External hard drive usb2
I have searched for a solution to my problem. I have found a number of threads that have suggested some possible solutions, but nothing has worked so far.
I have a usb2 external hard drive case with (at the moment) an old 3GB 3.5inch hard disc in it.
I have plugged it into my work pc laptop and my home pc with no problems. It is recognised, I can format it, I can copy to and from. However, most of the time it is not recognised when I connect it to my ibook G4. I am running 10.3.9.
Most of the time (about 95%) it is not recognised at all. I have tried both ports. It does not appear in disc utility. However, it appears most of the time when I connect it to the usb ports on my Apple Keyboard and connect that to my ibook. Unfortunately, there are two problems with this -
1. I am limited to usb1 speed, and
2. After disconnecting the drive, I often end up with my keyboard and mouse becoming unresponsive (apparently no power) until I reboot.
On one occasion I ejected the drive, disconnected from the keyboard port and replugged it in the main ibook port. That time it worked fine with full usb2 speed until I disconnected. I haven't been able to get it to work like that since.
I would like any suggestions on how to fix the problem with the drive not being recognised. I have used other usb and firewire drives with no problem.
I would also like to know if it is possible to stop and restart the usb ports without rebooting in case I lose connection to my keyboard and mouse in future.
Thanks
Adam
I have a usb2 external hard drive case with (at the moment) an old 3GB 3.5inch hard disc in it.
I have plugged it into my work pc laptop and my home pc with no problems. It is recognised, I can format it, I can copy to and from. However, most of the time it is not recognised when I connect it to my ibook G4. I am running 10.3.9.
Most of the time (about 95%) it is not recognised at all. I have tried both ports. It does not appear in disc utility. However, it appears most of the time when I connect it to the usb ports on my Apple Keyboard and connect that to my ibook. Unfortunately, there are two problems with this -
1. I am limited to usb1 speed, and
2. After disconnecting the drive, I often end up with my keyboard and mouse becoming unresponsive (apparently no power) until I reboot.
On one occasion I ejected the drive, disconnected from the keyboard port and replugged it in the main ibook port. That time it worked fine with full usb2 speed until I disconnected. I haven't been able to get it to work like that since.
I would like any suggestions on how to fix the problem with the drive not being recognised. I have used other usb and firewire drives with no problem.
I would also like to know if it is possible to stop and restart the usb ports without rebooting in case I lose connection to my keyboard and mouse in future.
Thanks
Adam
Comments
anyone? please
The power is another reason why it won't work on the keyboard. If your drive is not powered separately, it gets it from the USB cord. if you do not have a powered hub, you will have the same problem
Originally posted by Jwink3101
Keyboard USB ports are not 2.0, they are 1.1. You need to plug it in directly to your computer's USB 2.0 port. If you don;t have a free port, get a hub. I wouldn't suggest getting a cheap one; you get what you pay for. It HAS to be a powered hug because that sounds like where the drive gets its power
The power is another reason why it won't work on the keyboard. If your drive is not powered separately, it gets it from the USB cord. if you do not have a powered hub, you will have the same problem
Jwink
Thanks for your suggestions, but I am certain that power is not the problem. The drive [B]works[/B} through the keyboard (unpowered), but not through the main ports directly (powered). It is not an issue because it is a 3.5" drive case with an external power supply.
The problem is that it works connecting as part of a chain through keyboard to main port, but not directly through the main port. I have tried multiple known-working cables. I haven't tried plugging a hub into my ibook, because I don't have one at home.
It might help if the problem is with the ports on my ibook, but I can't see how that can be.
cheers
Adam
Is there any way to update the firmware for the drive? I have no clue if that would fix it but it would let you rule out firmware as a possibility.
Have you tried it on any other macs? Sometimes a USB port goes bad but it doesn;t sound like that for your mac if the keyboard still works. Still, it wouldn;t hurt to try a different port to rule out the possibility.
Also, even if it doesn't mount, does Disk Utility recognize it? Do you know what filesystem is on the drive? Normally i would say to look for any file larger than 4 gb but it is a 3gb drive so that wouldn;t work.
I wish i could help more
Originally posted by Jwink3101
Is there any way to update the firmware for the drive? I have no clue if that would fix it but it would let you rule out firmware as a possibility.
I haven't found any firmware updates for the drive.
Also, even if it doesn't mount, does Disk Utility recognize it? Do you know what filesystem is on the drive? Normally i would say to look for any file larger than 4 gb but it is a 3gb drive so that wouldn;t work.
No, if it doesn't mount automatically, DU doesn't see it either. The filesystem is HFS+, plus I have tried FAT also.
I tried it through my USB1 hub tonight and it worked, although only at low speed. I will see if I can get a USB2 hub to use with it.
I now suspect it is a power issue. I suspect that the power from the drive is interfering with the port in some way, so it only works when there is another port to protect the laptop. ... But I may be way off.