I have an issue when I plug in an external SSD, the finder seems to just crash. I get a spinning wheel and I'm not able to access any files on the external. The computer also seems to totally freeze and only when I unplug the SSD does the mac seem to work again. Before you say it's an SSD problem, I just used the hard drive on a macOS Big Sur M1 mac and worked perfectly. I'm convinced this is a Monterey problem.
MacBook Pro Apple Silicon
Yup, plugged it into a different computer (M1 Macbook Air) running Big Sur, and worked perfectly. Was able to view and transfer my files in a breeze. Plugged it back into my M1 Max Macbook Pro running Monterey and it completely bricked Macbook. I was not able to use the computer until I unplugged the hard drive. When I say bricked, I mean attempted to access the external made me have to force quit finder and after force quitting, finder was not longer accessable. This is for sure a Monterey bug.
I tried with a different cable and still getting the issue. The weirdly works fine sometimes and other times it doesn't work at all. My last option is to format the SSD. Did Monterey change how externals are read from the previous macOS?
macOS Monterey has been known to introduce compatibility issues with various external devices. If it was working fine before with macOS Monterey, then perhaps a macOS update has created a compatibility issue. Was this SSD ever working with Monterey before?
What file system is used on the external SSD?
Is it encrypted?
Are you using any third party software to manage the SSD? If so, then that third party software may need to be updated to work with macOS 12.4. You may need to contact LaCie for assistance.
When there was some compatibility issues before with external drives, some users found that using the Apple USB-C charging cable allowed them to access their external drives (no lightning bolt icon on the connector), but transfer rates were extremely slow because the Apple USB-C charging cable only operates at USB2 speeds. Normally you want to use a Thunderbolt 3/4 USB-C cable which includes a lightning bolt symbol on the connector to use with your external drives.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQ4H2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb%E2%80%91c-cable-08-m
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MN713AM/A/thunderbolt-4-pro-cable-18-m
Try disconnecting all other external devices in case one of them is causing a problem or compatibility issue. Wacom tablets were one such device which has been known to cause issues with external drives.
Connect the drive directly to the Mac. Make sure to try a different port especially on the other side of the laptop if one is available.
Try running Disk Utility First Aid on the hidden Container on the SSD. Within Disk Utility you may need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" so that the hidden Container appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Even if First Aid says everything is "Ok", click "Show Details" and scroll back through the report to see if any unfixed errors are listed. If you are using the APFS file system on the SSD and there are unfixed errors listed, then you will need to temporarily transfer the data to another location in order to completely erase the whole physical drive to resolve the file system issue. You may also want to run First Aid on the physical SSD too to check the integrity of the partition table (the physical drive will usually be identified by the make & model of the drive or the USB chipset used in the drive or adapter/dock/hub).
It is also possible the laptop is not providing enough power to the SSD. Maybe try using a dedicated power supply for the SSD or try using a powered USB3 hub.
What is the exact model of the Mac where this SSD is not working? You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Device".
Monterey now prefers APFS on all SSD drives more so than with previous OS so yes I would be sure your drive is formatted as APFS GUID partitioned
Monterey is not the issue. I have several SSD's of different brands and no issue. What SSD is it and how is your SSD powered? Are you connecting directly to your Mac or through as hub? Please provide more info..
Using a LaCie portable SSD (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JJQG4ZP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1); connecting it directly to the mac with a Thunderbolt 4 cable. The cable is an apple cable for charging the old Intel Macbook Pros.
The only thing I see is perhaps a faulty connection. TB cables can be finicky. I would get another cable and try to rule that out. I assume you have formatted to APFS which is what Monterey now uses.
I assume the cable is data rated as some charging cables aren't setup to transfer data. You might try connecting the setup to a different computer to be sure the drive is working ok. I have a 16-inch 2021 MBP and it works fine with multiple external drives so I'd guess your issue is with the drive or cable.
1 ) Did you try another external USB drive?
2 ) Did you try using a port on the opposite side of the MBP?
3 ) Did you try flipping the USB cable and install it upside down? I've heard of some cables that are missing connections and don't work properly if plugged in "upside down."
If you're still in the warranty period, you might want to bunt and turn it in for repair/replacement. I would try a different external drive and cable just to confirm it's not a drive issue. Most of the complaints you hear about the new MBP is USB related. The only one I had was that mine refused to charge from the USB port but somehow fixed itself and has been working fine? I normally format my external drives as exFAT because I still have one foot in the Windows camp and can use the drive for both types of computers.
External SSD crashes MacBook Pro when plugged in
