So I have a 4TB portable USB drive (no internal SATA so it can't be shucked) that I connect via Unassigned Disk. Of course every couple days it randomly disconnects on its own. I'm not looking to add this to my storage pool, I understand that is a no no. I have it connected to the blue USB port in the back (supposedly more stable?). I'm running out of storage and am not in a position to buy a nice big 20TB drive to add. I'm just looking to get a bit more space that will stay connected. I also have a 4TB Crucial portable SSD I could add as another Unassigned Disk but I'm afraid that will just disconnect as well. So basically what I'm asking is if there is any way to connect these options in a more reliable way?

Random disconnections on USB storage are almost always power management related rather than a fundamental stability issue.

Two things worth trying:

1. Disable USB autosuspend via the go file if enabled (/boot/config/go).

This prevents the OS from suspending idle USB devices and persists across reboots.

Search for "USB autosuspend go file" to confirm the exact syntax.

2. If disconnections continue, try a USB 2.0 port.

Slower but USB 2.0 ports tend to have less aggressive power management behavior than USB 3.0 on many motherboards.

The Crucial SSD should also be more reliable than the spinning portable drive regardless -- no spinning platters means no head park/unpark cycle issues and generally more stable USB behavior.

Edited May 15May 15 by Lolight