Can't connect two external drives via USB hub to the same port.

I have two external hard drives connected to my MacBook Air, along with other USB devices, using a powered USB hub. When I connect both external drives to the same port via the USB hub, one of them disconnects with an error message saying it was improperly disconnected. The same thing happens when I connect one of the hard drives and an external DVD drive via the USB hub. The two drives work fine when connected to separate ports. Other USB devices coexist with one of the drives quite happily. Can anyone explain why this is?

External drives may well require more power than a port can supply. Also, many USB hubs cannot be used for external drives. It's always best to connect an external drive directly to the USB port. If the drive enclosure has a second USB port on it, then you can daisy-chain a second drive to the first, sometimes.

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