FIREWIRE External HD's & iMac G5's - is there a quiet one?

Just purchased an iomega 160 black external. It was very fast at copying my entire mac, took just 15 minutes with my huge .mac iDisk files. Used superduper with it. I picked it because of a review in a recent mac magazine.
After living with it for 24 hours it is becoming a problem for me, it has a low buzz and a light vibration comes from it that I can feel on my desk. Called iomega and they said it is the normal level of noise and buzz for it, they are happy to take it back.
Could some of you who have other Firewire ex HD let me know if they have a quite one? For me quite is more important than speed. My iMac G5 is quite as a whisper and having this buzz around is such a drag. I find myself shutting it down, and I would prefer having it on 24/7.
I have time to return it and would really appreciate some advise as to which ex HD are the quite ones.

I have a Maxtor Firewire/USB One Touch drive at home and one at work (both are 250-Gig)and also a Seagate 300-Gig Firewire/USB at home. Both of these types of external drives have the Firewire 400 interface (and USB 2.0 as well). I have only used them as Firewire drives.
I chose these in part because they are so quiet. My computers include an iMac G3 (very quiet computer), a G4 Powerbook (also very quiet), and an iMac G5 (quiet with softly humming fans than can pick up when intensive computing occurs). My wife has very low tolerance for noise with the computer she uses (iMac G3) because she is used to a nearly silent machine.
I mostly cannot even tell that these external drives are even on, they are so quiet. In addition, when they are not directly accessed, they quickly go into hibernation and then are totally silent and stay that way for a long time (all day if it isn't being accessed). I cannot really hear when they spin up again except there is a brief pause of a second on the computer as the external drive wakes up and is recognized when it needs to be accessed. That is how I sense they might be there, I can't really hear them (and I have very good hearing). These disks are located within 1 or 2 feet of where we sit when we use the computers.

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HT201257 hardware test using an external optic device (iMac) on macbook pro 9 years old via firewire. What to do? and how to do it?

hardware test using an external optical device (iMac) on macbook pro 9 years old via firewire. What to do? and how to do it?
I thiunk the graphic card is defective and need to run hwt

You don't.
Need a internal optical drive and the Hardware Test on disks is old and outdated anyway.
Your machine has lasted a long time, congratulations, they usually only last about 4-5 years.
They get clogged up with dust and overheat, kills the video card, there is nothing you can do as it's hardware damage over time.

Scratch Disc Questions using Firewire External Drive & Imac

Hello. I've read through the existing questions regarding scratch disc and Photoshop, yet can't seem to find an answer to my questions. I would greatly appreciate any tips/advice. Here is my setup and situation:
I am running an iMac with a 2.16 intel core 2 duo processor, 3 GB memory, and running OS X version 10.6.4. I am currently using versions cs3 and cs4 of Photoshop, but plan to upgrade to cs5 soon.
The problem I am having is when running Photoshop, my computer becomes very slow. After reading about possible reasons, I came across a couple of sources (including Adobe themeselves) mentioning that the scratch disc should be a designated drive seperate from the drive containing the operating system. Since I am using an iMac that only allows for one internal drive, my only apparent option seems to be an external drive.
Many people say don't use an external drive, but if you are going to; use an eSATA or firewire. The imac does have firewire 800 capabilities. Should I consider this?
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Designer,
Photoshop benefits greatly from having a scratch disk on a separate physical drive, not on the boot disk or on another partition of the boot disk. It's almost not worth connecting via Firewire 400 because the transfer limitations don't allow much performance improvement. But using a Firewire 800 connection gives excellent performance.
Running Photoshop on a one-drive machine is a little frustrating due to the performance hit without the separate scratch drive.
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I have several external devices connected to my iMac.
1. My Book Firewire External HD
2. My Book USB External HD
3. USB Hub for mouse, keyboard, USB connection for M-Audio keyboard
4. Presonus 1394 Firewire Audio Interface
My iMac does not want to shutdown all of a sudden and I have traced it down to trouble with the My Book Firewire External HD. For some reason, when I Shut Down the iMac, when it does shut down, the My Book remains running even with the iMac off. I have to unplug the My Book to turn it off. Any ideas on why the My Book is causing trouble with my iMac and why it will not dismount when I try to dismount it via Finder?

The software I was referring to is the Button Manager software which now that I look at it may not have anything to do with the auto power down nor have I even tried it. Just thought I would through out some ideas.
http://support.wdc.com/download/?cxml=n&pid=999&swid=56
You could try resetting your SMC: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446

Daisy-Chaining Firewire External Drive Tips Needed here!

H, I have three cases with drives in them I want to connect to my iMac for various duty:
1) fw/400/800/esata/usb case (externally-powered)
2) fw/400/usb case (externally-powered)
3) fw/400/esata/usb case (bus-powered)
My current setup is to chain 1 & 2, and plug that chain into the firewire 800 port on the imac, and 3 is just plugged into one of the USB ports on the back of the iMac.
Is this the best way to do this? I am concerned that by chaining 2 to 1, that I am slowing down the fw800 drive inside 1. Is that true? Well, thx for any tips

I'll agree with *"a brody"* my gut say's 1 to the 800 port, 2 to the 400 port with 3 daisy chained to 2, how ever it might depend on what your using each drive for.
Open your Activity Monitor and select the Disk Activity tab, then by copying the same size file or folder to each drive you should get some idea of the transfer speed to each drive. You can also use this method to check the speed when copying between External HD's. (Note: for testing sustained transfer speeds use at least a 1GB or even better a 10GB file or folder)

IChat using external iSight on iMac 24" 2009

iChat using external iSight on iMac 24" 2009
I'm trying to use an external iSight camera in iChat instead of the built-in one but when connected iChat just gives a beach ball. Searching for similar issues mentions that both cameras should be available in the prefs. I wonder if this is still the case with a current iMac. I'm using a Lacie FW 400 to 800 cable.

Here are some options you can consider, m4rtin
(1) If your Firewire port doesn't see any Firewire device with any cable, reset your Mac's Firewire using the process in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1317
(2) When you get your System Profiler showing your FW devices again, if you still have problems and are daisy chaining your external iSight with another FW device, remove the intermediate device(s) and test external iSight again when it is connect directly.
(3) As explained in this post, your LaCie cable may be the problem:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9496353&#9496353
The simplest way I can suggest to test this is to try a different brand of cable. The search that Ralph suggests will show you that both Belkin and NewEgg have been reported as working to connect external iSight with FW800 Macs.
(4) Alternatively, you can use your old, known-working FW400 cable if you use a 800 -> 400 adapter
like one of these to connect your new Mac to your existing cables:
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fw_adapter.html, or
http://tinyurl.com/cgll7o
EZ Jim
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.7) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Make use of Seagate 120gb SATA as external drive for imac

I have a nice seagate barracuda 120gb drive in my PC, which I virtually don't use. I was wondering whether there is a way I could use the drice as external firewire drive for my iMac g4 1ghz. Can you actually leave it in the PC and connect to it via a Firewire card in the PC or do you need to take it out, put it into a case with Firewire adapter and use it that way? If so, can you recommend a decent case at good price?
Thanks,
Matthias
imac g4 1ghz Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions. I believe your choices are:
Network the two machines such that you can share the storage space.
iFelix's Tech Pages provides details of the set-ups required, you can network over Ethernet, Firewire or Wirelessely.
Or get a SATA to FW/USB2 enclosure. It should be firewire as you need FW to boot a PowerPC OS X Mac from an external drive.
I don't believe a PC can do Target Mode so that rules out that option.
mrtotes

Can't find my 3 Firewire External HD's on my desktop

I have a 17 in imac with 10.4 and for some strange reason all three of my external Firewire Hard Drive no longer appear on my desktop? No matter what I do they aren't there. I turn them off etc... reboot etc... nothing. My USB external HD shows up but not my firewaire. What can I do to get them back on? @ of the three are Western Digital... and one is a Accomdata.

How to fix the problem of a missing external Hard Drive (Firewire) after it vanishes from you desktop after installing 10.4.10 update.
I have a iMac PPC (Non intel). Aparently my system upated installed the wrong version of 10.4.10 and thus my external firewire hard drives a 320 GB Westerndigital My Book, and Acomdata 80 GB, and aWestern Digital 160 GB media center all vanished from the desktop.
The instructions below should be credited to several different people. I found various version of these steps in the Discussion. I combines a few of them into this one 10 step fix and it worked for me. I hope it works for you.
1) Shut down you computer
2) Unplug all peripherals (i.e USB and Firewire, I left computer power plug in as well as ethernet and Keyboard+ Mouse) and leave along for 30 Minutes
3) Restart holding down the Command (Apple) + Option + P + R keys for three startup bongs, then release the keys and your computer will start up as usual.
4) Verify and repair disk Permission using Disk Utility. (Several things were repaired here)
5) Instal 10.4.10 Combo PPC
6) Restart Again
7) Again repair Disk permissions (None of mine needed to be repaired fyi this time)
8) Unplug Power cable and Firewire cable from External Hard Drive (leave along for 1 minute)
9) Reconnect power to Firewire External Drive first then the Firewire cable to the drive second, then the firewire cable from the Drive to the computer last.
10) Turn on your Firewire Drive... you will head it spin up and eventually show up on your desktop just like it did before the 10.4.10 update.

Firewire stopped working on iMac G5

I have 2 firewire external drives on my iMac G5. Today, after a reboot, they stopped showing up. I moved them over to another mac and both came up just fine, so I'm sure the drives and external cases are good. I then connected one using USB (the other one doesn't have USB). It's working ok with USB. The problem is I need Firewire for other stuff (video camera and other camera hook up), plus I prefer to use firewire for the external drives.
When I go to System Profiler and click on Firewire, it shows "Firewire bus:" and that is it. Any ideas? This it a bad logic board? Is it possible that the firewire circutry got disabled? Can I fix it? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Try one of these:
Zapp the P-RAM:
After the startup tone, hold down <commandd><option><p><r> until 3 additional startup tones are heard, then release the 4 keys.
Open Firmware reset:
After the startup tone, hold down <command><option><o><f> until the text screen is visible. When text can be entered, type the following commands, followed by the <return> key (there are no space characters in each command):
reset-nvram
set-defaults
reset-all (the Mac will boot up after this command is entered)

ISight prevents Firewire external drive from working!

I just bought a brand new La Cie 320GB Triple Interface hard disk and have been using it through firewire on both my iMac G5 and my iBook G4.
The thing works perfectly with the iBook: fast and reliable. However, with the iMac G5, the Finder occasionally gives up transferring files saying that it had an "error -36" and that some files could not be read or written.
I noticed that the speed of the transfer usually slowed to a crawl (from 20MB/s to 2MB/s) before the error. And that I could repeat the error with the same files.
Worried for the condition of the new drive (or of the iMac's own HD) I searched in these forums for a solution. Following some written advice, I have zapped the PRAM, reset the Open Firmware and the SMU.
For a second it seemed that problem had been solved. But now it started again. Thinking that it could be a power issue I disconnected my iSight camera from the other firewire port. Lo and behold: the drive started working perfectly. All trasnfers completed without a hitch and with improved speed.
The question is: apart from what I have already done, is there anything that I could do to solve this iSight conflict? Or should I just cross my fingers and play it safe so that the whole power supply in my iMac G5 does not fail completely!?
Thanks for reading! Please help...
iMac G5 1.8 Ghz 1GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.8) iSight
iMac G5 1.8 Ghz 1GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.8)

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

Way to mount FireWire external HDs so I can access remotely?

This is either not possible, or I am totally looking in the wrong place. I have three FireWire external HDs that are chained, then plugged into an iMac G4 running 10.4.11, then mounted to the desktop. File sharing is on, along with Remote Access, Remote Login, etc. in the Control Panel.
I am trying to login remotely (through ftp, afp) using a MacBook Pro running 10.5 to view/copy files from the HDs, but all I am able to login to is the Home Folder of the username/password I put in - the HDs don't show up. I've tried various things, such as Virtual Folders, trying to input the path to the HDs in the address string - all to no avail.
Is there a way to mount FireWire drives so that a remote user can access them?

If you're external HDs are mounted as a local volume, that should up under Devices in the Finder window. Does it? If so, then in Preferences->Sharing->File Sharing, you should be able to add that volume as a Shared Folder. Is that what is giving you trouble? (I don't have an external HD, so can't test it).
Once you've shared that out, you should be able to connect to it via afp://, nfs://, or smb://...

Plugging firewire external hdd to mac to get library to pop up in itunes?

hiya, i was wondering if there's any way to have a firewire external hdd to mac to get library to pop up in itunes as a seperate entity? because I want to centralise all my music to the external hdd, or will it do it all on it's own? (haven't tried it yet, just copying now as we speak) :d
15" Powerbook G4 1.67ghz Mac OS X (10.4.3) 1.5gb ram, 80gb hdd, 8x dvd burner,

If I understand correctly, you want to move all your music to an external HD.
Before continuing copying, read this article:
iTunes: Moving your iTunes Music folder
Your music files can be stored anywhere, but the library files have to be in a fixed place and can not be moved:
What are the iTunes library files?
Always connect your ext. HD before running iTunes.
M
17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.3.9) Several ext. HD (backup and data)

Firewire external hard drives no longer mount

I had 2 firewire external hard drives connected, not always at the same time and not running all the time. Suddenly they won't mount. I have run System Profiler and it shows "No information Found". The drives themselves mount on my other Mac laptop.
An external DVD writer, when mounted, shows up in profiler though not on the desktop. I have set the finder preferences to -show all mounted drives. System profiler lists all my USB devices. It's just the 2 Firewire hard drives that show no information found. The DVD writer works in either Firewire port.The hard drives are each made by a different manufacturer.
I have re-started with everything off. I have hot swapped.
Help-I need these drives to store photo files and print publications.
Fairview
iMac Mac OS X (10.3.9) G4
iMac Mac OS X (10.3.9) G4

fairview:
The next step is to see if it is directory related and Repair Disk:
Insert Installer disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu (Panther and earlier) or Utilities menu (Tiger) and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel, and report if it says anything but Verified)
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
If DU reports errors it cannot repair you will need to use a utility like Tech Tool Pro or Disk Warrior
Good luck.
cornelius

Bootup G4 (OS 10.4.11) external backup on iMac (i5)?

I have a bootable backup of my old Powerbook G4 (running OS 10.4.11) on a firewire external drive - the bootable backup was created with SuperDuper (latest version, purchased yesterday).
Are there any known issues about using iMac (i5) this way?
Holding down the option key on my iMac at startup doesnt work, and the bootable backup does not show up in my iMac's system preferences as a startup system choice (only the iMac does).

As Niel mentioned the system is too old to start up the iMac. As a general rule Macs will not run earlier versions of OS X than they originally shipped with. So for example if your iMac was recieved with Lion you cannot install Snow Leopard or earlier to run on it, even on an external HD. If you want to migrate the data that is on the SuperDuper drive you can do that using either Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant. The primary difference between the two is SA is what starts when you turn on an Mac for the first time and Migration Assitant will create an additional user account when it migrates files and settings to the new machine. If you are interested in finding out more about this you can visit Pondini's Lion Setup Assistant tips.

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

FIREWIRE External HD's & iMac G5's - is there a quiet one?

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