23
8
I frequently eject an usb stick, and then realize I still need it.
If I unmount the drive in Disk Utility, I can just remount it, but if I eject, it's gone.
ls /devHow can I mount the disk without unplugging and inserting it?
Pepijn
Posted 2010-02-19T12:52:29.863
Reputation: 505
8
You can remount an ejected hd using "hdiutil attach" and the appropriate /dev/ device (the BSD name under System Information). As you said, this does not work for flash drives (the /dev/ device will disappear).
kextunload IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext;
kextload /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext
Will unmount and remount all USB storage devices...
quadruplebucky
Posted 2010-02-19T12:52:29.863
Reputation: 521
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20070712062603762 suggests system_profiler SPFireWireDataType | grep "BSD Name: disk.$" but I get no output at all from that -- system_profiler SPFireWireDataType just lists my FireWire speed, nothing else. Maybe the cable is faulty or something... – tripleee – 2014-10-08T16:33:04.227
Where do I find the BSD name under System Information? Do you mean system profiler? – AndyL – 2010-04-15T23:53:19.177
10
Terminal Command was off by a little. The real command is:
diskutil mountDisk <<diskx>>*
where you replace <<diskx>> with the disk number you found using
diskutil list
Eample:
diskutil mountDisk disk3
will mount the disk with the id of disk3
buffasaur
Posted 2010-02-19T12:52:29.863
Reputation: 101
2You can also specify the name of the disk like diskutil mountDisk "Western Digital". – Lri – 2012-06-12T04:23:20.330
6
If you are using a Mac, one solution is to simply put your computer to sleep and then wake it up again. It's a great solution if you're feeling lazy, but it will obviously be faster to just unplug and re-insert your drive.
McCormackman22
Posted 2010-02-19T12:52:29.863
Reputation: 61
2Perfect. I was lazy, and as my laptop is 10 feet away from me, and unplugging would involve standing up, this would be my accepted solution! – maxwellb – 2013-05-28T06:01:12.567
1
I've had the same problem with external USB & Firewire drives; you eject them using 'disk utility' (perhaps by mistake) only to have to physically disconnect/reconnect the drive in order to get Mac OS X to see them again; despite them being visible under 'System Profiler'.
This is more than an inconvenience if using a daisy-chain of Firewire HDDs...
Here's what worked for me; try this from within Terminal. (1st make sure you have 'diskutil' installed - see note below.)
cmd line:
diskutil list
diskutil mountDisk /dev/diskx
where diskx correlates to the physical device reference as displayed under the "list" command e.g. disk2
NB: try MacPorts for http://www.macports.org/
Kellys Hero
Posted 2010-02-19T12:52:29.863
Reputation: 11
0
I recently released an app exactly for this purpose called Mountain. Mountain can unmount external drives as well as remount them later.
Jan Linxweiler
Posted 2010-02-19T12:52:29.863
Reputation: 1
1It's great that you wrote an application that solves this issue, but it would be preferable if you would also explain how to use it to solve the issue. – Der Hochstapler – 2012-09-26T11:38:34.623
Hi Oliver, you can download a trial version of Mountain from http://appgineers.de/mountain It is nearly self explaining. Simply use Mountain to unmount your USB drive. Afterwards Mountain will allow you to remount the drive again.
– Jan Linxweiler – 2012-10-09T15:26:36.313I have no use for the application myself. I just wanted to remind you that we prefer answers that go into detail about solutions. Given that you wrote this application, you have every option to give it a proper presentation. You may want to have a look at http://meta.superuser.com/questions/5329/how-do-i-recommend-software-in-my-answers
– Der Hochstapler – 2012-10-09T15:36:28.453
1Had a similar question pop up here for Windows. A way to make that work was to disable the USB root hub the device was connected to and re-enable it, which then initialized the usb stick. A similar methodology may work for this issue, I just am not familiar with the OS in question to guide you through a similar process. – DHayes – 2010-02-19T14:00:55.543
@DHayes @Pepijn - indeed, there are a couple of q's on StackOverflow on the same issue, but they seem to be about Windows. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/916296/how-can-i-cycle-a-usb-device-from-c/919836#919836 .. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/138394/how-to-programatically-unplug-replug-an-arbitrary-usb-device
– quack quixote – 2010-02-19T15:15:16.377the reason the "disable/enable USB root hub" works is because initiating a USB slave device happens when the slave detects it's plugged in, not from the host side. but when you do it to the hub, it forces all the connected devices to disconnect/reconnect. now what you need is a way to identify the hub, disable it, then re-enable it. note this will reset all other devices on that hub. – quack quixote – 2010-02-19T15:20:36.633