Why can't my mac locate an external hard drive?

I'm unable to install yosemite as right at the end of the install (some 3 hours) it states I don't have enough memory. I didn't really think I had that much on it but hey ho. When I connect an external hard drive to me mac it can't find it.
I've tried to book a session at the genius bar but they don't offer appointments for mac users.

I can't see the external drive by pressing command + shift + c in Finder?
It is listed in System Information.app > Hardware > USB?

Similar Messages

  • Why can't I connect to my external hard drive anymore through my AirPort extreme?

    I have a WD 500 GB external hard drive connected to my AirPort extreme that I have been using just fine for some time now. All of a sudden, I cannot access the files on the hard drive and when I try to connect to my AirPort in finder, the connection fails. What can I do to fix this?

    If I restart my Mac it notices them
    This is puzzling. You should not have to restart your Mac for drives to mount.
    Also I plugged the hard drive directly into my Mac and had to restart it before it noticed it
    Same as above. You should not have to restart the Mac for the drive to be recognized.
    Connect the drive directly to the Mac and restart the Mac if necessary to mount the drive. Then run Verify Disk using Disk Utility on the Mac. If repairs are needed, run Repair Disk. Locate Disk Utility as follows:
    Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
    See if the drive is recognized at the AirPort Extreme. Post on your results.

  • Why can't my MacBook find my external hard drive through wireless network

    I have a 1 TB Western Digital My Book Essential external hard drive connected to my AirPort Extreme. I've been using it with my MacBook via my wireless network (mainly for music and movies) now for about 2 years without any trouble. Recently my MacBook has been unable to find the HD, it gives me the following message "The operation can't be completed because the original item for "My Book 1TB HD" can't be found". If I reboot my entire system (fios router, AirPort Extreme, MacBook, and external HD) I can access it for a short period of time but then the same problem arises. What can I do to resolve this issue and/or figure out where the actual problem is?
    Thanks in advance!

    The USB port on the AirPort Extreme has always been borderline as far as being able to provide sufficient power for a hard drive. It is not a high power port like  you would find on a computer.
    If you have not been using a powered USB hub with the AirPort Extreme....it is possible that the power supply on the Extreme has aged a bit, and it no longer puts out quite as much power as before.
    Try a powered USB hub, but check the store's return policy before you buy in case this is not the solution.
    Atter the powered USB hub, I have no suggestions other than the obvious..... check/replace the USB cable from the hard drive to the USB port on the AirPort.
    Also check using an Ethernet connection from your Mac to the AirPort Extreme...to eliminate the possibility of a wireless interference issue being the culprit.

  • Can I boot mac from an external hard drive (internal hard drive hard drive closure)

    Model: Macbook Pro 2010 mid
    OS: OSX 10.9 Hard Drive: WD5000BPKT 500GB
    For some reason I need to change my perfectly working internal bootable drive to external bootable drive.
    I took out my internal hard drive, put it into closure, and then connected it to mbp with USB. But my mac cannot even recognize my external hard drive. It displays a folder with a question mark with grey background, which means it cannot find executable boot drive. I tried pressing option key during start up and nothing showed. Also, I tried resetting parameter RAM but still no luck. Any help will be appreciated.

    The reason is somehow complicated and most likely be related to the question itself, so I did not write it down. But here is the situation.
    I bought a new SSD to update my HDD. I found a software called carbon copy cloner, which could do a bootable clone. I tried to clone my original hard drive to SSD and turned out the SSD only worked when it was connected externally. After I seeking a while, I found a solution from CCC website: do the clone again with putting my original drive externally and the SSD internally (I think it is a bug of CCC.)
    You may say, "why not use time machine" instead of using a third party software. My answer is time machine is too slow, and I have to reinstall the OS. My focus is why my internal hard drive does not work externally since it should work.

  • Why can I no longer access my external hard drive?

    I've been accessing my (powered) external hard drive for several months through my AirPort. It was never formatted for a Mac, since I had purchased it when i was still using a PC. And we still have PCs in the house that I want to be able to have access as well.
    When I purchased the AirPort I was told that I could use it as an external drive, so I had moved some files onto it. Then... I was told, NO, don't put files on your AirPort because it could eventually lead to corrupt files in the Time Machine.
    Yesterday, I was in the process of removing files from the AirPort and copying them to the external drive. I hit a point where my computer seemed to be thinking too hard and too long. The majority of the file transfers had been fine, but when I went to look at the external drive it appeared to be empty. After a bit of freaking out, we plugged the external drive directly into my Mac book to confirm that the files are still there. I've rebooted the computer, powered down the AirPort, and powered down the external drive to no avail.
    While speaking with Apple customer service last night, we reset the AirPort as well. Nothing. I was finally told that my only option was to reformat the external drive. I'm hoping that someone here might have more insight before I jump through moving everything again.

    #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk0
       1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
       2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD            999.3 GB   disk0s2
       3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3

  • Why won't my mac recognize an external hard drive?

    I purchased an external hard drive to back up my mac. When I plug it into the USB ports, the computer does not recognize it. I've tried all of the USB ports on the computer. I know the drive is okay because my laptop does recognize it.

    How do you know it's not recognized and how is it formatted?

  • Why can't my Mac Pro use my hard drive(s)?

    Ok, so I'm using a 2008 mac pro (some specifics are listed at the bottom) and I'm having trouble with my hard drive(s). The hard drive I've been using is full, and sometimes the System Information will show that is full of Audio, Movies, Photos, Apps, Backups or it's just chuck full of "Other."
    But the problem is that my computer stopped using one of my hard drives a while back. It was called "Bay 5." I've opened up the computer to look at the hard drives and I actually have three. Ever since I lost Bay 5, I lost my Adobe Creative Suite and I've gotten a notification that says "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer." But the drives are the same type as the Macintosh HD, only with 500 GB each. I've clicked "Initialize" on this notification (sorry, I tried to take screen shots but suddenly my computer says "You don't have permission to save files in the location where screen shots are stored") and it pulls up the disc utility and has a drive called "Media," (but only half the time). Bay 5 is not there and neither is the other drive that's there.
    Wow, that screen shot thing is new. Maybe you guys could help me with that problem, too.
    I'm lost. I've looked at 15 min. long youtube videos but none of them have helped. I just want to be able to use those hard drives. I've tried holding the D key at start-up so that the computer can do the Hardware check (or whatever it's called) but it just pulls up a flashing folder with a question mark.
    I'd really appreciate some help.
    Processor:  2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
    Memory:  4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
    Software: Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)

    Buy Carbon Copy Cloner and some new drives. Make sure you have two backup sets and are using TimeMachine as well.
    Reset SMC
    You have a 1,1 2006 model. It is low on memory, which is cheap at $25 2x2GB now on Amazon
    Consider that drives fail and you may have some drives that are more than 4 years old.
    If you want, and have the money, consider investing in Disk Warrior 4.4 or 5.0
    Data Rescue 4 has a demo and would try to find files, would need a recovery drive volume of course also.
    Invest in an SSD for system boot drive, $119 / 250GB, and use a WD Black 1-2TB for data $120, another for TimeMachine.
    Adobe CS needs more memory that you have.
    AHT is not going to help and is on the OEM DVD with 10.4.x that it came with but what you need is boot from another drive or recovery mode and use Disk Utility (and or Disk Warrior). Single User Mode and 'fsck" is also useful as would Safe Boot. But you need a working copy (clone)  backup too.
    I like to have a nice small "Emergency" boot drive with just the minimum for system maintenance, 20GB is fine, some users create a USB flash drive but FireWire or USB2 work well. Or just designate and create a small 20GB volume on any of your other drives.

  • Why can't I write to my external hard drive?

    I have a new Macbook pro, but when I plug in a USB hard drive it is "Read Only." I can find various places to change this, but they are never active for me.  Anyone know what to do? Thanks!

    How is the external drive formatted?
    If it is formatted as NTFS and your Mac doesn't have third party software to support wrting to NTFS then it will be read only.
    Allan

  • HT1660 I have two iTunes libraries on two different pc's (one windows and one Mac).  Can I consolidate these on an external hard drive?

    I have two iTunes libraries on two different pc's (one windows and one Mac).  Can I consolidate these on an external hard drive?

    I'm sorry I just saw the last post. I had two users on my hard drive, one for me and one for my daughter, but I am not sure what you mean by partioning my external????? I have heard the term before, but don't know how to do it. I am having serious crashing issues with this computer and believe I really need to do a clean install. I just want to make sure everything for both ipods is safe (is???? I think so, everything is......I hate when the English language does this to me!)

  • I can not save any data to external hard drive from my mac pro. Is there anyone can help me in this regard?( note, when i first plug my ext. drive to mac i chose option to backup later)

    I can not save any data to external hard drive from my mac pro. Is there anyone can help me in this regard?( note, when i first plug my ext. drive to mac i chose option to backup later)

    The device may be formatted for Windows, as NTFS. The format is readable, but not natively writable on a Mac. To write to the device, you must either reformat it (erasing all the contents) or install third-party software to enable write access to NTFS.

  • Can programs be installed on an external hard drive with my mac pro?

    Can programs be installed on an external hard drive.  I am running low on space.  Final Cut Pro X spins off the rendering files which takes a large chunk of space.  Like to at least have those rendered files on an external drive, but can find that option to make it happen.
    Hardware Overview:
       Model Name:   MacBook Pro
       Model Identifier:           MacBookPro10,2
       Processor Name:        Intel Core i5
       Processor Speed:       2.6 GHz
       Number of Processors:           1
       Total Number of Cores:           2
       L2 Cache (per Core):   256 KB
       L3 Cache:        3 MB
       Memory:          8 GB
       Boot ROM Version:     MBP102.0106.B07
       SMC Version (system):           2.6f59
       Serial Number (system):         C02L250VFFRP
       Hardware UUID:          B26BB020-5346-5A3E-BE36-8D63AAF041C4
       Sudden Motion Sensor:
       State:  Enabled
       Hard Drive APPLE SSD SD256E:
    Kent Mechem

    Hello Ian. I am currently using Lion installed on a WD My Passport 500Gig drive connected to my MBPro via USB, which is still running 10.6.8. Like you I am not prepared to lose all my currently functioning Mac, but also like to see how the new OS runs before making the total switch, maybe when it gets to 10.7.2
    So after you download Lion and select to run the installer it will show you which disk to install on, being the default SL drive you downloaded Lion with. But here you can click Other Disk and select the external HD. The installer will run and then boot into the external drive to complete the installation. From then on you can use Startup Disk or the Option key to select the preferred OS.

  • Brand new to forum.  Can a Maxtor IV One Touch external hard drive previously used on a PC be formatted to work with my Mac Pro OSX  version 10.6.8?

    I've never participated in a forum before; so, please let me know if I'm going about it wrong.
    My question is this:  Can a Maxtor One Touch 4 external hard drive that was previously used on a PC be set up for use on my Mac Pro?  I'm preparing to upgrade the Mac to the most recent software version and it was suggested I back everything up first.
    I reformatted the hard drive so it is currently empty.  There are icons on my Mac desktop for One Touch 4 and Maxtor Manager but other than that nothing appears to be working.  There are no drives showing in the Maxtor Manager so I suspect that's where I need to start.  However, I don't know enough about what I'm doing to move ahead on my own and I don't want to screw anything up.  If anyone knows the steps I should take next, I'd sure appreciate hearing from you.

    I am embarrassed how simple that was.  I did warn you that I'm technologically challenged; I'm pretty sure that proved it.
    The external hard drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The link you provided indicates the external drive will work with Time Machine.  I've never worked with Time Machine and don't know what my next step should be.  Would you please walk me through it?
    Your help is greatly appreciated.  From the points you have accumulated, I can tell you have helped many others and I thank you for your generosity.

  • Can i back up 2 macs on one external hard drive?

    can i back up 2 macs on one external hard drive?

    If the external drive is large enough, yes.
    Recent versions of Time Machine will do this across a properly set up and Shared network connection or to a drive on a Server. But you may be unhappy with the amount of Wireless traffic generated to perform the backups, especially the initial full backup.
    Utilities like Carbon Copy Cloner will do this ONLY when performing a file-by-file backup. A "Disk Image" backup reproduces the Source disk, including blank space, and fills the entire Destination drive with the Source Disk image.

  • I can't transfer files from my mac to an external hard drive. what can i do?

    i have tried to transfer files from my mac to my external hard drive but i just couldn't.. help me

    leemamacita wrote:
    i have tried to transfer files from my mac to my external hard drive but i just couldn't.. help me
    More information would help. How is the external connected? Does the external appear on your Desktop? Has the external been formatted for a Mac? What method do you use to transfer files? When you try to move a file to the external, what does happen?

  • Can I install Bootcamp on an External Hard Drive?

    *Bootcamp on External Hard Drive?*
    Can I install Bootcamp on an external Hard Drive? I don't see why it wouldn't work. Do I need to install the Mac OS on the external Hard Drive first, then Bootcamp?
    Parallels
    Another question. Does Parallels allow you to not have to use the "option" key to boot into Windows? I mean if I use Parallels can I use XP or Vista at the same time as my mac applications?
    What, (if any) are the drawbacks to using "Parallels"?
    *What Options are there...*
    Is it possible for Apple to allow users to program a key on their keyboard, when pressed will bring up Windows so they don't have to always restart? I need to switch between Windows and mac OS quite often and it's a real pain to always restart. What options do I have?
    Thanks

    Hi Paint Guy,
    *Bootcamp on External Hard Drive?*
    Can I install Bootcamp on an external Hard Drive? I don't see why it wouldn't work. Do I need to install the Mac OS on the external Hard Drive first, then Bootcamp?
    By Microsofts Design no Windows can be installed and booted from external HDs. BootCamp just follows this.
    However, according to this http://tubeshards.wordpress.com/2006/12/05/install-windows-to-a-macintosh-usb-dr ive/ it can be done.
    Parallels
    Another question. Does Parallels allow you to not have to use the "option" key to boot into Windows? I mean if I use Parallels can I use XP or Vista at the same time as my mac applications?
    What, (if any) are the drawbacks to using "Parallels"?
    Parallels is an OS X application which don't need a restart of your Mac to run Windows.
    Therefor you can run OS X and Parallels Windows side-by-side.
    Main drawback is, that Windows runs not native (on the real hardware) but in a virtualized environment.
    While this is more than acceptable for 'standard' Office programs, any program that needs direct hardware access (especially games and 3D-programs) either do not run at all or run at noticeable slower speed.
    Also you have to realize that the amount of RAM in your Mac is divided between OS X and Parallels Windows.
    *What Options are there...*
    Is it possible for Apple to allow users to program a key on their keyboard, when pressed will bring up Windows so they don't have to always restart? I need to switch between Windows and mac OS quite often and it's a real pain to always restart. What options do I have?
    BootCamp is no option then, since it needs a reboot everytime you want to switch between OS X and Windows.
    Parallels (and VMWare Fusion and VirtualBox, BTW) run alongside OSX.
    Thanks
    You're welcome. Hope it helps.
    Have Fun
    Stefan
    Message was edited by: Fortuny

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