FireWire 400 External Superdrive Not Working

Hi I have an older Lacie Design by FA Porsche Superdrive connected to Mac Book Pro running OS 10.5.1 via Fire Wire 400. I am trying to burn a DVD using Toast 8 but I keep recieving Error message -50 'the connection is unstable' and the DVD won't even attempt to burn. This is odd because Toast recognizes the drive and can read from it, but will not write to it. I checked the Lacie website and found some firmware updates, but they didn't help. They said they were updates for OS 10.3 and later, but maybe 10.5 is too late? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am completely stuck. Thanks.

Just about any external optical drive, other than Apple's, will work. For exampe, this one recommended by Macworld:
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Writer-External-Optical-Drive/dp/B003M0NT1M?t ag=gmgamzn-20

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Firewire 400 External Drive Not Recognized in Yosemite

I have a Fantom external hard drive that is plugged into my Mac mini. The external hard drive uses the old firewire 400 standard. The mac mini only has a firewire 800 standard port. I have an adaptor to bridge the two, and this worked fine until I updated to Yosemite. Now the drive isn't recognized. Can anyone offer suggestions on what to do to get this drive to work on this computer?? None of the other macs in my house even have a firewire 800 port anymore.

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External superdrive not working properly

Hi, I have a 2012 MacBook Pro and I just recently upgraded to Yosemite. My external superdrive will play audio disks in iTunes but, when I try to burn a playlist iTunes cancels the burn with "unknown error occurred (-50)" Also I can't eject the superdrive when I go into Finder under devices. any help is appreciated thanks

Just about any external optical drive, other than Apple's, will work. For exampe, this one recommended by Macworld:
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Writer-External-Optical-Drive/dp/B003M0NT1M?t ag=gmgamzn-20

Lacie External superdrive not working

Hi I have an older Lacie Design by FA Porsche Superdrive connected to Mac Book Pro running OS 10.5.1 via Fire Wire 400. I am trying to burn a DVD using Toast 8 but I keep recieving Error message -50 'the connection is unstable' and the DVD won't even attempt to burn. This is odd because Toast recognizes the drive and can read from it, but will not write to it. I checked the Lacie website and found some firmware updates, but they didn't help. They said they were updates for OS 10.3 and later, but maybe 10.5 is too late? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am completely stuck. Thanks.

Just about any external optical drive, other than Apple's, will work. For exampe, this one recommended by Macworld:
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Writer-External-Optical-Drive/dp/B003M0NT1M?t ag=gmgamzn-20

External "Superdrive" not working with macbook?

My macbook has a broken disk drive but I have a superdrive, how do i get it to work? Computers with internal disk drives don't seem to like working with external ones.

Just about any external optical drive, other than Apple's, will work. For exampe, this one recommended by Macworld:
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Writer-External-Optical-Drive/dp/B003M0NT1M?t ag=gmgamzn-20

Logic Pro 9.1.7 firewire 400 and 800 not working

I am having issues with Logic Pro 9.1.7 recognizing FW 400 and 800 connections, and/or my FW interface (mbox2 pro). When I open up LP I often do not hear any sound and have to reboot or reconnect FW cables, per another post suggestion with ProTools 9. After 30 minutes of restarting twice, unplugging / plugging in FW cables, turning off/on FW drives, it's finally up and running.
But the weird thing is that sometimes it opens up fine and other times it does not. I don't understand this variable, as my setup always remains the same.
I am guessing this is a Mac OS issue, but I'll list my setup in case anyone has any suggestions:
MacBook Pro OS 16.6.8
Mbox2 Pro interface (blue) - connected via FW 400
Firewire drives on both 400 and 800 connections
I realize this could be a host of issues other than Logic Pro 9, such as Audio Midi Setup (which often doesn't recognize my Mbox2 Pro). But again, thought I'd start here.
thanks

Hi
glankrudolph wrote:
I realize this could be a host of issues other than Logic Pro 9, such as Audio Midi Setup (which often doesn't recognize my Mbox2 Pro). But again, thought I'd start here.
If Audio MIDI Setup cannot see/recognise the MBox, then Logic will be unable to see it. Audio MIDI Setup is at OS level: if your MBox does not show up it is likely to be:
Driver issues (highly likely)
Cable Issues
FW socket issues: hardware fault.
CCT

Macally firewire 400 external HD - Duplicated connection id.

I recently bought 3 firewire 400 external HD. My G5 has 2 400 firewire ports. There is not problem connecting disk 1 and 2, in a daisy chain to any of the 2 ports or each disk independently to each port. Same thing is true for disks 2 and 3. But when I tried to have the three disks simultaneously the system automatically disconnect disk 1 and 3. In summary disk 1 and 3 can not be connected simultaneously.
Using disk utility I realized that there is something called connection ID for each disk and disk 1 and 3 both have the same id. Could it be the reason for the problem? Is it assigned by the operating system or fixed in the external HD? if so, how do I change it?

Hi-
As DaddyPaycheck has advised, daisy chaining isn't really a good idea. Reports of drive problems, lost/corrupt data, due to daisy chaining, aren't hard to find, Mac or PC......
There are noted instances of external drive makers housings that will not support over two drives (total) in the chain.
Using disk utility I realized that there is something called connection ID for each disk and disk 1 and 3 both have the same id.
The report of bus location of the external housing controller to the I/O controller of the system is how the BSD (operating system) assigns a name (actually an address). Each device should have a unique ID. This is not something that one can manually assign; you cannot change it.
Could it be the reason for the problem?
The problem you are experiencing could indicate a conflict between the drive housing controllers and/or firmware version. It could be a malfunction of a controller, as well.
I would follow the excellent advice received, and get a FW card or hub before some important data is trashed.
Also, because there is some question in my mind as to the health of the external housing(s), I would definitely inquire with Macally Support regarding the matter.

My macbook pro external speaker not working! help please

My macbook pro external speaker not working! help please

1. Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup
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     Pllug in the speakers.
     Do they show up?
     Make sure that Mute is not enabled.
2. Reset SMC.     http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
    Choose the method for:
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Best.

External Drive not working with Firewire connection

I just purchased a Western Digital My Book external drive. My Mac recognizes it when I use a USB cable but not a Firewire. I have downloaded all the WD updates and firmware.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

I was thinking it might be an issue with the drive needing too much bus power. On the newer iMacs, USB provides higher bus power than FireWire. That might still be the issue, even if the drives supply their own power.
Just one Firewire port on my iMac.
I think it has two, but one is FireWire 400 and one is FireWire 800. So you only have one device plugged into those two ports?

External iSight not working on iMac, works on Macbook despite same software

Hello!
I have an External iSight that when I plug into my Macbook (running latest Mac OS) works just fine with iChat AND Adobe Flash Webchats...
However, when I plug it into my new iMac, the green light will turn on, but the it doesn't show on ANY applications that there is an External iSight available.
The only difference is that I am connecting the iSight with an 4 to 8 pin adapter: When I plug it in, it acts the same as it does with the MacBook--the green light turns on, it makes a sound, and is ready for usage. However, I can't get it to work with any programs on my iMac.
My PRIMARY concern, is I need it to work with Adobe Flash Webchats. Help!

Hello, macboyme
Consider the following in any order you find relevant for your system:
(0) You write that you are using a 4pin to 8pin adapter. However, I think you mean 6pin to 9pin adapter.
External iSight is a Firewire device that uses a 6pin Firewire 400 connector.
Newer Macs have only 9pin Firewire 800 connectors, so it is common to use 6pin to 9pin adapters similar to the one I normally use:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/FIR1369AD/
The only 8 pin cables and adapters I could find were USB. They won't work on Firewire devices.
4pin Firewire is a mini connection that I have only seen in cameras. If you really are using a 4 and/or 8 pin cable, I suggest you try a different Firewire adapter method.
My suggestions below are based on using a 6pin to 9pin adapter like that mentioned above or cable like this one I have also successfully used:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TP320LL/A
(1) Test in another User Account on your iMac. Be sure to also consider all the other suggestions for external iSight from:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090
You do not say which of your Macs has only FW800 ports that require a Firewire adapter. To remove as many variables as possible, test the same cables and Firewire 400-800 adapter on both Macs if it is possible to do so. If you only use the adapter on one Mac, it is possible that the adapter is the cause of your trouble. If one of your Macs has only FW400 and the other has only FW800, test with a different adapter or use a 6pin-9pin cable to test both your Firewire iSight. Also, test another Firewire 400 device to eliminate the possibility that your problem is caused by one of your connections.
(2) For additional ideas on how to test external iSight, consider the additional suggestions here:
http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage4.html
Unless the software and connected peripherals are EXACTLY the same on both your iMac and your MacBook, be sure to consider possible hardware or software conflicts with something else installed in or connected to your iMac. A link to more info about conflicts is included in the "How to test..." page.
(3) If you can rule out both possible conflicts and connection problems in the iMac, the problem must be either in your iMac's user account or in the system software used to operate your external iSight.
You can rule out problems with the user account by testing in several different accounts.
If the problem is EXACTLY the same in any user account you test on your iMac, your system software is suspect. Backup all your important files, repair permissions, and apply the 10.6.4 Combo Update:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1048
Follow the restart that completes the Combo Update with another permissions repair. Then test iSight again.
(4) Once your external iSight works correctly with your iMac's QuickTimeX, iChat, etc., it will work as well with Flash video websites as it does when you are running it from your MacBook.
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.4) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.4)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

FireWire ports on display not working with Snow Leopard Mac Pro

I just bought a new quad core Mac Pro with Snow Leopard and I have connected it to my three year- old Apple 23 inch cinema display and everything works fine....except for the Firewire 400 ports on the display. They no longer recognize my external iSight camera or external hard drives. And of course the devices will not connect to the computer's 800 ports. Anyone come across this, or have any solutions? I've tried connecting and reconnecting and have repaired permissions. Thanks.

This means that my Firewire 400 ports on the display are no longer supported by the computer?
They need a FireWire connection to the computer. With older computers, the FireWire cable from the display would plug in to a computer FW400 port to provide the connection. With FW800 only computers, you need the adapter.

Firewire 400 camera doesn't work with 800 port on iMac

I have a firewire 400 camera that i'm using for a project and one firewire 800 slot on my iMac (Late 2009).
When I plug the camera in, nothing responds no matter what I do - tried resetting the PRAM and SMC.
Compare this to my older iMac (Late 2007) which has both firewire 800 and 400 ports. I plug it in and it pops up using the underlying Quicktime controller api on either the 800 or 400 port no problem.
So I figured after trying to install a firewire camera library (libdc1394) which I need for my project which didn't work, that it must be a hardware issue, so I took it to the Apple store. The genius at the store booted the OS (Lion) from a firewire drive via 400 to 800 cable (no external power to the f/w drive was used) and then using the spare 400 slot on the hard drive, he plugged (daisy chaining) in my camera and it loaded!
So this suggested 2 things - my OS is corrupt or my card can't read straight from my device but why a hard drive in between would change this is beyond me.
I came home and installed OS X on to an external USB hard drive and loaded up from it - so this is a fresh version of Lion, there should be no software issues.
Plug the camera in to the I/O board of the iMac but load the OS from the external USB hard drive - nothing happens, the profiler doesn't detect anything at all.
On a side note, I installed XP and Ubuntu Linux and they also can't detect it, which further suggests its the device or I/O board when interfacing directly with this camera. I've tried providing the devices with external power, daisy chaining 2 cameras, using a usb hub....nothing works.
Just for good measure, I tried to boot Lion off the external USB on my older iMac and again, it worked no problem, which to me really narrows it down to the hardware.
Can anyone work out this mystery? Driving me nuts!
I feel like perhaps the port is a bit dodgy and when the genius daisy chained it, it worked better, but no idea why.
Someone said I should get a firewire 400 to usb adaptor - I actually can't find any...do they even exist?

Maybe something in Apple's quick assist will hlp
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1151

MBP firewire 400, external HD issues...

Hi all.
My MacBook Pro has given me nothing but trouble since I bought it this summer. The firewire ports have gone dead twice -- AND I have had four external hard drives die on me (and I've always ejected them before unplugging/powering down).
Often drives that will mount on other computers will not mount on this computer. And just now, I had one drive that I managed to mount through the fw800 port with a firewire 400/800 cable -- but my computer froze up during a restart -- the fan started whirring like it was going to shake the computer apart. I forced the computer to restart (again) and now my external HD's firewire ports are dead (to two different computers I tried). Fortunately it also has a USB2 port.
The Apple store has attempted to fix my computer on a few different occasions -- and with only limited success. That is, they got my firewire port to work for a couple of weeks.
Anyone else having issues like this? I am convinced there is something electrical going on in this particular computer that is frying ports both in the computer and in external HDs, but am having trouble convincing Apple of this.
Suggestions?
Thanks,
Todd

hmm ya thats not right, i would go back or call apple and try to get it fixed/replaced.
something has to have a short or something wrong with it. i think i remember someone saying that their SMC has to get swapped when they had the same or a similar issue but i cant say for sure
-matt
Message was edited by: mattathayde

Firewire 400 external device on an MacBoook Pro Firewire 800

I have an external Hard drive a generic 120GB hard drive with a standard Firewire 400 port. I used it as an HFS drive with periodic backups to and from my old Powerbook G4 10.4 before the logic board died. Drive worked 1 month prior to the Powerbook's death.
I purchased a new Macbook i5 10.6.4, a much needed upgrade. Since it has a Firewire 800 port I purchased a 400 to 800 adapter from an online retailer. Once I plugged in the new firewire addapter the drive showed up as expected as a /Volume/Backup112.ZF. However the beach-ball of death showed and I could not read the drive. Terminal I could cd to the volume, but not list. In Terminal Testdisk application (Mentioned later) was able to list disk information as well as diskutil. The firewire would not unmount cleanly. Pulling out the connector only gave a message that drive was not unmounted cleanly and remained mounted... sudo diskutil unmount /Volume/Backup112.ZF did not work. Kill and restart of Finder only crashed the computer. Computer works great and after a hard reboot.
Multiple tries to get a error log got me nowhere. I could post disk information, but that would only show that the drive has read but not write permissions.. I did find multiple postings about using a 10.5 OFirewireSerialBusProtocolTransport.kext. I do not have a 10.5 disk to get the file off to download. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2136580
There seems to be an indication that Apple knows about the problem? Is there a developers forum where I could read what they are saying on the fix? I have an apple One Account, would it help to get in touch with the advanced staff? I have not seen any firewire problems like this in Unix. Are there any Unix people out there well versed in Firewire? Otherwise, Looks like I will be doing more research...
FYI:
NTFS read/write without software install. This works perfectly in 10.5-10.6 without any issues for my Windows to Mac drive. Too many people make it more difficult then it needs to be. To figure it out, just needed to know Unix.
1. NTFS auto-load read and write enable
sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs.orig
vi /sbin/mount_ntfs
#!/bin/sh
/sbin/mount_ntfs.orig -o rw "$@"
sudo chmod 755 mount_ntfs*
sudo chown root:wheel mount_ntfs*
2. NTFS boot sector fix
TestDisk from http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk.

Well, at least I know that everything SHOULD be working as it did briefly this evening. I'm at a dead end . . .can't think of anything else to try.
Guess I'll just have to pick up another adapter tomorrow and see if that helps.

Macbook air stuck in No bootable device, external keyboard not working.

Hello.
Yesterday tried to install Windows 7 via Bootcamp. As everyone else got to "No bootable device - insert boot disk and press any key."
After few seconds I realized that keyboard is not working. Googled it and found out that I need to buy an external keyboard.So I did.
Guess what,external keyboard is not working too. Tryed with different PC, it worked with them.
So what now?

The Formatted test drive did not have Any OS on it. I just thought that since that was how I installed it originally, that it would work.
I put in SSD straight out of package, connected Firewire drive with SnowLeopard install, and it booted to it and asked me for to install to which drive, I choose SSD and it took off..
So what your saying is, do the same thing but hang SSD from broken Mini onto working Mini and boot up with same Firewire drive, and have it install OS back onto Broken SSD drive.
Assuming all of this works correctly, why would plugging it back into broken Mini work? Wont the Broken Mini still be looking for BootCamp to finish what it started? (just seems that way from what I've experienced so far)

FireWire 400 External Superdrive Not Working

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