USB external hard drive keeps getting lost.

Question

Level 1

4 points

USB external hard drive keeps getting lost.

I use a mini mac and an external WD HD USB for the music folder. I have another WD HD USB for time machine back ups. Everything has been working perfectly until about a week ago where iTunes looses the location of the files and then I check the external HD which is still mounted but I can't see the files in finder. The disc utility is then unable to unmount the HD nad verify it. If I power down the USB HD and start it up again it works perfectly for awhile.

I have three external HD's all WD.

Help please.

Macbook pro 17 & iPhone 3G, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Oct 29, 2008 9:40 AM

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Answer 1

Zlig

Level 4

1,340 points

Oct 29, 2008 9:51 AM in response to Swiggen

Hi - did you follow [these instructions|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449] when you moved your iTunes library?

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Answer 2

Oct 29, 2008 9:51 AM in response to Swiggen

I had similar issues with a Western Digital drive... the bottom line is that some Macs just don't do well with bus-powered hard drives, especially those made by WD. For some reason, even connecting the drives directly to a powered hub doesn't help. Get a drive with its own power brick.

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Answer 3

Swiggen Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 29, 2008 11:34 PM in response to Zlig

Yes and iTunes has worked perfectly for 3 months

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Answer 4

Swiggen Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 29, 2008 11:35 PM in response to Dont-Use-This-Forum

They have their own power supplies

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Answer 5

orangekay

Level 5

4,085 points

Oct 29, 2008 11:39 PM in response to Swiggen

The MyBook line is narcoleptic if that's what you've purchased. Make sure your firmware is up to date.

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Answer 6

Swiggen Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 31, 2008 3:30 PM in response to orangekay

The firmware is up to date. I think that it is something to do with iTunes as this happened to the last HD ( a minimax); they seem to last 4 or 5 months and then something seems to get corrupted.

I bought this mini mac to be my ultimate solution and it has give me nothing but trouble.

I have an iPhone too and it is the same. Full of promise but never quite delivers and so fails utterly. I am loosing my faith in Macs.
Not that they will care.

This Minis Mac and iTunes and external HD combination simply does not work. I have tried with both Iomega and WD wiht exactly the same result. Disappointment and wasted money.

Makes me sick

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Answer 7

Swiggen Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 31, 2008 3:38 PM in response to Swiggen

The reason that I think that it is iTunes is that I have 2 other HD's of the same manufacturer connected and they have never been any trouble in a year. Yet the HD I use for ITunes has failed twice

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