Is my firewire cable causing a crash?

My iPod will no longer mount using a firewire cable. It does not mount to the desktop, nor in iTunes. iTunes tries to open but just hangs with the spinning wheel of death. When I force quit, my iMac crashes into a kernel panic.
No problems when using a USB cable. I am running 10.2.8, and have the newest versions of iTunes and iPod Updater. Previously, my firewire cable worked just fine.
Any ideas what may be going on?

OK...easy fix:
Disconnect all cables, shut down, unplug power for a few minutes.
Re-connect, restart and everything seems fine now. Also ran Disk Repair from the Installer Disk to fix anything suspicious.

Similar Messages

Sleeping firewire drive causes system crash

I have a 320 GB external firewire seagate drive connected to my Dual Ghz Quicksilver G4. At least twice a day, when I try to access that drive, I experience a system crash, what I believe to be a kernal panic. I get a message telling me I need to shut my computer down and restart it. I am thinking this is not so good for my computer.
So, either the hard drive is the problem or it's the third party firewire card i have installed in one of my PCI slots. But here's the thing, other drives are connected to that card.
Would keeping the Seagate drive awake stop this from happening? It goes to sleep all the time. Have others experienced problems with the seagate drives? Should I stop using it?

Hi, Aaron. Welcome to the Discussions.
If you are seeing this message, that indicates a kernel panic.
There could be a problem with the FireWire drive or the card. If disconnecting the drive for a few days results in no additional panics, then it is the drive. For that, I'd contact Seagate. If not, the card becomes suspect. An examination of the panic log might prove helpful.
You can also try running Step 1 of the process specified in my "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ against the Seagate FireWire drive.
Checking the FireWire cables, trying different cables or ports, checking that the card is installed correctly, checking that you assembled the Seagate drive and enclosure correctly (sounds like you built the FW drive) are some other troubleshooting steps to consider. The FireWire enclosure itself may be defective.
See also my "Resolving Kernel Panics" FAQ. This FAQ includes step-by-step instructions for identifying and resolving some of the most common causes of kernel panics, including tips like those above.
My FAQ is a roadmap: start at the beginning and work through to the end, following the instruction in the order specified, including the "If all else fails..." section if a cause or resolution is not found in an earlier troubleshooting step therein.
You maybe unable to prevent the FireWire drive from sleeping. Secondary hard drives (second internal, as well as external drives) may not respect the "Put the hard drive(s) to sleep when possible" option if de-selected. I discuss this particular issue in my "Spinning Beach Ball Of Death (SBBOD)" FAQ, specifically in the section entitled "SBBOD spins for 30-35 seconds. You may hear your hard drives spinning up."
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

Inserting VGA-cable causes either crash or black screen on my Thinkpad. Help!

On my newly bought W530, inserting a VGA-cable causes either a crash or a black screen on my Thinkpad.
The above happens every time I insert the VGA-cable which is quite annoying since I use it with my projector every day.
The crashes seems to happen mostly when I have the lid closed and insert the VGA-cable. If I have the lid open I mostly get a black screen (which remains black even when I pull out the cable again).
What could I try in order to fix this?
What driver (or other) would be the most likely cause?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Thanks Adam! :-)
Yes, like I mentioned, the crashes disappeared after installing the latest driver from Nvidias own site.
The remaining troubles are minor glitches which I can live with until NVidia hopefully fixes them with an updated driver.
But it is was really great to see instructions on how to boot into Safe-mode on Windows 8. I've always wondered that. Thanks again Adam! :-)

External Firewire HDD causing finder crash

I just bought an external Seagate FreeAgent Desk 1TB HDD. The thing is very finicky about how you plug it in and start it up, do the wrong sequence and it won't ever show up on the desktop.
When I have it plugged in via FW800 The thing causes my finder to become non responsive. When I try to relaunch it, it never comes back online. The only way out of it is a hard shutdown. The drive will work, but only for a brief time and then it will hang causing a never ending spinning beachball fail. I've been reading up on a lot of similar issues ever since upgrading to 10.5.7. I've downloaded Seagate's diagnostic utility, but its only feature is a "test" which never gets going while I'm hooked up via firewire.
As we speak I've swapped the firewire800 for the USB2 connection and all seems to be going well. What's the deal? Is this firmware hang affecting only firewire? Should I stick with the USB until this gets resolved? Is Firewire THAT much faster than USB that I'll be stuck in the file transfer dark ages until this gets fixed?

no no no, usb is plenty fast enough for most poeple, i would not even worry about it, if you can get it working good on usb, go with it. I hate seagates, but thats me, the only reason you will need really fast firewire is for if you do a lot of movie/music editing or changing, and even then the only REALLY long backup will be the first one only, the rest will probably be rlatively quite short.

Which FireWire Cable for Macbook Pro to Macbook Pro Migration Assistant?

Hi,
I've just purchased a new Macbook Pro 15" (standard - not retina display) and am planning to transfer my files via the Migration Assistant. My question is, I currently have a mid 2009 macbook pro (2.8GHz, 4GB) and was wondering which firewire cable I need to purchase - there are so many different types!
Thanks!

ds store wrote:
Hold T and boot the old Mac's drive to the desktop of the new one or do so during Setup Assistant or later with Migration Assistant.
Setup Assistant runs only once, at first startup when fresh out of the box or when freshly reinstalled from scratch. Migration Assistant is a regular application found in the Utilites folder.
If you're going to move all your stuff over, the easiest and least problematic way is via Setup Assistant. Since the computer is in a completely blank state when SA runs, it can create identical user accounts, permissions, etc., as the original source. MA is an app that runs on an already configured and running system and, hence, can't duplicate user accounts, modify permissions that are already in use, etc.: this can cause vexing issues for new users that may not be to well versed in multiuser operating system administration.

How to avoid Firewire cable hum

Hi,
I am using a Firewire external drive to record from a video capture device that feeds into my Powerbook via a USB cable. I am noticing hum when I have both of these cables connected. I have noticed this before whenever I have a Firewire cable attached.
Are there Firewire cables that are shielded or are otherwise immune to causing hum? The two Firewire cables I have now are clear plastic and I can see a braided silver covering beneath it. Even though the Firewire and USB cables can come in on different sides of the Powerbook, I am still getting hum. I cannot separate the cables much more than they are now.
If there aren't cables that will prevent hum I am (bad word here). I have to record video to the Firewire external drive. I tried using a USB drive and had all kinds of problems.
Thank you.
John L

Thanks but you say 'in my USB audio interface', meaning in this case either the Powerbook USB port or the USB cable I am using for the capture? Would that explain the hum with the older CD burner? The hum occurred with a previous Powerbook when I used that CD burner. I haven't used that CD burner with this Powerbook.
I too am using the EyeTV, in this case the 250 Plus. I will write to them over the weekend since I wrote a BIG note to them recently and I doubt they're in over the weekend, and I wouldn't want to bother them then anyway.
I also have a somewhat funky arrangement for my incoming audio to the EyeTV converter/computer. I'll work to be sure nothing is shorting there. (I have one mini to RCA cable that I use an A/B switch to change from audio in and out to/from the stereo, that connects to the Powerbook. I put the EyeTV box inbetween the stereo and the computer so I could keep this arrangement for feeding audio to/from the computer to/from the stereo. It's worked fine with no hum without any firewire devices connected. That audio cable is not shielded. Very susceptible to (what, RF?) from firewire cables I guess... I might want to rethink those connections and get shielded ones. Do they make shielded RCA cables? Monster probably does = expensive.

How to identify cause of crashes in Console

Hi. My MacBook Pro has locked up several times in the last few days. Is there a way I can look in Console (or somewhere else) to identify the cause of each crash?
I am not very familiar with Console. There is a CrashReporter file in Console, but it is empty. When I peruse the "All Messages" listing, it is mostly a bunch of gibberish to me. Any ideas what specifically to look, for example, for after I have performed a Force Quit on an application?
Thank you

Go to developer.apple.com and register for a free membership. Then you can search for document number TN2123 that documents the CrashReporter. I'm afraid, however, that it won't be of much help. It's intended to be used in conjunction with a debugger to trace a problem in a program. Rarely will one see anything in a crash report that will prove helpful.
However, the console log can tell you what caused a lockup or at least what the last thing was that logged an entry before the lockup. You can also provide a more complete description of what exactly was going on when the machine locked up along with any additional information such as error messages. The CrashReporter will at least tell you what process crashed and the timestamp. Then use the timestamp to investigate what's entered in the console log.
Frequent crashes (not kernel panics) of programs that have not normally exhibited a problem may be caused by corrupted preference files or cache files. They can also be caused by font problems - corrupted fonts or duplicate fonts. If you've added fonts to your system then you might check that.
If specific applications are causing the crash and you've already tossed their preference files and any associated cache files but they are still acting up, then consider uninstalling them and then reinstalling. Be sure to fully uninstall the application:
Uninstalling Software: The Basics
Most OS X applications are completely self-contained "packages" that can be uninstalled by simply dragging the application to the Trash. Applications may create preference files that are stored in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder. Although they do nothing once you delete the associated application, they do take up some disk space. If you want you can look for them in the above location and delete them, too.
Some applications may install an uninstaller program that can be used to remove the application. In some cases the uninstaller may be part of the application's installer, and is invoked by clicking on a Customize button that will appear during the install process.
Some applications may install components in the /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder. You can also check there to see if the application has created a folder. You can also delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder. Again, they don't do anything but take up disk space once the application is trashed.
Some applications may install a startupitem or a Log In item. Startupitems are usually installed in the /Library/StartupItems/ folder and less often in the /Home/Library/StartupItems/ folder. Log In Items are set in the Accounts preferences. Open System Preferences, click on the Accounts icon, then click on the LogIn Items tab. Locate the item in the list for the application you want to remove and click on the "-" button to delete it from the list.
Some software use startup daemons or agents that are a new feature of the OS. Look for them in /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Library/LaunchDaemons/ or in /Home/Library/LaunchAgents/.
If an application installs any other files the best way to track them down is to do a Finder search using the application name or the developer name as the search term. Unfortunately Spotlight will not look in certain folders by default. You can modify Spotlight's behavior or use a third-party search utility, Easy Find, instead. Download Easy Find at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
Some applications install a receipt in the /Library/Receipts/ folder. Usually with the same name as the program or the developer. The item generally has a ".pkg" extension. Be sure you also delete this item as some programs use it to determine if it's already installed.
There are many utilities that can uninstall applications. Here is a selection:
AppZapper
Automaton
Hazel
CleanApp
Yank
SuperPop
Uninstaller
Spring Cleaning
Look for them at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
For more information visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on removing software.
It also doesn't hurt to repair your hard drive and permissions:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Message was edited by: Kappy

Maximum firewire cable length?

Hi there,
Why do firewire cables come at a 6 foot limit? I have a joiner and am able to run my firewire audio device from twice that distance. Will this cause harm?
thanks,
rwa

I guess it should still work: the reason for the cable length limit is probably that the data transfers slightly more slowly when your FireWire cable is longer than six feet.

TS1702 trying to edit Hebrew KEYNOTE presentation on my iOS7 iPad cause KENOTE crash. It works OK on my iPhone 4S

Hello
Trying to edit Hebrew KEYNOTE presentation on my iOS7 iPad cause KENOTE crash.
It works OK on my iPhone 4S
I Whant to edit my presentations on my iPad.
I'll appreciate any suggestion.

I guess your going to have to try someother app besides keynote.
Here is a free app. I don't know how they make any money. I have not tried.
http://www.kingsoftstore.com/office-free-ios
All of the "Office" document editing applications on the iPad have limitations. Best try them out to see if they meet your needs.
DocsToGo
• VIEW/EDIT/CREATE Word & Excel files(Office 2007/2008/2010)
• VIEW PowerPoint, PDF, iWork, Text, .RTF, and more!
• Send & receive attached supported documents using the built-in Mail app
• FREE desktop application with your purchase! Compatible on Win & Mac allows you 2-way file sync with a WIFI connection.
• Open & Edit files within DocsToGo from any 3rd party app that supports the “Open In” feature
• Supports iTunes File Sharing via USB cable for manually moving files
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/documents-to-go-office-suite/id317117961?mt=8
Thanks to Texas Mac Man for pointing to this link.
"Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite and Documents To Go These two apps share an important feature: unlike Numbers, they can open, edit, and save an Excel spreadsheet without stripping out any data or formatting, even though they can’t display or edit all the existing information; spreadsheets can make the round trip from Mac to iPad and back safely, without losing anything."
http://www.macworld.com/article/1159958/ipadspreadsheet.html
Office² HD
"Office² HD, the most intuitive and straightforward office document editor available on the iPad, makes it easy to open, view, create and edit Word (DOC & DOCX), Excel (XLS & XLSX), and PowerPoint (PPT & PPTX) files right from your iPad!"
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/office2-hd/id364361728?mt=8
Quickoffice Pro HD
Create and edit ALL Microsoft® Office -- document, spreadsheet, and presentation formats, as well as view PDF files, on the go. Our advanced file manager lets you manage local files, access Google Drive or other cloud accounts, and works with your iPad email attachments so you can work anywhere, anytime - online and offline.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quickoffice-pro-hd-edit-office/id376212724?mt=8
Office Mobile for iPhone requires a qualifying Office 365 subscription
* Edit - You can make quick edits to Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
* Documents Remain Intact - Formatting and content remain intact when you edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents on your phone.
* Edit While Offline - Your device doesn’t have to be continuously connected to the network to work on an Office document that is stored online. You can view and edit recently used documents even while you’re offline. Your changes will be saved online when your device reconnects to the network or to Wi-Fi.
* Create – You can create new Word and Excel documents on your phone.
https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/office-mobile-for-office-365/id541164041?mt=8
nsdjoey presents ways to edit office documents in this web page:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/21953221#21953221
CloudOn -- Client front end to a Microsoft Office running on a server
"CloudOn brings Microsoft Office® to your iPhone & iPad and links it to your Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive accounts." Free for a give number of documents.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cloudon/id474025452?mt=8

Is it OK to charge the ipod battery with a firewire cable?

I find I can connect my 60GB black ipod photo/video via a firewire cable to an electric plug that came with a prior ipod and plug it into an outlet to charge it.
But is this OK to do or can it cause some problem with the ipod?
5th gen. iPod Mac OS X (10.4.3)

It's ok and works fine.

Can I transfer info from one macbook to another by using a firewire cable?

Can I transfer info from one mac to another by using a firewire cable?

You can boot the computer that you would like to get the file from into target disk mode.
This document will help you.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8443.html

Using A FireWire cable between two Macs and Migration Assistance to transfer all my desktop to my macbook laptop, will all my apps, bookmarks, contacts and files be transferred? I am trying to make a complete copy of my desktop to my laptop.

Using a FireWire cable between two Macs and the Migration Assistance feature, will al my apps, bookmarks, contacts and files be tranferred?

See Pondini's Setup New Mac guide

Mid 2010 Macbook Pro battery will not charge after plugging in firewire cable shut down computer

I have a mid 2010 15" Macbook pro with Lion installed.
I was running off battery, and I went to plug in a firewire cable, not plugged into anything, and when I inserted it, the computer shut off.
The computer would not turn on again without being plugged into the AC adaptor. The magsafe charger shows green, but the computer says not charging. The battery is showing 57%, but the indicator lights will only light up when AC charger is connected..
I have let it sit off, and plugged in for a couple hours, and nothing chages, and let it sit overnight not plugged in, but nothing.
I have read other forums about the same issue,, it seems like its a common issue, and some have said what it could be, but no one said what it IS.
I have tried resetting the SMC and PRAM, but to no avail.
When i plug in the AC adaptor, the computer immediately turns on (which I find kond of funny), and I am able to turn it off normally, and it will stay off, and I can also turn it on if the charger has been connected from pervious.
Below is my power information.:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:          W0013PVDXBX0A
Manufacturer:          SMP
Device Name:          bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:          0
PCB Lot Code:          0
Firmware Version:          201
Hardware Revision:          000a
Cell Revision:          157
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):          3406
Fully Charged:          No
Charging:          No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):          5956
Health Information:
Cycle Count:          395
Condition:          Normal
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          0
Voltage (mV):          11638
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake on LAN:          Yes
Current Power Source:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:          0
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          3
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
Reduce Brightness:          Yes
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:          No
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          Yes
ID:          0x0100
Wattage (W):          85
Revision:          0x0000
Family:          0x00ba
Serial Number:          0x00b9468c
Charging:          No
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

I have a mid 2010 15" Macbook pro with Lion installed.
I was running off battery, and I went to plug in a firewire cable, not plugged into anything, and when I inserted it, the computer shut off.
The computer would not turn on again without being plugged into the AC adaptor. The magsafe charger shows green, but the computer says not charging. The battery is showing 57%, but the indicator lights will only light up when AC charger is connected..
I have let it sit off, and plugged in for a couple hours, and nothing chages, and let it sit overnight not plugged in, but nothing.
I have read other forums about the same issue,, it seems like its a common issue, and some have said what it could be, but no one said what it IS.
I have tried resetting the SMC and PRAM, but to no avail.
When i plug in the AC adaptor, the computer immediately turns on (which I find kond of funny), and I am able to turn it off normally, and it will stay off, and I can also turn it on if the charger has been connected from pervious.
Below is my power information.:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:          W0013PVDXBX0A
Manufacturer:          SMP
Device Name:          bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:          0
PCB Lot Code:          0
Firmware Version:          201
Hardware Revision:          000a
Cell Revision:          157
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):          3406
Fully Charged:          No
Charging:          No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):          5956
Health Information:
Cycle Count:          395
Condition:          Normal
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          0
Voltage (mV):          11638
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake on LAN:          Yes
Current Power Source:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:          0
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          3
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
Reduce Brightness:          Yes
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:          No
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          Yes
ID:          0x0100
Wattage (W):          85
Revision:          0x0000
Family:          0x00ba
Serial Number:          0x00b9468c
Charging:          No
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Connecting a MacBook to PowerMac G5 with a firewire cable

I have a 13" MacBook. I want to transfer files from my PowerMac G5 running OS X 10.4.11 to it. I can hook an external drive to the MacBook via firewire and it recognizes it. I can hook up the PowerMac and the MacBook via firewire, start the MacBook with the T key depressed and see the hard drive on my PowerMac. But... I can't do the reverse. I can start up the MacBook with the T key depressed and see the G5's hard drive on it.
Any suggestions?

Are you using the same cable to connect the machines?
Some folks suggest to shut both machines down, then connect the Firewire cable. Boot the Power Mac into Target Disc mode. Once you see the FireWire symbol on the PowerMac's screen, try booting the MacBook.
Once the MacBook has started & you're logged in, check for the hard drive in Finder. If it doesn't appear, open System Profiler (Applications>Utilities), and click Firewire in the left-hand column. Are any devices showing here?
~Lyssa

How to transfer from one mini to another without messing up either one. I have one monitor and two minis. I do have a firewire cable but don't want a complete transfer, just specific files.

I have done a complete fire wire transfer before but I don't want to do that. I only want to transfer certain files and leave the existing and new minis in tact otherwise. I am sure I can transfer just files. My question mostly is: I only have one monitor but will have two minis that are hooked up. Can this be done without seeing the other computer contents? I hope that makes sense. The existing mini is 10.5.8 and the new one is 10.6.

You can start one mac up in target disk mode, get file sharing set up and then disconnect the monitor. Monitor ports are very tolerant of connecting and disconnecting with the computer on.
Switch the monitor to the other computer. Start up, connect the firewire cable (after the computer has booted) and set up file sharing on that computer. You can see the other computer's contents without controlling the other computer's mouse and/or keyboard.
If the other computer's hard drive does not automatically show up, go to network settings and verify those settings as well. That should not be necessary but ethernet would give you a second option for file transfers.
Ji~m

Is my firewire cable causing a crash?

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