Issues with External Hard Drives

I hope this is the right forum for this one - please give me a steer if not! I've also posted it in 'Dock and Finder', but this forum seems equally appropriate, if not more so.
I'm getting repeated issues with External Hard Drives, including ones that I have been using successfully for months/years, suddenly failing to mount and then becoming 'unknown device' through the firewire branch of 'About This Mac'.
I've just bought a new hard drive on the grounds that the others had somehow failed, and the same problems are emerging. I decided to Repair Permissions on my iMac's internal drive, and am copying the results below, from repair runs conducted yesterday and today:
YESTERDAY'S REPAIR PERMISSIONS RESULTS
Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Performing live verification.
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
Checking Catalog file.
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Checking Extended Attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
The volume Macintosh HD appears to be OK.
Repairing permissions for “Macintosh HD”
Reading permissions database.
Reading the permissions database can take several minutes.
Permissions differ on "private/var/log/secure.log", should be -rw------- , they are -rw-r----- .
Permissions differ on "Library/Preferences", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxrwxrwx .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/Resources/lanArrow.png", should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/Resources/lanCheck.png", should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/Resources/lanDisabled.png", should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/Resources/wanArrow.png", should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/Resources/wanCheck.png", should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/Resources/wanDisabled.png", should be -rwxrwxr-x , they are -rw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/Apple/ParentalControls/ALRHelperJobs", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxr-xr-x .
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Sites".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/DVD.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSettings.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSources.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Movies.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Music.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Photos.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Podcasts.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/TV.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BackRow.framework/Versions/A/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Desktop".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Application Support".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Assistants".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/MIDI Drivers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Digidesign".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Sounds/Alerts".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Sounds".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/ColorPickers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Compositions".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Favorites".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/FontCollections".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Fonts".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/iMovie/Plug-ins".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/iMovie/Sound Effects".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/iMovie".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Input Methods".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Internet Plug-Ins".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Keyboard Layouts".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Printers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Screen Savers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Sounds".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Voices".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Movies".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Music".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Pictures".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Public".
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/InternetUtilities.bundle/Contents/ CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunesHelper.app/Contents/CodeResou rces", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.usbmuxd.plist", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are -rwxr-xr-x .
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/Filesystems/AppleShare/afpLoad" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskManagement.framework/Versions/A/Resources /DiskManagementTool" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "sbin/umount" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "bin/rcp" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/Apple/ParentalControls/ContentFiltering", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/Apple/ParentalControls", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iLifeMediaBrowser.framework/Versions/A/CodeRe sources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/CodeResourc es", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/BlackAndWhiteEffect.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/CubeTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/DissolveTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/DropletTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/FadeThroughBlackTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/FlipTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/MosaicFlipTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/MosaicFlipTransitionSmall.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/PageFlipTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/PushTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/RevealTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/SepiaEffect.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/TwirlTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/WipeTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/quota" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/rlogin" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/rsh" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions repair complete
TODAY'S PERMISSIONS REPAIR RESULTS
Repairing permissions for “Macintosh HD”
Reading permissions database.
Reading the permissions database can take several minutes.
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/Apple/ParentalControls/ALRHelperJobs", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxr-xr-x .
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Sites".
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/DVD.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSettings.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSources.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Movies.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Music.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Photos.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Podcasts.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/TV.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BackRow.framework/Versions/A/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Desktop".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Application Support".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Assistants".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/MIDI Drivers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Digidesign".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Sounds/Alerts".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio/Sounds".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Audio".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/ColorPickers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Compositions".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Favorites".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/FontCollections".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Fonts".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/iMovie/Plug-ins".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/iMovie/Sound Effects".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/iMovie".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Input Methods".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Internet Plug-Ins".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Keyboard Layouts".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Printers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Screen Savers".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Sounds".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Voices".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Movies".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Music".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Pictures".
ACL found but not expected on "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Public".
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/InternetUtilities.bundle/Contents/ CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunesHelper.app/Contents/CodeResou rces", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/Filesystems/AppleShare/afpLoad" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskManagement.framework/Versions/A/Resources /DiskManagementTool" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "sbin/umount" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "bin/rcp" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/Apple/ParentalControls/ContentFiltering", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "Library/Application Support/Apple/ParentalControls", should be drwxrwxr-x , they are drwxr-xr-x .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iLifeMediaBrowser.framework/Versions/A/CodeRe sources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/CodeResourc es", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/BlackAndWhiteEffect.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/CubeTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/DissolveTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/DropletTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/FadeThroughBlackTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/FlipTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/MosaicFlipTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/MosaicFlipTransitionSmall.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/PageFlipTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/PushTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/RevealTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/SepiaEffect.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/TwirlTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/iPhotoAccess.framework/Versions/A/Resources/P lugins/WipeTransition.IAPlugin/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/quota" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/rlogin" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/rsh" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions repair complete
My concerns are:
* Some of the permissions repaired yesterday appear to have needed to be repaired again today
* There are several files which carry a warning that they won't be repaired as they have been 'modified', and some of these clearly relate to disk management.
Does anyone have any ideas what is going on???
Thanks!!

Many problems with the 10.5.7 update have been fixed by a Restart.
If that doesn't help, something may have gone wrong with the update. Download and install the "combo" update, from: http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacOS_X_10_5_7_ComboUpdate
If that doesn't help, try running the Apple Hardware Test, on the disc that came with your computer.
1. Disconnect all external devices (including the Ethernet cable) except the keyboard and mouse.
2. Insert the "Additional Software & Apple Hardware Test" disc that came with your computer.
3. Restart while holding down the "C" key. When the list of available startup volumes appears, click Apple Hardware Test and the right arrow.
4. When the Apple Hardware Test main screen comes up (after a moment), follow the on screen instructions.
5. If it detects a problem, an error code will be displayed. Make a note of it.

Similar Messages

Windows Easy Transfer (WET) Issues with External Hard Drive - "Can't read from the source file or disk"

I work for Office Depot, in the tech department. Basically, one of our associates was supposed to do a data backup, and re-install Windows 7, then transfer the files back. He used Windows Easy Transfer and compacted everything into a 163 GB file.
Now comes the hard part. When we try to put it back on his computer ((drag-and-drop to the desktop) which has been wiped back to factory settings using the recovery partition), it stops at 79.5 GB remaining (you know how it doesn't give you a % of completion,
it just shows how many GB are remaining) and then says "Can't read from the source file or disk" and gives you an option to try again, or cancel. It gets hung up on the same point each time.
Normally, this wouldn't be a huge issue, but the contents on the drive are his wife's architect blueprints and interior design stuff, along with wedding photos, etc, which are the only copies they have. On top of those, they have court documents and other
important files that we are unable to access now.
I wasn't involved with this transfer, so I'm trying to clean up the mess as best I can. I remembered that the customer's wife was Russian, and had some files typed with a Russian keyboard, so on and so forth. I wonder if that's the issue? If not, I really
have no idea how to manually extract things from a ".mig" file, or how to diagnose what area is potentially corrupted.
In light of this situation, we tried using "Recuva" to recover the files post-wipe, but everything was corrupted or unable to be opened, and it also extracted and recovered all of the "useless" photos, such as the skype logos, up and
down arrows for browsers, etc (it was 160,000+ photos).
Trying to avoid a potential lawsuit, unhappy customer, and costing the company lots of money to see if professionals can get into this external hard drive.
Other relevant information:
We used a Toshiba 500 GB (465 GB) external hard drive.
Customer's computer is an HP Pavilion P6000 Series (Model No. p6520y) running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1.
Any other information that is needed can be provided, thanks in advance, and hopefully we can find a solution to this issue quickly!
-John

I think there's a lack of understanding somewhere.
"If you even can't start the process, please unplug it from your new PC. Then head back to your new computer and plug
the external drive back in to your new computer. "
Unplug from new, head back to new, plug it back in? That doesn't make much sense! Haha.
I knew what you meant though, somewhat. When I search through the drives after clicking yes (Has windows easy transfer
already saved your files blah blah blah) I click on the transfer file and it says "Windows Easy Transfer could not open the file".
Rather than drag-and-drop the file to the desktop, I now tried to double-click on the file itself while it was plugged
into the computer. It opened, and it started transferring until it was about 70% completed, and then an error popped up saying "WET can't open the easy transfer file, make sure your USB device is plugged in or check your internet connection".
I checked, and the USB hard drive's light wasn't on. Now, I unplug it and plug it back in, and the light comes back on,
so I click Retry, and it resets the bar back to nothing and says "Transfer time: 1 minute".
Rather than continue trying, I clicked "Cancel" instead of Retry, and it says "Your transfer did not complete successfully."
It says to click "view report" for more information, but there's no "view report button".
At the moment, I am scanning the External Drive for bad sectors using the check disk tool in properties. It's frozen
at "0 USN bytes processed".

Issues with external hard drive

hello, i recently purchased a seagate external hard drive 2TB. i am trying to copy videos onto the external hard drive from my macbook( mac osx version 10.6.3 but the files wont copy. i checked the details of the external hard drive, formatted for windows nt file system (NTFS). also, when i click info on the external hard drive and click on sharing and permissions it says "You can only read". What do i need to do to use the external hard drive with my mac. I should note that i want to interchange the external hard drive both with my mac and windows if possible. can anyone point me in the right direction... thanks

Macs can't write to NTFS, only read. Here's a post with some background information on your problem if you really need to use this with Windows: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=11547287 As you can see there's a few potential solutions. How big are these files? If under 4GB you could use FAT32. Note that sometimes file copying to and from FAT, especially large files, seems to be an issue I see not infrequently on these fora.
If you don't need to use it with Windows, or can install software on the PC to allow it to read Mac drives, then format the drive to Mac Extended.
[Kappy's extensive hard drive formatting post|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8340551] - note that instructions at end are for zeroing data.
Message was edited by: Limnos

Permission issue with external hard drive

Hi,
I have an external hard drive that has a bunch of video and audio files on it. Any time I try to open any file from the drive, regardless of file type, the application it's supposed to open it says it can open. Most of the people I have talked to have said that it's a permission issue and have not had a solution for this. Looking for any suggestions on how to repair these permissions. Disk utility has been no help and when running recovery software like Data Rescue the files come out in the end with the same issues.
Thanks.

Drive was shot and could not rescue the information

Issues with external hard drive enclosure

I've been having these issues with my external hard drive since I got it, it seems to be the enclosure
These issues sometimes occur if the hard drive is off but plugged in
-boot will stall after post, before grub
-usb mouse won't work unless I unplug it and plug it back in
-dmesg gives errors about failure to enumerate device
-stalling at other points during boot (continues as soon as I unplug enclosure)
And today, both windows and linux stopped detecting it properly
dmesg said something about a read error.
Then it started working again as suddenly as it started, when I unplugged it and plugged it back in.
Does this sound like a deffective enclosure?

R00KIE wrote:
I'd say bad power supply (if it has an external power supply).
Two external enclosures have done that to me already (but one is almost certain to do it while the other just started to do it recently), if the HD I have in the enclosure is a bit older (and noisier) I can even hear the HD spin down a little and spin up again, of course that whatever I was doing explodes in the process.
Mind you that the HD is confirmed to be working properly by connecting it inside a desktop pc.
I have couple other power adapters I can try. I got the same enclosure for my dad. I have a brick for a LaCie drive too. (I bought the lacie drive a year ago, but the power supply buzzed loudly. I put in a support request, but ended up returning the drive, and they sent me a new power after that)

Multiple (related?) issues with external hard drive connectivity

Apologies if this has been discussed but I have been unable to find a solution or explanation after searching here and on other forums.
I recently purchased an external hard drive (1TB Iomega Select Portable, bus powered, 2.5", USB 2.0). After formatting with two HFS+ partitions the device began disconnecting unexpectedly and afterwards was often not recognisable by my mac until I rebooted. I returned the product and had it replaced by another of the same model.
The replacement external hard drive worked fine at first but hours later began showing the same symptoms. _It now connects briefly then a few seconds later disconnects._ Occasionally it seems to mount and work fine, but the problem always comes back. In the times when it is working, _Time Machine recognises the drive but only backs up at a rate of about 1KB/s!_
_I don't know if this is a problem with the external hard drive, my USB ports, or settings on my mac._ Any advise you could offer would be greatly appreciated as I've run out of troubleshooting options with my limited knowledge of computers.
_**Some tests I've done:_
1) When it's not being recognised in Finder, it's also not recognised in either Disk Utility or System Profiler
2) At one stage after repeatedly disconnecting, two other external hard drives and two thumb drives that I know work fine normally also failed to mount, but strangely two wireless mouse USB receivers worked fine. Both thumb drives were formatted as FAT32, one of the external hard drives had one HFS+ and one NTFS partition, and the other was entirely NTFS. When they weren't recognised in OS X, the two FAT32 drives and the NTFS partitions of the external hard drives were all recognised in Windows 7 via VMWare Fusion. After restarting the computer all of them now work on both Windows 7 and Mac OS X.
3) I tried the external hard drive on another computer (a PC) and it was recognised in Vista's 'Disk Management' with both partitions marked as 'healthy', but it just called it 'Disk 1' rather than showing the names I'd given each partition.
4) When I first started transferring files onto the drive I often got 'error code -36', but found a solution that seemed to fix that by deleting the '._' files from the source folder through Terminal.
5) I've tried different USB cables, both USB ports on my mac, and also connecting with and without the secondary part of the 'y' cable that was supplied with it.
Thanks very much,
Andrew
Message was edited by: andrewcarter

I have the same problem with some 2.5 drives. My iMac on 10.5.8 sees the drive fine but my older 2007 Mac Book Pro 10.6.6 would not see it and now my new Mac Book Pro had problems seeing the drive from my old Mac Book Pro in that box. I had to use migration utility over the network that took 18 hours to copy my user over. I bought a new drive box and now the drive seems to work fine. I have ejected it a couple times and all seems well. I hope it continues to function properly.

HELP: Sync Issues with External Hard Drive

Since I have moved all my music to an external hard drive I am having issues syncing. My Next Gen Ipod syncs, but never gets rid of the syncing notification. I have to disconnect it and restart it. Also, when it syncs it leaves two copies of the songs on my library, one copy has the explanation mark on it. Can anyone help me stop this?

R00KIE wrote:
I'd say bad power supply (if it has an external power supply).
Two external enclosures have done that to me already (but one is almost certain to do it while the other just started to do it recently), if the HD I have in the enclosure is a bit older (and noisier) I can even hear the HD spin down a little and spin up again, of course that whatever I was doing explodes in the process.
Mind you that the HD is confirmed to be working properly by connecting it inside a desktop pc.
I have couple other power adapters I can try. I got the same enclosure for my dad. I have a brick for a LaCie drive too. (I bought the lacie drive a year ago, but the power supply buzzed loudly. I put in a support request, but ended up returning the drive, and they sent me a new power after that)

Issues with external hard drive/airport utility with Windows PC

Okay, here's my situation:
I'm using the Airport Extreme and my network is currently laid out like this:
1.) Macbook connected wirelessly
2.) Windows XP SP2 PC w/ wired connection (ethernet)
My problem is this:
Just plugged in a brand new Western Digital hd to the usb port on the back of the Airport Extreme. My Macbook recognized it (had to use the shared disk password) and it works fine.
But my Windows PC won't let me connect to the external hd or recognize it. Even when it asks me for the shared disk password, it tells me failed login or whatever. I installed the software (Bonjour/Airport Utility), but I'm confused on how to let my Windows PC find the hard drive or connect to it...
I setup/configured my Airport Extreme on my Mac... am I suppose to configure my external hd's sharing abilities on my Windows PC using the Airport Utility, also?
And when I open up the Base Station utility on my Windows PC, it continually keeps asking for my Base Station password as it tries to scan its configuration. Is that normal?
Thanks
PS: if you need more info regarding my problem, I'll be happy to supply it.
MacBook 13 inch Mac OS X (10.4.8)

R00KIE wrote:
I'd say bad power supply (if it has an external power supply).
Two external enclosures have done that to me already (but one is almost certain to do it while the other just started to do it recently), if the HD I have in the enclosure is a bit older (and noisier) I can even hear the HD spin down a little and spin up again, of course that whatever I was doing explodes in the process.
Mind you that the HD is confirmed to be working properly by connecting it inside a desktop pc.
I have couple other power adapters I can try. I got the same enclosure for my dad. I have a brick for a LaCie drive too. (I bought the lacie drive a year ago, but the power supply buzzed loudly. I put in a support request, but ended up returning the drive, and they sent me a new power after that)

HT2729 Digital Copies to my IMac with external hard drive, then on my MacBook Pro I can see the movies, but if I close out my IMac, I can't access my movies on my laptop??? Can anyone help me out here? Thanks.

I have my itunes stored on my external hard drive of my IMac.
I have started to put my Digital Copies to my IMac with external hard drive, then on my MacBook Pro I can see the movies, but if I close out my IMac, I can't access my movies on my laptop???
Can anyone help me out here? Thanks.

I have my itunes stored on my external hard drive of my IMac.
I have started to put my Digital Copies to my IMac with external hard drive, then on my MacBook Pro I can see the movies, but if I close out my IMac, I can't access my movies on my laptop???
Can anyone help me out here? Thanks.

Blue screen on start up with external Hard drive connected

On start up Imac freezes on light blue screen with external hard drive connected via firewire. Starts okay without hard drive connected. I have repaired the drive with no resolution of the problem.

tpetrini wrote:
On start up Imac freezes on light blue screen with external hard drive connected via firewire.
You might try starting the iMac in "verbose mode" by holding down command-V when booting:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492
That could show you some messages that might explain the problem.
Another approach is to launch the Console utility and look for messages dated around the time of a hang.

Help with external hard drive issues

After force quit and system freeze my external hard drive wont read. It shows on the desktop but when you click on the icon it make all the other icons disappear for an instant. The drive will show in disk utility and I have verified and ran repair...both say disk seems to be ok. The drive shows in Finder under devices...however when I click on the drive it again makes all the icons disappear for an instant. Does anyone have any suggestions??? I am deployed in Afghanistan and do not have enough bandwidth to download Disk Warrior.

yes, I set it up with time machine as per requested when the hard-drive was first installed. How do i find the settings for my time machine backups? Nevermind, i went to my system preferences and checked it out. It is set to back-up to my external hard drive. yet my mac is still showing that I have 40.62 GB worth of backups on my internal

Backup problems with external hard drive

I bought a WD passport external hard drive and copied my itunes library onto a file there. I re-set the location of the library on itunes to the drive on the external hard drive. So far I have not deleted anything from my computer hard drive. However, when I am in itunes and click onto a song, nothing comes out of my speakers. Everything looks normal, as if the track is playing, but nothing is happening. I tried buying a new track off of itunes online, downloaded it, and installed it on my ipod; it plays fine, on my ipod, but will not play on the computer. Something is obviously wrong, but I can't figure out what has happened. Any help out there?
Thanks!
Delany

It sounds to me like your iMac is on it's last legs....at least the internal hard drive. If you can't make a new Time Machine backup I would advise you replace your iMac as soon as possible.
Assuming your three-week old backup is sound you should have no problems moving everything over to a new Mac. I would recommend you use the Setup Assistant that appears when you start up the new Mac (and note: It only appears the first time you start the new Mac; you can move everything over later on via Migration Assistant, but you may see issues with accounts if you opt for that route).
I don't think you need the Genius Desk for Setup Assistant. You only have to power up the new iMac, answer a few questions....select "....From Another Disk..." When it asks how you want to move everything over....connect up your Iomega external drive...and wait for it to finish. (Could take several hours depending on the amount of data you're moving).
A couple of notes:
1. If your Iomega is a Firewire drive you'll need a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter to connect it to your new iMac.
2. If you need to load CDs or DVDs remember the new iMacs don't contain an optical drive. You would need to get an Apple SuperDrive or third part external burner if you need that functionality.
I'm puzzled by the comment made in Seventy One's post questioning the reliability of the new iMacs. I upgraded from a 24" early 2008 model to a 27" model and everything works flawlessly. I hardly ever see the beachball anymore.

Synching Ipod with External Hard Drive

Hey there,
I have a Powerbook G4 and a 5G video ipod with itunes 7. Now, my computer hard drive space is rapidly approaching full capacity, so its getting to the stage where I will need to transfer the 30 odd gigs of music to my external hard drive. But i was wondering what this action will mean when it comes to running itunes 7, and synching my ipod, as i'm sure there are a number of complications involved with locating the itunes library etc etc etc
Is there a way to transfer my entire music library to my external hard drive, yet still be able to easily update my ipod whenever I add new stuff???
Or alternatively, are there other alternatives
Cheers,
Mike

this link below will solve your issue.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748
KoDor

Synching iPhone with external hard drive

I recently got a new MacBook Pro. For some time, I've been storing all my iTunes music on an external hard drive with no issues.
I was having trouble synching my iPhone with the new MacBook at first. It was telling me it would need to erase the current music from my phone. Finally I realized I needed to copy the iTunes folder from the user Library on my old Mac. Then I was able to synch my phone.
BUT then I realized that, rather than accessing the music on my external hard drive, iTunes had copied all my music to the new Mac's hard drive. So I looked it up and got it to recognize the external drive -- ended up having to copy all the music from the Mac BACK to the external drive, where it already existed.
But now the phone won't synch again! Those files are still in the Library folder. Why is the Mac treating my iPhone like a stranger again?

But, as I said, by copying those files from the /user/Library/iTunes folder, I had solved the problem temporarily on the new computer. Now that it's looking for the music on the external hard drive, something is messed up again.
And, by the way, the music is still all on the internal hard drive, too. But I did do the "consolidate library" and I've verified that iTunes is finding the music on the external hard drive, not the internal one.

Mac air with external hard drive - not being found on Finder, Time Machine, Migration Assistant

I have been using an external drive (Imation Apollo) to access only, old files from previous computer (PC) on a new Mac Air. I had not transferred them across to new computer (didn't want to do that) just accessing them from the HD. It had been working fine until recently. Each time the external drive had been connected Time Machine would come up and ask if i wanted to use this drive for back ups, and I always chose 'Decide later'. So, as yetI hadn't as yet configured Time Machine to do back ups.
Recently I noticed that the extrnal HD was no longer showing up on Finder. Slight panic as i have 5 or 6 yrs of work saved on that HD
Further investigations - it's also not showing up either on on Disk Utility, or on Migration Assistant.
I've done the following:
Tried HD in each of different USB ports - made no difference, HD still not showing up
Tested different Hubs in each port with HD attached - no difference HD not showing up
Tried USB flash drives in the USB ports - These are working fine and show up on finder
Tried the HD on other comptuters (a PC though, don't have access to another mac to do this test)- working fine, the HD is showing up and is accessable
Interrogated the Console logs to try to see if the act of attaching the HD creates a log entry - couldn't find anything
Rebooted computer via shut down, power disconnect - no difference
Reset PRAM - no difference still not showing up
Reset SMC - no differnce still not showing up
So I think I have established that all the USB ports are functioning correctly and able to access other external drive devices, using hubs with external powersource is not the issue, identified that the external hard drive is working OK, and it appears that the Mac itself is functioning normally.
What would be the reason the Mac now does not allow this specific external HD to be identified and accessed. The only possible things I can think of are
if I had in fact pressed 'Do not use' when Time Machine asked 'do you want to use this drive for back ups'. Would that mean that the Mac now totally rejects this HD from being a source of accessible files - I hope not!
I also think that my husband may have disconnected the hard drive from my computer to access some stuff and he just yanked it out rather than use the safe eject method. Could this create an issue? The Hard drive works fine on his PC.
Why is my Mac Air now rejecting this HD and what can I do to access my historical files now.
Any assistance anyone can provide would be very greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Anna

I can't answer why it isn't accessing it, but I have a slightly related issue w my back up drive starting to get noisy.
Realizing that redundancy is safety for critical data. I talked to my brother about my situation the other day & he said he has 3 small Western Digital portable HDs that he rotates for backup. He even keeps 1 in the safe deposit box.
I have read for some time that we should have multiple back ups & also have our critical stuff backed up off site. Amazon HD reviews had a woman telling about how she was very backed up on multiple computers & hard drives, but they were robbed or burgeled & all of them were stolen including her thesis that was on the computers.
Hard drives aren't that expensive. I just bought a new Western Digital 1 TB drive for $89.99. I plan to use it to back up the Seagate that is getting noisy & then maybe alternate them.
Also, when I came back to Mac, I moved practially all of my documents to Mac. I think I just dragged & dropped or something. Photos, Office, & pdfs do fine that way. & then you could back them up to a couple of different external drives & remove from your MacBookAir.
Unfortunately I think most of us do not back up until crisis & then it may be too late.
Also use Time Machine. For the 1st time in my computer life, my computer is well backed up--although now realizing the need for redundancy so will start backing up to at least 2 different HDs alternatly.
So, not sure why it isn't working & hopefully you have come up w a solution by now.
I think what I would do in a situation like this, since you can access it on the Windows machine would be to transfer the data to the Windows machine & then transfer it back to a different back up.
I'm looking into backing up what I still have in Windows using a thumb flash drive. I think it should all fit ok now that they have the larger drives & I don't have very much left in Windows format.

Issues with External Hard Drives

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for