External Drive
Hi guys.
I own an external Hard Drive and I want to use it to connect to my PB, OS Tiger. The thing is, my PB is not detecting my drive (USB).
What format should my drive be in? I tried HPFS and Fat32. Both didn't work.
There isn't a driver that needs installing for my external disk.
Would appreciate your inputs.
I own an external Hard Drive and I want to use it to connect to my PB, OS Tiger. The thing is, my PB is not detecting my drive (USB).
What format should my drive be in? I tried HPFS and Fat32. Both didn't work.
There isn't a driver that needs installing for my external disk.
Would appreciate your inputs.
Comments
Under OS X you don't need drivers for USB drives.
I format all my external drives with HFS+ (Extended Format).
Now for some questions that might also help with your problem.
Have you tried using a different USB port on your PB?
When the drive is connected does it show up at all in disk utility?
I have several external drives and have seen some strange problems which I have been able to fix quite easily.
Rob 8)
Well it doesn't show up in disk utility. I'm using FAT 32 and HPFS.
Should I reformat my drive to extended?
My external is a USB laptop hard disk. That means it requires no adapter.
I really need someone to advise me step by step what I should do next. I'm desperate (for want of a better word).
Originally posted by Yuji
Hard to reformat? That means esentially my external drive can't be used with my PB? Gosh.
My external is a USB laptop hard disk. That means it requires no adapter.
I really need someone to advise me step by step what I should do next. I'm desperate (for want of a better word).
The first question is, does the drive power up? Most bus-powered USB hard disks are out of spec; they require more power than the USB bus is required to supply. They work, for the most part, because most USB busses provide more power than they have to, but there's never any guarantee that they'll work.
If it does power up: this is probably a driver issue. Some older USB hard disks don't work with the standard USB mass storage drivers, and need to have software installed. Make very sure there are no drivers for your devices.
If it doesn't power up: make sure your laptop is plugged in, and disconnect all other USB devices. If that still doesn't work, you'll need to either find a power adaptor for your drive or try using a powered USB hub with it.
If these suggestion don't do it, it would be helpful to know the manufacturer and model of the drive in question.
Do you have another computer with USB that you can plug the drive into?
I couldn't add anything that hasn't been said already.
Good luck anyways.
I solved the problem. It was a power issue. Power was just not enuff.
I solved the prob by changing the casing that uses a fire wire, 6 pin. It works fine now.
Thanks for your help guys.
Since I was able to extract the files, I assumed that I might be able to wipe it, reformat it, etc. and use it for backup. I bought a cheap USB 2 enclosure for it but it won't mount or be recognized by Disk Utility or anything.
It's only recognized when I connect it to the PB's internal HD connection.
Could it just be underpowered?
Thanks,
AWAL
1. there is insufficient power supplied as pointed out by others.What you have to do is to either change to another casing that supports higher power supply or source for the power thru another USB port.
2. the problem lies with the cable connecting / transferring data to/fro HD to PB. I have tried using different cables from the same brand of casings, but each cable that I use gives different results. Some work, so don't. Therefore it could be a cable problem.