Mac won't recognize external WD drive

I purchased a new external USB 2.0 2TB WD drive knowing that I would need to format it for my iMac. I get a message that says it is not recognized by this Mac. I try to use Disk Utility to format the disk, but nothing is high lighted to use. How do I format the disk?
Disk Description : WD Ext HDD 1021 Media Total Capacity : 2 TB (2,000,396,746,752 Bytes)
Connection Bus : USB Write Status : Read Only
Connection Type : External S.M.A.R.T. Status : Not Supported
USB Serial Number : 574341565933313338383735 Partition Map Scheme : Unformatted

Sorry...I got into the wrong forum at first.
I've already tried what you suggested. I have chosen the drive image and clicked on erase, but nothing is high lighted to use. My computer gave me an original error message when I plugged the drive in and said it was unsupported. I think the message stems from the fact that it is not properly formatted. However it won't let me format it.

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? MacBook won't recognize external disc drive

My MacBook's internal disc drive quit, so I'm trying an external Samsung SE-208 slim portable DVD writer.   It worked once, but now the mac won't recognize it. I tried a DVD switcher app - no luck. The Samsung plugs into the USB port, starts up OK then disappears from itunes, the desktop, Finder - It's gone. Can I completely disable the internal disc drive? Would that help? I appreciate ANY help.   I'm not skilled at these things so you need to spoon feed me. thanks

Thank you for your suggestion:
Hardware Information:
          MacBook (13-inch Late 2006)
          MacBook - model: MacBook2,1
          1 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
          4 GB RAM
Video Information:
          GMA 950 - VRAM: spdisplays_integrated_vram
System Software:
          Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549) - Uptime: 0 days 0:7:8
Disk Information:
          TOSHIBA MK6034GSX disk0 : (55.89 GB)
                    (null) (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 200 MB
                    Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 55.57 GB (9.75 GB free) (Low!)
USB Information:
          Micron Built-in iSight
          MediaTek Inc MT1806
          Apple Computer Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
          Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
          Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Kernel Extensions:
Startup Items:
          HWNetMgr: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HWNetMgr
          HWPortDetect: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HWPortDetect
          StartOuc: Path: /Library/StartupItems/StartOuc
Problem System Launch Daemons:
          [System] org.samba.winbindd.plist 3rd-Party support link
Problem System Launch Agents:
          [System] com.paragon.NTFS.auth.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Daemons:
          [System] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [invalid] com.Affinegy.InstaLANd.plist
Launch Agents:
          [System] com.Affinegy.InstaLANa.plist 3rd-Party support link
          [System] com.seagate.SeagateStorageGauge.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
User Login Items:
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          System Events
          GrowlHelperApp
          Belkin Router Monitor
Internet Plug-ins:
          FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.44 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
          Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.44 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
          JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 13.9.8 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update
          QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.6.6
          Scorch: Version: (null) - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
User Internet Plug-ins:
          fbplugin_1_0_3: Version: (null) 3rd-Party support link
3rd Party Preference Panes:
          Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
Bad Fonts:
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Old Applications:
          None
Time Machine:
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Top Processes by CPU:
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              12%          WebProcess
               3%          EtreCheck
               2%          WindowServer
               1%          ps
Top Processes by Memory:
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          70 MB          Safari
          57 MB          PluginProcess
          49 MB          EtreCheck
          45 MB          WindowServer
Virtual Memory Information:
          1.88 GB          Free RAM
          588 MB          Active RAM
          293 MB          Inactive RAM
          266 MB          Wired RAM
          115 MB          Page-ins
          0 B          Page-outs

Macbook won't recognize external Hard Drive and issues with Time Machine

Hello everyone,
I have just bought a new Macbook Pro with Mountain Lion and I am currently having problems with Time Machine.
The issue begun in Snow Leopard: Time Machine was taking too long to backup, and would often not finish the backup because the external hard drive would be unwillingly ejected.
Now with Mountain Lion I have reformated the drive (Mac OS Journaled) and about a third of the way through had the same issue: the drive was ejected before the backup could be finished. I restarted the machine and it happened again. However, now the computer won't even recognize the external drive when I plug it in. I have also tried to power off/on the drive itself to no progress.
I have tested the USB port with another drive and the port is fine. I have also tested the usb cable and it is fine. And Disk Utility does not recognize the drive (even when I try the >diskutil list command in terminal).
Now, I can hear the drive humming normally when I turn it on, and it is not usb-powered (my electricity current does fluctuate).
Could the interrupted backup procedures have damaged the drive? And if so, wouldn't the computer recognize it anyway?
It is a 4 year old WD 1 TB that is used exclusively for TM and has never left the house.
Thank you for your time reading this and let me know if you need any more information that could help out.
Cheers!

From your description, I'd suspect a failing drive. Maybe time for a new external, especially as you've already re-formatted and it's still playing up.
I had a similar problem with one of my clone backups a few weeks ago - it failed, I erased it, re-cloned, worked a couple of times and then it failed again. Disk Utility didn't throw up any errors after re-formatting. I guess all disks die at some point.

IMAC won't recognize external hard drive anymore

I am running snow leopard on my IMAC with all the latest software updates. I've been using a LaCie Quadra external hard drive with time machine for backups for awhile with no problems. From the beginning is was plug in the hard drive and go, the mac recognized it. Now, suddenly, it won't. When I turn on the LaCie to back up, the icon no longer pops on the desktop. It is also not listed in the Time Machine preferences anymore. I tried to open the LaCie from Mac systems preferences and get a message with something like "64 bit cannot recognize 32 bit" I am asked to close and reopen system preferences, which would change to 32 bit. I tried that and it did not work,and a report was sent to Apple. Has anyone else been experiencing this? Thanks

jraguseo wrote:
Thanks. I don't disconnect the drive, only turn it off with it's own power switch. According to LaCie, this should not be a problem.
No, it's not a problem for the drive, but neither is leaving it (and Time Machine) on. Most externals will "spin down" after a few minutes of activity, but even if they don't, modern drives are built to run 24/7.
Time Machine was designed to do quick hourly backups of changes, and will protect you best that way. Just leave both Time Machine and the drive on; they'll be fine.

Mac won't recognise external hard-drive

Hi there,
I've just tried to transfer some files from my external hard-drive which I usually use with my OS 10.5, onto another PC, and was unsuccessful. Then when I plugged the hard-drive back into my mac, the device doesn't appear on screen as it usually does. I've also looked in my computer and the hard-drive isn't showing and I can't access any of the files on it. Does anyone know how I can resolve this issue please? Would really appreciate some help!
Thanks.

How is the HD connected - USB or Firewire?
USB and FireWire Quick Assist
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1151?viewlocale=en_US
What to do if your computer won't recognize a FireWire device
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=88338
Dealing with FireWire problems (drives not mounting, devices unrecognized, etc.)
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20041221081432908
Common fixes for USB device issues (unrecognized, etc.)
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070824012114701
 Cheers, Tom

Time Machine Won't Recognize External Hard Drive

Hi there,
My father has a 2009 iMac running Mac OS X 10.8.3. Recently, Time Machine stopped recognizing his external Maxtor OneTouch backup hard drive.
I've tried the whole litany of ideas and tips listed in this forum and other websites:
Rebooting both the desktop and the external hard drive
Changing USB ports
Checking Disk Utility (won't even display)
Can you offer any solutions? He hasn't had an issue before, so it seems to be an isolated incident. This desktop is for his business, so it's very important for the files to be backed up.
Thanks.
Update: After submitting this, I received a dialogue box that said the computer cannot read the external hard drive.

If the drive has more than one interface (USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, eSATA), try one of the other interfaces.
Check that the data cable is securely inserted at both ends.
Try a different cable.
If you're connecting the drive through a hub, connect it directly to a built-in port on the Mac.
If you're connecting it directly, try a different port.
Disconnect all other devices on the bus, or as many as possible.
Test the drive with another Mac. Test another drive with this Mac.
If the drive is bus-powered, but has an AC adapter, connect the adapter.
Boot into Recovery and launch Disk Utility. Is the drive recognized?
Start up in Safe Mode and test.
Reset the System Management Controller
If the drive doesn't work under any of the above conditions, and if another drive does work with the same Mac, then the drive has failed. You may be able to salvage the mechanism by removing it from the enclosure and installing it in another one, or in a drive dock.

IMovie Won't Recognize External Hard Drive...?

Hello,
Yesterday, I upgraded to a new Macbook Pro using OSX 10.9.4 (Mavericks) and I'm working with iMovie 10.0.2.
On my old Macbook, I had an external hard drive which held all of my raw video footage, and instead of filling my hard drive with iMovie Projects and videos, I just kept them saved on the hard drive and edited projects from that.
Theoretically, this should be possible with this newest version of iMovie, right? However, when I open iMovie, I cannot find the hard drive. It is connected to my computer, and I can see and access it on the desktop, but there is no "Devices" icon listed in iMovie. Isn't it supposed to automatically display? I have two external hard drives, both formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and I tried both of them, but why don't they display in iMovie?
Is this a strange problem or am I just completely missing something really basic........? I've looked online, and it seems like they should display automatically.
I'm stumped and am totally unfamiliar with this version of iMovie.
Thanks so much for your help!

It might be really basic, but what was the solution? It eludes me....
== ==
Okay, quick edit, the answer is to double click on the .imovielibrary file you want to import. I still think that is not obvious, you'd think there was something you could do inside iMovie that would work, or, that it should simply recognize it automatically...

Emac won't recognize external hard drive

Had a problem with my emac freezing. After running apple hardware test and repairing disk permissions without any changes I decided to backup eveything and reinstall OSX. Although this solved the problem, I cannot get the emac to recognize the 160GB lacie external hard drive where all the backup files are stored. Any suggestions?

External hard drive spontaneously unmounted? Try these tips:
NEW FIRMWARE: Try updating your external hard drive's firmware, which is available from your drive manufacturers Web site--or just use VersionTracker's (www.versiontracker.com) search function to find it. Be sure to back up your data before applying the update, and carefully follow the manufacturers instructions.
OUT OF iSIGHT: If you're using an iSight camera while you're using a FireWire drive, the camera may be interfering with the drive's ability to stay mounted. Try temporarily disconnecting your iSight and moving it to a separate FireWire port. If you have multiple FireWire devices, try using a FireWire hub.
POWER PROBLEM: A faulty power adapter could be causing your drive to unmount. Your drive may not be getting enough juice to stay on, causing the drive to turn off and thereby unmounting it from your Mac. Alternately, the power adapter may not be providing a steady amount of power, causing your drive to turn on and off. Try replacing the adapter. If you can't get a replacement adapter from the hard drive manufacturer, try your local electronics store. Just make sure the adapter you choose has the same connector and input/output voltage. you can find the input/output voltage on the adapter itself.
Cheers!
DALE

Time Capsule won't recognize External Hard Drive?

Ok so I have a 1 TB Time Capsule that I previously had a 1 TB G-Drive attached to store excess data, movies, ect. I needed more space so I purchesed a 6TB G-Drive, connected it to my Mac Book Pro and coppied all the information to it from my other two 1TB external hard drives. Then I connected it to my Time Capsule. However here is the the problem I can't locate the hard drive throught the Time Capsule. If I connect it directly to my Mac Book Pro I it works just fine but no such luck finding it when it is connected to my Time Capsule? While connected to my Mac Book Pro I checked Disk Utility and it is formated with OS Extended but not (Journaled). Does that matter and if so how can I format it without dumping the info on it as it took 10 hours to load it the first time. Please help.

Apple recommends that the drive should be formatted in Mac OS Exended (Journaled) when it is connected to the USB port on the Time Capsule, or AirPort Extreme, so that might be an issue here.
Another issue might be that the USB port on the Time Capsule is borderline as far as its ability to supply adequate power for a hard drive....even if the hard drive has its own separate power supply.
See if you can locate the drive as follows:
Click anywhere on the open Desktop to display the Finder menus at the top of the screen
Click the Go menu, then click Network
If the Time Capsule icon appears, double click on it and a folder representing your hard drive will appear if the format is being read
(You may need to click Connect As the first time that you do this and enter the Time Capsule device password)
Double click the folder representing the hard drive and it will mount on the desktop
If the folder for the hard drive does not appear, then the formatting issue or power issue may be at work here. Try a powered USB hub to see if that will allow the drive to be displayed in the Finder.
If still no luck, the only other thing that I can think of is that you will need to re-format the drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). That means moving all the data on the drive to another storage area, formatting the drive using Disk Utility and then transferring the data back on to the drive.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that this will work either, but I know of nothing else to try.
Maybe another user has another idea.

Mac won't recognize external DVD-W

I'm on a MacBook Pro OSX version 10.4.11. I've been using this Mac for years, but I'm still such a beginner when it comes to Macs.
My internal DVD-RW stopped working forever ago. I recently purchased a Samsung External Slim DVD-W SE-S084C/RSRN so that I can update to Snow Leopard. The SE-S084C requires 2 USB ports, so I also purchased a Belkin USB hub.
When I plug everything in, nothing happens. I tried installing a driver through the Samsung support site, but no luck. I read somewhere that PatchBurn might help, but it didn't or I'm not using it correctly.
I'm wondering if I somehow need to tell my Mac to stop recognizing the internal drive so that it'll start recognizing the external drive? I don't know. My Dell-certified technician girlfriend said that might be the problem, but I'm not sure how I'd fix it if it was.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
Sarah

Hello everybody. Thought I'd throw a few suggestions your way.
First, DVDPlayer doesn't natively support external drives unless there is an internal still connected and functional.
If you hex-edit the file that it uses to identify the player, however, you can change the word Internal to External and viola, you can use any external that your system can read with.
Now... ...if you don't know which file... read this, http://macenstein.com/default/2011/07/how-to-get-your-external-super-drive-worki ng-in-lion/
The file locations are similar across OSX versions.
Once you've done that...
Remember that mac wasn't designed to use lesser hardware. That said, most of the entire market would qualify as lesser hardware by their standards. However, you can get by with a few simple rules:
1. for burning dvd or higher size, 3gb ram and at least 4.5gb hard disk are necessary
2. Those drives that come with nero or similar are more compatible with the disc-burning architecture and will function with most mac apps that use it
3. you'll need a fast enough processor, 1.83ghz or higher for DL dvd, or blu-ray.
4. You'll need an app compatible with your media; toast, burn.app, etc.
If you experience issues try the following:
1. Clean out caches with ice-clean or similar
2. repair permissions
3. Use your system profiler and check the connection for info; if blank, the connection, the burner or the media is unsupported, so work backward (try more compatible media like cd or another format like swapping -r for +r), but only swap connections or burners if you are sure (if usb connection, try another powered port, try not using a hub, try a different wire; if internal, cannot swap either in most cases, but if sata, try using a usb-sata device to connect). When you've exhausted all the other possibilities, replace the burner. The most common problems of this nature can occur as hardware failure, like burnt pcb, or motor failure. By replacing the drive, if you still have a connection problem, you may have a deeper issue that requires more serious repair (repairing the computer).

Suddenly won't recognize external hard drive

Hi,
Yesterday, while my 3- or 4-year-old external hard drive was plugged into my MacBook Pro but not being actively used by me, I heard a faint "click" come from the external drive. Since I was done with it, I tried to drag the icon to the trash to eject it, but the icon turned a faded grey color, and a message popped up saying something like "The disk was not ejected properly, etc."
Now when I turn the external drive on, I can hear it starting up and the lights come on as always...but the icon won't show up on my desktop.
I can find the external drive in Disk Utility, but that's it. I clicked "Repair Disk" and "Verify Disk", but the icon still won't show up on the desktop.
My buddy tried connecting it to his PC laptop, and the same thing happened -- his computer knew it was there, but he couldn't open it and actually USE it.
-It's not the power supply, because it turns on.
-It's not my laptop's USB slots, because both of them detect other devices.
-It's not the USB cable itself, because the computer detects the hard drive via the cable.
-I opened up the enclosure, which is made by a brand name called "Anvesome" or something (The icon itself is called Afterthemac, and the sticker inside the case says Western Digital, and it was manufactured in 2005. The hard drive came in a box with less-than-perfect English grammar, if that means anything.
I had been using this external drive on my eMac for a few years, and about 7 months on my MacBook Pro with no problems. If anyone knows what's wrong with it, or how I can recover the data, that'd be great!
Thanks!
-Andrew

The enclosure should come with its own set of instructions. One end of the hard drive will have some pins, and it will just plug into a cable or connector. I personally like OWC enclosures, and here is a link for installation instructions for their external enclosures:
http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/basictrob.cfm
Not knowing exactly which drive you have, I can't make a specific recommendation. I'm guessing that it may be a 3.5 inch SATA drive if it was bought to be used with an eMac, but you would probably have to find out for sure from the serial number. However, if you look at a set of installation instructions, you should be able to gain some insight as to how to remove the drive from its current enclosure.
You may also want to check with Western Digital, as they do have a link to some data recovery services should you ultimately need them:
http://support.wdc.com/recovery/index.asp?lang=en&selregion=americas
However, professional data recovery can be very expensive, and if you can place the drive in a different enclosure and use one of the links eww gave you, you may be able to recover your data for a fraction of the cost.
Go ahead and get your new 2 TB drive and get your stuff backed up. I don't think it would hurt to let the old drive sit until you figure out what you want to do with it, as long as you don't let it sit for years and years.
At this point, we don't really know if the drive has physical damage or not. If not, data recovery costs shouldn't be too bad. If the drive actually has failed, then expect to pay a lot.
Good luck!

Migration Assistant Won't Recognize External Hard Drive

I have a PowerPC G5 and made a bootable backup of the computer's content to an external firewire hard drive. I tested the backup to make sure that it booted and everything was fine. So, I then did a clean install of Leopard to the machine. After the computer restarted, I reconnected my external drive and it mounted fine. However, when I went to use Migration Assistant to bring over all of my applications, it would not recognize the hard drive as an option to migrate files from.
The hard drive is formatted as Apple Partition Map, and works fine as a bootable copy. Does anyone know why Migration Assistant will not recognize it?
I recently did a clean install of Leopard on my Macbook this weekend using a different external drive with a bootable backup of the drive (GUID formatted) and then used the migration assistant to move all of my files and everything worked just fine.
I can't find any reason that I shouldn't be able to get my applications through migration assistant from the external hard drive but maybe someone knows how to fix this or of a workaround.

Very curious, indeed.
Welcome to the Apple forums where we do try to sort things out
Your delineation of the problem and comparison to your MBP is perfect.
I migrated my G5 from a second internal disk, but actually used the setup assistant when Leopard came alive.
You might see what happens if you eject your external HD and then do what you need to to connect it back (turn off/on - unplug/plug, etc.)
Are there any errors when Migration assistant runs?
It is perhaps that Spotlight is doing its thing and the drive is not available until it is indexed?
I would remove the external HD temporarily from the SpotLight indexing list and then see what happens.
I recall that there were some odd issues with external drives taking up to 1/2 hour to be recognized by Leopard, but I don't recall why.
I am not sure these things will help, but they will eliminate some of the possibilities, and when we have eliminated the probable, what is left is where the answer lies
I wonder if Leopard is confused by the external drive not being GUID?
Try this - - connect the GUID external drive to your G5 and see if Migration assistant sees it. Obviously do not migrate anything, but if you can see that one, we may have a solution.
Keep us posted.

Mac won't eject external hard drive

Hi!
I've a MBP 15-inch Early 2013 256 GB HD and 8 GB Ram, with Yosemite 10.10.2. A year ago I'd problems with the logic board and Apple changed it, two times. Now I've problems when using my external hard drive ADATA Classic CH11. When I connect it everything works fine, Time Machine does the backup, I can transfer files, no problem. When I try to eject the disk it grays out from Finder but stays like that and never ejects. When I try to open disk utility it freezes and I need to Force quit it. If I try to shut down the Mac after that it never does, it closes all programs but stays on without shutting down.
I've searched about it but all the people say that there's something wrong with my Logic board, this is the third one I've so I'm not sure I'll be able to convince Apple to make another exception to change it.
Any ideas?
Thank you!

Howdy Fernando Mata Licon,
Does the issue ejecting disks that are connected to your MacBook Pro occur with one specific storage device or all devices? Take a look at the article linked below which provides general troubleshooting tips that’ll resolve most issues ejecting disks.
OS X Yosemite: If you can’t eject a disk
Ciao,
-Jason

Lion won't recognize external hard drive

After installing Lion, my external hard drives don't show up on the desktop. I can find them in Disk Utility but nowhere else. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

I have had the same problem with my MacBook since I upgraded to 10.7.3. Did what you suggested, here's what I got:
2012-03-11 13:56:38.074 defaults[6427:303]
The domain/default pair of (/Users/jean/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist, ShowExternalHardDrivesOnDesktop) does not exist
[Macintosh-3:~] jean%
My LaCie drive is plugged in and running.
I've also found that digital cameras only show as connected to the MacBook via Image Capture.
I did run Disk Utility and got this:
Verifying volume “LaCie Rugged”
Checking file systemInvalid content in journal
Journal need to be replayed but volume is read-only
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Invalid node structure
The volume LaCie Rugged could not be verified completely.
Error: This disk needs to be repaired. Click Repair Disk.
Verify and Repair volume “LaCie Rugged”
Checking file systemInvalid content in journal
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Invalid node structure
The volume LaCie Rugged could not be verified completely.
Invalid content in journal
Volume repair complete.Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.Error: 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.
Not sure how to back up this drive. Wondering if I can just repartition, or if this will even make a difference. This same drive worked on the same MacBook a few hours before I installed Lion.
Message was edited by: Doctah

Macbook won't recognize external hard drive

I installed a new hard drive and then installed Snow leopard and my computer can't seem to find my external hard drive. I'll plug and unplug and nothing comes up. The USB ports both seem to be working fine with my thumb drive. Help- trying to salvage what I can from my time machine after a hard drive crash!
Please help!
Thanks,
Heather

External drives don't show up on Desktop by default. First, connect the external drive, and then, open a Finder window. After that, you should see your external drive in the Finder's sidebar, under "Devices". If you want to show it on Desktop, open the Finder menu (on the menu bar) > Preferences > General, and tick "External drives"

Mac won't recognize external WD drive

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