I'm assuming it's part of the 'check for updates' process, but does anyone know how this is controlled and what it's mounting and unmounting?
I first discovered this behavior after updating Growl, and I ran HardwareGrowler to see what it did (it was a slow afternoon) and it's kind of neat to see what hardware is connected at any given time, and watching what happens when I plug in various USB peripherals, etc. I know, I have a severely deficient view of entertainment. After amusing myself with this for about 5-10 minutes, I returned to my work.
Some time after this, I spotted out of the corner of my eye a Growl message that said 'Volume Mounted Google 8.0.0 (something)' And just as quickly 'Volume Unmounted Google 8.0.0 (something)'. I didn't get time for screen shots, it appeared and disappeared within seconds.
Has anyone else noticed this and is the explanation for it posted somewhere online? Apparently there's some helper process that's running that's doing it, but I don't see anything in Activity Monitor with Google or Chrome in the name. I'm not a process-killing weenie, I'm just curious about this behavior I'd never noticed before.
Best Answer
Apparently there is a Google Software Update process that is queued to run periodically, which is why it's not always there. (I couldn't grab a screenshot of it, it was too sneaky). It's not just for Chrome, but for Google Earth and Picasa too. It was a bit of a breadcrumb hunt finding info about it.
From Google's Help Page:
I couldn't find, and I'm not aware of any reason it mounts a partition, but it's probably either:
Ah the endless mysteries of HardwareGrowler. Entertainment for the whole family!