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Ubuntu crashes when external HDD is plugged in

ph flag
AKA

I have Ubuntu installed on an external ssd and it works fine. But when I plug in another external HDD when running the OS it starts crashing and doesnt even let me shut down

Unresponsive

in flag
Ubuntu is installed on a USB connected device? When you plug in the second USB drive, is it using the same USB channel? If so, you could be starving the OS of I/O resources to the point where it simply cannot run any further
user10489 avatar
in flag
Please describe the symptoms of "crashing". Any errors? Does it recover if you unplug the second drive?
AKA avatar
ph flag
AKA
"Crashing" here means that there is no icon visible for literally anything and nothing opens up(cant even shutdown). Yes, Ubuntu is connected through a USB ssd. How do I know if it uses the same channel?
user10489 avatar
in flag
Each usb hub has a limited bandwidth that is shared between all connected devices. A motherboard may have multiple "hubs" grouping usb ports together. Channel starvation shouldn't be an issue unless both devices are active and competing for the bandwidth.
user10489 avatar
in flag
It might be helpful to open a window and run tail -f /var/log/syslog before you plug in the second drive. If you can't shut down, changes to this file may not be saved to media.
AKA avatar
ph flag
AKA
I used the c type USB on my device to connect the ssd with ubuntu, and plugged the HDD through USB A. Now its working. But is there any way we can run both on USB A. Thanks
user10489 avatar
in flag
Are you using an external usb hub? It is also possible an external unpowered hub is running out of power to run both devices. If channel starvation is the problem, it might be intermittent, and possibly worst right when you plug a device in and it gets scanned.
AKA avatar
ph flag
AKA
No I am not using an ext USB hub
AKA avatar
ph flag
AKA
Is there any possibility that this issue would relate to the format of the drive. Maybe NTFS doesnt work...?
user10489 avatar
in flag
Yes, the contents of the drive could cause problems, but NTFS shouldn't be a direct issue here. And if it works with the drives on different internal hubs, then the content is certainly not the issue.
AKA avatar
ph flag
AKA
Oh okay. Anyway its working for me. But please do answer if you find a solution. Thank you
user10489 avatar
in flag
The solution will be specific to your hardware setup and you haven't described that setup enough to suggest a solution beyond putting the drives on different ports / hubs.
heynnema avatar
ru flag
Sounds like a power problem. USB ports can only support so much power. Are either of your USB drives larger than 1TB? You may need to get a **powered** USB hub to drive your configuration.
cc flag
Run lsusb -t to get a picture of what devices are on which bus.
AKA avatar
ph flag
AKA
Thats the thing. I can't run anything when i connect the HDD
kanehekili avatar
zw flag
Open a terminal. Run `sudo blkid` Copy the answer from the terminal into your question. Open a second terminal, run `dmesg -w` (it follows the current events). Then add the external hdd. Copy the **new** output from the dmesg output into your question. Go back to the first terminal and run `sudo blkid` again... If possible paste that also into your answer. Without data we can't help you
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