Firewire 800 port does not work

Question

Firewire 800 port does not work

I just purchased a new Macbook Pro 13 inch a few weeks ago. I finally got a Firewire 6-pin to 9-pin converter ( http://www.amazon.com/Firewire-800-9-6-Adapter-Rohs/dp/B000LGGAD4) so that I can connect my Firewire 400 external hard drive. Unfortunately, the drive will not mount. I also cannot get my old computer to mount in target disk mode via Firewire.

It seems to me that the Firewire 800 port on this machine is not working. Does anyone know how to fix this? Others have complained of similar issues, and I have reset the PRAM and NVRAM to no avail. Does anyone know what I should do? This is very frustrating!

In the system profiler, this is all that is stated for Firewire:

FireWire Bus:

Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec

Macbook Pro 13", Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jul 28, 2009 8:28 PM

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Answer 1

S.U.

Level 6

9,601 points

Jul 29, 2009 8:41 PM in response to levingesundheit

Since you're under warranty, the best thing to do is to report this to Apple. If it's a hardware issue, they will need to fix it.

Good luck!

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Answer 2

khassani

Level 3

952 points

Jul 29, 2009 9:53 PM in response to levingesundheit

have you tested the cable on other computers?

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Answer 3

Jul 30, 2009 5:43 AM in response to levingesundheit

I tested the cable on my friend's 15" Macbook Pro, which has Firewire 400 and 800. The hard drive is recognized under Firewire 400 but not 800. I also tested it on another Macbook Pro 13", and under Firewire 800 it was not recognized.

Do you think I should call Apple or go to the Apple store?

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Answer 4

Jul 30, 2009 5:47 AM in response to levingesundheit

Yes, call Apple or visit an Apple Store. If you go to an Apple Store, make a Genius Bar appointment first:

http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

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Answer 5

khassani

Level 3

952 points

Jul 30, 2009 7:42 AM in response to levingesundheit

It sounds like it could be the cable that's at fault then.

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Answer 6

JoeyR

Level 6

8,305 points

Jul 30, 2009 8:01 AM in response to levingesundheit

As khassani indicated, it sounds like it could be the cable (well... actually the converter). If it works on another machine that has FW400 and 800 with the 400 only... and if it does not work on another MB using FW800, the problem does not seem to be with your machine. From what I can tell, you have not been able to connect using the converter on any of three machines.

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Answer 7

Jul 30, 2009 8:15 AM in response to levingesundheit

Well, I don't have other Firewire 800 devices to try, so it could be the cable, but I really doubt it because so many other people are reporting problems with Firewire 800 being dead in these forums.

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Answer 8

khassani

Level 3

952 points

Jul 30, 2009 9:07 AM in response to levingesundheit

Well, either your converter is broken, or your firewire port, your friend's port, and the other machine's port are all broken. Odds are that it's the converter. I haven't seen the other threads about this, but I don't think the incidence is that high (mine works perfectly well).

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Answer 9

Jul 30, 2009 9:09 AM in response to levingesundheit

All right. It sounds like I should go to the Apple Store to figure out which of the following is true:

1. The converter is broken.
2. The drive has a firmware issue.
3. The firewire card is broken.
4. Something else.

Thanks.

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Answer 10

Jul 30, 2009 9:53 PM in response to levingesundheit

My mac pro, bought in the week of 27Jul 2009, does not register my canon hv40 camcorder and my old Sharp camcorder.(both have a 4-pin firewire terminal). I believe either one of the following is happening:

1) mac pro's firewire 800 port is not working (due to driver issues or even hardware issues)

2) the firewire cable is not working

I'm gonna get to the bottom of this. The last resort would be to get a refund soon before the 14 day refund policy is up.

Really disappointed with the designers at Apple. It seems like they got arrogant and think that everybody should use the firewire 800 standard from now on cos "they're just too cool" to bother about the everyday people.

From Singapore, South East Asia.

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Answer 11

khassani

Level 3

952 points

Jul 30, 2009 10:48 PM in response to Energene80

Apple would have loved to have a bunch of Firewire ports instead of USB since they own the rights to it, but USB is far more common. Fortunately, firewire is firewire; you just need the right cables. They're like $5-$20 each. Not much compared w/ the cost of a computer.

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Answer 12

TXMusic

Level 1

8 points

Jul 31, 2009 1:09 PM in response to khassani

So is this the answer to transfer files from eMac (Firewire 400) to iMac (Firewire 800)? I just bought an adapter from OWC with overnight shipping. I am wondering if that is the fix?

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