Is my Firewire broken?

Neither my iPod dock nor speakers are working through my MacBook's firewire port. Is there a way to see if it's fried or fix this?

HI,
Please click My Settings on the right side of this page and fill out you profile. We need which Mac and which Mac OS X you are running. It helps us trouble shoot for you. Thanks!
Shut down your MacBook. Disconnect the iPod and speakers. Wait about ten minutes, restart the MacBook and connect your iPod. See if it mounts on the Desktop and is recognized by iTunes.
If that doesn't help, try resetting the SMC, instructions here.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411
Carolyn

Similar Messages

FireWire broken since.....?

Anyone else got problems with importing DV via FireWire?
I do not know since when things got broken but last night I tried to import a DV tape via FireWire as I did many many times before. But iMovie does not 'see' my Sony cam anymore. I checked the FireWire in System Profile and it does not show my cam. I tried two different Sony cam's (dcr-tvr12 and dcr-hc44e) and two brand new FireWire cables. Nothing works!
What is going on? I do not understand where or what busted the connectivity

Here's a bit more info
I'm currently using Snow Leopard where my previous imports where all done in Leopard. Reading some fora I read that Apple stopped supporting FireWire400, I guess this could cause the problem.
Anyone having the same issue?

Is Firewire broken in 10.4.9 (Intel)?

My iPod photo, that has been connected to my Intel iMac 1.83, 2 MB RAM for nearly a year, became unreliable upon the OS X 10.4.9 and iTunes 7.1 update. Syncing with iTunes and copying files to and from the iPod in the Finder became unreliable, with lots of beach balls.
The Firewire cable was used with PowerBook G4 with no issues. An USB2 cable was introduced into the Intel iMac and it works fine.
Restoring the iPod to factor specs had no effect.
About the only test I have not tried (that I can think of) is bringing another FW device onto the iMac as I do not have one handy.
Do I have a software issue? A hardware issue? Any thoughts?

I have had the system hang on an Intel iMac running OS 10.4.9, with latest Security Updates, after importing an image into Photoshop CS3 via firewire connection to an Epson scanner. No problem previously with the firewire scanner on an iMac G5 running OS 10.4.9. Since everything was more or less updated at the same time, not sure where the problem lies. The scan is complete and just as the image opens in Photoshop, the system hangs, and Force-Quit doesn't work. The Force Quit dialogue box shows 'Photoshop is not responding'. I've had to manually shut down the system by holding the power button down. This has all happened within the last few days, and the issue appears intermittently--some scans complete normally.

Mac G4 external firewire broken

I've recently encountered this problem which caused me to lose a lot of data. The setup is mac mini g4 + external firewire hard drive from Freecom.
What is happening is that read/write operations do not result in copy fidelity. Here's a terminal log to illustrate:
ariel:Freecom FW 1TB kaitlin$ cp another.avi another1.avi
ariel:Freecom FW 1TB kaitlin$ ls -lh another*
-rw-r--r-- 1 kaitlin staff 176M 2 Sep 11:48 another.avi
-rw-r--r-- 1 kaitlin staff 176M 2 Sep 12:07 another1.avi
ariel:Freecom FW 1TB kaitlin$ md5 another.avi
MD5 (another.avi) = 6eedf37d80b81f61f0c4a8f71dfea57c
ariel:Freecom FW 1TB kaitlin$ md5 another1.avi
MD5 (another1.avi) = b8cffac964d494279a508f11151ee529
So basically the original and its copy have different hashcodes which means they're not the same file, so I can't trust the firewire. It does this consistently with any file read/write operation to/from any destination. The machine does NOT behave like this with external USB drives or the internal drive.
I've got two computers, both G4 1.5 GHz of the same era (Mac mini and Powerbook 15"), and the same symptoms appear on both machines, as well as when hooking the drive up to a FW800 port.
I tried connecting the drive to a friend's Intel Mac Mini, and it does NOT exhibit this behaviour. So I'm suspecting it's a recent software update that caused the drive to fail, since I have used the same firewire disk for a few months without any problems.
My question is, has anyone else had this experience? and if so, is there a fix?

This problem seems to be with Mac OS X 10.5.8. I've reinstalled a clean Mac OS X 10.5.0 and the issue doesn't occur.

Broken FireWire-800 port?

Hello,
I've bought a LaCie HDD with especially a FireWire-800 port because I use it to place movies on it and edit it with iMovie. Only when I connect the HDD with FW800 it does not show that it's connected on the iMac, with USB 2.0 it does show it, but that is too slow for me. First I thought it was a cable issue. And I even did an Apple Hardware Test which did not give a negative result. Then I took my HDD to test it on another iMac, there it did work. Does that mean my FireWire 800 port on my iMac is broken? What should I do now?

Greetings,
Your testing does indeed indicate an issue with that port.
Reset the SMC and then test: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Reset the PRAM and then test: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/26871.html
If the issue persists after you follow the above steps, make an appointment with a Mac Genius at an Apple store, contact AppleCare via phone, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider for assistance.
Best of luck.

SuperDrive is broken, can I install Snow Leopard using Firewire?

A relative gifted me a new computer, so I'm wanting to sell my old 21.5" mac. I've done all the basics - backed everything to an external hard drive, secure erased all data, and bought a retail copy of Snow Leopard (since I'd bought it with all software preinstalled, I didn't have any install disks).
Now here's the problem: the SuperDrive is broken, and I've already tried using a Samsung external CD/DVD drive to install the OS - no dice. I was told that instead of relying on install CDs, I could make a USB stick with the install on it. So I took my Macbook Pro and partitioned it, set it to GUID, selected "Restore," etc. After that, I stick the USB into the old mac, hold the "Option" key in startup, and see the "Install CD" icon. I click on it, and the screen shows the Apple logo. Nothing else. I thought to leave it like that for a few hours, and still nothing happens. I can't even see the cursor.
Now, what I want to know is (apart from the fact that now is the time to panic), is there any way I can install the OS via Firewire and the Macbook Pro's SuperDrive? If not, is there ANY way to install that doesn't require a SuperDrive? All articles on the topic seem to be written in cryptic shorthand, so it would be greatly appreciated if any info was broken down for my 2nd-grade reading intellect.

If the 2 computers have the correct cable connections, try the Target Disk Mode.
Target Disc Mode

Broken firewire ports - boot problems - target mode help needed

HI there,
I have a 15" macbook pro from 2008 with core 2 duo cpu etc.
It has recently developed the problem of hanging during the boot process with a blue screen, taking around 5 minutes to get to the login screen.
Much research has led me to the solution of removing two files from the SYSTEM > LIBRARY > EXTENSIONS folder relating to the firewire bus (?) and this has solved the issues about booting. (IOFirewireIP.kext and IOFirewireFamily.kext)
(I put on a clean install of 10.6.3 and the screen stayed blue. Removing these two files in target mode fixed this problem.)
There is still a sleep problem though - i.e. the machine does not wake from manual sleep (Apple menu) or if the system sleeps after the time allocated in the energy saving preferences.
There are so many suggestions on the web, it's almost impossible to know what the correct course of action is.
Another strange thing is, is that I can boot into target mode and access the drive via the firewire (400) port from another mac.
If the port were truly broken, how come it still works in target mode?
Is it possible that the firewire interface is not broken, but disabling these two files above could eliminate another associated problem?
Also, is there an online resource, or walkthrough, to eliminate what could be causing the sleep problems?
I would appreciate someone's suggestions on this and thank you for your help in advance!
Best wishes,
Torbz

Strangely, after installing a clean 10.6.3 - I've updated to 10.6.8 and the firewire ports are suddenly back and being reported in system profiler (whereby they were not before).
The two files I deleted above have been re-instated through the updates - and all seems well.
I've yet to check the sleep mode problem - but the firewire has at least sorted itself out...
That's a bonus!
Torbz

Inserted broken firewire cable - BURNED PORT _ HELP!

I inserted a broken firewire cable, unbeknownst to me of course, and sat back to network two computers, when I smelled a metallic burning aroma and quickly unplugged the cable. I now have no firewire port. Any suggestions on not having to purchase a new motherboard? Thanks in advance.

An RS-232 is something else. A Firewire port is technically an IEEE 1394, but practically nobody calls it that since Apple stopped enforcing the "Firewire" trademark.
Okay, totally off-topic story.
Back in the day, the absolute state-of-the-art for real-time compositing was a machine called an Inferno. It ran on an SGI Onyx 2 system, which was a purple computer about six feet tall. It ran on 220-volt power, like your dryer uses, and it required two circuits just to turn on. Those kinds of power connections aren't all that common, so it wasn't unusual to have to wire them up ourselves off the main bus in the equipment room. Technically that's the kind of thing an electrician should do, but really it's no more complicated than changing a light bulb, so it's no big deal.
A 220-volt plug has three wires: two hot wires and a ground. Well, one time I was waaaay too sleepy, and I wired one of the hots up to the ground terminal in the plug. The Onyx was connected to an RS-232 system console — a serial port like the deck-control port on the back of a VTR, but slightly different — and that console was plugged into a regular three-pronged wall outlet.
Well, when I turned everything on, power shorted from the hot lead of the 220V outlet +through the serial cable+ and into the console, and out the console's ground wire back into the wall again.
Surprisingly, everything in the loop was fine except for the RS-232 connector on the back of the computer. The resistance of the current running through it generated so much heat that it melted a couple of the pins and fused the plastic cover of the cable to the back of the computer. Hooo, what a stench.
Also, the repair bill was about $60,000.
That's when I learned not to screw around with electricity when you're tired and in a hurry.

Firewire slot broken?

Hi,
i think my internal FW card is gone, i need help to confirm that.
Yesterday i connected my macbook pro 15" to an older G4 that i'm using as fileserver.
I put my macbook pro in Target Mode and i plugged FW cable (the same cable used everyday to connect drives). Nothing happened also trying to unplug and plug it again. Ok maybe my g4 is so old i thinked...
Reboot my macbook pro since then takes about 5-7 minutes, when to Finder i see istat pro on top is working but i can't click nothing. Looking in console, after my mac turn to life, i see
system_profiler[398]: SPFWR ERROR: FireWire bus may be unstable. Other FireWire devices may be present.
In Apple System Profiler under Firewire > Unable to list device
I tried to restart and reset SMC, zap pram, repair permissions and finally unload / reload related IOFW kexts but nothing.
Now after some reboots it doesn't work anymore, no more error logs. The FW port is disappeared and hangs too of course.
Now in Apple System Profiler under FW ... No ports
It seems to me an hw problem , i can live without my FW port but what i really want to know is that should be a sign of a progressive painful agony or not...
Consider that apple replaced my logic board on this macbook pro on late 2008 - graphic card broken.
you can understand that a new logic board (out of warranty period) is not worthy in this case...
Someone can suggest to me a deep test on it?
thanks in advance

A similar thing has happened to me on 2 different MBPs (one 2.16 C2D and the other a 2.4 C2D, 4 and 3 years old respectively) in different places in the last week. Both have been using external FW800 hard drives, and then suddenly after a restart the drives refuse to power up from the FW bus. Restarting again not only didn't fix it, but caused the system to become unresponsive after start-up (could move the mouse, but couldn't click or use the keyboard). Startup programs would launch so it wasn't totally hung, but no input devices fully worked (tried both the built in keyboard/trackpad and a external Logitec keyboard/mouse combo - same results). Booting into "safe mode" (holding shift) returned the computer to functionality, but FW obviously still didn't work (and the keyboard obviously worked as it registered the shift key-press to enter safe mode)
I also tried booting off the 10.6 install DVD which worked fine, but Disk utility wouldn't recognize any drives attached to the FW bus (400 or 800) while on another iMac the same process recognized a FW attached device. As well, when I ran System Profiler from the install DVD on the MPBs, it said that it was "unable to list FireWire devices", whereas everything listed fine on the iMac.
In the end, removing the FW kexts from System/Library/Extensions allowed the computer to boot up normally and everything work (keyboard/mouse problem gone - startup was also a bit faster) but of course the FW bus is not functional anymore.
So, it seems to me to be a hardware issue as well, but that it's happened on 2 isolated computers within 4 days (after both using FW every day for 3-4 years) seems like too big a coincidence. I can't think of any software update that was installed recently, but I'm suspicious that there is some software issue that fried the FW controller. Anybody else having this issue?

Broken Firewire Divice, Is There Another Way To Use Firewire Cable For PB?

Hi. It seems to me that the firewire divice of my pb titanium no longer works.
Is there another method to connect the firewire cable to my pb?
I simply want to transfer heavy date from ipod to pb through firewire cable.
Thanks in advance.

Hi, pasteurization. If the FireWire port on your Powerbook no longer works, you can buy a relatively inexpensive CardBus adapter that will provide a FireWire port or ports and spare you the high cost of replacing your logic board. Here is one example — there are many others on the market:
http://fwdepot.com/thestore/productinfo.php/productsid/323
I chose this one as an example because its vendor is unusually clear in explaining the following (I've added the boldface):
"CB1394DET is designed with power-class 0 so it does not need power and does not provide bus power to the IEEE 1394 Bus. No power limitations on Self-powered devices, CB1394DET supports all Self-powered devices. It will not support all Bus-Powered devices. Optional FireWire repeater is a must for Bus-Powered devices. Please contact us for more info about FireWire repeaters."

Reinstall (broken internal dvdrom, using firewire dvdrom) problem

Hi
I'm trying to reinstall Tiger on my iBook G4 using an external (fw) dvdrom, the dvdrom is recognized in OSX. The internal dvdrom is broken (has a disc that won't come out).
When I try to boot the iBook G4 from the mac os x disk in the external dvdrom, nothing seems to happen, the Apple remains on the screen and the process indicator keeps spinning..
I tried holding c; pressing option, command, shift, delete and holding option to select the Mac OS X install disk, each method gives me the same result :s.

It's the Tiger Install Disk, I think it's an universal disk, it didn't come with my iBook...
Most iBooks require a special version of Mac OS X. This could explain why you can't startup from that disk. Exactly which model iBook do you have? (Is it 12" or 14" and what's the processor speed?) Which version of Mac OS X is included on the Tiger install disk? (It should be printed on the disk.) Here's a list of which version of Mac OS X is required by different models of iBooks:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25517
You may need to call Apple and get the right set of install disks.
-Doug

Spotlight & Find Broken after SMC Firewire Update

I recently upgraded to the latest firmwire, iMac SMC Firewire Update 1.0, and now I have no find functionality on my Intel iMac. Soptlight shows, but doesn't search for anything. File find searches and searches but never finds anything.
I tried restarting and repairing permissions and that didn't do anything. I tried deleting com.apple.spotlight.plist and no luck either.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I had the same issue, spotlight dead after I installed then de installed BootCamp.
I only had one account so I created another, logged into it and spotlight worked, logged out and in my account spotlight worked again.
Thanks
Mini - Intel Duo Mac OS X (10.4.6) 512mg/80gb/SyncMaster 940MW

Canon XH A1S broken firewire port

Hi Guys,
Disastrous news today from Canon repairs- the firewire out on my camera needs replacing.
The cost of the repair is close to the price of a second hand camera!
So, I am trying to think of a work-around.
One suggestion is to find a consumer-grade HD digital camera that has a firewire port
that I can use to transfer my tapes into FCE.
If the file size is the same as the copy I made from the Canon camera, then
theoretically the image quality will be the same?
I am not sure if any of the companies made some kind of a viewing device (not
a recorder) that has a firewire out on it? That would be another possibility if
such a device exists and I can track one down.
If anybody has any suggestions or ideas it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Regards to all.
P.s. My camera is PAL not NTSC.

Hi Al,
Well I tracked down a Sony HDR HC3 which has a firewire connection, but when I put a tape shot on my Canon XH AiS I got a message reading "change tape format".
I noticed that the image could be seen as it was being fast-forwarded and fast-backwards but would not play.
I shot a couple of minutes on the Canon but changed the setting from 25p to 50i, then put the tape back in the Sony and it worked perfectly.
The problem is all of my tapes that need ingesting have been shot at 25p.
If anyone has any ideas it would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

Firewire failure / fused?/ broken

Hi,
A child was playing with firewire cable from my iMacG5 20" with her little metal toy in the end of the cable and then on trying to use the firewire ports they no longer work at all! All other parts of my Mac work fine.
I've tried both ports - no joy
I've tried a number of different devices (iSight, HD, iPod) - no joy
I've tried a few different cables - no joy
Is it possible that this has been fused?" Is there some fix?

It's very possible, if nothing works in those ports (do your USB ports work?) then you need to have the mother board replaced.
However, before you do that try this:
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Disconnect all devices and all other cables, except the keyboard and mouse cable(s).
3. Disconnect the computer from the power outlet and wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Plug the computer back in and turn it on.
5. Reconnect the device(s) (one at a time if there is more than one) and test. Test with each port if you have more than one.
And then this:
1. Downloading and installing the combo updater of the system software update you've last applied via "Software Update...".
2. Another trick is to restart by zapping the parameter RAM:
After the startup tone, hold down <commandd><option><r> until 3 additional startup tones are heard, then release the 4 keys.
3Try to do Open Firmware resets:
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)
Do let us know how you make out,

BROKEN FIREWIRE PORT?

I have for a long time not been able to use my firewire sound card with my MBP in 2010. I have tried using a newcable and also tested on other computers where it works perfectly. The sound card works perfecly on my friends MBP 2010.
I checked the system info and saw one FireWire 800port was listed. After that I tried to hook up my video camera with firewire so I checked again in system info but now it says"No FireWire ports found". Have tried to restore from the OS X disc and reset PRAM and NVRAM. Still, it says "No FireWireports found".
I ran disk utility to see if it would help but it didn't.
PLEASE HELP WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Greetings,
Saddly no, the warranty (http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/) does not cover damage done to the system.
The Firewire port is integrated with the logic board so most likely it would require a full logic board replacement. Can't really give you an exact price on that but its 300.00+ USD.
To find out an exact estimate of repair cost:
-- Contact a local Apple Authorized Service Provider: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1434
or
-- Book an appointment at an Apple Retail Store: http://www.apple.com/retail/
Cheers.

Is my Firewire broken?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for