panaca
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Why won't my new hard drive mount on my new MacBook Pro but will mount on my old MacBook Pro

I bought a new MacBook Pro to replace an older MacBook Pro.   I also bought a new Toshiba 1T portable hardrive to backup my new computer.   The Toshiba hard drive will not mount on the new computer, but it will mount on my old computer.  

 

However, I have two other portable hard drives (320 MB and 500 MB) that do mount on the new computer.   I am puzzled as to why the new MBP will not display my Toshiba 1T portable HD.

 

Any ideas?

Posted on Nov 26, 2011 10:16 PM

Close
panaca

Q: Why won't my new hard drive mount on my new MacBook Pro but will mount on my old MacBook Pro

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 of 3 last Next

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Nov 27, 2011 12:26 PM in response to panaca
    Level 9 (52,424 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 27, 2011 12:26 PM in response to panaca

    Based on what you said, I would investigate the cables and connections.  Go through an elimination process to determine if the problems bad cable (more likely) or a bad input port (less likely).  If your 1TB HDD has more  than one connection capability, try them all.

     

    Ciao.

  • by panaca,

    panaca panaca Nov 28, 2011 9:01 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 28, 2011 9:01 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Thanks, for the reply.    The 1TB HDD mounts on my other MacBook pro and iMac machines without a problem, so it can't be the cable.  It must be a bad input port or a software problem.   The strange thing is that all of my other external hard drives mount perfectly on the new MacBook Pro.   Only the 1TB HDD will not mount on the MacBook Pro, but the 1TB HDD DOES mount on my other computers.   

  • by OGELTHORPE,Helpful

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Nov 29, 2011 11:11 AM in response to panaca
    Level 9 (52,424 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 29, 2011 11:11 AM in response to panaca

    I have 3 Toshibas in my inventory all which my MBPs recognize, so it certainly is not the manufacturer.  The only other thoughts that come to mind are, do the specs meet the MBP requirements?  I know that some HDDs have their own sudden motion sensors which are incompatible with the Apple SMS built in a MBP.

     

    Some vendors have technical types in house, like OWC and Newegg.  I would contact them and see if they can assist you.  Sorry, but I'm at wits end.  Perhaps some more knowledgeable person will read your post and offer you solution.  Good luck.

     

    Ciao.

  • by panaca,

    panaca panaca Nov 29, 2011 11:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2011 11:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Thanks for trying.   I am thinking that their may be something wrong with the ports on my MBP, since the 1T HDD won't mount on my new MBP but will mount on my old MBP.   I will schedule a trip to the Genius Bar and see if they can offer any help.

  • by Art,

    Art Art Dec 1, 2011 3:48 PM in response to panaca
    Level 1 (115 points)
    Dec 1, 2011 3:48 PM in response to panaca

    Having the EXACT same problem with a mid-2011 Mac Mini. 1TB Toshiba Canvio Basics won't mount. 1TB WD My Passport Essential SE works fine.

     

    This problem with 1TB Toshiba external portable drives and newer Macs has been reported in other threads:

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3510032

  • by ALG20,

    ALG20 ALG20 Dec 2, 2011 1:16 PM in response to panaca
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 1:16 PM in response to panaca

    I don't think its Lion.  I'm thinking its the newer MACS themeselves.  I have a May 2009 15" Macbook Pro and it works.  When I intially hooked it up I did not see it on my desktop/finder.  But it showed up when I ran Disk Utility.  I eventually just swapped out my old HD with this one, and when booting to install LION, I ran Disk Utility, format/partion and then installed, restored Time Machine Backup with no issues.  So far everything in running smooth.

  • by panaca,

    panaca panaca Dec 2, 2011 2:34 PM in response to ALG20
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 2, 2011 2:34 PM in response to ALG20

    I can confirm that the drive works well  on a two year old MBP running a clean install of Lion, but the drive will NOT mount on a new MBP that was shipped with Lion.   The drive also mounted and worked well on a three-year old iMac with a clean installed version of Lion.  Thus I conclude that it is a hardware problem with my new MBP. 

  • by Arbynav,

    Arbynav Arbynav Dec 12, 2011 4:11 AM in response to panaca
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Dec 12, 2011 4:11 AM in response to panaca

    I used a micro, not mini, a micro USB connector on one side of the connector on the drive and my Macbook Pro (2011) recognized the drive and reformatted it for Time Machine.  Prior to that the drive (brand new Toshiba Canvio 1TB USB 3.0 and 2.0) didn't show on the Macbook but did immediately show on a older Windows machine

  • by EliasE,

    EliasE EliasE Dec 14, 2011 1:02 AM in response to panaca
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 14, 2011 1:02 AM in response to panaca

    Using the MicroUSB Drive from my Jawbone Jambox worked! Disk Utility recognized it! (Running MacBook Pro 13" 2011 i5 2.4 GHz)

    Screen Shot 2011-12-14 at 12.53.00 AM.PNG

  • by scootermafia,

    scootermafia scootermafia Dec 20, 2011 2:56 AM in response to panaca
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 20, 2011 2:56 AM in response to panaca

    I can guarantee that these drives will work if you use a MICRO usb cable, it plugs into part of the weird proprietary connector that it uses (the part that's shaped like a micro usb, consequently).  The cable to my Kindle did the job.  Popped up and ran fine in usb 2.0 on my macbook air once I used that cable. 

  • by esouth,

    esouth esouth Dec 28, 2011 9:18 PM in response to scootermafia
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 28, 2011 9:18 PM in response to scootermafia

    I am having the same problem; however, I'm not sure if I understand the "Micro USB" solution... Do I need to buy another cord to connect my Toshiba hard drive? If so, what exactly should I be looking for? Thanks!

  • by Arbynav,

    Arbynav Arbynav Dec 30, 2011 6:08 PM in response to esouth
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Dec 30, 2011 6:08 PM in response to esouth

    esouth, you have extremely high odds of being able to use the drive if you connect it with the same type of cable used by Kindles, Nooks, or new (non-Apple) smartphones - a cable is a micro USB connector on one end (for the hard drive) and a standard USB connector on the other to connect to the computer.  Look closely at the connector on the hard drive, on the left side is a receptacle that exactly matches the micro connector.  The receptacle on the right is for the added data connections used in USB 3.0 to get a faster transfer rate.  If you connect only the 2.0 side, it works.  The good news is that micro USB cables are low cost and very plentiful.  Be sure you get one that is good for both data and power - some of the earlier ones served only to charge phones and didn't have all connections wired, probably to save money.

  • by sYnDr,

    sYnDr sYnDr Jan 3, 2012 5:08 PM in response to panaca
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 3, 2012 5:08 PM in response to panaca

    The only way I could get my Toshiba 1 TB USB 3.0 drive to work was to buy this cable from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005M0ICG2/ref=oh_o05_s00_i00_details

     

    I tried a Kindle cable, I also ordered a thick data / power cable and it would not work. So I tried this dual USB cable and my drive is working great now.

     

    You may be able to find it else were but the bottom line is you have to use both USB ports on your MacBook in order for this drive to work. I'm using a late 2011 MacBook Pro.

     

    SyN

  • by Arbynav,

    Arbynav Arbynav Jan 3, 2012 5:42 PM in response to sYnDr
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jan 3, 2012 5:42 PM in response to sYnDr

    Okay, I may be wrong here and it is a power issue.  Not sure why, but multiple other people (including me) are getting it working using a micro USB connector.  If you had a good cable, plugged it into the correct side of the drive, and the drive didn't work, then the drive does need something more in terms of power.  Although I don't understand the reason for the different results.

Page 1 of 3 last Next