External Hard Drive Not recognized when trying to boot from it.

So I am trying to boot from my external hard drive through firewire but my computer doesn't seem to recognize the external. There is some problem with my Macbook not booting up correctly and I want to backup my data before reinstalling Tiger. They did this at the Apple store and ran disk utility on it my Macbooks hard drive. I could access all my data, but now when I get home and plug in my hard drive, hold down option after booting, the only drive that pops up is the Mac HD. I read somewhere to try partitioning the external drive as Mac Journaled and I did so with my working Macbook Pro. Any ideas whats going on?

Well i got most of my information off the old one, now I am trying to reinstall Tiger to the MacBook. Problem is I initially tried to do an archive install and the install kept failing after the second disc when it asked for the second install disc.
The people at the Apple store suggested that I try to do a wipe of the hard drive and install. Now when I put in the Disc 1 install disc and boot from the cd drive it just sits for a while and then ejects disc 1 and goes back to the place where the install failed from before ie: it keeps asking for the second install disc.
I can't figure out a way to get around this and just do a clean install on the machine. Any thoughts would be great.

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Compaq nx6320 laptop does not see the hard drive. HD is good outside the laptop. The HD is seen by CDROM disk utilities.

Hi,
Please read the following topic:
http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=168595
Regards.
BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

External hard drive not recognized in imovie 09 - ! - in a yellow triangle

i'm new to imovie and want to save space on my hard drive by saving files in an external drive
- i'm only able to import to the computer hard drive... not to the external hard drive.
- i can archive video files from the cam to the my external hard drive (500gig passport)
- when i go to import to the the same external drive... the drive is not available in the +"save to"+ drop down menu...only the computer hard drive.
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help!

The external drive must be formatted as Mac OS Extended (journaled). If you drive is currently formatted as FAT32, you can re-format it using Disk Utility in your Applications/Utilities folder.
If you have any current data on the external drive, be sure to back it up before formatting. A format will erase all data that is currently there.
To reformat the drive, open Disk Utility and select the drive. First Partition the drive using GUID (if you have an intel mac, or using Apple Partition Map (if you have some old Power PC macs that will need to access this drive). A single partition is OK.
Then reformat this partition as MacOS Extended (journaled).

Toshiba External Hard Drive not recognized by computer. Please help!

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I have an external hard drive and it will not show up in "My computer" when I plug it in. I have tried other USB drives and other computers. I am starting to think it is a hardware issue but I don't want to lose hope. The blue light is coming on when you plug it in but it doesn't blink and there is no noise whatsoever. Is there anything I can do to fix this issue so that I can recover the information on it? Thanks in advance for any help. It is greatly appreciated.
Additional information: I'm not sure how old this thing is but the model number is HDDR160E03X.

Same problem: I can't see my Toshiba PH3100U-EXB (Gen 2) external hard drive when I plug it in. After awhile I get this error message (see attachment): USB Device Not Recognized. One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. FOr assistance in solving this problem, click this message."
When I click it, I get a list of USB ports and devices, with Unknown Device in bold face. No real information there.
Yes, I ran Disk Management and the Toshiba did not show up when I plugged it in and hit Refresh.
Does it make a difference that the last time I used the external hard drive, we were in Windows XP and now we're in Windows 7?
Please help! It's not just the backing up I'm worried about...it's being able to retrieve files later!
Thanks!
Attachments:
USB-NotRecognized.jpg ‏28 KB

External hard drive not recognized in Finder or Disk Utility

Two weeks ago, my 2007 black Macbook stopped recognizing the hard drive. I was told by some IT friends that the controller had likely failed and I needed to purchase a new laptop. I removed the hard drive and placed it into an enclosure (turning it into an external hard drive) and hooked it up to a new Macbook Pro which I purchased a couple days ago. The external hard drive did not show up in Finder or Disk Utility but the light on the enclosure was on and it was making a very soft whirring noise and got warm after a few minutes. I usually backed up the hard drive but, of course, hadn't done it in a couple of weeks before it died so everything I worked on in that time is lost to me at the moment. I'm trying to avoid paying tons of money for a data recovery service so any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

That whirring noise might be due to physical damage on the disk. I know data recovery services are costly but that remains only the solution for damaged HDD. You can get latest quotes on services from different dealers. Proceed only when your data is very important to be recovered.

External Hard Drive not recognized.

Hello everyone,
I have a probem where my external hard drive is not being recognized by my late 2009 iMac.
The hard drive is an OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro connected to the firewire port.
It was working fine till this happenend:
I keep all of my iTuned music on the external hard drive.
I was using a meta tag fixer type program.
I dragged the files from itunes into this program (Tune Up) to fix the meta tags.
However, I missed the program and dragged thusands of .mp3 files onto my desktop.
My computer, of course, became unresponsive.
So I used the power button on the back of the iMac to shut it off.
I used my MacBookPro to connect to my iMac as a target drive, and deleted all the .mp3's from the desktop there.
Once I restarted my iMac everything was fine, except that the external hard drive has not been able to be recognised ever since.
The same drive shows up just fine on my MacBookPro.
Help!
Thanks!

I had the exact same problem! I had to force shut down my iMac (24in, Mid 2007) due to a system freeze. After restarting, everything was working fine, except for my external 1GB G-Drive, which was connected through FW800 port.
The drive connected fine to my MacBook Pro, but it would not be recognized by my iMac. I tried restarting, but neither Disk Utility, nor System profiler would see the drive.
What worked though, was Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC):
1.          Shut down the computer.
2.          Unplug the computer's power cord.
3.          Wait fifteen seconds.
4.          Attach the computer's power cord.
5.          Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
The drive mounts fine now. I am surprised this is not mentioned by Apple in their support documents! It has happened twice to me and it was the only thing worked both times. The link for the resetting the SMC is here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Hope this helps solve your problem too.

Panther crashed now external hard drive not recognized

I was away and a person that lives where I work on my computer set up his computer right next to my G4 iMac. When I looked at the screen it was trying to boot into start up mode but wasnt making it. I firgure it must have been caused by all the pluging and unpluggung.
I tried the resart disk but still has problems, so I reinstalled 10.3.9 al over again. Now its working but it doesnt reognize my external Lacie hard drive.
Ive tried restarting a cople of times, I cant firgure out what could be the trick.
Has anyone any ideas?
iMac Mac OS X (10.3.9)
iMac Mac OS X (10.3.6)
Mac OS X (10.3.6)

I would try the Combo; it's worth a try!
I don't know if the following will help with your issue , since it shows up in Safe Boot, but here it is.....
External hard drive spontaneously unmounted? Try these tips:
NEW FIRMWARE: Try updating your external hard drive's firmware, which is available from your drive manufacturers Web site--or just use VersionTracker's (www.versiontracker.com) search function to find it. Be sure to back up your data before applying the update, and carefully follow the manufacturers instructions.
OUT OF iSIGHT: If you're using an iSight camera while you're using a FireWire drive, the camera may be interfering with the drive's ability to stay mounted. Try temporarily disconnecting your iSight and moving it to a separate FireWire port. If you have multiple FireWire devices, try using a FireWire hub.
POWER PROBLEM: A faulty power adapter could be causing your drive to unmount. Your drive may not be getting enough juice to stay on, causing the drive to turn off and thereby unmounting it from your Mac. Alternately, the power adapter may not be providing a steady amount of power, causing your drive to turn on and off. Try replacing the adapter. If you can't get a replacement adapter from the hard drive manufacturer, try your local electronics store. Just make sure the adapter you choose has the same connector and input/output voltage. you can find the input/output voltage on the adapter itself.
Cheers!
DALE

External hard drive not recognized to install

I have a MacBook from Dec 2008 that I've upgraded to OS X 10.8.4. I just purchased a WD My Passport external hard drive for Mac. It should just open the installation guide when plugged in but nothing happens. I turned off/on the computer, checked for missing updates, tried to manually install the hard drive utilities to no avail. The external hard drive makes a noise and the indicator light blinks when I plug it in the the USB cord (it's configured for 2.0 & 3.0) but nothing shows up on the computer. Does it have somthing to do with upgrading to Snow Leopard/Mountain Lion? Did some driver get lost along the way? The only solution I can think of is that the WD drive is defective, but I hope not. Help is much appreciated.

Hey, I'm trying.
WD website says:
Does my Western Digital Hard Drive require a driver? Where do I get one?
Most current WD drives do not require additional drivers on the Windows or Mac OSX Operating System (OS) beyond the ones that are included with the OS.
In order to simplify the installation process WD elected to use the standard drivers that are built into common operating systems. While there are a few exceptions to this, in general, there are no drivers provided by WD for our drives. That's because the drivers a WD hard drive or SSD uses are part of the Operating System being used. As such, any trouble with these drivers should be handled by the regular line of support for the Operating System in question - in most cases by contacting the system's manufacturer, IT department, or the publisher of the OS.
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1708/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzc 3NDczNDE5L3NpZC9pWWl1a0h5bA%3D%3D

External Hard Drive not recognized by Airport Uitlity

I've got an Airport Extreme (not the dual band model) running 7.4.2 and Airport Utility running 5.4.2. Trying to use it with an external hard drive I just bought (Iomega 1TB with 3 partitions). Formatted the HD for MAC and have made several backups with the HD connected directly to the Macbook (running 10.6.2). Airport Utility will not recognize the HD under "Disk" tab. Sharing is set on, and when I plug in a regular old flash drive it works perfectly. I've done every power cycle possible, switched cables, added a USB adapter to the back of the Extreme. Yet still Airport Utility does not recognize the hard drive.
Message was edited by: mmc_m3
Message was edited by: mmc_m3

Trying to use it with an external hard drive I just bought (Iomega 1TB with 3 partitions).
The bottom line: The AirPort Extreme (802.11n) works with disks that have a single partition and are not software RAID volumes (no more than one volume per physical disk). If the disk is a self-contained RAID that presents itself to a computer as a single volume requiring no software support, then it is supported.
(ref: AirPort Extreme (802.11n): USB storage device supported formats and protocols)

External hard drive not recognized... help please.

okay, well here is the story:
my iBook G4 had its stock 30gb hard drive in it and it was running extremely low on space. so i figured i didn't want to carry around an external hard drive, therefore i would buy an internal hard drive an install it. so i purchased a new 2.5" 80gb hard drive and called up the local apple store. they told me that although it was under warranty, that it did not cover hard drive installation. so i looked it up online and found step by step instructions to install the hard drive. so after lots of hard work and many screws, i installed the new hard drive successfully... but i still had this perfect 30gb hard drive. i thought maybe to save a few bucks i could turn it into a usb external hard drive. i found an enclosure for the hard drive and a usb 2.0 cable and plugged it into my ibook. it was recognized and everything. i put some files on the external hard drive and transferred it to another mac. this is where the trouble started. i plugged the hard drive into a PowerMac G4, and it was not recognized... so i tried it on a different mac. this time on a PowerBook G4, but no luck. this issue has been troubling me for a few weeks. but then i tried it on a similar iBook G4... and it was recognized. but i don't know why it was only recognized only on the iBook G4 (not the same iBook G4 it was pulled out of) and no other macs.
does anybody have any ideas what we can do to get this hard drive to be recognized by other macs?
any of even the smallest ideas would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
tyler
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

I can walk you through formatting the hard drive:
1. Hook it up to an iBook that recognizes it.
2. Go into your Applications folder, then scroll down to Utilities. Open Utilities and scroll down a bit and you should see Disk Utility. Double-click.
3. On the left side you should see your internal hard drive and your external one. Each hard drive will have a sub-catagory with the partition indented.
4. Your external hard drive will probably be the second catagory. Click it.
5. In the center-top you should see the tabs First Aid, Erase, Partition, RAID, and Restore. Click the Erase tab.
6. You should see Volume Format: and then a drop down menu, and Name: and a text box. Type in the name you want the external hard drive to be named.
7. In the drop down menu, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
8. Then, simply click Erase, watch the progress and it should be good to go!!
Hope I helped you out. Oh, and it might be the enclosure...and also what OS's? Since it's USB it is probably using a USB Mass Storage driver. Mac-wise, if formatting doesn't help, I would get a FireWire enclosure because FireWire is much faster than just USB 2.0. Oh, thats nother thing...Is the enclosure Hi-Speed USB? If it isn't, I would definitely get a FireWire one...If it is, the PowerMac G4 doesn't have Hi-Speed so you're not taking full advantage..Just some insight
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3) 512 MB Ram, CD-RW Combo Drive, 40 Gig HD, bought in October of 2005...
Message was edited by: Hilary_Rose

Lacie External Hard Drive not recognized on Mac but recognized on PC

I just got both a MacBook Pro and a LaCie 1TB Rugged Safe External Hard Drive just a few days ago. I just plugged in my external and I installed the needed software from the drive, restarted and the drive wasn't found in LaCie Safe Manager. I tried restarting the computer without the drive plugged in, with Firewire and USB, and then I even tried it on my PC -- which it worked on there. I was able to make an account onto the drive and put my finger prints and everything on the drive, but when I came back to the Mac it didn't work at all.
I can't say it's the drive itself because it worked on the PC. I don't Tried the Disk Utility and it's showing "999.91 GB LaCie" and then "NO NAME" under it, but tabed over.
And help/suggestions?

Thanks for the ideas, JaEvo and Paul Cuciti.
EDIT: I tried this, http://vimeo.com/7539772. I did this on the Mac but I still don't have anything. I tried both USB and Firewire. I have power to the drive because, after I swipe my fingerprint, the red blinking light turns steady green. Also, I don't know if Macs make a sound when something is connected to the computer, kinda like a PC, but mine doesn't make a noise when I connect in the drive -- I don't know if that'll help anything or not.

Now, USB External Hard Drive Not Recognized after 10.6.8 Update

My external Hard Drive is not recognized on start up. I have to unplug it and plug it back in for it to be recognized.
All this since 10.6.8 updated today.
I'm a fool for updating the same day.
This has happened before and I always forget the bugs in the software when it first comes out.

Alright, I'm gonna go ahead and close this thread. I found out the solution to my issue. Turns out it was a problem with a system file I changed right before installing. The error only occurred on a restart... the required 10.6.1 reboot was the first reboot since the change, so thus it looked like the culprit.
If you want a more thorough explanation of my problem (highly HIGHLY doubt it's gonna help you guys out), check this thread --> http://forums.appleinsider.com/showpost.php?p=1480362&postcount=8
Sorry for the trouble!

Lacie External Hard Drive Not Recognized After It Previously Was

I have a 1 Tb Lacie Big Disk External Hard Drive that I have used for a couple years now. I have a Mac Pro, an iMac and a G5 computer that I have previously used with it. After I transferred it between computers yesterday suddenly it will not show up on any of the computers. I have tried different cables and inputs, computers, other hard drives with the same cables (they worked), restarting the computers, etc. The hard drives powers on like normal and you can hear it running, the blue light comes on in the front, but it never gets the disk loaded on the computer. There is a "auto/on/off" button on the back that I have tried switching between but nothing seems to work. Please let me know if this is a common problem and any way to get it to work as I would prefer not to lose the information on the hard drive, especially when it seems to be functioning just fine aside from not appearing on the computer.

Even backups need backups too.
And a 'good' case is one where you can pulll the drive out and pop it into your Mac pro drive bay.
power supply bricks are known issue.
Mac OS updates that affect those models.
LaCie almost by their own invented the term and idea "reset firewire bus" routine after all.
Years and you can assume not forever but eventually it could and will fail.
I'd pick up a "spare" or replacement unit, one with eSATA/FW800/USB3
http://www.macsales.com/firewire
CallDigit 2 x SATA plus 2 x USB3 $139 - USB3 card and interface works better even on legacy (how long and old is USB2 now?) USB drives.

WD external hard drive not recognized after improper eject

I have a WD Passport external hard drive that I've been using for a while with my MacBook Pro. The cord got yanked, causing the drive to improperly eject. Now my computer isn't recognizing the HD. Help! Of course EVERYTHING important is on this drive!
I tried plugging it into a Mac desktop, which also did not recognize the drive.
I plugged a different Passport into my MacBook Pro, and it was recognized, so I know it's not the USB Port that's causing the problem.
I used the cord from the HD that mounted with the problem HD. Didn't mount with the new cord. So I know it's the passport that's causing the problem, not the MacBook, not the USB port, not the cord.
I ran the disk utility, and the HD does not appear...It is powering up though- the light on the HD is lighting up. Oh please help!
Did I kill my disk? Of course I just moved my entire iPhoto library to this location, and I haven't backed it up yet....

No. It may just require a 00 Phillips driver depending upon the enclosure. Do the swap on a towel so that the little screws don't bounce away from you. You will have to pull the HDD out from the connecting plug. Do it in a straight line,don't bend it, and you may have to slowly increase pressure to get it out of the connecting plug.
It's not rocket science.
Ciao.

External hard drive not recognized by Mavericks?

I have a Western Digital My Passbook 500GB external hard drive connected to my MacBook Pro via USB.
It worked fine until I upgraded to Mavericks. Now it is not recognized at all in my Finder.
When I go to Disk Utility, it finds it and says "not supported". When I do "disk verify" it says it needs to be repaired.
When I try to repair it, it says it can not.
What do I do?

See: http://wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/wdsmartware.asp?id=wdfGeneric&os=mac
WD SmartWare update highlights:
Mac release 1.3.6 (updated 11/25/2013)
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External Hard Drive Not recognized when trying to boot from it.

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