Rear FireWire 800 port not working

After installing Leopard, I connected my TimeMachine external FW 800 drive to the rear FW 800 port, but it was not recognized. I also have an external drive connected to the rear FW 400 port, and it works normally. After some experimentation, I found that if I unplug the FW 400 drive, the FW 800 port becomes active allowing the TimeMachine drive to mount. But any time I use the rear FW 400 port, the rear FW 800 port doesn't work.
The front FW 800 port works normally, and I'm using it for TimeMachine. But I'd like to keep the front ports open for tempory use.
Before calling AppleCare about this, I thought I'd see if anyone has any suggestions about things to try.

Thanks--I tried power cycling (as well as some other suggestions found on Mac sites) but so far, nothing has worked. If I start up with just the FW 800 drive connected to the rear port, it mounts. But as soon as I plug a cable in to the adjacent FW 400 port, the FW 800 hard drive dismounts with the error message that it wasn't unmounted properly. The FW 400 cable is connected to a powered FW hub, but none of the devices connected to the hub are powered on. I also tried another FW 400 cable connected directly to a FW 400 hard drive instead of the hub, but the FW 800 drive still won't mount.
I'll call AppleCare and see what they say--not looking forward to taking the Mac Pro into the shop.

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FireWirer 400 Ports not working, Fix and/or Add PCI FireWire card

Here are some details about my G5:
Hardware Overview:
Machine Name: Power Mac G5
Machine Model:PowerMac7,3
CPU Type: PowerPC G5 (3.0)
Number Of CPUs:2
CPU Speed: 2.3 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.15 GHz
Boot ROM Version:5.2.4f1
Serial Number:XXXXXXXXXXXX
FireWire Bus:
Maximum Speed:Up to 800 Mb/sec
I have two FireWire 400 ports that aren't working. I normally use the FireWire 800 port, which works fine.
I've tried:
- Resetting the NVRAM
- Resetting the PRAM
- Resetting the SMU
I haven't been able to run Apple Hardware Test, it is not on my install disc and I must have lost the separate Apple Hardware Test CD... annoying!
1) First Question - Can I do any more to fix the FireWire ports?
I also have a FireWire PCI card, which looks like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815150103 though I can't be for certain that is that one (PCI card purchased by my business partner 4 years ago and was originally in a PC). It's got 3-ports (2x 800 and 1x 400).
2) Second Question - am I ok to install this FireWire PCI card into the G5?
(how do I identify for sure what make of PCI card it is?)
If so, which slot and how should I go about doing it?
Thank you

Hi sohopigeon, and a warm welcome to the forums!
What to do if your computer won't recognize a FireWire or USB device...
If the issue persists, try these steps:
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Disconnect all devices and all other cables, except the keyboard and mouse cable(s).
3. Disconnect the computer from the power outlet and wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Plug the computer back in and turn it on.
5. Reconnect the device(s) (one at a time if there is more than one) and test. Test with each port if you have more than one.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1317
The 7,3 2.3 was PCI-X, I notice this PCI card is NOT for use in PCI-X G5s...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/PCIFW4P/
While this one works in PCI or PCI-X...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ADS%20Technologies%20Inc./API315/
Not sure about yours, but it does say...
PCI 2.2 compliant and works in 32-/64-bit PCI slot
Works in 3.3v or 5V PCI slot
The one that doesn't work in yours above is also PCI 2.2 compliant.

Iomega eGo 2TB USB/Firewire 800 drive not working with Time Machine.

The drive I had for Time Machine died and I replaced it with an iomega eGo 2 TB USB/Firewire 800 drive. Time Machine finds it and backs up the disk when I first boot up but then it seems like the drive goes off line. At that point, when Time Machine tires to back up it can't get the drive to respond and my system hangs. To fix that, I turn off the iomega that fixes the hang up and I get the disconnect without ejecting warning.
I ran disk utility and disk warrior. Both apps reported the disk is fine.
Can any tell me what's up? I'm running OS X 10.7.2
Thanks.

I am having this exact same error with my new iMac 21.5" connected to a brand new Iomega eGo 2 TB Desktop Firewire 800 External Hard Drive (Mac Edition - 34796).
The TimeMachine backup works fine, but as soon as the iMac goes to sleep and wakes back up, TimeMachine doesn't respond well to any commands and all sorts of errors appear on the screen.
I will try the tip here from Kappy and report back later if this works for me.
Kappy, one thing to note is that I'm using the Firewire connection from the iMac to the eGo and experiencing this problem. The eGo has its own power supply too.

Firewire 800 hub not working

After two years without incident, all my drives (5) stoped mounting on my 17" Macbook Pro (running Lion). They are connected though a hub -- NitroAV 8 port Firewire 800 hub. I have changed the cable -- no effect. I have tried connecting the drives individually to the port -- they all come up immediately. So I am concluding that it must be the hub itself. Right? But is it usual that such a hub just stops working? What can be wrong, and can it be repaired? Or is it better to just buy another (expensive) one? Thanks for any ideas! Norris

Hi Todd DeNoyer-
Tom offers excellent advice. The only way to narrow this down is one drive at a time.
Are you using a FW800 hub or do you only have one drive?
Some LaCie drives in particular have power supply bricks that can malfunction and give absolutely no clue-the light comes on and the drive spins up. When this happens, the drive with the bad brick will try and draw current from the bus and wreak all kinds of havoc.
Luck-
-DaddyPaycheck

IMac Firewire 800 port not supplying power

Hi,
The FW800 port on my iMac suddenly stopped supplying power to bus-powered drives.
The same drives work/mount when I use an AC adapter.
Have thoroughly trouble-shot (shooted?) the hard drives/cables on a different computer.
Tried the SMC reset (unplug for 15-seconds).
Anything else I can try before sending it to Apple?
System Details:
iMac
27-inch, Mid 2011
Processor 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB
Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)

I only use one bus powered drive at a time.
Have been using them without issue since I got the iMac in 2011. The drives currently work fine on my MacBook Pro.
Here are the drives I use: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go
Bus powered RAID (2 drives): http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/EliteALmini/RAID/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
Genius Bar it is….

New imac has only one firewire 800 port?

Is there a hub or repeater you can use instead of daisy chaining. Can't figure out why my old imac has two firewire ports and the new imac has one. How are others managing multiple hard drives? I wish to use a hub for my firewire connections. What is the best way. thanks

You can locate Firewire hubs however they are expensive. I have had 3 Firewire 800 external HD's daisy chained together for 3 years that work flawlessly. The drives I have come with 2 FW 800 ports so this is quite easy, there are several top quality external HD's that are similar including:
OWC Mercury Pro line
Lacie Quadra D2 line (this is what i have)
G-Tech G series line
All of these drives have similar specifications and are all high quality products. I think you will find them to be the most recommended on these forums.
BTW your old iMac had 1 Firewire port and 1 Firewire 800 port not 2 firewire ports.
Regards,
Roger

FireWire 800 ports on 12-Core Mac Pro are not working

Just got this machine, suddenly the firewire 800 ports don't work.
Says: FireWire Bus:
Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices.

If it says that with no devices plugged in, it needs to go back to the store for a visit or exchange.
If it only says that with your devices plugged in, I would be more suspicious of the devices than the Mac. But it could be either, so you need some other known-good stuff to make progress.

Firewire 800 port on new MBP not mounting Lacie rugged 500GB drive

Hi all
I've just purchased the new MBP 17" and my Lacie Rugged 500GB drive will not mount.
It will mount over USB though.
I've tried three different FW800 cables and no result.
There are some posts around 10.5.7 update issues, but I've tried everything listed and no dice.
Any help would be appreciated.

I had a Western Digital My Passport Studio model like that. It has nothing to do with cables or your laptop. It has to do with manufacturers who fail to adhere to the proper power standards for the interface. Basically, if the drive demands more power then the port will give, it is never going to work.
I returned my WD to Apple for a refund, and instead tried a SeaGate FreeAgent Go firewire 800 drive. It has worked flawlessly over Firewire on my MacBook Pro, and it even came with both a Fire 800 cable, a firewire 800-to-400 cable, a USB cable, and a special USB power cable so you could draw additional power off the USB ports if a firewire 800 port wasn't putting out sufficient power. That's why I bought it - figured one way or another it had to be able to work on bus power (even if it had taken both the firewire and USB bus in combo to do it).
Another option I've had good luck with in the past is OWC Mercury on the Go drives (eshop.macsales.com). These have always worked fine on bus power for me, but they also have an optional external power supply too, just in case.

How do I capture tape-based media to my external hard drive? There is only one firewire 800 port on the back of my I mac. The manual says to import tape footage directly into fcpx, but then I lose my external hard drive. thanks for your help.

In FCP X How do I capture tape-based media (hdv clips)- which I want to import-to my external hard drive? There is only one firewire 800 port on the back of my I mac. The FCPX manual says to import tape footage directly into final cut, which works, but then I lose my external hard drive Do I have to import it into an event, then copy it over to an external hard drive? On Larry Jordan's tutorial, he has 3 external hard drives that show up on his monitor WHILE he imports his tape based media. How is that done? I can only get either the camera to appear OR my external hard drive. thanks for your help.

Thanks for your response, but that doesn't solve the problem. Yes, the LaCie hard drive has 2 firewire ports-
I have always done what you suggest (works fine in FCP7), but in FCPX when I do that the camcorder icon
does not appear. It only shows up when I DIRECTLY import the footage via firewire. ????

Broken FireWire-800 port?

Hello,
I've bought a LaCie HDD with especially a FireWire-800 port because I use it to place movies on it and edit it with iMovie. Only when I connect the HDD with FW800 it does not show that it's connected on the iMac, with USB 2.0 it does show it, but that is too slow for me. First I thought it was a cable issue. And I even did an Apple Hardware Test which did not give a negative result. Then I took my HDD to test it on another iMac, there it did work. Does that mean my FireWire 800 port on my iMac is broken? What should I do now?

Greetings,
Your testing does indeed indicate an issue with that port.
Reset the SMC and then test: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Reset the PRAM and then test: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/26871.html
If the issue persists after you follow the above steps, make an appointment with a Mac Genius at an Apple store, contact AppleCare via phone, or contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider for assistance.
Best of luck.

Firewire 800 Port back to life after power shutdown?

I experienced a strange event and would like to share it with you for feedback and comments.
During several days the external hard disk connected to the Firewire 800 port of my IMAC caused me increasingly problems, and eventually the disk would not mount at all on the desktop. I connected the disk to the FW800 port of my portable and the disk worked quite fine. I concluded that the FW800 port of the IMAC was damaged. I was preparing myself to contact Apple to get the IMAC repaired.
Then recently we had a general shutdown of power in our town, for several hours.
When the power came back, I had the idea to reconnect the external disk to the FW800 port, and miracle, the disk mounted immediately and has been working fine since.
Is is possible that the ports of the computer come back to life after a power shutdown? How is this possible?
Can I conclude that it is recommended to disconnect a computer from time to time, just to reset some parameters?

Yep, both USB and Firewire ports can get in into a "bad state" and only complete removal of power will reset those chip sets.
Unfortunately, when you power down the computer there is always a bit of power still applied to the motherboard to keep things alive and this usually includes powering the ports to do stuff like detect when a device is plugged in or wants to wake up the computer. The downside of this is when a bus/port chipset goes into a weird state, locks up, etc., simply power cycling (shutdown & restart) the computer won't work.
So first thing to try is resetting the chipset and to do this you have to power down the computer and completely unplug the computer from the wall power (unplug the power cord to your Mac). Also unplug everything from the Mac's ports (USB, FW, Ethernet, etc.) to make sure no parasitic power is still there to keep the chipset alive. Now let it sit for a minute (give those big power caps in there time to discharge). Now plug stuff back in & start up the Mac. Now see if your USB or Firewire ports work any better.
Even Apple acknowledges this occasional issue...
What to do if your computer won't recognize a FireWire or USB device
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1317?viewlocale=en_US
Best of luck!
Patrick

Hi. I have a Macbook Pro Model 5,5 with one 800 firewire port. I need to create two firewire 800 ports but only have an SD card slot (this is for video interface with 2 cameras). Is this possible or do I have to have an express card slot in order to do

Hi. I have a Macbook Pro Model 5,5 with one 800 firewire port. I need to create two firewire 800 ports but only have an SD card slot (this is for video interface with 2 cameras). Is this possible or do I have to have an express card slot in order to do this?

Hi Jessica,
No, the SD slot will not work, you need an ExpressCard/34 slot.
I do not know if it works with cameras, but with two or more HDs, if the first one has two FW ports, you can "daisy chain" one or more additional HDs from it.

Is there an adaptor or interface that will allow me to connect a thunderbolt device to my late 2011 Mac Pro Firewire 800 port?

Is there an adaptor or interface that will allow me to connect a thunderbolt device to my late 2011 Mac Pro Firewire 800 port?

lllaass is correct.
To use ThunderBolt devices, a computer must have left the factory with a ThunderBolt port.
There are no known work-arounds, and there are not likely to be any because Intel controls the chips and is not interested in anything less than the full [including Video features] implementation.

IMac 21.5",3.2 ghz i3. has dead firewire 800 port.

Like it says firewire 800 port does not work. I plug in a known good ext HD. With known good cable. Power light on HD comes on & I can hear it spinning
but it never mounts to desktop. Doesn't show up in Disk utilities either. HD mounts fine if I use usb port. I know FW 800 port on HD & cable are both good
because they work fine on friends 27" iMac. Anybody have any ideas or suggestions. I would really appreciate it.
Thank you in advance
HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I have tryed that. I've also tryed resetting the SMC, & the PRAM. Thank you for the suggestion.
From what I've been reading on this site, it sounds like I don't have any choice but to bring the
iMac into the service center. I am glad I got Apple care. Otherwise I would be screwed. My iMac is just over 1 year old. Once again Thanx for your time & help. Appreciate it. Have a Great Day

Second Firewire disk is not working in daisy chain

On a G5 2x2Ghz PPC (not mine) we wantad to install 2 external firewire HDD with a Oxford 911 chipset.
The first or second disk is seen without a problem but by daisy chaining both together it´s not seen at all.
We checked it on another identical G5 and had the same behaviour.
Any ideas? Is it a known problem?
Thanks Wolfgang

The obvious question still looms: has this configuration ever worked for you? If yes, then we have more troubleshooting to do. If no, it is most likely the firmware or something else in the drives.<</div>
These are brand new drives and no it never worked.
What happens if you shut down the Mac, unplug and power down both drives, wait 30 minutes, power up the drives and plug only the drives back into the Mac and then power up the Mac? At minimum that should reset the firewire bus.<</div>
As I said we tried it with a second identical Mac which has the same behaviour.
Why does the software care which port you use? A FireWire 800 port with a 800 to 400 cable will run at 400Mbs, the same as a 400 port.<</div>
Digi says a 400 drive should be used with the 400 port and the same with the 800. Also have all the audio drives to be at the same port (you have to do daisy chaining if you need more than 1 drive).
I bought the drives from my Apple dealer who is just selling proofed hardware and he also has no idea where the problem is coming from (no answer from stardom right now).
I just thought there is a known problem between certain drives or chipsets and the G5.
We have another 2 drives (different brand)which have no problems at all with daisy chaining, but the same here: I can chain another drive from the "faulty" drives together with the 2 working ones but not 4 in a chain.
Cheers Wolfgang

Rear FireWire 800 port not working

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