Firewire for new iMac

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I just received a new 27" i5 iMac. Seems perfectly fine - SO FAR.

Anyway, I'm having a bit of a problem transferring data from my older FireWire external HDD.



The end of the FW from the HDD doesn't seem to match the port of the iMac. What do I need to make the transfer? The end of the HDD looks like a tall thin house.



Thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sequitur View Post


    I just received a new 27" i5 iMac. Seems perfectly fine - SO FAR.

    Anyway, I'm having a bit of a problem transferring data from my older FireWire external HDD.



    The end of the FW from the HDD doesn't seem to match the port of the iMac. What do I need to make the transfer? The end of the HDD looks like a tall thin house.



    Thanks



    You either need a new cable or an adapter. The iMac is FW800 and the drive is FW400. Get a FW800-FW400 cable or a FW800 (male) to FW400 (female) adapter for the cable. A good place to find either is:



    www.monoprice.com
  • Reply 2 of 6
    sequitursequitur Posts: 1,910member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hudson1 View Post


    You either need a new cable or an adapter. The iMac is FW800 and the drive is FW400. Get a FW800-FW400 cable or a FW800 (male) to FW400 (female) adapter for the cable. A good place to find either is:



    www.monoprice.com



    My face is red. I should have been aware of that in the first place.



    thanks
  • Reply 3 of 6
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sequitur View Post


    My face is red. I should have been aware of that in the first place.



    thanks



    The only dumb question is the one not asked.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    sequitursequitur Posts: 1,910member
    Over the past four years, I've gotten some very important information and answers from knowledgeable AI members, and I'm extremely grateful to them; on the other hand, this site has made me lazy. It is far easier to ask a question here and get an intelligent answer than to do my own research for info which I'm never really sure of.
  • Reply 5 of 6
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Here is my philosophy. I have worked in groups that ask each other questions and other groups where people try to "horde" information and not tell other people how to do things, to make themselves look better for job security. When people cooperate, the group as a whole is more efficient, and even the individuals potentially. Here is a scenario: one person would need to research for an hour, or just ask the next person over how to do something that they could explain in 5 minutes. The next day the situation is reversed, and the second person needs help from the first person, and gets an answer in 5 minutes instead of an hour of independent research. Add this up and it saves everyone time. Maybe each one of us is just so-so on knowledge, say Apple knowledge, but if you add us all together, the AI organism is an über-Mac Genius.

    That's why I love this place, I'm getting more into IT for my career. Lots of stuff I have learned here is helpful.



    Regarding that FW400/800 I am disappointed they had to change the shape. USB 1 works in USB 2. I am surprised Apple couldn't engineer such a solution. Maybe Monster cables or whoever makes those cables gave 'em a kickback and a set of golf clubs.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    sequitursequitur Posts: 1,910member
    Now I have another problem.



    How can I tell if I need a:



    9 PIN/ 4PIN BILINGUAL FireWire 800 - FireWire 400 Cable,



    or



    9 PIN/ 6PIN BILINGUAL FireWire 800 - FireWire 400 Cable



    The instruction manual doesn't say and I can't find info on the Apple site.



    OR is that the FW 400 side? And how would I determine that?



    EDIT: Belay that request. It finally dawned on me that the 4 pin referral was to the small, square end of some FW 400 cables. The end for peripherals. However, I can't remember what the name of that is. Female? No.
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