External HDD won't mount to desktop from 1/2 of USB Ports

I have an external Iomega HDD and when it's plugged into my left USB port it works fine but when it's plugged into the right USB port it won't mount to the desktop and I can't access it. It doesn't show up in the system profiler or disk utility either.
However other usb devices (wireless mouse for example) work fine when plugged into that port. So I don't think it's the drive because it works in other ports and the port seems to be at least partially functional... But not with the drive.
Any ideas?

Is the drive bus-powered or does it have its own AC power adapter? Are you using a hub?

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External HDD won't mount at boot. [Solved]

Edit:
I've noticed that this is an issue regarding my NTFS partition being on an external drive. Please check post #8 by me to get further details.
Hello guys, I'm having some problems getting my external NTFS HDD to mount automatically at boot. I have installed HAL and NTFS-3G, but I'm still getting problems. Mounting once the computer has finished booting is no problem using the simple mount command (sudo mount /media/pebble). I see no reason why this should be having problems mounting at boot with my fstab entry, but no errors occur when mounting manually.
Fstab entry:
/dev/sdc1 /media/pebble ntfs-3g fmask=022 1 0
rc.conf:
# /etc/rc.conf - Main Configuration for Arch Linux
# LOCALIZATION
# LOCALE: available languages can be listed with the 'locale -a' command
# HARDWARECLOCK: set to "UTC" or "localtime"
# USEDIRECTISA: use direct I/O requests instead of /dev/rtc for hwclock
# TIMEZONE: timezones are found in /usr/share/zoneinfo
# KEYMAP: keymaps are found in /usr/share/kbd/keymaps
# CONSOLEFONT: found in /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts (only needed for non-US)
# CONSOLEMAP: found in /usr/share/kbd/consoletrans
# USECOLOR: use ANSI color sequences in startup messages
LOCALE="en_US.utf8"
HARDWARECLOCK="localtime"
USEDIRECTISA="no"
TIMEZONE="America/Vancouver"
KEYMAP="us"
CONSOLEFONT=
CONSOLEMAP=
USECOLOR="yes"
# HARDWARE
# MOD_AUTOLOAD: Allow autoloading of modules at boot and when needed
# MOD_BLACKLIST: Prevent udev from loading these modules
# MODULES: Modules to load at boot-up. Prefix with a ! to blacklist.
# NOTE: Use of 'MOD_BLACKLIST' is deprecated. Please use ! in the MODULES array.
MOD_AUTOLOAD="yes"
#MOD_BLACKLIST=() #deprecated
MODULES=(fuse)
# Scan for LVM volume groups at startup, required if you use LVM
USELVM="no"
# NETWORKING
# HOSTNAME: Hostname of machine. Should also be put in /etc/hosts
HOSTNAME="r3-desktop-arch"
# Use 'ifconfig -a' or 'ls /sys/class/net/' to see all available interfaces.
# Interfaces to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each interface then list in INTERFACES
# - prefix an entry in INTERFACES with a ! to disable it
# - no hyphens in your interface names - Bash doesn't like it
# DHCP: Set your interface to "dhcp" (eth0="dhcp")
# Wireless: See network profiles below
#Static IP example
#eth0="eth0 192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255"
#eth0="dhcp"
eth0="eth0 192.168.0.23 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255"
INTERFACES=(eth0)
# Routes to start at boot-up (in this order)
# Declare each route then list in ROUTES
# - prefix an entry in ROUTES with a ! to disable it
gateway="default gw 192.168.0.1"
ROUTES=(gateway)
# Enable these network profiles at boot-up. These are only useful
# if you happen to need multiple network configurations (ie, laptop users)
# - set to 'menu' to present a menu during boot-up (dialog package required)
# - prefix an entry with a ! to disable it
# Network profiles are found in /etc/network.d
# This now requires the netcfg package
#NETWORKS=(main)
# DAEMONS
# Daemons to start at boot-up (in this order)
# - prefix a daemon with a ! to disable it
# - prefix a daemon with a @ to start it up in the background
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng network netfs crond dbus hal alsa)
Do I need to load HAL earlier? What am I doing wrong?
Last edited by ryeguy146 (2009-11-05 10:04:32)

I just noticed something, I don't think that this is an issue with the partition being NTFS, but rather with it being on an external hard drive (/dev/sdc). I say this because I just rebooted and noticed another NTFS partition that I have in my fstab is mounting (/dev/sda5). It's an internal HDD, and I didn't notice that it mounted up because I rarely use it. But there it is.
I suppose that I should define /dev/sdc. It is a Western Digital External HDD running off of a USB 2.0 cable. I don't know why this makes a difference, but it apparently does. Both entries in the fstab are identical for their respective devices and mount points.
Now that we have that figured out, I think that I'll change the title of the thread. So any ideas on how to solve this one?

WD External HDD won't mount on iBook G4; no problem mounting on Macbook Pro

I've had a WD My Passport 320 GB drive for about 8 months using it as a Time Machine backup drive for my MacBook Pro. I put some files on there that I want to transfer to my wife's iBook G4 (12 inch, 1.33 GHz) but it simply won't mount. It sounds like the external hard drive performs one revolution and then clicks. It doesn't really start up. Can't locate in disk utility ever on the iBook.
I was wondering if maybe the iBook G4 didn't provide enough power through the USB ports since this is a portable external drive and hence relies on the computer for its power.
If anybody has any insight as to how I can fix this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.
We are looking to purchase a new hard drive for myself, and I was planning on giving the old one to my wife for her own use, but if it won't work, then I may have to re-think this one. Thanks.
Message was edited by: clarity23

If the port power is insufficient for the iBook to run an external hard disk drive,
you may have to connect the unit through a self-powered (AC adapter) USB
2.0 Hub. This would be able to supplement port power for external devices.
Also, depending on the uses, some drives have different results when used
with or in older Macs. And, as a side-note, what partitioning scheme was used
on that WD External HDD? This shouldn't be so important on a non-boot drive.
If the WD was partitioned in something other than HFS+ (or WIN-DOS) it may
have a hard time being seen by the iBook; though port power issues are likely.
The external drive likely pulls a bit more power than the computer ports allow.
With my iBook G4, when used on a desktop, it has its own powered USB setup
and keyboard, mouse, plus printer (or wireless Airport with printer, etc.)
A good tool to have on hand is a 4GB or larger USB flash drive for simple transfers.
Good luck & happy computing!

External superdrive won't mount to desktop

I have an almost new external superdrive attached to my January 2014 iMac 27". It has seemed to be slow to load up the DVDs that I have my images backedup on and today it refuses to mount on the desktop. Because it's not on the desktop or in the Finder window, I can't eject the DVD that is in it. Any suggestions besides unplugging it, restarting the iMac, all of which I have tried?
Thanks!

try a different usb port. mine does the same in the port furthest away from the stand, although everything else works fine in that port.

External drive won't mount on desktop or disk utility

iMac w/optical drive, running 10.6.8
Using a 2 TB Seagate Backkup drive for Mac for Time Machine backups. Time Machine notified me that no backups had been made for 22 days. Drive icon does not show on desktop and is not listed in Disk Utility. Tried unplugging/plugging power and USB cable without success. I had shut down the computer before leaving for vacation (about 22 days ago), but am pretty sure I did not move the drive icon to trash. Could this be the basis for the problem?
How do I get this drive mounted again?

Eric, nifflerX and nbar:
That's what I was afraid of.
Thanks for your help.
Stonely

External HDD won't mount

Hello,
I was working on my external hard disk drive called 'Reserve', when the elektricity on that hard drive went out. When I wanted to re-connect my external hard drive to my MacBook Pro it showed the following message:
In other words, it didn't recognize the external hard disk drive 'Reserve'. When I clicked 'Initialize...' I got into Disk Utily where it showed the HDD, but without the partition 'Reserve':
There are some important files on it that I don't want to lose.
I've already looked up some stuff online, but as I'm not a computer expert, I have no idea what there talking about. DiskXsX and stuff like that... No idea.
If anybody could help me...? Please explain in a clear way. For dummies.
Thank a lot in advance!

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Thunderbolt external SSD won't mount

I'm using the Elgato Thunderbolt SSD as an external hard disk with my 2013 MBP. Since I'm also using a Thunderbolt display, I usually daisy-chain the disk to the display.
Recently I disconnected the Thunderbolt display from my computer without unmounting the external SSD. Since this also disconnected the disk, I got the usual ticking-off ("You should eject a disk before disconnecting it").
However... since then, the external disk won't mount. It doesn't show up on the desktop or in Disk Utility, though it DOES show up ("Thunderbolt SSD") in System Information.
Because the SSD gets warm when it's in use, I think it's still working. I just can't access it.
Can anyone help?

Is the Apple Thunderbolt Display at the END of the daisy-chain? That's where it should be - all other TB devices should be connected first, with the Display at the end of the chain.
As to why you're having a problem getting the TB SSD to work, I'm stumped. It seems as if you've done everything that I would try to do to get everything working... and I'm assuming that you have powered down and unplugged the Display and all other devices for 15 minutes or so?
Just make sure that the Display is at the end of the TB chain - that's really the only advice that I can offer.
Clinton

LaCie USB 160GB HDD won't mount, just beeps

Purchased a new 160gb LaCie external USB HDD, but can't get the mac to recognise it. I have tried it with and without the additional USB power lead, but nothing happens. The HDD just constantly beeps.
Not sure what to do. We have tested it on other macs (laptops & desktops) and it mounts straight away no problems. The USB ports work for other things fine.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
Powerbooks often don't put out enough juice on the USB port to power external hard drives. The external drive may not start up or may start but still not be recognized by the system. One solution is to get a power adapter, as Hardy recommended, or, if possible, to use a Firewire connection (Firewire doesn't have the power issue USB has). There's also an advantage to using a Firewire connection, in that Powerbooks can only boot from a Firewire device. So, a USB only hard drive, once it starts up, is fine for backup but cannot be used to boot the system, if needed. Lacie sells a power adapter for around AU$25.

CD/DVD's won't mount to desktop

CD/DVD's won't mount to desktop. All of the boxes under PREFERENCES->GENERAL are checked. When I hold the "C" key during start up with the OS/X install disc 1, it still boots from the hard drive.
I can open the disc tray with the keyboard eject button; the eject logo appears on screen.
Any help?

Hello Justin,
First, are you using an external CD/DVD drive?
Second, if not, try starting up holding down the Option key until you see the Startup Manager (which will show all bootable systems available). Either click on or use the Tab key to get to the startup disk you want.
HTH
Jeff

External drive won't mount after plugging in iPhone - MacBook 13'' (2,1)

Hi Support Crew...
I have a 13" MacBook(2,1) running OS X 10.6.2. This is a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo machine w/ 4 GB RAM & 320 GB hard drive.
Today, I had the Iomega drive plugged in via USB, along with my soundcard (MOTU 828mk2) plugged in via FW. This is a very normal setup for me which has been bug free since I bought this computer over 2 years ago. When I plugged in my iPhone 3G via USB I got an error message which comes up when you incorrectly remove a device. This was strange because I didn't unplug anything, I only plugged in the iPhone. The iPhone was playing music when I plugged it in and I had to unplug and plug is back in to get iTunes to recognize it.
Ever since this happened, my Iomega external drive won't mount. I am able to access it via Disk Utility (and ran the Verify Disk/Repair Disk - everything is "ok"), however I can't access the data on the drive. I really really need the data but of course can't access it to backup.
Disk Utility log:
500.11 GB Ext Hard Disk Media (black text)
Iris (grey text) - I ran Verify Disk & Repair Disk
2010-01-22 14:20:51 -0800: Verify and Repair volume “Iris”
2010-01-22 14:20:51 -0800: Starting repair tool:
2010-01-22 14:20:51 -0800: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
2010-01-22 14:20:52 -0800: Checking extents overflow file.
2010-01-22 14:20:52 -0800: Checking catalog file.
2010-01-22 14:20:56 -0800: Checking multi-linked files.
2010-01-22 14:20:56 -0800: Checking catalog hierarchy.
2010-01-22 14:20:58 -0800: Checking extended attributes file.
2010-01-22 14:21:00 -0800: Checking volume bitmap.
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800: Checking volume information.
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800: The volume Iris appears to be OK.
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800: Volume repair complete.
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800: Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800: Repair tool completed:
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800:
2010-01-22 14:21:01 -0800:
System Profiler shows the drive (on both FW & USB ports when I tried other cords). This drive does not require power and I am not using a USB hub, strictly the laptops ports. And yes, the laptop's power adapter is plugged in.
System Profiler: Device Tree log:
Iomega eGo HDD:
Capacity: 500.11 GB (500,107,862,016 bytes)
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: Yes
BSD Name: disk1
Product ID: 0x047c
Vendor ID: 0x059b (Iomega Corporation)
Version: 0.01
Serial Number: 000000066273
Speed: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Iomega
Location ID: 0xfd300000
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 0
Partition Map Type: APM (Apple Partition Map)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported
Volumes:
Iris:
Capacity: 499.97 GB (499,972,702,208 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s10
When I tried to run Migration Assistant, I just get the spinning search circle and none of the drives come up, just endless searching.
The fact that I got the "Improperly removed device" error when I plugged in the iPhone makes me think something weird is up and it's not actually the external drive. There is clicking/whining/noise, the drives powers up fine and is recognized by the system but the mount point is now "not mounted".
Does anyone have any idea how to fix? If you live in SF, I will buy you a beer.
J

I meant to say; "There are NO clicking/whining/noise sounds made by the external hard drive"

External HD won't mount on PB

External HD won't mount on PB but, will on iBook, G5 iMac, MBP, and Mirror Door G4. I have a USB 2 HD that will mount on everything but 15" Aluminum PowerBook. I even tried updating the IOUSBFamily.kext but no luck that just made my camera to start working with my PB. When I plug in my HD the LED just blinks back and forth orange and green instead of Blinking orange and turning a solid green when connected.
Any sugestions?

In reply to arnie: Good tips!
I'll just add - booting holding "AppleOption+OF" boots into open firmware. I've never booted into this mode (on purpose...) but it seems to be (correct me if I'm wrong) a unix interface to OS X. Just make sure to type the commands EXACTLY. Unix is much pickier than OS X.
I've heard problems like this before - usually with those little bus-powered HDDs and Powerbooks. It's something to do with the amount of power the Powerbook puts out, although it should be the standard 500 mA that the USB 2 specs require. This can happen with firewire, however. If there's a power cord, use it.
You might try plugging the drive into a self-powered USB 2 Hub - one with a cord that plugs into an AC wall socket, then connect it to the Powerbook. If the Powerbook recognizes the drive, then it probably needs extra power.
Good luck
-Dan
15" 1.67 Powerbook G4 (Jan 2005), 400 mhz AGP Sawtooth G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 4G Clickwheel and 5G Vid iPods
Message was edited by: Daniel W, stupid grammer!

My external drive won't mount. Disk Utility says it can't repair disk and to backup the disk and reformat, but how can I do that if it won't mount?

My external drive won't mount. Disk Utility says it can't repair disk and to backup the disk and reformat, but how can I do that if it won't mount?

See mount section in 1st linked article.
Disk Unmount Using Terminal
Disk Utility – Force Mount Disk

LaCie external drive won't mount on iMAC

Hi,
My external LaCie external drive won't mount on my iMAC running 10.6.8 but will mount and show up on my PC as working fine, however I am not able to read the information on it as it was formatted for my iMAC. Therefore it leads me to believe this is a software issue.
I have reason to believe someone had changed the permissions and prevented the mounting of this external drive (which belongs to me) so that the contents won't be found on my iMAC.
How to resolve this issue?
Thanks in advance,
Cait

Cait,
Please try a SMC reset, it may take 2-3 attempts for it to work. Look over the instructions below carefully.
SMC RESET
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and all peripherals.
Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
Release the power button.
Attach the computers power cable.
Press the power button to turn on the computer.
PRAM RESET
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

I have an iMac and also a MacBook. All of a sudden my iMac does not recognise my Canon 500D camera even though I have downloaded 1000s of photographs from it via the USB port. The MacBook recognises the camera immediately. Can anyone help?

I have an iMac and also a MacBook. All of a sudden my iMac does not recognise my Canon 500D camera even though I have downloaded 1000s of photographs from it via the USB port. The MacBook recognises the camera immediately. Can anyone help?

Thank you for your reply. I know I can use a card reader however I don't see why I should when importing directly from my camera has worked reliably for years. The process I use is simply connecting the digital output from my camera to the USB port on the iMac, which has previously automatically opened iPhoto ready for the import. Now all of a sudden my iMac does not recognise the camera. However if I connect in the same way to my MacBook then iPhoto opens automatically on the MacBook, recognises the camera and is ready for importing. So whilst I know I can use a reader, or my MacBook I want to use my iMac in the same way that I have for years. I can only assume that the settings on the iMac may have changed, but I cannot verify this.

Any fix for external Iomega HDD won't mount to iMac OSX 10.8.5 Desktop?

I have a 750GB Iomega external HDD that I've used for several years to back up my iMac (OSX 10.8.5) with Time Machine. No problems. Computer locked up while searching on the internet last night, requiring a restart. The external HDD never came back up on my desktop, It has power and all cable connectors are tight. The disk powers up and runs, but it just repeats its attempt to mount over and over, but won't show up on the desktop. So I can't run Disk Utility or any diagnostic software, since it isn't accessible form the iMac.
Any suggestions? I'm guessing my only option is to bite the bullet and buy a replacement backup hard drive, and start over from scratch in Time Machine. My attempts to look for help on the Iomega site have been frustrated by the new post merger Lenovo-EMC based site. Practically no references found to Iomega at all!

Yes, I checked that, and I tried restarting the computer with the HD turned on, then again with the HD turned off until after the computer finished booting up before turning the HD on. Nothing has worked to get the externa; drive to show up on the desktop. Thanks for replying. I'm not holding out much hope that the drive is going to work again. I'm on my way out to pick up a new backup drive. I figure I'll get one that is at least a TB, and 3.0 USB capable so that when the time comes that I replace my old iMac, the new drive will at least be able to back up the new equipment.

External HDD won't mount to desktop from 1/2 of USB Ports

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