Need help with Mac & PC not recognizing external drive (disk not readable)

I am having trouble getting my computer(s) to recognize my Seagate External Drive.
Have tried on my MacBook, iMac, 2 Mini's & my roommate's PC and all reveal the same issue: The Disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.
MacBook/iMac both are working off of Leopard
Both Mini's are on Tiger
It won't show up in finder, rendering it unobtainable. I need to get the information if at all possible off of this hard drive (very important!!) so any help I can get would be greatly appreciated!
It allows me to go into disk utility where it shows up with this information:
Name : ST316002 3A Media
Type : Disk
Partition Map Scheme : Master Boot Record
Disk Identifier : disk4
Media Name : ST316002 3A Media
Media Type : Generic
Connection Bus : USB
USB Serial Number : 3LJ07T540000
Device Tree : /PCI0@0/USB7@1D,7/@4:0
Writable : Yes
Ejectable : Yes
Mac OS 9 Drivers Installed : No
Location : External
Total Capacity : 149.1 GB (160,041,885,696 Bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. Status : Not Supported
Disk Number : 4
Partition Number : 0
And it is in the "about this mac" section with this information:
Seagate Mass Storage:
Capacity: 149.05 GB
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: Yes
BSD Name: disk4
Version: 0.00
Bus Power (mA): 500
Speed: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Seagate
Mac OS 9 Drivers: No
Partition Map Type: MBR (Master Boot Record)
Product ID: 0x0500
Serial Number: 3LJ07T540000
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported
Vendor ID: 0x0bc2

Additional info:
on the disk4s1 info in disk utility, this information is seen:
Name : disk4s1
Type : Volume
Disk Identifier : disk4s1
Mount Point : Not mounted
Connection Bus : USB
Device Tree : /PCI0@0/USB7@1D,7/@4:1
Writable : Yes
Capacity : 149.0 GB (160,022,790,144 Bytes)
Owners Enabled : No
Can Turn Owners Off : No
Can Be Formatted : No
Bootable : No
Supports Journaling : No
Journaled : No
Disk Number : 4
Partition Number : 1
so it looks like a whole lot of no's that need to be turned around! I can't understand why it won't be read by either Mac or PC with all of this, or how I can fix it

Similar Messages

Usb port not recognizing external drive

When I plug my external backup drive, Lacie, into either USB ports on my MacBook Pro, it is not recognizing the drive. Not sure if I powered down incorrectly. It use to recognize it. Help.

Start by looking for the drive in the Apple System Profiler (from the Apple menu's far left Apple logo>About This Mac>More Info>Hardware (in left column) >USB.) If the drive is correctly powered and connected, it will show up here.
If it doesn't show up, the problem is with the drive. With the drive plugged in, put your ear to the drive and listen for the whirring sound the drive makes when it is powered up. If it isn't making any sound, ot's either a bad drive or a bad power supply.
If the drive is making sound , then the problem is probably the USB cable or your USB port. Try a different USB cable. This should fix the problem; if all the above tests were good and the drive still doesn't mount, it may be the USB controller in the Mac. That's a serious problem that requires repair or installation of an aftermarket USB controller.
Hope this helps

New to Mac, Help with Time Machine! Partition External HDD or not?

Hey Guys I'm a new mac user
I need help with time machine
I wanted to know how time machine works and what all does it back up?
I have 2 hard drives one is of 1TB and one is of 320gb
In the 1TB hard drive i store all my music videos and work stuff it is windows formatted
The 320gb hard drive is mac formatted and I was thinking of making a partition on it one with 250gb for time machine and the remaining 70 gb for mac softwares and files. The ssd of my mac has a capacity of 256gb. I have read for time machine you need at least 2x the space of your ssd on your external hard drive but i don't understand if my ssd is only 256 and can store files worth 256gb why do i need double the space? Secondly if I choose to use the complete 320 gb for time machine will that be okay or even if i choose to partition it to 250gb for time machine will that be fine too? Or will I need to format my 1TB hard disk out of which currently only 300 gb is empty and partition that to 500 gb for time machine?
I'm really confused every tells me to use time machine but do I need it? And what does it exactly do?
Your input will be really appreciate thanks

The reason that you want a partition (or drive) of 2-3 times the size of your boot drive for Time Machine is so that you can keep backups further back than just the current boot drive state - for that you'd need to make a clone of the drive rather than using Time Machine (see -> http://pondini.org/TM/Clones.html).
For more information for backups in general, see -> Most commonly used backup methods.
Note that you can't use Time Machine to backup a Windows partition.
Good luck,
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15” Late 2011), OS X 10.??, 16GB Crucial RAM, 960GB M500 Crucial SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

OS X not recognizing external drive

I've tried everything with this USB 2.0 external drive. It was formatted in NTFS, MacBook did not recognize it when I plugged it in. It does not even show up in Disk Utility. The only place that the system even recognizes that there is something plugged into it is in System Profiler:
USB 2.0 Storage Device:
Version: 1.03
Bus Power (mA): 500
Speed: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Product ID: 0x5621
Serial Number: 00042222200000115773
Vendor ID: 0x0402
I tried reformatting in FAT32 -- still nothing. Bad enclosure? The drive works on any windows system, so the drive is not bad. It's a Hitachi Deskstar 164.7 GB. Thanks in advance..

Hi all,
Hi,
is it possible that the HD was configured as a 'Dynamic Disk' when created in Windows ?
Macs do have problems with these kind of HDs.
See here for informations about Dynamic Disks: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B308424&x=9&y=12
and this on How-To convert back to Basic Disks (which Macs can use): http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B309044&x=15&y=14
Also is the HD self-powered or USB-Bus-powered ?
If bus-powered a power-supply for the drive might help.
Regards
Stefan

Need help with error: No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key

Hello, I need help will my laptop and the error, the message says "no bootable device ", I have tried taking out the hard drive but it still doesn't work. My laptop is a Satillite C55D-A5372. I need help with this; if you know about this ans know how to fix it please reply or email me @ [email protected]
If needed more clarifications ask me.
Thank you,
Jkmano

if you got into the bios/uefi and have determined that the hdd is being detected then that is good. At least the hdd is operating to some extent, although still may be corrupt OS or the like.
Eagle asked you what OS your using (i.e., Windows 8.1 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit, etc.). I see that English is not your native language so we'll just have to work with that as best we can.
Did you make any changes to the operating system (OS) as a result of the link you posted, and what were they?
L305-S5955, T9300 Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 60GB SSD, Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit

I need help with viewing files from the external hard drive on Mac

I own a 2010 mac pro 13' and using OS X 10.9.2(current version). The issue that I am in need of help is with my external hard drive.
I am a photographer so It's safe and convinent to store pictures in my external hard drive.
I have 1TB external hard drive and I've been using for about a year and never dropped it or didn't do any thing to harm the hardware.
Today as always I connected the ext-hard drive to my mac and click on the icon.
All of my pictures and files are gone accept one folder that has program.
So I pulled up the external hard drive's info it says the date is still there, but somehow i can not view them in the finder.
I really need help how to fix this issue!

you have a notebook, there is a different forum.
redundancy for files AND backups, and even cloud services
so a reboot with shift key and verify? Recovery mode
but two or more drives.
a backup, a new data drive, a drive for recovery using Data Rescue III
A drive can fail and usually not if, only when
and is it bus powered or not

Need help with Mac Pro purchasing decision

I've read preliminary reviews on the new Mac Pro, and I'm ready to upgrade my current Mac Pro (which is Dual 2.4 Ghz Quad-core with 32 GB RAM). But I'm going through some major turmoil in the decision. My current Mac Pro, aged as it may be, has been good to me, and when it needed upgrading, it was so easy to do. I installed an additional two internal hard disks, giving the Mac Pro 3 TBs of internal storage. RAM upgrade was a breeze, and when the graphics card went out, I was able to buy and install a replacement without a hiccup.
I love the low profile of the new Mac Pro, albeit I'll still be putting it on the floor - I don't like having my desktop computer in my desk work area. And it looks like upgrading the RAM in the new Mac Pro is pretty simple (although horribly expensive). I would require a CD/DVD drive, so that becomes a piece of "stuff" I have to clutter my work are with. However, most importantly, the internal storage issue, FOR ME, is huge. Without the ability to add internal drives, getting the 1TB flash storage is a must, but sooooooo expensive. AND.. I still need additional storage (more than half of my current 3 TBs is in use).
Moreover, the whole lack of upgradability has me concerned that the new Mac Pro may disappear like the G4 Cube. I haven't seen any rave reviews of the new Mac Pro overall.
But I need to upgrade.
I have configured a new Mac Pro on the Apple Store about 100 times now, but never making the purchase for all of the above reasons, as well as the $5K price tag that it keeps ending up at. I even started looking at refurbished Mac Pros (newer than mine, but the same old huge silver case). The advantage is that it's upgradeable, and I won't end up with an optical drive or external hard drives cluttering my desk space.
The truth is, every time I go to buy, either a new Mac Pro, or a refurbished one, I hit a wall. I'm walking the fence, wondering if I should walk it until a newer Mac Pro shows up with more expandability options (although it seems unlikely since Apple's direction seems to be form over function).
The new Mac Pro has been out for awhile, so I am looking for feedback from people who are kind of in my shoes, but already bit the bullet. I don't want to encourage replies of regret, but I also would prefer the truth over grandiose reviews simply to justify making the leap (and dropping some huge bills). It happens... "I just spent 5 grande, I better **** well love it, and I'll make sure everyone else thinks I do!" ;-)
Please share your experiences. How have you gotten around the lack of upgradeability on the internal storage? I have had bad experiences with external drives in the past. Firewire drives were fast and furious, but the were not as reliable as internal drives. USB drives lag, and that dreaded spin up time every time the Mac OS does something that wakes up all the drives, even if the external drives weren't actually being accessed (never had that problem with Firewire drives, maybe because they were always spun up?).
Anyway, I don't want my buyer's pain to turn into buyer's remorse, so I appreciate all the wisdom any of you would be willing to share.
Thanks,
Bill

I'll offer my comments although there are others much better qualified to answer than I am.
First, the reason I bought the machine that I got was that I found an "open box" deal at a local retailer and got a substantial discount from the normal list price. Otherwise, I might not have gone to the nMP quite as quickly as I did. Regarding ram and the ssd drive, both of these can be upgraded at some later date if I find that is needed. The ram I will probably bump asap, filling the one empty slot with likely an 8gb OWC module.
To run your VGA monitors, you will need 2 passive mini-display port to VGA adapters. You can buy these pretty much anywhere, the Apple ones are superb quality at a price but other options are out there. These will plug into 2 of the Thunderbolt ports on the nMP.
Regarding cpu's and gpu's it gets a bit confusing. Basically right now it depends on the software that you are going to run. It is not likely coincidence that FCPX 10.1 came out basically at the same time as the nMP, as it really highlights full use of the multicore cpu's plus the dual fast gpu's. FCPX really screams on the nMP.
Right now, it seems more video software is making optimum use of both the multicore cpu's and dual gpu's in the nMP. Other software, most notably photo software that should also benefit, is lagging behind. For instance (going only from memory) Adobe software is not very good at using multi-core cpu's nor does it use multiple gpu's either. You can find comparisons of running Photoshop filters on a 3.7ghz 4-core vs the (slower clock speed) 6 or 8 cores and the 4-core comes out close or even faster in some tests because Photoshop uses only a single core, which on the 4-core machine is faster.
However, this is a pretty specific instance and generally buying the fastest cpu and gpu that you can afford is a good plan. Especially so for the gpu's as right now, the video may end up being the only component that does not end up with some sort of upgrade option in the foreseeable future.
If I was going to order a system under the circumstances you have stated, the 6-core with the D500 gpu's sure looks like the sweet spot in the lineup, and probably money well spent. After I would probably upgrade the ssd next, since in order to upgrade it later you have to remove a perfectly good ssd since there is only one slot. Personally I am ok with the 256gb as my boot and system drive, since with Thunderbolt you have basically PCIe access to an external box that can have either Sata or PCIe expansion for whatever storage you can afford.
As I said earlier, right now I am going cheap and using Apples Thunderbolt to firewire cable, which is allowing me to run my existing Lacie firewire drives in a daisy chain just as I did on the old MP.
Upgrading the ram at purchase or later is your choice, there are certainly less expensive options but with only 4 slots you have to weigh the cost of discarding or trading in the original Apple ram when you decide to swap it out for bigger modules. Plus not all ram can be mixed and matched, you may have to remove all the existing ram in order to add just a single high capacity (16gb or larger) module.
Again, hope I have helped more than adding to your confusion.

Need help with mac and java

Hi, I'm trying to develop an application on a Machintosh OSX 10.2.8 machine.
I'm having a herrendous time trying to get quicktime to work on it.
I've somehow managed t oget 1.3.1 and QTJava.jar to work together but now i need encryption, however that requires 1.4+
Now 1.4.1 doesnt work with quicktime
I've downloaded the latest software upgrades but Ive got no idea how to set up quicktime to work with java 1.4.1
Now to add on top of that mac reports it can use AES encryption. this is from source code ripped striaght from this website.
But first and foremost can anyone, annyonee help me out with setting up 1.4.1 with quicktime?
Thank you

If you need encryption with Java 1.3.1, download the JCE from either Sun (http://java.sun.com/products/jce/) or Bouncy Castle (http://www.bouncycastle.org/).
Cheers,
--Arnout

Need help with mac pro OS

Good day.
I've recently "inherited" a Mac Pro. Trying to get it cleaned up and get newest OS.
I've only got as far as updating to Snow leopard (Mac OS X ver. 10.6.8) but can't seem to get anything past that installed. (I.e. lion or better)
Processor: 2 x 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Memory: 12 GB 667 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro2,1
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 3 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per processor): 8 MB
Memory: 12 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP21.007F.B06
SMC Version (system): 1.15f3
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0019E3F9B41E
Pretty amateur to novice on macs so if wrong info provided, my apologies.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Bill

The Mac Pro 2,1 and 1,1 officially only support up to Mac OS X 10.7.5.
Overview
If you need to purchase Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, you may order it from this page [at the Apple online store, US$20].
The most current version of OS X is OS X 10.9 Mavericks. To learn more, please click here.
What do you receive: An email with a content code for the Mac App Store.
Note: Redemption codes are usually delivered within 1 business day but may occasionally take longer.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

Need help with mac stuck in start up

I was only able to boot in safe mode. I reinstalled os x 10.4 and it rebooted fine. On doing all the updates on the 3rd reboot it is stuck in a blue screen recycle after the mac os x start up screen. Windows starts okay. The extra problem I have is the internal d drive does not work and I use an external dvd drive. Would appreciate any help. I have flashed the pram. I think it might be related to the last updates.

What happens if you run fsck?
Run fsck.
1. Reboot/Startup holding your Command-S key down.
2. At the command line type the following and hit 'Return.'
/sbin/fsck -fy
3. If it finds a problem and repairs it, immediately run fsck again until the drive checks OK.
4. After it has check/repaired your disk, type 'reboot' and hit 'Return' again.
Dave M.
MacOSG Founder/Ambassador  An Apple User Group  iTunes: MacOSG Podcast
Macsimum News Associate Editor  Creator of 'Mac611 - Mobile Mac Support'

According to the Genius Bar, my HD is dying. I need help with such things as making a boot disk, making sure back up is complete, etc. I have a White early 2008 MacBook running 10.7.3. It is backed up regularly with Time Machine to an external drive.

I am not a real tech type person. MAcBook white early 2008 running 10.7.3. I know I will need a boot disk to restart the computer after I have installed the new drive. I have purchased a Hitachi 500 G, 7200 RPM to install. The computer is backed up regularly using Time Machine to an external hard drive. I nned to know all the steps I need to do before physically changing the hardware.

Do you have your original drive backed up? Is it still working? If so I'd buy an external enclosure and boot from that. Then format your new drive and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your old drive to the new one.
If you don't have a backup, I'd buy an external drive, use carbon copy cloner to do a backup, then install the new drive and clone back to it.

Need Help With Mac Mini Networking

I sure could use some Apple Expert advise:
I am having quite a problem getting my mac mini to see my Windows (Vista-XP) network. I am only able to see one of my systems when I use the smb://command. First I used this command from the address bar of Firefox, it connected and mounted the drive on my mac desktop.....would not see any of the others. I have (2) Leopard books and have followed the steps correctly.
Went back to the store-local and we did the same functions and without fail the systems showed up quickly in the finder as shared.
I have the WINS: NETBIOS name and Workgroup name correct. I have file sharing, screen sharing turned on.
Can anyone give me some thoughts as to what I am missing here. Again unless I use the smb://command nothing shows up. I have the Finder set to show shared.
Connection to the wireless net, perfect-less than a minute to complete.
Thanks in advance

Windows PCs aren't visible from the shared area.
Here's a tip: write an Automator application to mount the computer's C drives (you will need 1 app per PC). Then, run that app and open a Finder window and then the PC's IP address will be visible in the shared area. Make sure you know the PC's IP address. Then for convenience, give your new apps their own snazzily named folder and drag that to the dock and make a stack.
Another thing: if you don't already have one, setup a password for your desktop because if there isn't one, serious problems will occur.
<Edited by Moderator>

Need help with Itunes finding Music on External HD

Hi,
I just got a new computer and I have all my itunes music,podcast,etc....... on an external hd but when I installed Itunes and went to the advanced tab to select were I want itunes to search for music and stuff, nothing showed up when I pressed OK. PLEASE HELP ME......
Thanks:)
Message was edited by: Grock44
Message was edited by: Grock44

*I installed Itunes and went to the advanced tab to select were I want itunes to search for music and stuff*
That setting doesn't tell iTunes to search a particular folder, it simply sets the location of your iTunes Music folder for future imports or for when you add files to your library? Is your iTunes Library (.itl) file kept on the external drive or did you keep it in the iTunes folder on you old PC? If you moved it to your external drive then hold down the Shift key in Windows when opening iTunes. In the resulting dialogue you will get the option to create a new library or navigate to an existing one. Navigate to where you placed the copy of the library file and open it up: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file
If you didn't keep the library file on the external then you'll have to make a new one. In iTunes go to File>Add Folder to Library and navigate to your music folder on the external drive. You'll have to recreate any playlists you had in the old library.

Need help with Macbook reinstall on new hard drive!

Hey Everyone!
So my old MacBook A1181 was damaged a bit in a fall from a shelf. I followed all the directions on PowermacMedic (bless them!) and put in a new LCD screen, as the old one was cracked. Cleaned a lot of cat hair out of machine while I was at it.
I also replaced the hard drive with a new one, because the old one had a question-mark-over-a-folder icon. I'm very proud of myself, as there are only four screws left over. LOL!
So now it's time to reinstall the Tiger system. The optical drive is not working, so I researched on how to make an external hard drive bootable, put the Tiger Installation on that and connected it via FireWire to the old MacBook.
Turned it on and pressed Alt/Option at the same time. Great...up popped the Tiger Installation information. I've clicked on Install, etc., and am at the point where I need to choose a destination drive. Except there is none listed.
I've gone to Disk Utility, and I can see the new drive there, but just the icon as the major piece of hardware...there's no sub-icon for it underneath, like there usually is.
So, any ideas on how to make my new hard drive readable so I can choose it from the Tiger Installer?
Any help would be much appreciated. I've never even attempted to do something like this before, and I don't want to give up just yet!
Jenny

Do this:
Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
After the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Install OS X.

Not recognizing external drive - WD in an Enclosure...

I hate to post this given all the other posts wrt external drive not working - wish I'd read those before making a purchase....
I bought an internal WD 1TB drive, put it in an enclosure (Vantec NexStar 3) with a firewire 800 conection. Connected and formatted beutifully. Copied files to and deleted from without a problem...
then started moving some iMovie files over - left the room for a while, came back (about 1/2 hour) and the WD drive was no longer recognized. Couldn't figure out how to get it back. I've managed to get it back a couple of times over the past 3 days, but hard to figure out the sequences that make it work.
I also have a WD Network drive and it looks like there may be a conflict between the two as it is hard to get both on at the same time - though that has been successful a couple of times.
2 questions:
1) is there a way to set WD drives to not sleep? or to sleep in accordance with the Mac? (from all the reading of similar issues, it sounds like that could be an issue.)
2) any idea how to check for drive conflicts on a Mac?
any other ideas about what it is would be great!!
I'm right now trying to get it connected so I can get the files off it, format it, and take it back - then purchase a Mac-specific drive from one of the known vendors I've been hearing about on this forum. (any recommendations about which would be better/best? 1TB or greater, firewire 800, for working on iMovie movies prediminently)
Thanks in advance!

WD drive mechanisms work very well. Most of my drives are currently WD, including the one that came installed inside my iMac. I like them because they seem to run quiet and cool. It's the Western Digital branded external drive enclosures that I've seen negative commentary about in various forums.
is there a way to set WD drives to not sleep? or to sleep in accordance with the Mac?
When the drive is in an external enclosure, I believe that is a function of the enclosure, not the drive mechanism. The enclosures I currently own are from Mac-oriented vendors (like OWC - www.macsales.com) and they can sense and follow the wake/sleep/off status of the Mac it is connected to automatically. I tend to buy such products from companies that specialize in supporting Mac users, because they have fully tested their products with Macs. In addition to OWC, others include LaCie, Macally, and G-Drive.
any idea how to check for drive conflicts on a Mac?
So the new drive (Vantec) is FireWire 800. Is the "WD network drive" connect via USB? I don't think there would be any conflict if it was connected over a network.
Mac OS X does not have things like Windows drive letters, so the usual conflict is a hardware conflict, or a case of exceeding the power available on the bus (whether it's USB or FireWire). Disconnect all other peripherals except a standard keyboard/mouse. Make sure each drive works by itself. Then connect the two at the same time. Then add any other peripherals one at a time. And make note of when, and if, there is a failure.
Also, it is easy to not consider how many devices you have connected to one power strip that is connected to one power outlet. There is a limit to how much power can go through a single power outlet, so if it looks even remotely crowded, be sure to spread the power cords for the iMac, external drives, second display, cell phone charger, USB hub, printer, your desk lamp, etc. to two or even three power strips connected to separate power outlets.

Need help with Mac & PC not recognizing external drive (disk not readable)

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for