FireWire suddenly "dead"

FireWire on my mini was working fine earlier today. This evening, however, it seems to have died. There have been no electrical anomalies and the computer is plugged into a VERY good surge supressor. Prior to troubleshooting the issue I had not plugged or unplugged any new devices into/from the FireWire chain. Prior to the problem, I had the following attached in daisy-chain fashion:
* external DVD burner
* external hard drive
* iPod dock
I first noted that my external DVD burner was no longer showing up as an option in Toast, though the external hard drive was still mounted and useable. I unplugged everything from the FireWire port and began attaching devices directly, one at a time. Subsequently, NO devices were recognized on the port, even the hard drive that had previously been working fine. Currently my iPod will charge when plugged into the FireWire port on the mini but is not recognized by the computer as being attached.
System Profiler says this in the FireWire section:
FireWire Bus:
Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
It does not show anything attached. All of the devices in question have been tested with another computer and work fine when attached to that computer. This problem persists whether I boot from the internal drive or from the 10.4 DVD.
I have done the following:
1. Repeatedly zapped the PRAM and reset everything in Open Firmware (reset-nvram, set-defaults, reset-all.)
2. Unplugged EVERYTHING from the mini, including power, and let it sit for up to an hour or more.
3. Reset the PMU.
4. Repaired the hard drive (no problems found) and repaired permissions (both when booted from the internal drive and when booted from the 10.4 DVD.)
5. Tried to test with TechTool Pro 4.1.1, but the FireWire test is greyed out.
6. I have not run the Apple Hardware Test as I cannot find the CD.
7. I have run various drive-fixing apps (Drive Setup, Drive Genius, et al) in the hopes that maybe one of them would magically see the external hard drive, but of course they did not.
8. I have not tried swapping back the original RAM as I have not located my putty knife ... err, "Mac mini tool" since we moved into our new house.
Other frustrations aside, I don't understand why my iPod will charge but is not recognized by the computer.
Any help on this problem is GREATLY appreciated. Sending it back to Apple for repair is about the last thing I want to do as everything else is functioning normally and I can't afford the downtime with no computer.
mini 1.42 - 1.0GB RAM - 80GB HD - BT & AirPort Mac OS X (10.4.3) + Palm Zire 72 + 40GB 3G iPod + Nokia 6255i + MX1000 Laser Mouse + 2TB storage

Another thing I forgot to mention: I tested the devices in question on my wife's PowerBook and all work fine there.
And ignoring that, if ALL of my cables instantly went bad at once, then there is an evil involved that I'm in no way prepared to fight without the help of Father Merrick.
And adding an update: I unplugged everything -- EVERYTHING -- from the mini and let it sit overnight and all day today. Reconnected stuff tonight, reset the PMU, zapped PRAM, reset stuff in OF, etc. and still no go. What a bummer.

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    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2237714#2237714
    Sad faced iPod, but my computer won’t recognize it
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2242018#2242018
    Sad iPod solution
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=412033&tstart=0
    Re: try to restore ipod and it says "can't mount ipod"
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=443659&tstart=30
    iPod making clicking noise and is frozen
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=2420150#2420150
    Cant put it into disk mode
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3786084#3786084
    I think my iPod just died its final death
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3813051
    Apple logo & monochrome battery stay
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3827167#3827167
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    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4489387#4489387
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    Quote “This has been discussed numerous times as a 'fix'. It does work, at least for a while. In fact I remember using the same basic trick to revive Seagate and Quantam drives back in the mid to late 1980's. Why these tiny hard drives go bad I don't know - could be the actuator gets stuck in place or misaligned. Could be the platter gets stuck or the motor gets stuck. 'Stiction' was a problem for drives back in the 80's. Unfortunately the fix can cause damage to the platter so we temporarily fix one problem by creating another. But I know of two instances where a little slap onto the table revived the iPods and they are still worked a year or more later.”UnQuote
    Message was edited by: Mitch 751

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    Hi, I hope you can help me as I have a problem with my Z1 since Christmas day. My phone suddenly died when I put it into sleep or locked it. Before it happens, I was charging using the charging dock. I pulled it out of the charging dock and the battery was around 40%. I used the camera, turned off the WiFi. Everything is normal. Then I locked it and laid it on my bed. After a couple of minutes when I was about to use it, it's no longer turning on. I tried charging it again but to no avail, no notification light indicating that it's charging (both USB cable and charging dock), tried the power button + volume up still the same. Hard reset via the red button beside the SIM tray but still the same. Tried connecting it to the PC to see if the PCC or SUS will recognize it but to no avail. I bought the unit from a grey market (OL shop) so there is no official Sony warranty. They only offer 3-day replacement for manufacturer defect and 1-year service warranty. I bought it last Oct. 31. The seller doesn't agree with the replacement for the unit since way beyond the 3-day replacement period. At the same time he said that the service warranty is voided as I updated my OS to 4.3 (as per their receipt, any OS modification will void the service warranty). So I went to the referred service shop to have my phone check but to no avail, they cannot check it as they still experience the same problem. I went to an Xperia store and the lady I talked to advised me to go to the main Sony service centre in which she provided me the map. So I went there and my phone stayed overnight on the said service centre for checking. The next day as per the diagnosis of the technician it's is beyond repairbale via software or something like that. Their laptops or PCs can't still detect my phone. They said it might need a replacement of the motherboard. So a couple of days later, yesterday, we went back to the OL store to try to demand for a replacement again but they just advised us to seek again for a second opinion on the same technician he referred the first time. So we went there and stated the problem. He said that the battery might be super drained that's why even if I charge overnight it won't turn on or get charged. He also mentioned that I might have experienced a dead or death booth as something might have happened with the system or software of the phone. By the way, few hours after the phone suddenly died on the 25th the phone became warm or hot. He mentioned that it might be because there were apps were running that time when it still has battery. Do you have any idea if this is a case of a dead or death booth? I serioulsy hope it has nothing to do with the motherboard.

  • IPhone suddenly dead

    My iPhone will not switch on at all. Have tried everything - hoding the power and home buttons simultaneously does not work. ITunes does not recognise it. Tried connecting it to a charger - nothing happened. Problems began soon after I had the screen replaced about 4 weeks ago at the Genius Bar - because the home button was not functioning too well. But the screen replacement, which cost $100, created more problems. The phone would suddenly die. Pressing the power and home buttons would bring the apple logo back - but the logo would remain there forever. One had to repeat this exercise a few times before the phone could be revived. Today it seems absolutely dead. Nothing seems to work. I am travelling abroad - and I thought I had it fixed before I left - and now I am suddenly at a loss, without a phone - and feel very badly let down by Apple. Any help would be welcome.

    Thanks I'll certainly do that but I am travelling right now - outside the US. So, for a month there's nothing I can do apart from buying a phone locally. Cannot access the important work-related messages I'd received on it.

  • Mid-2010 MacBook Pro suddenly Dead

    My MacBook Pro was working perfectly fine when I closed the lid and plugged it in.  Fifteen minutes later I opened the lid and nothing happened.  It will not turn on; no signs of life whatsoever.  The only thing it will do is, with the power cord attached, all five of the Battery Life lights on the side light up solid for five seconds or until the cord is unplugged. 
    I am outside the U.S. at the moment and the Mac Authorized repair ship says they do not have the ability to test individual parts and can only replace the entire logic board at a very high price.
    Any ideas?
    Details:
    Mid-2010, 15-inch, 2.4GHz, i5, Lion, confirmed no carbonization or liquid spills.
    Thanks!

    You should follow the instruction given for Condition and replace the battery. It's almost four years old with over a thousand charging cycles.....it's dead.

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