Help: External HD wont mount

Make sure you are connecting it directly on your PB's usb port and not on a USB hub. Another thing is if your enclosure has 2 usb connector, you have to connect both coz one is for data and the other acts as power source, so connecting only one wont mount it. Check if it is showing in your Disk Utility and from there you can mount it. HTH.

 

I think I may have similar problem.
I have an HP external DVD Multi Reader, but my powerbook g4 cannot acknolwedge it. Is there a need to install a mac driver? Its installation CD is missing. Please help. :redface:

 

sorry it is an HP DVD Multi Recorder pala...

 

try googling for a mac driver for it, if it is mac compatible, chances are a driver is available for download. if there is none, then i guess it is not mac compatible.

 

Sorry It is an HP DVD Multi Recorder with lightscribe...

 

I did. pero wala talaga e.

 

try to download patchburn and use it to install your HP dvd writer. that is if patchburn will detect your dvdrw, he he!

I've tried 2 dvd writers working perfectly with my ibook using generic usb enclosure. Samsung and LG brand both works for me.

 

i have encountered such instances.

if your external HD won't mount, try to restart your computer and the external enclosure's power.

check your connections if it's not properly plugged into usb or firewire ports.

simple troubleshooting will solve your basic computer problems.


as for 3rd party hardwares for mac, see to it the coompatiblity first. if it's for Mac or for windowws para naman hindi sayang ang investments at time.

 

Try using a powered USB hub. The powerbook's USB port is not supplying enough amps to power the hard disk. Check your HD's amp requirements. You can also switch to a Firewire enclosure instead.

 

Last night I was installing an app from an external 320 GB HD, partitioned into 2 volumes, and then somehow I was copying a file from the same source while trying to eject the same mounted installation and so I started getting the forever spinning rainbow wheel. To make a long story short, I tried shutting down but I couldn't, so I turned off the external HD, and finally stopped the hanging. Then I ran Onyx Repair Permissions and some other maintenance stuff. But now my iBook won't read the external HD anymore, Disk Utility starts up when I connect it, and it can't Verify or Repair. These are the messages I get for one of the volumes (the other one doesn't even get an active button):

Verifying volume “disk1s5”
** /dev/disk1s5
Invalid BS_jmpBoot in boot block: 525261
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit


1 non HFS volume checked
Volume needs repair


Verify and Repair disk “disk1s5”
** /dev/disk1s5
Invalid BS_jmpBoot in boot block: 525261
Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit


1 non HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error


So, what can I do now? Is all my stuff still there on the external HD or is it all gone? I'm thinking it's still there, but I have a feeling I'll have to reformat the HD before my iBook recognizes it again? Or maybe I need to reinstall OS X?

 

I've run into a similar problem and I was able to recover my data via Diskwarrior. Powermac centers sell them (I've seen Diskwarrior boxes in their Greenbelt 3 and SM Megamall branches). It's a bit pricey but a real lifesaver if something like this happens.

 

I'm not really concerned about the data. If I have to reformat, the external HDs, I will. But I'd prefer it if I didn't have to. Still haven't tested if the external HD will show up on a Windows PC. I have a feeling that it will, OS X is probably my problem here...

 

This is most likely a case of the HDD drawing too much power from the USB port. Its a documented "issue" with Aluminum powerbooks. This series of laptops was made to strictly follow the USB specification which limits the maximum power consumption of the USB port to 500ma. External drives, particularly optical burners use much more power than that. Most motherboard manufacturers are lenient in their designs so you can get away with using power hungry USB devices on them. Unfortunately the powerbook is not so lenient. Other apple lappys like the ibook, macbook and tibook aren't as limited. Although I did note that my old 1.2ghz ibook had less USB power than my Toshiba lappy.

 

Dude it could be your HD having bad sectors. Try low level formating it on a PC machine. Also check and listen if it makes a repeating ticking sound when you connect it to your computer. That could be a sign that its a dead HD.

 

No ticking sounds, whew. When I connect it to a PC it says it's not formatted, so I guess I'll just have to do that. Mac's disk utility can't give it First Aid or erase it.

 

Try rebooting with the external hdd connected it sometimes works for me

 

regattap there's a driver/patch here for lightscribe here:http://www.smileonmymac.com/DiscLabel/lightscribe.html

 

having the same issues here. my external hd was working fine last night till it hung after transferring some files to it. i tried unmounting it but it wouldn't, so i decided to restart my system as i thought it would be er, safer than to unplug it. then, the horror began. it stopped appearing on my desktop. not in disk utility. not in system profiler.

i've already tried some file recovery programs (filesalvage, disk rescue 2, and stellar phoenix) but it didn't appear on the list of hds.

i've also tried plugging it into another mac and a winbox to no avail. when i plug it in, the led just usually turns red for a while as if being read by the system, then turns green. no ticking sounds. i could feel the hd rotating though then stops when the led turns green.

it's the original toshiba hd i got from my powerbook when i replaced my hd. fat32-formatted. enclosed and plugs into two usb ports, if that helps.

any leads? =S