Firewire Dead

My Firewire port seems to be dead. I have tried all the typical trouble shooting such as different devices, cables, reboot, reload upgrade 10.5.5 combo and even trying a Belkin 4 port powered firewire hub and no —go. When I check the "About this Mac" for the firewire it reports:
FireWire Bus:
Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
...but no devices.
Is there a hardware check I could use to try and further trouble shoot this????
I need to get video off of my camera and edit it for a project ASAP. Any ideas for a work-a-round???
Thanks,
Larry

I just tried another firewire cable to an existing firewire drive. When I plugged it in I smelled smoke. You know...the electrical kind. The computer still works OK. My thought is there is something wrong with the power output in the firewire port that is toasting the cables.
Anyway, I am going to check with my boss. We have an older Mac Mini in a store room. I think if I hook it up to my Mac and download Video via ARA and ethernet hookup I will be fine. Anyone have a better way to get video off of a digital video camera without a direct firewire connection?
Thanks,
Larry

Similar Messages

Is the FIREWIRE DEAD!

I wish that I would have know that firewire would not work with the 5th gen. My iPod hard drive when bad 15 days after warranty expired. Now I cannot use the firewire cables for anything but charging.
Has anyone heard about why it will not work?
Are they going to develop a patch to have it work?
Is the firewire dead?

I just got the new 60GB video ipod as a gift. I am an owner of the FIRST gen. ipod, which seemed to work just fine with only firewire. I am seriously ******. How is it that the last 3 generations of the ipod were compatible with both firewire and USB, but now they decide to settle for the slower (though not much) connection? Saving $? Well, in the process they've alienated their loyal Mac users, such as myself. I have a G4 mirror tower running 10.2.8, so I have to go spend $35 on a USB 2.0 PCI card, and $120 upgrading to 10.4 so I can use the video function, all because Apple wants to sell more to Windows users. This really *****. I understand technological development, but it should at least be compatible with machines that are only 2 years old. What the **** else can I do?

FireWire dead after Leopard installation?

Hello all,
Just upgraded to 10.5.2 and my USB and FireWire ports went dead.
Reset PRAM, which brought back the USB ports.
But, My G-Drive Q is no longer mounted via the FireWire port (after restart of it and the Mac).
Disk Utility doesn't see it either.
"About This Mac-- More Info" shows "unknown device" connected to FireWire.
I see no other postings when searching this forum for "G-drive" or "GDrive".
The G-Technology forums don't have an answer either, as far as I can see, although others seem to have had FireWire/Leopard issues.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

Hi Bill
if you search under 'no firewire or missing firewire' you will find lots of people like ourselves who have had issue since installing leopard. I have just installed 10.5.3 on my G4 powerbook in the hope this update would now resolve the problem but it has not. I don't think anyone is listening on this subject and other ideas such as reset pram does not work, or at least has not for me regardless of how many times i have tried. the odd thing is I installed leopard to my G5 desk top with no issues....so if anyone out there has had the same problem with a powerbook and found the answer please let us know.
thanks

G3 Firewire Dead

My G3 is running 10.4. I have not used my firewire port in a while. It's dead as I tried to use IPOD and and external drive - both do not work via firewire port.
YES... HAVE ALREADY TRIED RESETTING NVRAM
YES... HAVE TRIED OPTON-APPLE-O-F
YES .. HAVE DISCONNECTED POWER FOR 12 HOURS
Pls help if you can. Appreciated....

Hey G3Man! Welcome--I like the name.
This forum is for Apple computers made before the G3 processors were adopted. The PowerMac G3 forums aren't exactly easy to spot with the new forum layout, so this may help:
If you have a Beige/platinum G3 (metal case), the forum area is here:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=110
If you have a Blue & White G3 (plastic case), the forum area is:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=115
Glad you found us. Both G3 forum areas are very active and you'll be with others who have the same machines.
A

IPod won't show up - firewire dead?

My iPod won't show up on my Power Mac G4. Not it iTunes or in Finder. It does charge though. I had a M-Audio FireWire 410 that I unplugged while PM was running. Since then my FireWire devices won't show up in the computer.
How can I find out if my firewire ports are dead?

Here's my offering:
Thought you could use this info about getting FireWire to work!
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 is the 10.3.9 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

Firewire Dead? how do you test it?

none of our firewire drives are mounting. occasionally in system profiler it says "unknown device" but more recently we get this:
"FireWire Bus:
Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices.
Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec"
i ran both TTP and the hardware test from the original restore disks, TTP doesn't have a firewire test, and apple hardware test turned up no errors after multiple detailed checks.
is there a hardware test that can be done to test the firewire bus? or should TTP and apple hardware test find it?

Have you tried plugging in just one firewire device at a time? A lot of people have found that a single device can prevent the system from recognizing all the other firewire devices that are also connected. Unplug any USB devices (other than keyboard and mouse) too, in case a storage device is the problem.

G5 (2x1.8) Firewire Dead

Hi all,
Tonight I went to hook up my Panasonic DVX-100A and my FW drive to grab some footage. The drive refused to mount, and then I noticed that the camera was also not recognized. System Profiler showed "FireWire Bus:" and nothing else... no devices, nada.
Have reset nvram, left unplugged for about an hour, verified perms/disks and all is fine.
Dug up my hardware test CD and it showed no FW devices. It also crashes out to OF after about 6 minutes. That seems kind of bad...
FW devices work fine on an old ibook.
dmesg/system.log has this:
FWOHCI Error trying to clear PHY ports
Anything else before I start hunting for a Mac-compatible FW card that doesn't cost $50?
Lots of posts about this in the boards, but most deal with 10.3.7.
I'd love for this to be a software issue. For good measure, I'm grabbing the 10.4.6 combo.

As far as I know Apple does not publish revised editions of the hardware test CD to reflect new firmware updates. Also I've never seen a firmware downgrader. The only revision I've seen is of Techtool Deluxe which isn't exactly the same hardware test. Since I've had AppleCare recommend I try the hardware test disk on machines whose firmware has been since upgraded, I don't think that is the issue. I think what is really happening is some unexpected condition has been met by the hardware test disk and it basically has kernel panicked. I could be wrong, though you may want to consult with AppleCare about your specific model to find out if there is a revised hardware test disk.

Quirky on-board firewire dead

I recently ran into this problem after disassembling and reassembling my B&W for a thorough cleaning. Now, not only are the 2 ports not working, they crash the System profiler when I try to see what the system is reading.
I've since put in a replacement Firewire Card with 2 external and 1 internal ports, and have no problems with the card.
However, the system profiler crashing has me worried - if the on-board card was shot, then wouldn't the default be "no firewire detected"? Is the crashing a signal of possible further trouble?
I wasn't able to find anything on this thread - maybe I missed something.

I'd remove the FireWire module and inspect it and the motherboard's slot for damage to the pins. Reinstall it and run the System Profiler again. If the problem persists, I'd remove it again and try booting the computer (something I've never tried with my B&Ws). If it will start up without error tones and function normally without it, I'd leave the Firewire module out and use the PCI FireWire card. If the FireWire module must be installed, you can probably find replacement/used ones pulled from B&W motherboards at eBay.

No Firewire

Hello all, I have read these forums with a passion for the past couple of weeks seeking a way to fix my problem by myself.
Basically what happened was, I was moving something and I accidently unplugged my computer. I plugged it back in, started it up and my external LaCie hard-drive connected through the FW400 port in the back of my computer did not mount up. I unplugged it, plugged it back in. To no avail. So I test my external Mackie Mixer which uses Onyx Firewire to connect. Usually if it was powered on it was the main source for sound output/input. It did not work either.
I have done pretty much every step outlined on similar issues and the firewire ports are still not reading devices.
I connected my lacie disk via usb so it is functional...and my mixer is functional...it's my firewire...
I suspect they are working slightly...because when I plug in the LaCie disk via the firewire it powers on...but it is just not detected on my computer...
When looking under Firewire in the System Profiler tool it takes a second to load then displays...
Firewire Bus:
with nothing afterwards....any help would be much appreciated...thanks in advance...

I have a solution for the "dead firewire" problem that seems to work EVERY TIME in my system. This post is a bit long so please be patient, - first a little background:
My system: PowerMac G5, 1.8 dual, OS: 10.5.2, Firewire devices: iSight & 1TB WD MyBook
I have owned the system since new and never had any firewire issues before 10.5 & the MyBook. I do not know which causes the problem as the MyBook was bought at the same time as Leopard to use with Time Machine.
Symptoms: Sometimes the Firewire bus is dead and neither the MyBook nor the iSight will work. When this happens, the system profiler will take a long time if I click the firewire heading but it can not find any of the firewire units.
My system also has another issue since Leopard/MyBook that causes it to crash into "max fan mode", usually when left alone. I think there is a connection between these two problems and that there is an increased probability for the firewire to be dead after such a crash.
I have tried a lot of the tips that I have found on these pages: Repairing permissions, pushing the small reset button on the logic board, resetting the PRAM, taking out the battery and removing the power cable for many minutes. Nothing brought my firewire back to life.
My solution: Both my iSight and MyBook are plugged into the firewire ports on the rear side (iSight in the 400 port and the MyBook in the 800 port). I first remove the iSight connector, then start the Skype application ( 2.6.0.151) and open the preference window and select the VIDEO tab. Skype then tells me that no camera is available. If I then plug the iSight into the FRONT firewire connector the camera is ALWAYS recognized and live video preview is shown if the camera is in the on/open position. (I am not 100% shure it will not work if plugged into the rear connector).
At the same time the MyBook magically appears on the desktop and the System Profiler will find all information on the firewire bus and quickly. The system goes from "firewire dead" to "firewire OK" with no restart needed.
I stumbled upon this solution by accident but I do not know why or how it works. It seems that Skype initializes the firewire bus in a way that cures the problem. Maybe Apple should take a look at the Skype firewire code and use it to improve the firewire initialization during system power up ?

Connect with firewire

Does anyone know why apple doesnt let us connect ipods to the computer via firewire? I know it technically does connect but only for charging.
Just curious.

I wish that I would have know that firewire would not work with the 5th gen. My iPod hard drive when bad 15 days after warranty expired. Now I cannot use the firewire cable for anything but charging.
Has anyone heard about why it will not work?
Are they going to develop a patch to have it work?
Is the firewire dead?

Firewire is dead. But what do you think about this idea?

I know that the firewire port is saudered onto the logic board on my computer and I use to use it all the time but I was connecting my 12" powerbook to a powermac G4 through target disk mode and I accidently plugged in the firewire end in the powermac upside down. I had the other end alreay plugged into my powerbook and since then I got my firewire port has been unresponsive. I also got the ozone smell of death which made me wonder if the smell is the computer chip that controls the throughput of the firewire port or the actual firewire port itself? Because I use to use firewire a lot and so I am very sad to see something that I did, kill the port.
I had 2 hard drives and dv camcorder and my ipod and of course a firewire hub so I could plug it all in simultaneously. So what I am willing to do is take apart the computer and try to sauder on a new firewire port but now we are back to my original question, is it the port or computer chip. One thing I do know is that my ipod will still get charged even when its directly connected to the computer but nothing will mount.
If anybody has an input on my dilemma please feel free to add to this.
Thank you, Kenny
12 PB 1.5 Ghz 100Gb 5400 rpm, 1.25Gb ram,8x superdrive, 40Gb ipod, 120Gb ext hd Mac OS X (10.4.6) B&W G3/350, 640 mb ram, 2/120Gb int hds,2*FW800 hds 240Gb, dvd-rw, 100mb zip

Hi!
I had coffe all over my 12" powerbook and was forced to resolder much of it to get back my ethernet, firewire and usb. Here is what you'll need to care about when you decide to open the machine:
The keyboard assembly is held by 4 screws, 2 of whose are hidden under function keys F1/F2 and F11/F12. Remove caps by gently lifting up their LEFT side.
Heatpipe assembly must be removed too. I managed overtighten one of screws, and part of it which is soldered to the mainboard got loose. Don't do that.
Almost everything else must be removed, which involves many different screw lengths. Keeping track of them somehow helps later when you put everything together.
Don't start the machine with any components (such as hard drive or screen) disconnected. Hardware identification takes ages to perform and will confuse you, because machine appears to be dead most of the time.
Soldering: Use antistatic iron, lead-free tip and solder. Residue-free flux-pen helps a lot. Almost everything you'll find onboard is SMD, which means that removing components with improper tools or using force will damage the board.
Using camera to document how components were placed before you remove them gets handy later.
Good luck!
powerbook g4 12" Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Dead screen, transfering documents via firewire - need help

Greetings,
So I've got a 1 Ghz iMac (floating pivot screen.) - my primary mission critical workstation. My screen died today. Grrrr.
No time to muck about, I went out and purchased a mac mini (1.5 Ghz single intel core), I want to transfer all data from the old box to the new asap.
The migration assistant that appears at first boot up is cool, and I was able to move all applications. (handy!)
Problem is that I couldn't move all my user documents because the old Mac's drive is 80 gig and the new is only 60. So I figured I would just drag and drop as much as I can manually.
I've gone and reattached the old mac to the new via firewire and booted up the old box as an external drive. Problem is, when I open up the user folder on the old hard drive I'm not seeing any files.... ie. all folders including the old desktop folder are empty....its like the files are hidden or something.
Help please.

could it be because under ownership and permissions I have no access to these folders? Is that why the folders "appear" empty? - then my next question would be, how can I give myself access to them?
Remembering that I am unable to boot up and use the old iMac (except in external drive mode) since the screen (or video card???) is dead.
Also - I'm attempting spotlight searches from the new mac on the old mac's HD for known files on the old mac's desktop and its coming back with nothing...
What a mess ....maybe

G4-450 dual news from repair shop: firewire is dead, sounds right?

Hi
I just had the this G4 touched up, new powersupply and battery.
Now the tech tells me my firewire bus is dead and my options are that i replace the logic board, or , that i install a firewire PCI card,
Can anyone recomend a firewire card for this machine, i feel sad, i paid 225 euroes in spain to have this thing fixed and the guy tells me that the logic board will cost about the same, i could of replaced it with a mac mini for the same price if i knew it was that bad ;( ,
So i guess i am left with getting a FW PCI card in this case, but which one?

I realize that power supplies can become defective, but at the risk of second-guessing the repair tech, why did he replace it? The symptoms of a dead PRAM battery can suggest a power supply problem. A PC repair shop might go with a hunch and replace it, whereas a reputable Apple repair shop would (hopefully) know enough to replace the battery first. Also, were you having problems with FireWire devices, prior to taking it in for service? Some shops try the piecemeal approach for repair estimates, wherein one or two repairs are recommended/performed, because they realize that giving you a longer list at the outset would likely discourage you from investing so much money in an old computer. Unless the shop also sells new computers, there's no incentive on their part to send your money elsewhere. If the technicians at the repair shop are competent and trustworthy, it may very well be a case of another underlying problem surfacing after the system is up and running. The FireWire PCI card is a cost-effective solution for a problematic onboard FireWire controller, as many B&W G3 owners have discovered. I've never had any problems with FireWire cards having the Texas Instruments chipset on it (various brands do).

FW800 Card causes G4 all firewire ports to go dead

I tried to install an Allegro Firewire 800 card from Sonnet into my G4 1GHz Dual Processor G4. I put the card in, connected my firewire drive and got the following outcome.
1. When I re-booted, the computer hung at the blue screen that comes right after the gray screen. It stayed there for a very long time 5+ minutes but finally got through it.
2.When I logged on I found that the firewire ports on the Sonnet card AND also the native FW 400 ports no longer worked.
3.I removed the card, rebooted, and the machine still hung at the blue screen for a long time. It finally got through it, but the FW ports were still dead.
4. I worked for almost two hours, rebooting, trying to reset the PRAM, although I just got a black screen and no "restart" as is the usual case.
5. Finally, I unpluggd the machine completely and re-booted one last time and magically, the native FW ports started to work. So now I am back where I started.
Any ideas what is going on here? Should I try to install the card again? I am thinking that it was a mistake to hook the drive up before the machine had a chance to recognize the card, so I am tempted to try again that way, but I am afraid of getting the same results. Or should I just throw the card in the trash basket, call it a $50 loss or be content with FW 400?

Hi-
Finally, I unpluggd the machine completely and re-booted one last time and magically, the native FW ports started to work.
Doing so reset the PMU, and also reset the FW bus. Good job on stumbling onto the fix.
Any ideas what is going on here?
Bad card, maybe......
Should I try to install the card again?
Scary thought, huh.......
I am thinking that it was a mistake to hook the drive up before the machine had a chance to recognize the card, so I am tempted to try again that way, but I am afraid of getting the same results.
So, this means that you installed the card, connected a FW800 device, and then started the machine?
It would definitely be best to install the card, startup, and check the System Profiler, prior to connecting devices.
You don't need to shut down to connect a FW device. Hot plugging is fine, as long as you "eject" the device before unplugging it.

Dead firewire port

Seems my firewire port suddenly died. I tried plugging in my iSight and it's not detected, and I tried a firewire hard drive as well, and that is not detected.
Any steps I should try on my own before contacting Apple for APP repair?

After installing firmware password protection, I found out that it disables your firewire ports.
So I disabled the password, but my firewire ports are still dead, i can use targetmode, but my mini never mounts, I tried connectiong isight and it didnt work also, I did some research on this and found the code that checks the firmware for this setting.
is located on the file IOFireWireController.cpp
it looks to me as if the security-mode is set to none, once it was set to anything else other than "NULL" value it will still disable the firewire. so i tried to set it to NULL also but no luck. My Firewire is dead, and also my other laptop that had a firware password has the same problem. I've tried:
altopt+of
setenv security-mode none.
rest-nvram
reset-all
return.
Then
reset the PMU.
but nothing.

Firewire Dead

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