USB stick dies in iMac, another won't read, what's happening?

Hi there. I have recently had the experience of a USB stick (4GB) die in my iMac. I plugged it in, an error dialog box came up saying that one USB device was drawing too much power... the port on the USB stick had gone very warm and there was a burning smell coming from the device.. Since then, the same box comes up whenever I plug in the stick from whatever port on the computer or from the USB hub that I have attached to the Mac. I've bought another stick thinking that one is now dead but the new one is not even seen by my Mac, I plug it in and... nothing, it doesn't show up anywhere.
Any ideas?
Thanks.

Hi Philippe Mion;
Try the suggestions listed here. Hopefully your bad USB stick didn't burn out the logic board in you iMac.
Allan

Similar Messages

  • How do I format a USB stick on my iMac

    I am a recent mover to OSX and need to reformat a simple usb stick. I tried finder and could not figure it out.

    Drive Preparation
    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
    2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. 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. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) 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 Security 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.
    Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

  • My new iMac computer won't read my Canon 550D camera? Please help.

    I am trying to transfer my photo's from my Canon EOS 550D to my new 21.5" iMac but when I plug my camera into my computer, via USB chord, it just says "No camera found". I have installed the Mac compatible software onto my computer that came with my camera. This software included the following:
    Camera Window
    Canon MOV Decoder
    Canon MOV Encoder
    Digital Photo Professional
    EOS Utility
    Image Browser
    Movie Uploader for YouTube
    PhotoStitch
    Picture Style Editor
    I am a Photography student and I am becoming very frustrated with the fact I can't do anything with my photo's as I bought the iMac soley for Photography and Music.
    Can someone please help me solve this problem.
    Cheers,
    G.

    The followng was suggested by another poster...
    MartinR
    Re: CANON 550D not displayed on iMac - how import movies in Final Cut Expre     Apr 9, 2010 6:01 PM    (in response to BPLK) 
    The Canon EOS Utility should enable you to download both stills +and video+ from your 550D.
    I don't think you will see the camera on the desktop or in the Finder (My Canon cameras never show up on the desktop or Finder when I connect & download, but Image Capture and iPhoto both communicate with the camera and download images & video. I never installed the Canon utility.)
    The EOS Utility should see the camera and from there you should be able to download stills and video to your hard drive. +Is this working or not?+
    The following discussion threads may be of some help to you, click on the links below to be directed to them...
         https://discussions.apple.com/message/11362461#11362461
         https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2379552?start=0&tstart=0

  • My iMac G3 won't read/boot the Mac OS X disk!

    I am having a lot of trouble with an old iMac G3. It has Mac OS 9 on it (I recently updated it to Mac OS 9.1), and I am trying to upgrade it to Mac OS X Panther. I also installed the recent firmware thingy for it. But I am coming across problems...
    First I tried loading the Mac OS X disc 1 into the CD-ROM drive, and it detected the CD, but when I tried beginning the installation process, when I clicked the button for it to restart to begin installation, I got an error message reading...
    "An error occurred. 'Startup disk was unable to select the install CD as the startup disk. (-2).'"
    I also tried rebooting the PC holding the "C" key on the keyboard, but doesn't work, and I also holding the "Option" key down among rebooting, but the OS X disc doesn't show up in the Startup Manager. It DOES show up in the Startup Disk Utility in OS 9 but won't let me select it as the startup disk.
    I REALLY need help here. I am tight on money and I don't want to do any hardware upgrades right now. The Mac already has enough memory (578 MB of RAM, to be precise) and has a 7 GB hard drive. I don't really like Mac OS 9 and would much prefer Mac OS X on it.
    Please reply with answers/suggestions!

    Well, I found the problem: turns out the disks for Mac OS X Panther I had were incompatible BECAUSE I got them from a friend whose Panther disks came with a Mac he bought some time ago. So I solved that dilemma by acquiring a RETAIL copy of Mac OS X Panther, and it installed. So now my iMac G3 is running Leopard almost like a G4 Mac Mini!

  • IMac G4 won't read or mount CDs

    I have a iMac PowerPc G4 700 MHz with the original Sony CD-RW drive. It refuses to mount or read any CDs, including store-bought music CDs and the Mac OS X Tiger CDs (I exchanged them because I don't have a DVD drive).
    I have tried the following fixes:
    - CD lens cleaner
    - switching to OS9 and checking that the CD driver extension is turned on
    - logging on as a different user
    - updating software
    - restarting
    - zapping the PRAM
    - running Tiger Cache Cleaner to repair permissions and run maintenance scripts
    I'm guessing that the drive is dead. I have added memory myself, but don't feel comfortable replacing an internal CD drive. The catch is I live in France, and I don't want to take my machine to the local Mac repair shop. I can't afford "down" time, and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for parts and labor.
    Do you agree that the drive is dead? Should I go ahead and buy an external drive, and while I'm at it, one that reads and burns DVDs? I'm looking at ordering a LaCie DVD+RW with LightScribe. This Mac suits my current needs, and I wasn't planning to replace it in the next year. But is it worth the investment for a machine that I bought five years ago?
    Thanks!
    iMac PowerPc G4 700 MHz   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   Sony CD-RW CRX170E

    Hello and Welcome back to Apple Discussions. 
    Yes, go ahead with the external drive.
    External drives today are:
    Over twice as fast as those internal ones used in iMacs on sale today. Typically 18x versus the 8x in the Intel iMac.
    Tray loading versus slot loading allows use of small and mis-shapped discs.
    Optional Lightscribe capability if that appeals to you.
    So there are a number of positive reasons why even if you do replace the whole iMac the drive will continue to be useful to you.
    cheers
    mrtotes

  • IMac G5 won't read any CDs but DVDs work fine

    I have an iMac G5 with a PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K04L drive
    and firmware revision D441.
    Just recently it stopped accepting any CDs (commercial CDs, software CDs, blank CD-Rs). It buzzes and grinds and groans and then spits them back out, but refuses to mount them. The only exception is the Apple OX Installation CD that came with the machine - that one works without a hitch. DVDs play fine and I can burn to blank DVDs. The problem is only with CDs.
    I've tried suggestions from the forums:
    - reset PRAM and NVRAM
    - trashed com.apple.kernecaches, Extensions.kextcache, and CD Info.cidb and then rebooted
    - fixed permissions
    - verified disks
    Not sure what else to do - but I would appreciate any suggestions - since it reads the Apple installation CD, does this mean it's not a hardware problem but a software problem?

    You will need to take it
    to your local Apple Authorized Service Provider and
    have them take a look at it. Hopefully your iMac is
    still under warranty or AppleCare.
    Thanks for the reply.
    Is it possible to install a replacement unit on my own - or is this definitely not a do-it-yourself type fix? Also are there more reliable internal dual layer DVD/CD burners than the one the iMac G5 came with?
    If I decide to simply plug in an external burner, are the external burners compatible with iLife 06 (iDVD and iTunes)?
    Thanks.

  • After waking from sleep, iMac doesn't like my USB stick...

    This is a problem that I consistently have with my iMac which is driving me nuts. When I'm at home, I leave my USB stick plugged into the iMac. Many times during the evening my iMac will go to sleep and wake up. If I try to access my USB drive at any time after the iMac has woken up, Finder freezes up and refuses to do anything, even if I force quit it. I end up having to unplug my USB stick from the iMac, which causes Finder to delete the desktop icons and throw an error message about "safely" removing the device in the future. If I plug the USB stick back in, it shows up and works just fine.
    Does anyone else get this problem? I'm on an iMac 24", OS X 10.4.8, and the USB stick is a SanDisk mini Cruzer 1 GB.

    This has been a problem with the Mini Cruzer for a long time. The only solution is to eject the drive before letting your Mac sleep, or purchasing a different drive. The last I read on this subject was that the Mini Cruzer does not recognize the Mac sleep settings properly and that San disk has no plans to resolve the issue.

  • Satellite C660 - USB sticks are not mounted

    I have a *Satellite C660 with Windows 7 64 bit*. When I conect a USB stick (2GB LG or another), Windows mount the USB new drive, but after some seconds, the USB stick is unmount and mount and unmount indefinitely.
    With my old *Toshiba Sattelite M50, Windows XP* both sticks work fine.

    Hi mkobets,
    Probably something is wrong with USB ports or chipset driver if the USB sticks work with your old Toshiba notebook
    Easiest way would be updating the chipset driver in my opinion that you can download here:
    http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/download_drivers_bios.jsp

  • Imac won't read Cds

    5-yr. old iMac: suddenly won't read CDs. It spits them out after 10-20 seconds with no error message.

    Thanks everybody
    I too have suddenly developed this failure to burn. Worked well last week, now doesn't even get to the multiplexing stage, just ejects the blank disk. Ejects original Leopard disk, won't write to CD with Toast 8. Couldn't even check the hardware diagnostic as it just spits the disk out.
    Tried Unix single usere mode Command S to type in fsck -y after the prompt localhost# (p840 - The Missing Manual series Leopard) but never got to this prompt. Upgraded to lastest iMovie and iDVD
    Tried your FINDER- PREFERENCES - TICKED THEM BUT THEY DON'T SHOW UP IN THE SIDEBAR. . Starting to look ominous. Here I am in the middle of the South Pacific with no Mac repair shop within 3000 km.
    OR any other suggestions - may be "life saving" or this iMac is going on a long flight soon or could you send your father-in law.

  • Usb stick wird ausgeworfen ohne grund (habe 10 verschiedene Modelle ausprobiert ) das schlimme, sie werden einfach entfernt und nicht korekt vom system ausgeworfen. manchmal wärend dem kopieren! kann jemand helfen?

    Usb stick wird ausgeworfen ohne grund (habe 10 verschiedene Modelle ausprobiert ) das schlimme, sie werden einfach entfernt und nicht korekt vom system ausgeworfen. manchmal wärend dem kopieren! kann jemand helfen?

    Die Marken (bis auf Sony) kenne ich nicht; ich wuerde sagen wenn is meist nur bei grossen Datenmengen passiert, dass es was mit der (geringen) Transferkapazitaet des USB zu tun hat. Ich wuerde mich nie auf USB verlassen wenn es sich um grosse Datenmengen dreht. USB ist langsam und der Port bekommt nur soundsoviel power; waehrend ein richtiger hard drive erstens seine eigene power hat (und sich deswegen nicht auf den computer port verlassen muss) und zweitens firewire was mindestens 2 - 4 mal so schnell ist.
    Also wuerde ich sagen Sie sollten es mal mit etwas versuchen das seine eigene power (elektrischen Anschluss) hat und ausserdem firewire. USB sticks sind mehr fuer kleinere transfers gedacht.

  • Download Adobe Reader to a USB stick and then install it to a computer

    HOW CAN I DO THAT????

    Hi william george dunbar,
    Please download the installation file of Adobe Reader XI from the link below:
    http://get.adobe.com/reader/enterprise/
    Once you download the installation file, you can copy the file to USB stick and install it on any computer.

  • Fastest USB stick/key

    I need a fast USB flash drive to offload rendering video. Would this be the fastest USB flash drive around: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220253 ? That one says 200x but what does that translate to in MB? I'm guessing at least 30MB.
    This is the same model number but notice it says 180x: http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Xporter-Boost-High-Speed-Flash/dp/B000W1RV0Y/ref=s r13?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239196687&sr=1-3 . Anyone know the true speed of this drive?
    I use an iomega eGo now with USB. Its transfer is 480Mbits/s. It makes rendering video amazingly fast vs not using it. The main benefit is having an external drive to offload the rendering. I'm guessing the USB flash drive will do just as well since the flash drive should be faster than the eGo, although both will be limited by USB 2.0.

    Die Marken (bis auf Sony) kenne ich nicht; ich wuerde sagen wenn is meist nur bei grossen Datenmengen passiert, dass es was mit der (geringen) Transferkapazitaet des USB zu tun hat. Ich wuerde mich nie auf USB verlassen wenn es sich um grosse Datenmengen dreht. USB ist langsam und der Port bekommt nur soundsoviel power; waehrend ein richtiger hard drive erstens seine eigene power hat (und sich deswegen nicht auf den computer port verlassen muss) und zweitens firewire was mindestens 2 - 4 mal so schnell ist.
    Also wuerde ich sagen Sie sollten es mal mit etwas versuchen das seine eigene power (elektrischen Anschluss) hat und ausserdem firewire. USB sticks sind mehr fuer kleinere transfers gedacht.

  • [SOLVED]Wlan PCI/USB Stick?

    Hi,
    need some advice on what to buy for my mp3box, its an older Pentium III.
    Ive read that never cards require PCI v2.2, so im also open to USB Wlan Sticks.
    The driver should be open source.
    greets
    Last edited by metalfan (2008-03-25 15:05:45)

    bought a linksys 54Mbit usb stick for 23€.
    works fine, native drivers.

  • USB STICK AUTOEJECTS/AUTOCONNECTS.

    When I have my USB memorystick in my MacBook, Im not able to use it.. It connects for a milisecond and then disconnects for about 10 seconds before it connects for a milisecond and then disconnects for about 10 seconds again... And its not stopping, and since its just connected for a milisecond, im not able to right click on it, not able to eject it by clicking eject and I am not able to run the disk utilities.. So, what am I supposed to do? I got lots of stuff on it that I dont wanna loose.
    Thanks,
    Fred.

    Die Marken (bis auf Sony) kenne ich nicht; ich wuerde sagen wenn is meist nur bei grossen Datenmengen passiert, dass es was mit der (geringen) Transferkapazitaet des USB zu tun hat. Ich wuerde mich nie auf USB verlassen wenn es sich um grosse Datenmengen dreht. USB ist langsam und der Port bekommt nur soundsoviel power; waehrend ein richtiger hard drive erstens seine eigene power hat (und sich deswegen nicht auf den computer port verlassen muss) und zweitens firewire was mindestens 2 - 4 mal so schnell ist.
    Also wuerde ich sagen Sie sollten es mal mit etwas versuchen das seine eigene power (elektrischen Anschluss) hat und ausserdem firewire. USB sticks sind mehr fuer kleinere transfers gedacht.

  • USB Stick Won't Appear on Desktop or Disk Utilities

    Hi there,
    One of my USB sticks doesn't seem to appear on my iMac. I have looked in disk utility and it doesn't appear there so I can't format it, and I have plugged it into another Mac and have had the same issue.
    My external hard drive still appears and continues to back up using time machine, and I have tried the other USB ports in case one was faulty.
    Has anyone come across this? Any tips?
    Thanks a lot.

    I have plugged it into another Mac and have had the same issue.
    It is possible the stick has failed since you are having problems on 2 computers and not getting the correct response from what arthur suggested.

Maybe you are looking for