new drives.
- Rolling back to a previous macOS version is not possible on M3 MacBooks.
Recommendations:
- Exercise extreme caution before updating to macOS Sonoma, especially if you rely on external hard drives.
- Back up your data diligently before any OS update to mitigate potential data loss.
- If you encounter similar issues, document your experience and report it to Apple and drive manufacturers.
- Explore online forums and communities for potential temporary workarounds while awaiting official fixes.
This situation serves as a stark reminder of the potential pitfalls of OS updates and the importance of thorough testing and compatibility checks. For now, users are left in limbo, hoping for a swift and effective solution from Apple to restore the functionality of their external drives and prevent further data loss.
