Lion osx doesn't recognize my external hard disk

I recently installed Lion osx (10.7). But after installation, my external harddisk isnt' recognised by the computer anymore... It's a HFS format disk, and in snow leopard i had no problems with the HD. My time machine partition is on it, along with other important stuff. When i plug it in, it doesn't show on my desktop, nor in disk tools or finder. I've tried waiting for hours, restarting the imac, unplugging the disk etc., but nothing works. The HD is a Western Digital elements disk. Could it be a driver problem?

Do you have some more details about the type of drive that you are having problems with? WD seems to make quite a few different models under the "WD Elements" product name.
My feeling at the moment is that it isn't a driver issue, not least because you typically don't have to install drivers yourself in order to access external hard drives. I have a late 2009 iMac upgraded to Lion that is connected to a variety of hard drives both by USB and FireWire, and from different manufacturers (Seagate, LaCie and Iomega) but all seem to be quite happy mounting in 10.7.
By any chance do you have anything else that you can plug into your iMac to see if it mounts correctly, such as another hard drive or even a USB memory stick? If so, do you have any problems with that?

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The iMac doesn't recognize my external hard disk

My iMac doesn't recognize my external hard disk. The iMac also keeps a DVD inside. It doen't throw it out despite "eject".

Sounds like you might need to make that call. In the meantime here are a few of things you could try that may help:
To eject the disk try a restart holding down the mouse button - hopefully it'll eject.
If you are running either Mountain Lion (10.8) or Lion (10.7) try booting into the Recovery HD:
Restart holding down Command+r. At the screen with 4 choices choose Disk Utility and then select Macintosh HD and click on repair disk. If it fixes anything click on repair disk again until you get a clean pass. Restart as normal from the Apple menu.
If you are running an earlier OS you would normally carry out this process by putting the grey restore disk that came with your Mac in the Disk drive and restarting holding down the C key. Choose your language and at the next screen from the menu bar select Utilities>Disk Utility and then follow the above instructions (I realise you won't be able to do this if you have a disk stuck in the optical disk drive).
Try an SMC and PRAM reset: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3603
Try a Safe Boot: Restart holding down the shift key until you see a grey progress bar. Once it's booted restart as normal from the Apple menu.
If none of this helps, I guess you need to make that call. Good luck.

Hello, since I actualized my Mac with Maverick it doesn't recognize any external hard disk ,... only the one to make copy on the time machine. Can anybody help me? thank you!!!!

hello, since I actualized my Mac with Maverick it doesn't recognize any external hard disk ,... only the one to make copy on the time machine. Can anybody help me? thank you!!!!

Hello Laurabcn,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information, take a look at:
USB and FireWire Quick Assist
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1151
Have a nice day,
Mario

Hi there! yesterday I installed Mavericks on my Macbook. Since then, it doesn't mount my external hard disk drive anymore, which he did a week ago (without the update). Is there anyone out there who knows a solution?

Hi there! Yesterday, I installed Mavericks on my Macbook. Since then, it doesn't recognize my external hard disk drive anymore (at least not on the desktop. In Germany they call it "it doens't mount it". I don't know if it's the same expression in english?)
I just used it a week ago, before I did the update and it worked perfectly fine.
Is there anyone out there who knows a solution for this problem? I've been googleing for hours now and can't find any answer.
Thank you!!!

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually login automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

Recently upgraded Mac 24" to Lion (clean install) and now no external hard disks work with Time Machine

Recently upgraded Mac 24" to Lion (clean install) and now no external hard disks work with Time Machine.
installed new internal disk first with fresh 10.7.3 Lion software. Also upgrade ram to 4GB. Work great, super fast.
BUT.... my WD 1TB firewire400 external disks no longer work with the Lion enabled machine now.
FURTHER... I read somewhere that WD is problematic with Lion but Seagate was not... so I went and bought a new 3TB Seagate GoFlex.
When it didnt work properly either, I patiently searched and found a software/firward upgrade and applied.
I re-partitioned disk to extened/journaled standard, etc.
Then assigned the particition to Time Machine. Drive turned the blue/grey color, so I thought it would work.
But, it has now been in "preparing" mode in Time Machine for HOURS....
What is up Apple? So dissappointed. Ive read these type of problems are notorious with Lion and I wish I never upgraded.
Are you trying to make issues with External disks, to drive people to iCloud? That trick ont work in me. I will not reward bad behaviour Apple.
Please provide a fix... I wasted hours/days screwing around with this, instead of using the Mac for what its intended!

Solved by Pondini, on another thread I opened...
Answer:
Sounds like either:
A directory problem on your internal HD. Verify your internal HD, and Repair any other volumes being backed-up per #A5 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.
Something in OSX may be damaged. You've tried the "combo," so a fresh copy of OSX (that won't disturb anything else) would be worth a try (and you don't need a tech for that). See Installing the ''combo'' update and/or Reinstalling OSX.

Help!My Mac doesn't find my external hard disk

Today when I tried to open my mac it "stuck" on the first white screen (by the way my external hard disk was already connected).So, not know what to do, I disconnected the hard disk without ejecting it first, since my computer hadn't opened yet and then I switched it off using the switch off button. However, when I switched on my computer again it couldn't find the biggest part of the disk. I have to say that the external disk is split in 2 parts, Lacie and Exchange, in order to use it in both mac and windows respectively. Is there anything I can do to "make it come back"? Please, tell me that it's not lost...I've restarted it but yet nothing...

If you've followed Randy's suggestions above, and you say nothing shows up on the camera's LCD when you're connected (like DV IN), then I might suspect a bad firewire cable.
Remember, the Easy Setup should be chosen first; then you should be capturing into the project with that Easy Setup. If you've chosen the DV NTSC setup, what happens when you open the log and capture window? Does it say "VTR OK" under the view window, or does it say "NO COMMUNICATION?"
If the latter, again, you may have a bad cable. If you're getting the VTR OK, then try controlling the camera with the transport controls in the log and capture window. It should work.

Imac doesn't recognize my external hard drive--all of a sudden

i've been using a LaCie external hard drive as my timemachine back up for several years without incident. a few days ago i unplugged the lacie and when i plugged it back in, imac could no longer recognize it. when i go to time machine and try to"select disc" it tells me there is none to select. when i go to system prefs disc utility i can see the lacie icon in the left column, but when i click on it i just get the spinning beachball forever, and have to force quit. any thoughts?

Your HD might be corrupted, try going to spotlight, look up "Disk Utility" select your external and verify disk, there might be some errors on the disk, if so, then click repair disk, try that and get back to us.

Time Machine doesn't recognize my external hard drive

My external hard drive is no longer recognized by my iMac. I have had this problem before and had to repartition the drive. There is not a drive that is available when I go into Time Machine preferences. Any ideas?

If you completely repartitioned the external hard drive, you may need to Erase & Reformat each Partition on the drive now in order for them to be recognized. You can do that in Disk Utility.

My new iMac doesn't recognize my external hard drive

I've been using a Seagate external hard drive to back-up everything from my old laptop. I just got a new iMac and plugged it in (via USB) and it's not recognizing it. I can't find it in the Mac system. I'm not super computer savy but on other iMacs I've used when I've plugged in something external (iPhone, camera card, thumb drive) it pops up right away.
Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. THANK YOU!

So what is the APPLE HDD?
Here is a screenshot of my devices on my iMac:
The top entry is the internal hard drive and "iMac ML" is the one and only partition on it which is by default normally "Macintosh HD" - I renamed it (except the hidden recovery).
Can you post a screenshot of yours?

Mac doesn't recognize Seagate external hard drive

I've been using a Seagate Free Agent Go Flex external hard drive to back up as Time Machine. Today, I plugged in the hard drive and my mac didn't see it in Finder. I could see it in disk utility. I ran verify and that failed and told me to repair the volume. I ran repair and it failed and gave me the following message, "Disk Utility Stopped repairing Free Agent Go Flex Mac OS Extended Format. Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files." Since I can't see the disk in Finder, how can get the files off the external drive? Has anyone else had experience with this?
Thanks!

Well, it's either erase it/them, or trry stronger Disk Repair Utilities...
You must repair the HD, if Disk Utility or fsck should fail to repair it, your best bet is DiskWarrior from Alsoft, you'll need the CD to boot from if you don't have another boot drive...
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
Your best bet is DiskWarrior, you need the CD/DVD though.
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/
But others that may work…
Drive Genius…
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/drive_genius.php
TechTool Pro…
http://www.micromat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=83

IMAC doesn't recognize lacie external hard drive

Friends,
I have an imac 2013 3TB fusion drive running Mavericks. I have a lacie external quadra drive USB 3.0. When I turn on the drive, the computer does not recognize it. However, if I restart the computer, it then will recognize the drive. Why is this? Is there a preference or something I can change?
Thanks!
Steve

Your HD might be corrupted, try going to spotlight, look up "Disk Utility" select your external and verify disk, there might be some errors on the disk, if so, then click repair disk, try that and get back to us.

My Macbook Pro doesn't recognize my external hard drive

I had my external HD attached to my MBpro when I attempted to empty trash. The trash window showed it emptying thousand upon thousands of files (way more than was in the bin) and had a negative sign in front of the number of items being deleted. I canceled the emptying, but now the computer won't recognize the HD. It appears in Disk utility but not in desktop or sidebar. What happened and how do I fix it?

In Disk Utility, try using the Mount button in the top menu.
Disconnect the external drive, turn it off, wait about 1 minute, reconnect, and turn it back on. While waiting, restart the computer.
Disk Utility – Force Mount Disk

NTFS formatted external hard disks?

does mountain lion supports writing on NTFS formatted external hard disks?

I'm getting immense slow-downs using Tuxera NTFS (latest release as of August 2012). I moved my home folder to an NTFS shared drive. Reading/writing to the cache while browsing in Safari is slow. Takes about 30 seconds for Finder to open my NTFS drive, takes about 1 minute to open an app and close the app. If I disable Tuxera NTFS and make my drive read-only, everything goes back to snappy performance (except for write-errors, since disabling Tuxera means I can't write to my home folder).
What shocks me the most is that if you visit the Tuxera community forum on their corporate website, none of their support representatives have helped their customers since the release of Tuxera NTFS for OS X Mountain Lion. It's as if the company realized they messed up, so they went silent.
I'm about to try the latest version of Paragon. I had it for OS X Lion, but it corrupted my entire drive after 2 months of use, which is why I tried to give Tuxera a shot. Here's to hoping Paragon has fixed their issues.

Why does my iMac (with Mountain Lion) no longer recognize my external hard drive I have used as a back up via Time Machine after the hard drive was accidentally unplugged?

Why does my iMac (with Mountain Lion) no longer recognize my external hard drive I have used as a back up via Time Machine after the hard drive was accidentally unplugged?

Do you mean the external hard drive is not mounted on the iMac desktop?
Check if Disk Utility sees the drive. Applications / Utilities / Disk Utility. If the external shows up in the left column, select it and click on Mount.
If it does show up this way, I recommend using DU to Repair Disk.

Lion works fine, but it wont recognize my external hard drives. Everything worked with Snow Leopard. Is there a fix?

Lion works fine, but it wont recognize my external hard drives. Everything worked with Snow Leopard. Is there a fix?

What's the URL of the page?
In the mean time clear the cache and reload the page.

Lion osx doesn't recognize my external hard disk

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