Mac Pro USB port problem

The front USB ports on my 2010 Mac Pro aren't working. Every time I boot the Mac, I get a message window - twice - saying they were drawing too much power, and have been switched off, even though they're empty.
I've tried resetting the PRAM, powering off and unplugging everything and removing the battery from the logic board. Nothing has worked. The two front-facing FireWire ports are working, but the USB ports just won't come alive. Does anyone have any further ideas?

I would run the Apple Hardware Test:
Checking for a Hardware Problem
If you suspect a hardware problem, use the Apple Hardware Test application to help
determine if there’s a problem with one of the Mac Pro components.
To use Apple Hardware Test:
1. Disconnect all external devices from your Mac Pro, except the display, keyboard,
and mouse.
If you have an Ethernet cable connected, disconnect it.
2. Restart your Mac Pro while holding down the D key.
3. When the Apple Hardware Test chooser screen appears, select the language you
want to use.
4. Press the Return key or click the right arrow button.
5. When the Apple Hardware Test main screen appears (after about 45 seconds), follow
the onscreen instructions.
6. If Apple Hardware Test detects a problem, it displays an error code. Make a note of the
error code before pursuing support options. If Apple Hardware Test doesn’t detect a
hardware failure, the problem may be software related.
You may also consider replacing the front panel board.

Similar Messages

Mac Pro USB ports and bluetooth not working

I have a Mac Pro (early 2008) Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2.8 GHz, 4GB ram, Airport card, Magic Mouse. Suddenly the keyboard and wired/bluetooth Mouse are unavailable, so it is not possible to control the computer. The only way I can use it is by using Screen Sharing from my MacBook Pro - which is obviously pretty useless except for diagnostics! All the USB ports (front and back, as well as those on the Cinema Display - when connected) are dead. System profiler shows no problem with them, but also shows nothing connected. Bluetooth in menu bar shows as "Bluetooth: not available", and in system profiler shows as "No information found".
I've tried all the usual remedies. Powering off overnight with power cord disconnected, all peripherals disconnected, then booting up again. Holding in the power button for ten seconds when the power cord is disconnected. Obviously I can't reset the pRAM (because the keyboard is not recognised, even before the OS loads). The first couple of times I tried this process, it did bring back the USB ports, even the bluetooth became temporarily available, but soon disappeared again. USB ports died next time I rebooted.
However, in the last couple of days, the process produces no results. No matter how long I leave it disconnected, USB ports are not working and bluetooth is just not there...
I've checked for other threads on this topic, but most other people seem to have issues with either front or back USB ports, or even just one or more individual ports. My problems have only been with all ports or none.
Does anyone have any suggestions to get my MacPro up and running again properly?

Just waking this thread up again in case anyone has had any other ideas.
Since last posting, usb became functional again, (came back on a couple of hours after a restart) and as long as I kept the machine alive, usb would stay alive. Bluetooth came back on briefly, but for most of the time was unavailable. System profiler shows no problems and Console does not report any usb related errors as far as I can see.
After a recent restart, usb disappeared again, and despite numerous restarts and being left on for a couple of days (and subsequently left off for several days) it has not come back. When usb is not working, examining the system profiler (through screen sharing from my macbook) usb shows no errors, but also shows no connected devices. I can charge my ipod nano with any of the usb ports (front or back), so power does not seem to be the issue.
I can't reset pRAM (because the keyboard is not available at boot), but have reset SMC numerous times. Have tried other keyboards, and mice. No joy.
I seem to have run out of ideas. Any suggestions?

Mac Pro USB ports constantly losing power!

Hi,
Ive been looking through this forums but I havent been able to find a solution to my problem.
Ive got a 2008 Mac Pro and recently Ive been experiencing some issues with its USB ports.
The front usb ports have a USB antenna connected and some time later, it just loses power and I have to disconnect it and connect it in order to make it work again. Besides that, Ive got a USB hub connected in one of the back ports. In it, is my camera and my keyboard. After some time, it just loses power. Not at the same time than the usb antenna, but in less that an hour I have to repeat the process 2-3 times.
Worth to note, that in the two back usb ports left, Ive got an external hard drive in each and I dont have problems, there are always seen in the finder.
Some help would be great
Thanks in advance

Im running latest snow leopard.
I gave up and just used a cable for internet and a bluetooth keyboard.
I couldnt figure out why the usb antenna loses power. Though it still has a blue light linking.
What has been happening to you???

Mac pro usb ports won't work when ipod is plugged in

I just bought a used Mac Pro (2008). 8 cores, 12 meg 0f ram, all of this so I wouldnt be limited as I was with my 4 meg Imac. I go to plug in my ipod, and none of the other ports work, I can't use the mouse or keyboard. Is there any way around this. I had to plug the ipod directly into the tower (the port wouldnt work) This is frustrating, I get this model to be more than capable for what I need, and something like this pops up...always something. If anyone out there has had this experience, and figured out a work around, please help. Thanks

okay, that doesn't sound usual. Sounds to me like the usb port is drawing too much power. Try doing a repair permission or SMC reset. If you are using it with a USB hub, maybe that needs plugging in to the wall, or maybe it has gone bad. I can't help you a lot, but just a little bit. repairing permissions is through Disk Utility. SMC goes like this: shut down the Mac pro, unplug the power cord, wait 15-20 seconds. reattach power cord, wait about 15 seconds, then press power button. you can maybe try resetting the PRAM-shut down Mac, turn on computer, hold down Command, Option,P and R keys before grey screen appears. Hold down until computer restarts again and you hear the 2nd startup sound. Let go of the keys. You can also check in "About this mac" (more info) to see if there's something wrong with the USB ports themselves.
Other than that, could be logic board battery. Maybe Archive and install. Sorry, the crystal ball has gone dark. I"m sure someone else can enlighten you more than I can. I always plugged my ipod directly into my tower via the front USB port...
John B

Pple 24" LED and Mac Pro usb connection problem

Hi,
I'm having issues with my Mac Pro 8 core (2008) connected to an Apple 24" LED. I have a Radeon HD 4870 graphics card installed in the Mac so I can use the Apple LED mini displayport connection. The video works perfectly fine but to use the built-in speakers and iSight in the Apple LED I have to use the USB cables and connect them to the USB sockets of the Mac Pro. This is where the problem seems to be as after a time using the Mac it crashes in a strange manner and I get a few lines of coding and the Mac shuts down on its own. I've used Dr Botts extension cables to extend to reach of the USB cables which I thought maybe the issues and taken this off and I've also unplugged any devices plugged into the extra USB sockets on the Apple LED. I think it's something to do with using the speakers as playing video seems to crash the Mac also but once I unplug the USB cables the video plays fine, but without speaker sound. Has anyone had similar problems and have any solutions?
Thanks in advance.
Alec

I have had no problem at all.
Assume you have considered: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2400
If you have concerns about possible extension cable reliablity, you might want to consider trying a spare such as this one that is available from the Store: http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6730LL/A/
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early09) 2.93Ghz OSX 10.7.2 24" LED Cinema Display

Mac Pro USB port can't detect SD card reader.

My new macpro ( 2014) can't detect SD card reader with all 4 USB port ! I try to test with macbook Pro it's work properly ! What wrong with my USB port ?

This is too obvious, but neverthelees:
Have you checked that the card works on another computer?
Does a different USB or FW device work on the same computer port?
Is there a card actually in the reader?

Mac pro usb ports not working

Hi I have a dual core intel mac with 3.0 ghz processors 8 gig of ram v1.1 all of the USB ports front & back have failled. The computer boots up into Snow Leopard, 10.6.8 The mouse, keyboard or any other devices using USB ports don't work, I checked with a multimeter on all the USB ports & there is no +5volts between pins 1 & 4 on any of the USB ports. I have check the keyboat & mouse on another mac & they work fine.
Doy you have any idea what I should do now,
Kindest Regards,
Anthony.

When wacky Hardware probelms strike, reset the System Management Controller (SMC).
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

A barcode scanner that was connected directly to the Mac's USB port stopped working as the "USB had too much power drawn", even though it has worked for over a year in that port. WHen we plugged it into the port on the keyboard, the device works. Why?

A barcode scanner that was connected directly to the Mac's USB port stopped working as the "USB had too much power drawn", even though it has worked for over a year in that port. When we plugged it into the port on the keyboard, the device works. Why? Obviously the device is operational. Could the USB port have burned out from having too much power drawn? If so, is it reparable?

It can't draw "too much" power, it can only draw as much as the USB port is able to provide and no more. IIRC, the keyboard port has a lower power output than the iMac's port.
That being said, yea, it's possible that the port has failed and it can be replaced or if another port works you can use that one. Although if it is still under warranty or covered by Apple Care, then I would take it to an Apple Store or service provider to get the port repaired.

Premier pro play back screen goes black a freezes every 15 minute . This is my second mac pro with identical problems.

Premier pro play back screen goes black a freezes every 15 minute . This is my second mac pro with identical problems.

SOLVED!!!!!
SO I did some more digging around and read ATI cards seem to overheat easily. I knew the fan was working, but after closer inspection I realised there was ALOT of built up dust on the card and clogging the fan and airflow. Blew it out with alot of compressed air, stuck it back in the Mac and BAM...no black screens. I tested it by streaming 6 video sources...doing 2 screen captures at once as well as watching a HD movie in fullscreen. Did all this for 30 minutes and no crashes. I also downloaded an app to monitor the temps inside the computer and the expansion bay stays at 41 degrees. No clue what it was before but obviously it was hotter than that. So my problem is solved! Funny that 10.7.5 made the card work harder. I wonder if its off loading some CPU stuff to the GPU for processing more than 10.7.4 so its just working a bit harder and so it heats up faster....

X6 8gb Usb Port Problem

My x6 usb port not working and i took it to nokia care to fix that problem and they told me that we don't have that type of IC to fix your problem and we can't fix your usb port problem .....if u can't fix the problem they why the hell your running service centre i am totally fed up with this nokia ....guys pls tell what should i do now

Can't they arrange for the part ? Insist on that.. if they agree, you may be asked to pay for the part upfront..If they do not, contact Nokia by using the 'Contact Us' tab at the top of this page and hope for a favourable resolution.

Mac Pro 2008 USB port problems - persistent

Hello all,
I have a 2008 Mac Pro - standard config : 2.8Ghz 2Go Ram ATI 2600.
At the outset I did a clean install onto a 1To Seagate drive.
From day 1, and before adding any third party applications, the aluminium keyboard would suddenly stop working. If I changed this for my old G5 plastic keyboard, I had no problem. The aluminium keyboard would work again sometimes if I changed USB port, sometimes only after rebooting.
This problem occurred randomly, a few, or many times a day.
Apple, after going thru' a number of tests with me over the phone, finally sent me a new keyboard (after having sent 2 white plastic models). This changed nothing. I then had a problem with the white plastic keyboard and one day, with a USB drive linked to a USB port I got the error message of having disconnected the disk without having ejected it first. That told me that the problem was not with the keyboard but with the USB ports (power to them?).
I did a clean install (with erase disk 1 pass) under 10.1.5 - the problem didn't go.
I then did a clean install again 10.1.5 followed immediately by upgrade 10.5.2 and the graphics upgrade. I installed no third party apps for 2 days. I had no problems. I installed some apps. No problems for 3 days. I ran all this time on a plastic keyboard. Today I plugged in the aluminium keyboard. No problems for 8 hours and suddenly tonight everythings starts over again.
I've had to do 4 reboots in the last hour. I'm back on the plastic keyboard. But if I lose that like last time I'm pretty convinced that this is a hardware issue.
Curiously I have not seen this problem cited in any forums on the Apple boards and other Mac
sites.
Any ideas ?
I wan't this machine changed. It's my work tool and I can't afford to lose so much time…nor to get so frustrated.
Apple, Help ! Please !
PA
P.S. My first Mac was a MAC SE !!

I think there is a problem with the usb ports on the MacPro which I also think is causing some of the bluetooth problems that are being reported around. Here's why.
I have a "base" new MacPro (2xQuad 2.8, 320G drive, etc.). After getting the unit going with the standard usb keyboard and mouse I then paired my Apple wireless keyboard and mighty mouse. All worked fine. Then the problems started. I have security set that requires a log in when booting, however after restarting, or rebooting, the MacPro the wireless keyboard and mouse were no longer recognized and I was stuck at the login screen. If I then connected my original Mac usb keyboard it would not work. The ONLY way I can get the usb keyboard to work is by having it connected when I reboot/restart. Calling Apple support was...well let's just say less than useless. So I have been doing a lot of experimenting on my own. I have finally found out that if I have nothing at all connected to any of the usb ports then the MacPro will recognize my wireless keyboard and mouse (although it does take some time to recognize it). If I connect my usb devices again and reboot...back to the same situation. No connection to my bluetooth devices and my usb keyboard will not work (unless I again reboot with it already attached). Now before you say it's my other usb devices let me tell you what I have....just a Canon printer and a Western Digital USB drive that I use for Time Machine. Both of these units have been working fine for over a year and work absolutely fine when connected to my Mac Book Pro.
I believe the bluetooth device inside is connected to the usb bus internally which is why I think the usb bus is the "root" of the problem. When certain usb devices (and heck it my be almost any usb device) are attached then the usb internal hardware screws up, which kills the bluetooth connection. I believe that this problem may be borderline (not sure if its power, timing, etc.) which is why we see so many issues that are similar, but hard to pin down.
I also believe that Leopard exacerbates this problem (but not sure yet and way too long to detail now....I'm babbling enough).
Right now the only way I can get my machine to work properly is to disconnect my printer and drive, boot the machine and then reconnect them after I have logged in. That sequence seems to work.
I know that isn't any kind of an answer, but you are certainly not the only one and I think this is just another symptom of a larger Apple USB issue. I'm continuing to investigate.
Good luck all,
rd

Mac Pro USB and FW800 ports not working

I've been reading tons of forum entries in the Apple Support Community and in other forums. Nothing seems to answer quite what's going on with my Mac Pro Tower.
Here are the details and steps taken up to now:
- I'm running a Mac Pro Tower (MacPro 3,1, 2x 2,8GHz Quad Core, Early 2008 model), currently running OS 10.6.8
- I moved before the holidays in December and left my computer unplugged for over month while away. Didn't have any issues before the move.
- up until the last couple of weeks, I had actually been running on Leopard (yes, I'm a luddite!, please, no teasing )
- I was trying to update my ipod touch's iOS and kept getting errors preventing it from completing the process. At first I thought it was an ipod app causing the issue after having read a few threads on that topic...
- Also, on startup, the Mac started searching for a Bluetooth keyboard, of which I don't have, and would not detect my usb keyboard. I would disconnect and reconnect the keyboard and the majority of the time, the Mac would then recognize my USB keyboard.
- I decided to upgrade to Snow Leopard, which didn't help with the iPod update. I did not do a clean install.
- Then I noticed that my USB stick wasn't working and tried it in all the usb ports (except the ones on the keyboard)
- Also, I had removed and then reinstalled printer and scanner drivers for my All-in-one printer. After this I kept getting constant communication errors between the mac and the printer via the usb port, although I was able to print a test page.
- I've used Hardware Test once which didn't detect any issue.
- I reset the SMC
- I reset the PRAM, and for a few seconds I was able to read from my USB stick, then never again, even after another PRAM reset.
- I've cleaned the whole inside of the computer and checked for loose cables. Cables are in so tight it's so hard to loosen them!
- I now tested all the ports:
     ∞ the 2 front and 3 back USB ports are unresponsive to my usb key and to my VoyagerQ dock
     ∞ the front and back FW800 ports are unresponsive to my VoyagerQ dock
     ∞ However, the keyboard works in any fo the back ports and my USB stick is recorgnized by the USB port of the keyboard.
     ∞ I also plugged in my Logitech webcam into the keyboard and it works there but not in any other port.
     ∞ When I plug in USB powered speakers into any of the ports, they work fine
     ∞ And the FW400 ports are also working fine with my VoyagerQ dock
- a few times, including once today, my mac restarted by itself. The times before today, I thought it was because I was sort of moving back the computer in place, but today I was nowhere near the computer.
So what does this all mean? Should I do a clean install of the Mac OS? Or is it a problem with my Logic Board?
Any insight please would be helpful. I had Apple Care and missed the reminder to renew it so I really hoping not to spend more money than necessary.

Thanks Grant,
The battery is a start and something inexpensive to replace.
I did do a PRAM reset (command + option + P + R) and was able to hear the chime 4 times. I tried resetting it a number of times over the past week, as well as yesterday with no success in reviving the USB ports. But isn't it weird that my USB powered speakers work by plugging them in any USB port (with the mini jack pugged in the back or front earphone plug)?
I did not use the USB ports on the keyboard until yesterday, so that is not the cause of the other USB and FW800 ports failing. But I'll follow your suggestion and not use them except for the mouse.
Another weird thing that happened yesterday, I have 16GB of RAM and I spent all day trying to troubleshoot a RAM issue that is magically fixed after leaving the computer on overnight to do an extended Hardware Test. The issue was:
- Only 8 RAMS were being recognized
- a red LED light appeared on the top riser
- first I thought I had isolated the faulty RAM bar, and then a second one
- Then going pair by pair again, I no longer saw the LED light
- Put back all 8 bars, only 8 GB of RAM recognized
- Left computer overnight running Hardware test (said it took almost 3 hours, with no errors)
- Now all 16 GB are recognized!
Thanks again for the tips

MobileSTOR MS2UT + esata + USB + mac pro = never-ending problems

Hey gang,
I seemed to have entered a perfect storm here:
I had purchased the *MobileSTOR MS2UT 2 Bay SATA to eSATA/USB 2.0 RAID 0/1* Enclosure initially for a *dual 800 quicksilver G4* mac that I had, looking for a hardware-based Raid solution for back ups and to not burden the G4 processor. I have replaced the G4 with an early *2008 2.8 dual quad core mac pro*. After two machines and two different PCI sata cards, I've had no luck....
(website for the above enclosure)
http://www.sansdigital.com/mobilestor/ms2ut.html
For starters, in the G4, I had a quality Seritek/1ve2+2 controller that had no problem with two other single drive enclosures, but failed with the MS2UT.
http://www.firmtek.com/seritek/seritek-1ve2plus2/
A glib response from Seritek support says that I should use their enclosure. Digging around I find that I need a controller card that can handle a port multiplier enclosure rather than just any serial ata enclosure. Seems silly to me that the user has to dig for this. I mean the USB & FIREWIRE interfaces don't seem to care: it says USB/FIREWIRE on the effing box of both the controller and on the drive, badda-bing, badda boom: it works. Whats with this high maintenance of esata. Well you get roughly 2-3x the performance so Ok, maybe its worth it.
Well, with the macpro on the horizon,, I give up on the G4, close that unsolved mystery. For the mac pro I figure PCIe, a modern computer, no problem. I get the computer, fish around the internet for an esata PCIe card, then I come across this review of the WiebeTech SilverSATA II which appears to be similar to that of the MobileSTOR:
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/wiebetech/silver2/
It appears that the unit has specific tastes as far as having the right card to make it bootable, multiport aware, etc... (the Sonnet Tempo 4+4 card works but its a PCIx card, not PCIe)
Like I said: install a bootable Mac OS on any USB/firewire drive, plug it into any card, and it works... estata... its russian roulette...
Ok so I round up some vendors, (firmtek, sonnet, Highpoint) send them emails to see what they think: if their latest cards will work with the MS2UT... They are all over the place.. they think it may work, they dunno... it should work, they haven't tested it... then they try to push their own enclosure hardware on me. I mean see an astrologist or have your palm read.. it seems more likely you'll get a more accurate answer from them, rather than vendors... props to Sonnet, though, they list compatibility right on the page with their controller.
then 10.6 comes out... and you email vendors about compatibility on that OS, and they don't even email you back.
So I find this review of the highpoint rocket raid for the mac on the great sight: Barefeats.com
http://www.barefeats.com/hard119.html
to make a long story short:
+KEY FEATURES of the "eSATA for Mac"+
+1. Dual eSATA ports+
+2. 32 and 64-bit EFI onboard+
+3. Able to boot Mac OS X+
+4. Plug and Play for (Oxford and Silicon Image chipset) external storage+
enclosures
+5. 4x PCIe rating+
+6. Support for Direct Attached and Port Multiplied enclosures+
+7. RAID 0, 1, 5, and JBOD support using browser-based manager+
+8. Native support for Snow Leopard+
+9. Compatible with 2006 - 2009 Mac Pro+
I should be set, right? WRONG!
I email highpoint, detailing that I planned to mix both Port multiplied (PM) and direct access (DA) enclosures on the same card at the same time. They say maybe (only describing the PM enclosure, not even mentioning the DA enclosure compatibility as I specified), since its a raid card and I intended to use it with an enclosure with its own raid hardware, however they say they see no issues. Well it shows they don't even know their own hardware: Their docks say that the card supports PM enclosures as well as DA (direct access) enclosures. Their web based software even shows the two as separate categories. What is buried in the manual and not cleared up by tech support or their product page is that YOU CAN'T MIX PM AND DA ENCLOSURES ON THE CARD AT THE SAME TIME!!! I explained more in the paragraph above than any tech support from any company. Unbelievable where support has gone these days.
I discover the above because I found the card at Fry's believe it not and since they have a generous return policy I tried it out and learned the above the hard way. No dice on the MS2UT with what is perhaps the most forgiving esata card for the mac.
So more hunting on the web, this time the enclosure's manufacture site: sans digital.
http://www.sansdigital.com/mobilestor/ms2ut.html
...clicking on the accessories tab I find several esata adapter cards... funny that they include ones that don't appear to support PM enclosures... Anyway, I study two that state they supports port multipliers:
http://www.sansdigital.com/adapters/ha-san-4espcix2.html:
http://www.sansdigital.com/adapters/ha-dat-4espcie.html
Ok, I may not get a bootable enclosure.. I just want to get this thing working in esata since cloning my internal raid on the mac pro takes 8 hours using usb, and my main purpose is to maintain a clone so I make my compromise.
I should be set, right? WRONG!
reading the fine print on both cards it says:
*(Please note that the host adapter card is based on Silicon Image chipset, which currently only support up to MAC OS 10.5.1 by Silicon Image.)*
I do more research, it seems any manufacturer using chips by Silicon Image will have an issue with 10.6 macs! On some websites it says Silicon Image will never release a driver. On firmtek it says they make their own driver and swears that it works. At the Silicon Image website they say they are an OEM provider so don't bother them, and that its up to the vendor to make a compatible driver. Sheesh!!
I don't get it.. whats the point in having an esata sticker if it appears to come in more flavors than an ice cream shop!
Oh and it gets better: I go to the sonnet site, thinking they have to have something that works, looking at their latest tempo SATA E4P:
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/temposatae4p.html
well, the fine print is EXHAUSTIVE, but again props to Sonnet for making it crystal clear:
(4) Sonnet Tempo cards are compatible with most external SATA storage. However, external hard drives with USB 2.0/eSATA dual interface based on the Oxford Semiconductor OXU931DS storage controller chip may not be compatible with Mac OS X when connected via SATA. Known issues are kernel panics occurring when the drive is connected, or the drive not being recognized by the operating system.
+Summary of external SATA storage+
+• Storage with eSATA alone +
Compatible
+• Storage with triple interfaces +
Compatible
+• Storage with eSATA plus Firewire 400 and/or 800 +
Compatible
+• Storage with port multiplier support (multiple drives) +
Compatible
+• Storage with RAID 0, 1, or 5 (multiple drives) +
Compatible
+• Storage with eSATA plus USB (based on JMicron 20366) +
Compatible
+ these compatible drives include, but are not limited to:+
+- OWC Mercury On-the-Go USB 2.0/eSATA 2.5" portable+
+• Storage with eSATA plus USB (based on Oxford OXU931DS) +
+not compatible+
+ these incompatible drives include, but are not limited to:+
+- Western Digital My Book™ Premium ES Edition™+
+- Seagate Technology FreeAgent™ Pro+
+Advanced users note that this card is not yet compatible in full 64-bit boot. Snow Leopard default boots in 32-bit mode, except in an Xserve.+
So in short: if you have an enclosure that has both USB and esata, but does not use the JMicron 20366, then it will not be recognized by the card. If you have an enclosure with three interfaes: USB, FW and esata, you're fine. Keep in mind too: most manufacturers don't put the source manufacturer of their chipsets on the box. So I ask..
*HOW IS THE CONSUMER SUPPOSED TO KNOW!*
I swear, a perfect analogy is if I go to best buy, buy a toshiba DVD player only to discover it doesn't play DVD's that contain movies produced by Sony Pictures..because its not a a Sony/columbia House movie. You think consumers would put up with that crap? UNBELIEVABLE...
So now I have this really versatile enclosure that apparently can't run on Mac 10.6 with ANY esata controller for the mac. I really like the design of the enclosure, with its hardware based raid that is hot swappable and has a small footprint. However there seems to be no way to get a controller card for this device that will work on a 10.6 mac.
I guess whats inferred is that you should get an enclosure with the fewest variety of ports, i.e. esata/fw/usb... ironically if it has all three, you are ok, but not if it has usb/esata. Being that USB is the most popular, thats not easy. I'm looking to contact Sans Digital to see if they will exchange it for me, possible for a model with esata/fw800 or an esata only model, if it exists. My last resort is to just use it as a USB drive (my intention was to use it as a clone of my system, with the added security that the enclosure makes a copy of a copy in raid 1), however its like 3x as time consuming than esata.
If anyone has a working MobileSTOR MS2UT/wiebetech SilverSATA II in a 10.5 mac pro, please respond to me with your config. Thanks for reading!

Thank you hatter for your reply.
I'm familiar with OWC, as I've done business with them since 2001, as well as XLR8.
I have a 2008 mac pro so the 2009 model related problems are not an issue in my situation
As I stated above I go to reputable vendors for my hardware who have specific mac experience. I look specifically for hardened compatibility so that there is support for things like deep sleep. The Sans Digital enclosure was over $200..it was not cheap. The USB/Esata combo is the most common interface for the enclosure storage market. Having a compatibility issue is a vendor fault, not the buyer. Having minutiae flavors of esata compatability based on chipsets roulette wheel is inexcusable. The enclosure needs that I have is for the medium to be removable and be able to be rebuilt at the hardware level, i.e. at the enclosure's control panel. To the mac its just a drive. The hotswap and back up is transparent to the OS and mac hardware, and allows me to change from raid 0/1 and do back up right from the enclosure interface.
So far I haven't had problems with USB/Firewire. Meanwhile Esata to me has been nothing but beta testing for vendors and seeing how the chipset manufacturers have gone loosey-goosey on following spec and just dump cheap chinese crap into the market with no pride.
for comparison:
USB/FW, PATA, SATA, SCSI
1) industry standard
2) native drivers
3) bootable. Period.
4) buy a controller card/raid card, plug it in, format, it works even through major OS upgrades.
5) USB/FW: Hot-swapable. Yes it really does work.
Esata:
1) Multiple standards (again, look at the Sonnet website to see the minefield one has to walk through to mate a controller card to an enclosure)
2) non native drivers. Buying an esata card is like marrying into the vendors family. Plus if you manage to get things working and do an OS upgrade, you are playing russian roulette. If you system boots off it, then get life insurance because you may kill yourself.
3)Not bootable and no one seems to care to explain why. Whats odd is that some earlier PCIx cards were bootable (like sonnet Temp 4x4) but their PCIe successors aren't. Not sure if this has to do with the host computer BIOS and/or the current chipsets from SI which rely on custom drivers from the vendors. Another lovely example of this are the ODD_SATA ports on the Mac pro: storage only, not bootable. Sure it makes sense now that I've learned it the hard way, however to users of FW/USB and even IDE, one would think that motherboard ports are bootable. Yes I know this is a mac bios thing and its not even considered as part of the feature set of the computer
4) As I've shown, each controller card seems to be unique, even if its from the same vendor. Even the drivers vary from card to card! Heck even the vendors are unsure as to how compatible their controller cards are with various enclosures. That is proprietary, not industry standard. OS upgrades doesn't seem to provide native driver support for Direct access and/or port multiplying interfaces. The problem with this is that film/video users like myself like to build bullet proof systems, and with raids that I've built from IDE, FW, or USB, I've never had the minutiae of compatibility issues as I've had with esata. I installed an Acard raid controller in my dual 800 back in 2001, installed the drives and forgot about it. it just worked through multiple OS upgrades. Not sure whats gong on with esata.
5) Can't call it hot swappable if I can't get the **** thing to wok in the first place.
My analysis is this: Esata is basically a proprietary format to the vendor that sells the hardware, while USB/FW is an industry standard. I bought a quality enclosure that said "esata", I bought a quality controller that said "esata", it didn't work. I had to learn the hard way about DA and PM enclosures and now about chipset conflicts. I've built computers since the late 80's amiga days, hot-rodding that computer well beyond spec and with custom cooling. SCSI terminators and IDE master/slave issues were easy-cheesey because they followed straightforward rules. This esata stuff is just plain sloppy work on the part of vendors and as Danny Glover said I'm getting to old for this **** as far as being a beta tester for hardware.

MAC PRO USB Problem - Traced to bad Apple Keyboard Extension Cable

I found a fix to a problem synching to my itunes Library on my early 2008 MAC PRO. The Apple supplied USB extension cable for the keyboard was defective.
The symptoms were hangs in itunes and finder synching to iPods and transferring data to USB hard drives. The iPods and hard drives never lost power and no errors/log entries were made. The transfers simply stalled and would not continue. itunes and finder would hang until the drive or ipod was removed. These devices were installed directly to USB ports on the MAC PRO. No other USB devices were connected except for the aluminum keyboard and mighty mouse; the mouse was connected to the keyboard. The keyboard was connected using the USB extension cable that shipped with the MAC PRO.
Hardware diagnostics were all clear. The keyboard and mouse never had any connection problems. Only itunes syncs and hard drive copies would fail; these would occur at random times. I had an open ticket with Apple to have the logic board replaced as it was diagnosed to be a hardware/USB problem.
Removal or replacement of the extension cable on the keyboard (which was connected to a different USB port and NOT in the USB chain with the ipod and hard drives) permanently fixed the problem. I cancelled the Apple HW replacement.
I have noted several posts with others having problems with USB ports and devices. I wonder if Apple has an unknown problem with bad keyboard extension cables.

I think you may be onto something there. I'm just a few weeks into my second Mac Pro and again it's having the same USB problems which led Apple to give me a replacement machine previously. I went through several weeks of considerable testing with Apple Engineers prior to that - an Apple Care application to collect data from my machine, Apple Developer USB prober and two clean installs. The latest machine initially showed no sign of the problem then it started again - 2 iPods "can not be read or written to" part way through sync, Aperture quitting importing from USB SD card reader, USB drives dismounting etc. So I pulled out the Aluminium keyboard and, lo and behold, the iPods managed to get all the way through synching without errors. I really like the alu keyboard so it's a huge shame that it might be the cause of all my problems so far - and the Mac Pro is otherwise a beautiful computer.
But is this really a hardware problem of the internal USB cards and power management or supply?

Spilled liquid on top of mac book pro; usb/wifi problems.

So yesterday evening I spilled hot chocolate on the top of my mac book pro while it was sitting on my desk closed. I picked it up, unplugged everything from it and grabbed a towel so that I could try it off. I got most of it off and nothing got into the keyboard area underneath. But I did see some of it get into the side ports and mainly the first usb port. I just realized that now when I plug something into that usb port, the wifi and usb don't work! The second one is reliable and works fine, it charges and plays audio. That is basically all I use it for. But now I am limited to just one usb port, it could be alot worse. It is an annoyance though, especially since I bought this laptop literally a year ago. From what I understand Apple will only guarantee their product for one year and won't honor most customer accidents. So with an expired warranty by just days, I am left with a perfectly working computer -1 usb port. I know getting frustrurated wont solve anything and I've spent the last hour figuring out why the internet and mouse weren't working.
What are my options? Anyone else have this kind of problem? Is there something I can do to fix my computer?

Take the computer to an Apple store or an AASP. Whichever is more convenient for you. Liquid damage is not covered under Apple's standard 1 year warranty or Apple Care.
NOTE: If you are out of warranty and purchased the computer with a credit card, discuss the warranty issue with the credit card company which you purchased the computer with. They are the only ones who can at this point cover the computer after it goes out of warranty with the manufacturer (Apple).
If you have Homeowners insurance, place a claim with them.
How to remove and clean your Macbook Pro Keyboard
Cleaning Macbook keys after a spill

Mac Pro USB port problem

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for