Have I got a faulty external hard drive?

I have been having problems with the external hard drive that I bought for Time Machine. It's not a branded one but it did work at first. Now when I plug it in and set TM going after a short time it stops and a message comes up about it not being ejected properly. Of course this is not correct because I haven't disconnected it at all. I have tried it in both USB ports with the same result.

Question is, will I have to buy another one or is it likely to be due to something I am (or am not) doing on the Mac? BTW all the connections on the EHD are OK.
Thank you.

pbd said:

Now when I plug it in and set TM going after a short time it stops and a message comes up about it not being ejected properly.

Click to expand...

This message pops up usually when an external storage device that is connected to a computer remains connected when the computer is put to sleep or shutdown…or very likely when an external storage device is unplugged from the computer.

The way to "eject properly" an external storage device…is to first drag the icon of the device to the trash (this "mentally" ejects it from the computer). Then unplug it (or turn the computer off).

- Nick

Yes, I know how to eject the external drive correctly but this is happening in the middle of the backup when the computer has not been shut down and I have not pulled the usb lead out. I tried it on my W7 laptop and it doesn't work at all on that so I am as sure as I can be that it is a faulty drive. It came with a two year warranty so I have emailed the company and hope to get a refund.

pbd said:

I tried it on my W7 laptop and it doesn't work at all on that so I am as sure as I can be that it is a faulty drive. It came with a two year warranty so I have emailed the company and hope to get a refund.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a solution.

- Nick