LaCie External Disk Suddenly not on Desktop

I've had a LaCie External Hard Drive (Firewire) connected to my iMac for about six months without any problems. I use it for backup, and use software (SuperDuper) to make it bootable.
Suddenly, today, it's not showing up on my desktop. The System Profiler sees it under Firewire as "Unknown Device." I've tried switching ports (I use both Firewire and USB) and testing my USB hub to no avail. I also powered down the computer for ten minutes and then rebooted.
I just read somewhere that LaCie drives have problems with the power supply, but I don't know how I would use this information.
Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
I've also contacted LaCie support via email (as they charge for phone support!)
Thanks,
Donna

Have you tried using Disk Utility's 'repair disk' function on the LaCie external drive
to see if some basic issue in the drive's software function could be repaired by it?
In some cases, where a bootable system in an external is involved, there may be
an issue similar to that of the internal hard disk's system, when a third-party disk
utility such as DiskWarrior, may be used to attempt to rebuild or replace a directory.
Not certain what path is best or most likely, but do know some LaCie issues include
a power surge from the computer on startup that could affect some models of LaCie
external drive via FireWire port; so if the external FW drive is not needed all the time
and the computer is attached, consider not plugging in the LaCie's FW cable if you
do not intend to use the drive. I leave one of my LaCie's in its box when not in use,
and a second one has both the power adapter and FW cable, not attached to anything.
The one issue some had, was a surge; that affected the circuitry in the enclosure. But
this is not likely to produce the issue you refer to in your inquiry. However, a replacement
power supply of similar spec to replace a suspect LaCie supplied one, is probably handy
to have as a backup to the original part. Even if from a different manufacturer.
Some of the LaCie forums have some information or ideas on what others have tried;
and when tracking down info on one model I was given (that has a mixed history) I
was curious as to what caused several of them to fail. One I bought to troubleshoot
a failed iMac G4 under AppleCare when the supposed expert authorized resellers in
my region were unable to find anything wrong, and I could reproduce the issue on
demand repeatedly, and my iMac would freeze solid. And my notes of experiences in
dealing with the computer were disregarded; so I took matters into my own hands.
The LaCie Porsche-design external FW HDD enclosure so far has been flawless; but
this other D2 or whatever (not thinking clear; getting an interruption at the moment) is
likely to fail first; starting with a noisy hard drive sound inside the case.
You may be able to try to fix the mount issue of that LaCie by using a third-party disk
utility; sometimes, issues result from improper mounting or re-mounting of a peripheral.
Can you get the external drive to mount correctly via your computer's Disk Utility? Not
sure if that is capable of fixing a mount issue, in that instance; but DiskWarrior may. A
correct version of Drive Genius may also have a tool capable of this job. I have not been
impressed with two versions of drive genius; and I was lucky to have full bootable clones.
Perhaps a more seasoned veteran of these battles can offer a more clear position to take.
Good luck & happy computing!

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BDAqua wrote:
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