Thunderbolt Dock for External Hard Drive

Hi there,
I'm trying to find a Thunderbolt Dock for External Hard Drive.
One of these http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/External-SATA-Hard-Drive-Docking-Station-USB- Interface-937p3180.htm
But with Thunderbolt connector instead of USB, Firewire, eSATA etc.
Do these exist?
The only thing I could find close is the Seagate Go Flexi Adapter, but that only works for those drives.
Thanks,
Grant

I would suggest this:
http://www.belkin.com/thunderbolt/
It will do more than you need and require, and you still would need to get an eSATA docking station, but that's what you really want anyways.
Thunderbolt is a bleeding edge tech still (as evidenced but the fact that nobody yet has a good dock for it) but if you go the modular approach you can still pickup your docking station with eSATA and FW800 and USB etc. and take it to a friend's and have more chance of being able to plug it in. and since you're getting a dock and not a drive you want it PC/Mac friendly because you can swap drives to ones formatted for the system. Plus this accessory will be really great if you ever get a Mac Book Air or Retina Display MB Pro that just don't have ethernet or eSATA or even firewire anymore.
And i know that tbolt is faster than eSATA natively, but if you're plugging in a SATA HD then, well i don't think i need to finish that sentance.

Similar Messages

AC cords for external hard drives?

okay! everyone uses external hard drives, yes?
It's great that they connect to computers via standardized ports & cables: USB, firewire, eSATA.
but why is it that the power cords for external hard drives are completely unstandardized?
I have an external USB enclosure that I can't use because I misplaced the AC cord (my bad!)
my question: is there a chart somewhere that shows the different types of power cords for hard drive enclosures (they're the same batch of options for monitors, external CDR burners etc, optical drives etc.)
thanks
Will

I think nerowolfe was referring to the types of AC "mains" appliance power cords, specifically to the connector on the end that attaches to an AC powered device like a computer or power brick. While there are a lot of connectors used for this, there are only a few commonly used in the computer industry. The two most common are the "universal" 3 blade ones used on Mac & most PC desktops & the "figure 8" two pin ones used on many laptop power bricks, as shown below.
It would be no problem to find one of those at a Radio Shack or similar store, but as Network 23 says, most external hard drives use separate DC power supplies, & they can be fitted with one of many types of small plugs. Gumsie's advice more or less applies to these, with the following important exceptions:
• Most drives require DC, not AC power. (Thus the plus & minus polarity markings.)
• The DC power supply characteristics are not completely specified by voltage & current numbers. Some power bricks supply a well-filtered, electronically regulated voltage that doesn't vary with the current drawn from it; others a poorly filtered voltage with substantial AC "ripple" components and/or an unregulated voltage that varies from well above the rated one at zero current down to the rated voltage at the rated current. The second type is intended for devices that do not have critical voltage requirements or contain built-in filtering & regulation. They will most likely damage or cause mis-operation in voltage-sensitive devices like hard drives even if their nominal ratings are correct.
• It is not always easy to tell the two types of power bricks apart but in general the regulated types use switching supply technology & as a result are much lower in weight than the cruder ones, which use relatively heavy iron core transformers. Also, because switching supplies can easily be made that accept a wide range of mains voltages, essentially all of the "universal" power bricks rated for 100 to 220 VAC inputs use switching supplies & often are fitted with a "figure 8" type mains connector so the same brick can be sold in different countries with a mains power cord supplied with an appropriate plug for that country's wall outlets. Typically, cheap "wall wart" supplies like those sold at Radio Shack are not the regulate kind & should be used with caution with sensitive electronics. It is especially important when using them to match both current & voltage rating as closely as possible to avoid the over-voltage problem.
• A few of the more sophisticated external supplies have special features like "fold-back" current limiting. In most regulated supplies, if an over-current situation is encountered, the supply limits the current by reducing the voltage to whatever level causes its maximum rated current to be supplied. This protects the supply but not necessarily the powered device, which may be damaged by a sustained low voltage condition. (This is particularly true for electric motors.) Fold-back current limiting basically shuts down the supply until the over-current condition is corrected, which protects the powered device more completely.
• Because of all of the above, it is always safest to use the power brick furnished as original equipment with the drive or to obtain a new one as a replacement part from the vendor. If you use anything else, you do so at your own risk & you may very well damage the drive if you are unlucky enough to make a bad choice.
• A little humor to lighten this up a bit: Did you know that all electronics devices are really smoke-powered? It's true! This explains why, if you let the smoke out, they quit working!

Docks for Internal Hard Drives

At my workplace, we've started using Thermaltake Blacx dual dock stations. The concept is nice, but we've had trouble with drives not mounting. Sometimes the drives just won't show up at all. I still haven't tracked down the problem yet - but there have been mounting problems on two of the docks.
I like the idea of using a dock with internal hard drives to archive my A/V work. Using a dual-drive dock, I can duplicate the data and then store one copy off-site when the drives become full. I want to use this system for my personal projects at home. But with the problems we're having with the Thermaltake docks, I'm hesitant to try with my money.
Has anyone had this experience? Are there other docks that you like to use?
I know there are some "professional" raid-type hardware systems that have been recommended in the past, but they were always more expensive than external drives. If something like this Thermaltake dock would work, it would be far cheaper than other options.
Any input would be very appreciated.
Message was edited by: innergalactic

The virtues of a drive docking system for large-volume storage are obvious, but If I were going to shop for one for myself, I'd certainly opt for FireWire 800 instead of USB. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's more reliable and, in real life, more than twice as fast.

Looking for external hard drive for Mac book air

I'm looking for a external hard drive for my Mac book air

What features are important to you?
Size?
Capacity?
Speed?
Price?
Reliability?
HDD or SSD?
Desktop or portable?
Just about any USB external drive will function properly, with only a few exceptions. I would avoid the Toshiba Canvio using USB 3.0, as it has been the topic for numerous threads here wherein users have had problems using them with the MacBook Air.
My personal favorite external HDD right now is the Seagate GoFlex, as I can use them with the Thunderbolt adapter. But I have been eyeing the new LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt.
For super speed, I use a Crucial model M4, either using the Seagate Thunderbolt adapter, or I have some mounted in USB 3.0 housings.

Low power on USB port for external hard drive

Hi all!
I'm new here and I have some question about my brand new hybrid - HP Envy x2.
Couple days ago i found an issue that usb ports are powered by from motherboard even when tablet with dock is turned off or in hibernation mode. This is problematic when I leave device with plugged usb hub, external HD, speakers (powered from usb port) and mouse. After 8 hours in work when I go back home I saw that battery is about 10-15% lower than before leaving Envy x2. I disabled USB charge mode in BIOS, but after that I have problem with working of my external HD.
When I try to attach hard drive to computer and then I try to turn it on nothing happens - looks like system (Windows 8.1) can't boot. But after immediate unplugging HDD from USB system goes to procedure of starting. I also tried to plug Toshiba HD after turning on my Envy x2 and being in desktop, but nothing happens. Light on HD is blinking, I can hear from it sound like clicking (trying to start?). Also HD is visible in Device Manager but not in My Computer (as additional partition).
I have tried to change boot options in BIOS by positioning of devices (priority to boot from CD ROM, HDD, OS etc.) but did not fixed problem.
After couple of tests provided to found why my HD did not work properely in disabled USB charge mode I know that USB port did not give minimum value of power from supply. I found cable with one plug on one side, and with two plugs on other side (like "Y" type). Then i plugged one end into first USB port, then second end in second USB port and finally - last end of cable to m HD and booooom! It works!
Here is my question: Is there any ability to change that kind of power supply on USB ports? I want to power mu external hard drive from one USB port, not from two. I have USB hub but don't want to use two USB ports (on the opposite positions of docking station) and additional USB cable. I have the most recent BIOS (F12) and all fresh drivers installed on my computer.
Any solutions?

I am not going to take credit for this. I had a similar problem, but all of my USB ports stopped working for EVERYTHING! You were right on track, and here is the final bit of information that you needed: Microsoft Surface tablet External USB hard drives auto-sleep in Windows 8.1 Posted on November 4, 2013 After upgraded from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 Pro, my SeaGate Expansion 2TB hard drive always runs to sleep mode automatically and then disappears if no file transfers occur. when I try to access its stored files, the File Explorer will be unresponsive. Changing the power options is not working. In Windows 8.1 the external USB hard drives and USB flash drives are configured with a low power state by default. That causes USB massstorage devices auto-sleep or file transfers stop unexpectedly. You could change the hardware ID of USB storage device in the registry to resolve the problem. * Updated to the latest firmware for the device to check if it is fine. * From Start screen, open the Search charm, type regedit, right-click the regedit icon from result, and select “Run as administrator“. * In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\usbstor * Right-click the “usbstor” and create a key with the following key name: apricorn (aegis padlock) 09840315 buffalo external hdd 500gb 04110105 cavalry dual bay dock 152d2352 diskgenie usb device 09840092 hitachi touro 3.0 4tb usb 3.0 49711015 kingston datatraveler hyperx 3.0 usb device 256gb (dthx30/256gb) 0951162b lacie 2tb usb drive 059f1018 mediasonic h82-su3s2 probox 152d0539 multi-drive enclosure connected 15200551 seagate expansion 2tb 0bc23320 seagate expansion desk 3tb 0bc23312 seagate fa goflex desk 2tb 0bc25071 verbatim store ‘n’ save superspeed 3tb 18a50400 western digital elements desktop 2tb 10581021 western digital my book 2to 10581140 * Now right-click the new key, create a DWORD entry named DeviceHackFlags with 400 hexadecimal value. * Make a reconnection for the device. RELATED POSTS How to Disable SkyDrive Integration in Windows 8.1 Install Windows 8.1 from USB flash drive Error Code 0xc1900104 Windows 8 gps receiver for Surface Pro Fix Stylus/Pen not working bug on Surface Pro Windows 8 app not sync with Google Apps calendar Create Windows 8.1 Bootable USB Flash Drive This entry was posted in Windows 8 and tagged issues, USB, Windows 8.1 by Windows 8 rt/pro. Bookmark the permalink.

Connect Universal Dock to external Hard Drive and Sync Successfully?

I have an external Hard Drive for Time Machine only. Could I connect the Apple Universal Dock to it and Sync with iTunes the same as if it was connected to my iMac/OSX 10.5.1?
Lacie Drive details:- http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10869
Apple Firewire cable:- http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?s=topSellers&fnode= home/shopipod/ipod_accessories/cablesdocks&nplm=M9127&mco=EF54AC07

Sorry. Sometimes I am too literal about problem descriptions. I got the part about plugging into hard drive did not know it was also plugged into computer.
Sometimes making that assumption leads troubleshooting the wrong way. Working internal helpdesk at work can be interesting.

Disk repair for external hard drive

Hi, I gave my son an external hard drive to back up his school work, besides the normal backups of on the Time Capsule. So how he managed to hget the external hard dirve disappear from the screen while there is no back up left on the TC.
I have tried disk utility an number of time on several computers to get the External hard drive working. No luck there. I have tried restore in disk utility, but I cannot get the source and destination righty for a reason.
I have read an advice of Francine Schwieder dating back to 2007 where she advised to run terminator, this is the result I get while the xternal hard drive was connected to my Imac.
Last login: Sun Oct 9 22:14:37 on ttys000
imac-chf-baak:~ charles2008$
Last login: Fri Dec 7 20:58:20 on console
iMac:~ charles2008$
iMac:~ charles2008$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk0
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD            999.3 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk1
   1:                  Apple_HFS lucas hard drive        1.0 TB     disk1s1
iMac:~ charles2008$
Last login: Fri Dec 7 21:19:20 on ttys000
iMac:~ charles2008$
With my limited knowledge, was a partition placed on this external hard drive ? I cannot see or acces the external hard drive.
Is there anyone who can help me with this ?
Hope to hear from you.
Charles
Francine Schwieder Southern Cal

If you wan to give Data Rescue 3 a spin (I'm testing it out now for the first time) you can get it - and a number of other apps - for $50 from MacUpdate's December Bundle.
Because I have redundant backups, I've never used either DiskWarrior or Data Rescue 3 - but I wanted to try it so that I will be able to know how well it works (or doesn't).
Clinton

Time Machine Back Up for External Hard Drive Partition

Hey guys,
I have had my imac connected to an external hard drive which runs time machine for some time now (about a year and a half).
I now wish to partition the external hard drive with a Fat 32 section so that I can load data (vidoe's, music etc.) from my windows laptop onto it.
The external hard drive is currently not partitioned in anyway so I will have to create a new partition. Is there anyway of doing this without losing the time machine data already saved?
If not is there anyway of saving the time machine data onto the imac so that when the partition process is complete it can simply be 're-loaded' onto the external hard drive?
Thanks for your help!
Philippe

Hi, I've been trying to do that: using Disk Utility to create a partition on my EHD that already has Time Machine running on it. My EHD is 2TB and I have deleted last year's TM backups so now I have over 900GB available space on the EHD (previously was 750GB) but when I ran the Partition, after hours of processing ("modifying partition map...") - and I mean like 12 hours no kidding, it resulted in "There is no more space" error! What a waste of time!
Is there any way to find out how much space is needed for partitioning beforehand? I wished DU could tell me that before the "modifying partition map" process begun.
FYI I am running on 10.5.8 and the partition I want to add is to be in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, the same with the current format.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you very much in advance.

Which format for external hard drive to use with time machine backup and connect to windows laptop?

Hi! I have an external hard drive on which I have transferred my iTunes library (just mine - not others). I have also a folder containing just films (some but not all of which are in iTunes too) Everything has been working just fine until yesterday I noticed that Time Machine was not including the external hard drive in back up as it wasn't formatted. So I have moved everything back to the Mac hard drive and and ready to format the external hard drive - but understand that if I do the contents cannot be opened from a windows laptop ... is that right? Is there are format I could choose that would allow Time Machine to back up and allow Windows to open as well (the idea being that I take the external hard drive with me on holidays etc!!) Many thanks for any advice.

ok - I understand. I have managed so far to format the drive (on windows) to exFAT file system - which apparently works with both Windows and Mac - but you're correct - it will not be included in time machine backup as I have checked the back up files and Samsung is not showing. Reckon I'm onto having to buy yet another portable hard drive just for windows - or of course buy myself a new mac book!! Can I ask you please - does the drive have to be clear of everything before I change the format - or can I change it with the files still in there? Also, got any quick ways duplicating the files onto another External Hard drive (for use on the windows laptop) At the moment the files are taking 2/3 hours + to copy over! Thank you!

Recommendations for External Hard Drive?

Would appreciate hearing people's suggestions for an external hard drive to use with my current Mac. I see that some brands have longer warranty than others, and some may have bundled software for Mac use, while others don't. Reliability is essential.
I'll be using the the drive to back-up files for safety, documents and especially photos. I think a drive 500GB or greater is probably appropriate.
Eventually I'll upgrade to a newer, faster machine, so buying a drive that works with what I have now as well as the computer I move to in the future would be nice.
Please let me know if I need to provide you with any other information to help you make your suggestions.
Thanks!

dflow:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Excellent move. Regular backups is the best thing you can do for your valuable data. A 500 GB HDD will give you plenty of space for quite a while. You want to be sure to get a drive with an Oxford chipset. The firewire bridge is usually the first thing to fail in a firewire HDD, and the Oxford chipsets are the most reliable available. The previous poster mentioned OWC. I agree. The Nepune is their economy version, but a very reliable drive. The better quality Mercury Drives offer a wider range of options and the same rock solid reliability. You can choose Firewire or Firewire/USB, as well at Firewire 400/800 depending on your computer.
Once you have the HDD you will need to format and partition it, but more of that later. Look through the offerings above and post back with questions.
cornelius

LaCie d2 Quadra or OWC Mercury Elite Pro for external hard drive?

Using Intel IMac,10.8.3 and replacing my external hard drives. Had posted before and had some issues with other drives and narrowed things down to these two drives. Using one for Time Machine and the other for CCC.
I would appreciate any and all comments from users of either of these drives and any suggestions!?
Thanks,
Don

I vote for the OWC drives. I have 5 of them and am very happy with their performance. The one LaCie drive I had a couple of years ago had to be replace. It was replaced with an OWC drive.
OT

Recommendations for External Hard Drives?

This is the first time I am buying an external Hard Drive. I am looking for a 200GB-300GB
What would be considered the best of the best? good? fair?

I use and recommend the Mercury Elite Pro drives from OWC found HERE. They do ship internationally, but if you do not want the customs hassle, look for a drive that features the Oxford 911 chipset and avoid at all costs the cheaper and more common Prolific chipset that has shown itself to be unstable with Macs and PCs alike.

Minimum connection for external hard drive

Hopefully this is the correct subdepartment for this question.
I'm shopping for an external hard drive to which I'll be saving and storing movies and digital videos. The playback method will be a Powerbook G4 (15-inch FW800 1.5GHz) running DVD Player connected with composite cables to a TV -- any TV.
I'm searching for best value in terms of GB per dollar in the 300GB range. There are so many variables, but I think connection type is biggest factor. Are the USB 2.0 drives fast enough for what I need or would FW800 be a more reasonable minimum? Are there other more important factors?
2GHz Mac OS X (10.4.4) 23"17"PB15

Here's a portion of what I posted to a similar question. First, regarding FW400 vs FW800, if I were going to be reading data off a FW connection for immediate usage as you described, I'd want to use the fastest connection possible, FW800. From the other post....
A Western Digital 320 gb external enclosure (USB/FW 400) goes for around $200. However, all have one year warranties.
Another option, assemble your own, requires the hard drive and case: A 320 gb Western Digital, with a 5 year warranty, 7200 rpm ultra ATA interface (you can't use a serial ATA interface with a pre-Oct PB), cost for the drive around $140. They also make drives for a few bucks less with 3 year warranties. I prefer Western Digital drives over Seagate drives, as I've found them to run cooler.
Add a Rosewill RX30 external case (includes power supply and USB/FW 400) $60. This brushed aluminum case looks like it was made to sit right next to our PB's (I've got one). You can see it at their web site at http://www.rosewill.com/product/product.aspx?productId=80 or also at Newegg at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817173003. So for $200, you can have a 320gb hard drive with a 3 to 5 year warranty, and a stunning case. If you want, the Rosewill case also comes with FW800 for another $35.
Assembling it is very easy - you can read the directions on Rosewill's site at http://www.rosewill.com/RosewillSoftware/RX30_eng.pdf , for example. You disassemble the case by taking out 4 screws on the bottom of the Rosewill case, plug the included plug into the hard drive, secure the hard drive with 4 screws to the case, and reassemble it.

New folder for external hard drive?

How can I give myself permission to make a new folder on my external hard drive? Right now it is in a "You can read only" status.
Thanks, and Im new on here so I don't know if I'm posting this to the correct group.

Click on the drive, choose Get Info from the File menu, and check the format.
If it's formatted as NTFS, reformat it as MS-DOS, exFAT, or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as desired, or install software such as Paragon NTFS on the computer.
If it's formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, use the Disk Utility's Repair Disk command on it; this may also happen for a flash drive which is about to fail.
If it's formatted as Mac OS Extended, change the permissions on that specific folder in its Get Info window.
(118000)

Best filesystem for external hard drive?

I just bought a Maxtor Basics 1 TB external hard drive. I think the current filesystem it is using is NTFS. Should I stick with it, or should I reformat it to ext3( or something better?). What are the advantages and disadvantages?. Primary use is in linux.

xfs is great for big files, but so is ext4. xfs sucks with small files, ext4 doesn't. ext4 by default offers safer journaling, but it will be easily available only with the next kernel release, which should come soon, and might be regarded as more hazardous than well-tested xfs. Converting a filesystem from ext3 to ext4 is trivial, but you'd have to move the old files around to make them use extents.
I myself have moved my /home partition, holding mostly big files, to ext4 from xfs, but that's because of its better small file performance.

Thunderbolt Dock for External Hard Drive

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