Drive is no longer recognized

Wow, this is frustrating. I'm really starting to regret purchasing a Mac.
I've already had a number of problems trying to get my OWC Mercury Elite Pro external drive to work correctly - but I really don't think that the problems are from the drive. Once I finally get back to the files on it - the files seem fine. It's getting the MBP and Time Machine to use the drive correctly.
I already gave up using the eSATA Express Card that I was hoping to use with this drive. It was very unstable - TM wouldn't have much to do with it.
Now I've been using the drive via FW800 with good results... until today. I hadn't used the MBP for a couple days. When I woke it up, the drive (2 partitions) was no longer mounted. I turned it off/on, unplugged/replugged and eventually got it mounted again. However, Time Machine would fail trying to back it up, giving a familiar error message - something about not being able to create the backup directory.
I tried to eject it, but the Mac said that it was in use. No programs were running.
I waited.
I tried to turn off TM. Still said the drive was in use and couldn't be ejected.
So I restarted my MBP.
Now the drive doesn't show up AT ALL. I try turning the drive off, plugging in different cables, USB, ... nothing. Disk Utility doesn't see it as a unmounted drive or anything.
This is serious. A few crashes happen now and again... but consistently loosing data like this is unacceptable.
Does anyone know how I could trick this thing into reading my drive again?

This all sounds worrisome. You might want to entrust your data to a different drive. This one may be working intermittently. S.M.A.R.T. status is not supported on an external drive, so there is no way to check that.
Maybe the drive was getting hot, and being off for several hours allowed it to cool off. But I would worry about it. Drives can work intermittently before failing.
If you are really running 10.5.5, you should have no problem changing the disk in Time Machine. If you are running 10.5.6, you might run into a weird permissions problem, which has been discussed in the Time Machine forum.
Good luck!

Similar Messages

Firewire external mobil disk hard drive is no longer recognized

After last system update, my firewire external mobil disk hard drive is no longer recognized. Any solutions?
Why does MacOS go backwards... gets worse over time?

Thought you could use this info about getting FireWire to work! I have had no trouble with any update Apple puts out (the Combo update is what I normally choose). Are you running 9.2 like your specs. say? You are in the Tiger forum, so I'll assume you haven't updated your Macs specs.
First, you should always Repair Permissions in Disk Utility before and after any update; I would do that now. If you installed your update with FireWire plugged in, your Mac may not recognize it anymore.
Try resetting your FireWire ports by disconnecting all FW devices, shut down your Mac and unplug it from AC power (wall socket) for 30 minutes. plug it back in and try FW.
If that did'nt work, download the combo update from this site (yours may be corrupt), not Software Update, disconnect all firewire + USB devices except keyboard + mouse, Repair Permissions, re-install update, Repair Permissions again + try. Yours may be the 10.4.5 Combo update. Others reading, download the Combo that applies to your system.
If that still did'nt get it Zap the PRAM. While restarting Mac hold down the following key combo Command-Option-P-R. Keep holding those keys down till you hear the second start-up chime, then release.
For those of you with Macs that are not PowerBooks or iBooks, a bad internal battery can cause FireWire to not be recognized, so make sure it's good!
Good Luck!
Cheers!
DALE

New problem...SSD drive is no longer recognized

OK, I was having the memory issues so I went out and bought new memory that is supposed to be compatible (GSKILL 2x4 MB 1333 DDR3), and now I have a brand new problem. My SSD is no longer recognized, so I can't boot my OS. I've tried swapping ports, swapping cables, cleared CMOS...I even put the WINDOWS 7 Disc in to see if it would find the drive in the install screen, but it says no hard drive found.
Anybody know the issue I may be having now?

I had a similar issue, my BIOS wouldnt recognize my Intel X25 after a blue screen in AHCI mode.
In the BIOS I had to switch the controller type to Standard IDE. This made the drive visible again but to make it operable under AHCI, I had to use a Hex Editor from a DOS Boot Disk, and manually erase the first few sectors of the drive.
Then I could switch the controller back to AHCI in the BIOS and repartition/reinstall Windows - Until the next blue screen .
Obviously, doing this erases the MBR, allocation tables and partition table, and therefore makes ALL data on the drive inaccessible.

My DVD drive is no longer recognized.

For the past few months my dvd drive would not open when I used the eject disk function. A few times I went into the startup menu and ejected the disk manually. Now the dvd drive is not even recognized by the computer. This dvd drive is the original and my G5 is at least 5-6 years old. Should I replace the dvd drive or is this a software issue?

Hi birdman1999, and a warm welcome to the forums!
It is very likely it is gone, I've not had an Optical in the last 8 years that lasted that long myself.
Does it not show up even in Disk Utility or System Profiler?
Does it boot off the Install Disc if inserted and holding the c key at bootup?
Here's some options for replacement...
http://eshop.macsales.com/staticpages/Framework.cfm?page=superdrive/sdl_powermacg5.html

After canceling the burning of a disc in iTunes my disc drive is no longer recognized.

I have: MBP 13" 10.6.7 w/ a standard dvd/cd burner (the one that normally comes with them)
I was in the process of burning a really long playlist (requiring 4 cds) and at the end of the 4th it was taking forever (5-10 minutes?) to "finish burning" so I decided to cancel the burn and just re-burn that section on a new disc. When I canceled it started taking another 5-10 minutes and nothing would let me eject the disc because it wasn't recognized yet (I didn't let it finish the burn) - I tried disc utility, terminal commands, the eject button, everything.
I then restarted a few times trying the various ways to force eject a disc (holding down the trackpad, pressing option, holding the eject button) but non worked and then once restarted my computer didn't even recognize my disc drive in disc utility. I tried re-burning a playlist so that iTunes would maybe eject the disc in order to insert a new one but it just said "Disc burner or software not found..." At this point I have no idea what to do but I'd really like to have my disc drive working well...
I would appreciate any and all help! Thanks!

My own HP pavillion has the same problem. Try googling "Vista doesn't recognize DVD" one answer is to edit our upper and lower filters in a registry setting, another is to power down and remove battery for at least a minute and a third is a script that you can run. I only mention them because I've seen all 3 and according to the sites all 3 have met with some success. Sadly for me, no glory! Good luck as I'm still looking.

After yesterday installing the latest itunes upgrade 11.1.5.5 my CD drive is no longer recognized. I do not have the file afs.sys on my computer which is supposed to cause the problem. Any ideas?

I yesterday installed the latest itunes upgrade to version 11.1.5.5. After doing so my computer no longer recognizes my cd drive Device manager states that windows cannot load the device driver, the device driver may be corrupted or missing. When I have tried to renew the driver it states the latest one is installed. I do not have the file afs.sys on my computer which is quoted as the file which causes optical drives to disappear. Any ideas

Hi, I've managed to get my CD & ipod working now but it wasn't easy. Maybe this will help you fix it.
This is what I did:
The problem: OS Windows 8.1 - was working ok with itunes (not sure which version). Upgraded to 11.1.5.5 and my old ipod stopped being recognised by itunes. As I had just bought a new ipod touch 5G I didn't pay too much attention however I soon realised that the new ipod wasn't recognised either. I uninstalled iTunes & reinstalled but that didn't fix it. I found a technote (see below) that says how to get get your ipod reconised. That worked but on a a reboot I realised that there was no CD drive appearing in windows.
It now works & this is what I did to fix it:
Went through the apple technotes on CD issues & looked a the Gear website
Looked for afs.sys file but didn't have that
The registry settings for device filters looked the same as the technotes
Device manager for CD said there were problems in the registry
I backed up the itunes folder (I was planning on a clean install & rebuilding itunes from scratch however most people want to keep their data)
I uninstalled itunes but that made no difference
I rolled back to the a system restore point that had been created not long before the upgrade to 11.1.5.5
The CD drive was now OK again
I went into Windows update and ran the updates that were available - one was for intel chipsets
I created a system restore point as a precaution
I found the registry key that is mentioned in the technotes to do with CD problems and device filters and backed it up separately as a precaution
I ran itunes (x64) 11.1.5.5
itunes asked me if I wanted to repair or uninstall - I uninstalled
I rebooted
I ran install for itunes 11.1.5.5
itunes installed ok & the CD was still there
ipods were not recognised
I followed the instructions http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1538 to update the driver
5. Verify that the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is installed - For Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
Update the Apple Mobile Device Driver
I now have a CD drive & iTunes recognises my ipod again - phew
Good luck

My firewire connection to the hard drive is no longer recognized

My external hard drive with firewire cable connection to the imac has been working fine for months. Suddenly got error message that firewire devices were not being recognized by the computer. I tried poweriing dowm computer and external drive and resetting PRAM but no response. Any suggestions welcome

If you look at your >SystemProfiler (option key)>Hardware>Firewire.
If Firewire is being recognized ie
FireWire Bus:
Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec
I would suspect the ext. HD or the cable.
Rebooting will reset the Firewire port.

Upgraded to OSX Lion 10.7.4 & optical drives are no longer recognized

HELP!!
I have a MacPro 1,1 with a 2 x 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon and I just upgraded to OSX Lion 10.7.4. Upon upgrading my system stopped recognizing the two optical drives I had installed. Is there a patch or are there drivers that I can download to fix this? Has this happened to anyone else? I was prepared to lose access to some older software but not my optical drives!!!
When I do a "system report" through "About this mac" both of the drives are listed but they dont show up on my deskop. I have an Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A and a TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S202N

Nearly the same identical question on another thread yesterday.
First things to try doing are zap PRAM and / or Reset SMC.
That usually is all that is needed, and on your Mac there is a physical SMC button on the logicboard above PCI slot #4 and access you have to remove card if you have one there, and remove drive #4.
Otherwise hit power button for 8 seconds with the power cord removed along with other cables and devices then reconnect and do a normal power on.

External Drive is no longer recognized by Macbook

I have this external drive....
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-WDME2500TN/dp/B0012GK3M Q/ref=sr11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1280159206&sr=1-1
It is about 60% full of music/pictures/documents that are NOT on my Macbook, therefore I use it regularly.
Every once in a while, I accidentally remove it without properly ejecting first. But I guess I did it one too many times because now the computer will not recognize it at all.
To insure that the drive wasn't corrupt, I plugged it into a PC. It worked fine. The files are all there and were completely accessible. But as soon as I plugged it back into the Mac, it won't show up.
When I try a Disk Utilities repair, I get the following message:::::
FIRST AID FAILED
Disk Utility stopped repairing “My Passport” because the following error was encountered:
The underlying task reported failure on exit
Verify and Repair disk “My Passport”
** /dev/disk1s1
** Phase 1 - Read FAT
** Phase 2 - Check Cluster Chains
** Phase 3 - Checking Directories
Unable to read directory (Input/output error)
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit
1 non HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
I have NO $$$, so telling me to purchase a $30-100 program will not help me AT ALL. I'm looking for solutions that will not effect my wallet, even if they take all day to complete.
What can I do????????

Ok. Just to set one part straight- I doubt the problem came from unplugging your drive without ejecting. This usually isn't a problem unless files are writing or in use when you do it, but ejecting is a safe way to avoid issues.
Try force-mounting the drive in terminal by using the following commands
*mkdir /Volumes/yourdrivename*
this command should give you the location of the drive on your computer. (It should be something like disk2 or disk1s3) Then type the location into:
*mount /dev/yourdrivelocation*
Whether or not this works, follow up this step by ejecting the drive and unplugging and plugging it back in. This worked for me when I was having this issue.
Also- are you able to backup and reformat the drive? This would be a good thing to try if other attempts have failed.

My CD/DVD drive is no longer recognized by my computer

Anyone that help me get my computer to reconnect with my DVD drive, I would be greatly indebted to. It just started this yesterday. I put in a DVD and go to my computer and it's like there is nothing there as far as a D drive. Please help.....

see if this helps support.microsoft.com/kb/982116
-civicman4-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post all info about your laptop and version of windows. We are working on it but still do not have the powers to read your mind.

My external hard drive is no longer recognized by my Mac

I have used Time Machine and a WD external hard drive to back up my computer for several years. Now, when I connect the hard drive, the drive lights up as though it's working, but the connection does not appear on my Mac -- the external hard drive is not listed in Device (in Finder). Any suggestions?

power feed issues and data appearance/disappearance are both symptoms of the SATA bridge card,..arguably the most failing modern computer component made.
throwing more power to the drive wont fix that.
SATA bridge card as found inside all USB HD devices which has an extremely high failure rate.
Inside a USB hard drive, containing the HD and SATA card
Countless 1000s of good external hard drives are thrown away each year because the owner thought the HD was bad when it fact it was the SATA bridge card which had failed. This card is removed in a matter of mere second once an external USB HD is cracked open from its plastic casing to reveal the bare HD and the attached SATA card which attaches between the HD and the USB cable.
quick and easy option is to crack open the WD USB drive, and remove the SATA card, and put the WD drive into a new enclosure ($20)
HOWEVER, if its an OLD WD drive, the SATA interface is permanently attached to the HD and the OP is "out of luck".

Greetings. I need to know what to do if a formerly recognized external drive is no longer recognized by my iMac.

Greetings. I could use some advice here.
I bought a WD external hard drive to back-up some files on my old iMac, but I reformatted it & set it up on my new iMac.
After I backed up the files I wanted, I hooked the external drive to the new iMac, but now the new iMac doesn't recognize that external drive.
What should I do?
I also have a flash drive that neither iMac will recognize. Similar issue or no?
Would appreciate any adice I can get on these situations.
Thanks for you time and attention.

You need to deal with your vendor or AppleCare Customer Relations. We can't tell you what to do nor what is possible.
It's unfortunate you have had these problems, but we really cannot resolve them for you. We do not represent Apple nor can we tell you what to do other than attempt to resolve the issue either with your vendor or through Customer Relations.

My LightScribe optical drive is no longer recognized. It seems to run, but isn't in the drive list.

I have tried updating the driver, deleting the existing driver first, but when I try to reinstall the newly downloaded driver I get the following error:
Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)
To start a troubleshooter that can help you resolve any problems you might be having, click Finish.
The troubleshooter does not offer any useful suggestions. How can I get the driver to install? If there is some kind of corruption, what are my options? If I have to replace the optical device, what can I replace it with?

My own HP pavillion has the same problem. Try googling "Vista doesn't recognize DVD" one answer is to edit our upper and lower filters in a registry setting, another is to power down and remove battery for at least a minute and a third is a script that you can run. I only mention them because I've seen all 3 and according to the sites all 3 have met with some success. Sadly for me, no glory! Good luck as I'm still looking.

My CD drive is no longer recognizing blank CD's (HP Pavilion dv9000)

My cd/dvd drive was working propely as recently as one month ago. Now when I put in a blank CD (I have tried 2 different brands, both CD-r) nothing happens. When I double click the drive from the "my computer" screen it comes up with the error "Windows cannot read the disc in drive E", then it questions the disks formatting. Which I have used these CD's with this computer before. When I right click on the drive in the "my computer" menu, it tells me that the disk (of 0 possible bytes) is full, which obviously makes sense. So here is a list of everything I think may be influential in whatever is going on withing my laptop.
1) I had recently installed and uninstalled a number of programs in order to convert .m4a files to .mp3 files. Nothing illeagal, its a local band and gave me permssion. I normally wouldnt think this could be an issue, but I distinctly remember one of the programs somehow was able to create another cd drive in the "my computer" menu, once I uninstalled it, the phantom drive "drive G" disappeared. I figured it might have effected my BIOS or Drivers.
2) I run standard OS that comes with this laptop, which I believe is the 32-bit version of vista.
3) My cd drive WILL read discs with data already on them.
4) When I right click on the drive, there is no option to enable recording, nor anything that even mentions to word recording.
5) I tried system restore's as far back as I could find, which is about a week and a half before I started downloading the converting programs mentioned above.
6) I did attempt to play a Itunes protected disc in my CD drive and it had some trouble reading it, but it may have just been the disc, or it may have been cause by whatever is causeing this whole problem in the first place.
7) I have tried re-installing all the drivers I think might be involved (the drive itself, and bios) but the bios one was apparently not for my computer.
8) I have tried to update all drivers involved
9) I have tried to uninstall the drive and re-install it.
10) Dont knwo if it applies, but my laptop overheats A LOT.
I have tried some other things as well, but I dont remember them off the top of my head.
I hope someon can at least shed some light on what exactly has happened to my computer/drive, and hopefully suggest my best course of action.

This is usually a known software conflict and happens across the board will all computer manufacturers due to a issue with multiple media burning/ripping applications being installed on your system.
You can either run this file, go online to Microsoft's site for a fix, or manually fix it by following the instructions below:
Manually delete the registry entries
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
Note Before you use this method, uninstall all CD or DVD writing or recording programs. Deleting the corrupted registry entries might cause problems with any other CD or DVD writing or recording programs that are installed on your computer. Uninstalling these programs before you start will help you avoid any problems that removing the registry entries might cause. You can reinstall these programs after the problem is resolved.
This method provides step-by-step instructions for how to use Registry Editor to delete the following corrupted Registry entries:
UpperFilters
LowerFilters
Step 1: Start Registry EditorStart Registry Editor
Start Registry Editor...type "regedit" into the run box on the start menu.
Step 2: Delete the UpperFilters registry entry
In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Expand SYSTEM, and then expand CurrentControlSet.
Expand Control, and then expand Class.
Under Class, click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
In the details pane of Registry Editor, on the right side, click UpperFilters.
Note You may also see an UpperFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click UpperFilters only.
If you see the UpperFilters registry entry in the details pane of Registry Editor, go to step 6.
If you do not see the UpperFilters registry entry, you still might have to remove the LowerFilters registry entry. To do this, go to "Step 3: Delete the LowerFilters registry entry."
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes when you receive the following message:Are you sure you want to delete this value?
Step 3: Delete the LowerFilters registry entry
In the details pane of Registry Editor, on the right side, click LowerFilters.
Note You might see a LowerFilters.bak registry entry. You do not have to remove that entry. Click LowerFilters only.
If you do not see the LowerFilters registry entry, unfortunately this content is unable to help you any more. Go to the "Next Steps" section for information about how you can find more solutions or more help on the Microsoft Web site.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
Click Yes when you receive the following message:Are you sure you want to delete this value?The LowerFilters registry entry is removed.
Exit Registry Editor.
Step 4: Restart your computer
Restart your computer. After you have done this, try to access the CD or DVD drive. If you can access the CD or DVD drive, and if you do not receive an error message, the problem is resolved. You can reinstall your CD or DVD writing or recording software.

[G575] CD/DVD drive disappeared - no longer recognized in Windows

I have a Lenovo G575 that I have had for a couple of years now. Within the past week the CD/DVD drive has disappeared. If I go to device manager it is not listed. I went through the regedit and tried to delete all the upper/lower filters in the registry and no change. I can insert a disc and it will spin and I can here it running but it won't recognize that there is a disc in the drive. Is there any way I can just reload the driver? And if so where can I find just a driver? I have gone to a couple of sites but haven't been able to just find a CD/DVD driver.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Moderator comment: Subject edited for clarity.

Hi Kechrmi,
Welcome to Lenovo Community Forums!
I’m sorry to hear that the CD/DVD driver is not detected in the device manager in your G575 Laptop, I suggest you to check of the CD/DVD is detected in BIOS. To access the BIOS menu press F2 when the Lenovo logo appears on the screen while the computer is starting up.
And to conform the issue, please perform OKR (One Key Recovery) using the OKR button located beside the power button.
NOTE: Please backup the data in the computer before performing OKR, as the data will be completely erased.
Do post us back if the issue still persists.
Best Regards
Shiva Kumar
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Drive is no longer recognized

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