Why won't my iMac recognise my external hard drive?

I have a new 2012 iMac 27" and it won't recongnise my external hard drive. It's a Seagate GoFlex desk adapter USB 3.0 and will not come up in Finder or Disk Utility. I'm new to Macs andk unsure what to do.

Are you correctly using one of the new required "USB 3 Compatible" cables for the connection? A "USB 2" Rated cable will not work.

Similar Messages

Why won't my MacBook recognise my external hard drive?

I've just upgraded to a new MacBook.
I have a Maxtor Mini4 external hard drive which I used with my old iBook G4 (running OSX 10.4).
When I connect the hard drive to my MacBook it isn't recognised (it doesn't appear in Finder and the MacBook doesn't acknowledge the existence of the hard drive in any way).
I've downloaded the Maxtor software and installed it successfully on the MacBook.
Any ideas on why the MacBook doesn't recognise the hard drive? (the hard drive is powered by USB - it has no external power cord).
I still have my iBook and it continues to recognise the hard drive, so there is no problem with the drive.
Thanks
Nick

Mac Medic ([email protected]) wrote:
Are there two USB plugs connected to the wire coming out of the drive? Do you see the drive in your System Profiler? Even if it doesn't mount, it should show up in there.
I second that suggestion as the first thing your should look at. I had a SimpleTech drive that worked off of one port on a certain PC, but didn't mount with a single plug on any of my Macs. It always showed up in the USB Tree in System Profiler although I'm guessing it gave up trying to mount after sampling the power output.
The USB ports are likely to be and sometimes there are enough differences in the power output of two USB ports that a bus-powered hard drive can work in one but not the other. In general it's because a bus-powered device doesn't properly work with a standard spec 2.5W USB port.

Why doesn't my iMac recognize my external hard drive?

I updated my imac from leopard to snow leopard to lion. I plugged in MY Book external hard drive, which had been working, but now it is not recognized. I went to the disk utility but all the First Aid buttons are greyed out and I can't do anything. I can't back it up anyplace because its not recognized. What do I do??
How do I upgrade the Firmware, which is one suggestion I read in the forum? The My Book was separated into to sections, but I also upgraded my Mac Book Pro to Lion, so it doesn't work there either. Double trouble!!

Go to finder .
Apps
You see 1 app or nothing like bootcam or idisc
put your mouse behind apps and you see hide klick whith your mouse on this and enjoy.now you see idisc and
Your computer.
Greetings Hans

Why won't my Extreme recognize an external Hard Drive?

Just bought a new Apple Airport Extreme (my first Apple product and not happy) and connected an external Hard drive to it via USB but I can't get my PC to recognize it. I can see it when I log into the extreme under utilities but that is it. I tried 3 different hard drives, 2 are in FAT32 and the larger one is NTFS. I followed Apple's instructions under disk sharing and still nothing.
I would greatly appreciate any advice to get this working.

Good evening.
Only drives that are formatted in FAT32 or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) will be compatible with the USB port on the AirPort Extreme. NTFS and exFAT are not supported.
Unfortunately, we have few Windows users here, and I am not one of them, but one of the Apple Support documents below provides 3 methods for PCs to connect to a drive at the AirPort Extreme. The other provides general information about format compatibility.
Hopefully, one of the PC guys will post soon to provide additional information.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1331
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2426
I believe that you have 90 days of free phone support with a new Apple product, so you might want to explore that route as well.
http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

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 won't my computer recognize my external hard drive anymore?

I have an external hard drive I was using all morning. This afternoon, the hard drive isn't showing up on my desktop. It does show up in my system profiler under usb. When I go to disk utility to repair it, it isn't there. Please help!!!

No. Any other external drive I plug in works. This particular one, I was using the morning before it disappeared. I know the drive works with this computer I have been using it with this computer for months with no problems. It shows up in the system profiler (image 1), but not in disk utility (image 2) or on my desktop (image 3)

Why won't my iMac recognise my LEVRO Ereader?

Why won't my iMac recognise my LEVRO Ereader? It works fine with windows laptoip and the manual states it should work with 0S 10 and above.

Go to > Apple Computers: Troubleshooting the slot-loading SuperDrive and work thru the sections that pertain to the external superdrive.
Try cleaning it with a lens cleaning disc.
example > Memorex CD and DVD Lens Cleaning Kit: Electronics
If that doesn't help? It is covered for 1 full year, so take it in for service or exchange.

My iMac has stopped recognising my external hard drive.

How do I get my iMac to recognise this external hard drive again?

Yes, while WD makes great drives in my experience, their enclosures & chipsets really don't do anybody justice.
Might try something like this...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/U3NVSPATA/

My computer doesn't recognise my external hard drive

My macbook doesn't seem to recognise my external hard drive (OS 10.8.3).
The hard drive connects to laptop via USB, but gets power from another plug in the wall. When I plug it in, its icon does not appear on desktop, or in Finder menu.
The hard drive works fine on my sisters laptop (Macbook, about 5 years old). Other storage devices work fine in my macbook, and appear rapidly on both desktop and finder menu when I insert them.
Have any of you encountered this before? Can you tell me how can I fix it???

Check out KB Article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10866 OS X Mountain Lion: If a CD or DVD doesn’t appear on the desktop

Can time machine back up an imac and an external hard drive?

I currently back up my imac via time machine but to reduce space on my hard drive I want to move my itunes library onto an external hard drive. If i do this can time machine still back up my imac and the external hard drive with the itunes library on automatically?
Regards
Toekoms

toekoms wrote:
I currently back up my imac via time machine but to reduce space on my hard drive I want to move my itunes library onto an external hard drive. If i do this can time machine still back up my imac and the external hard drive with the itunes library on automatically?
yes, given enough space on the destination drive (your library may grow over time). also, the drive needs to be connected directly to your Mac.
you might want to make sure the drive is not excluded from TM backups by checking in system preferences > time machine > options.
also, as for moving your iTunes library, see this read for tips/instructions.
JGG
edited by the Jolly Green Giant (where Green stands for environmentally friendly)

How can I restore files from a time machine back-up of my iMac to an EXTERNAL hard drive connected to MacBook Pro. Using Migrat

I would like to restore files from a time machine back-up of my iMac to an EXTERNAL hard drive connected to MacBook Pro. When I tried using Migration Assistant it only gives me my internal hard drive as an option to restore to. The internal hard drive on my macbook isnt large enough to store the files.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
OS X can only restore data to the drive where Time Machine backed up files from.
If you want to restore files from the Time Machine backup onto an external drive, your only option is to access to the Time Machine drive manually (open a Finder window and choose your Time Machine drive in the Finder sidebar), navigate through its folders and copy the files you want to the external drive

HT201250 I run time machine on my iMac using an external hard drive. I just bought a MacBook Pro and want to know if i can run time machine on it using my wireless network on to the iMac external hard drive

I run time machine on my iMac using an external hard drive. I just bought a MacBook Pro and want to know if i can run time machine on it using my wireless network on to the iMac external hard drive

How do I set up Time Machine to a shared drive on another Mac?

I just upgraded my operating system on my MacBook Air and now my laptop won't detect my Toshiba 1T external hard drive

I just upgraded my operating system on my MacBook Air and now my laptop won't detect my Toshiba 1T external hard drive, how to solve this problem?

Try some of the troubleshooting steps outlined below:
Troubleshooting an external hard drive
> Unplug the hard drive, wait a few seconds, and then plug it back in
> Restart the computer
> Unplug any other peripherals from the computer
> Plug it into a different USB port
If none of those steps work, see if it is recognized in Disk Utility.
Checking a disk with Disk Utility
To check a disk using Disk Utility, launch the Disk Utility application in any of the following ways:
> Type the first few letters of its name into Spotlight. Select it from the results.
> Go Launchpad > Utilities > Disk Utility
> Go Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
Once Disk Utility is opened, check to see if your external HD appears on the sidebar. If it doesn't appear at first, try the troubleshooting steps above again while leaving Disk Utility open, each time checking to see if the external HD appears.
Austin

I would like to transfer my iTunes and photos etc from my PC to my new iMac via a external hard drive. Would somebody recommend one. I read that the Western Digital Mybook Essential 3.0 is good.

I would like to transfer my iTunes and photos etc from my PC to my new iMac via a external hard drive. Would somebody recommend one. I read that the Western Digital Mybook Essential 3.0 is good. Though as Mac has 2.0 is this fast enough? I am a basic user, surfing only.

If you plan on using the WD with the Mac after the iTunes transfer I would strongly recommend against WD. WD external HD's tend to be the most troublesome with Macs. If you intend to use the drive for backup using Time Machine or creating a bootable clone then I'd recommend a higher quality drive than WD. The drives I'd recommend in that case would be:
OWC Mercury Elite Pro series
LaCie d2 Quadra series
G-Tech G-DRIVE series
These are all high quality drives and enclosures with similar features. Personally I use the LaCie's however I would be happy to have OWC and G-Tech on my desk too. FWIW I've been using the LaCie's for 4 years and have 4 of them, all work perfectly and have never given me any trouble.
You also my find this article helpful: Move an iTunes library from a PC to Mac (and back)

How Do I Transfer Movies From My iMac To My External Hard Drive?

Silly question, how do i transfer movies from my iMac to my external hard drive? I have read a few blogs about it but it is not very clear.
If i change the format from - Windows NT File System (NTFS) to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) will it erase everything of my hard drive?
I have a 2T Seagate hard drive and already have used 1T of it. Im to scared to do anything with out the correct answer as i dont want to accidently delete anything of my dard drive.
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!
Thanks

Please tell us what Mac you have and what version of OS X.

Why won't my iMac recognise my external hard drive?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for