"Because a USB device was drawing too much power from your computer, one or

What USB devices are connected to your MBP? It's certainly possible for a USB device to fail.

Began receiving this error last night, 11/9. Same day you posted but prior to installing 10.6.2.

Have received this prompt after the upgrade as well.

The maximum current that can be drawn from a USB port is 500 ma. If the device connected to the port tries to draw more than that the USB specs require the port to shut down. What device do you have connected to the port? If it's a hard disk and the hard disk came with a two headed cable, you must connect both of the plugs to a USB port.

I have the same problem going on with my computer, except that it's a 2007 model. Unfortunately, I see no forum for that. I hope this is resolved. I tried the SMC reset, a PRAM reset, and nothing changed. I also ran a permissions check, and everything turned up green. No luck.

I have an iPhone 3G and a nano connected, using an apple-supplied cable. No hub, nothing special. Just two apple products and this prompt out of nowhere.

Disconnect both iPods, reset the SMC as described in the link below, and then try again with only one iPod connected. If that works normally, disconnect it and test it on the other USB port. If that works normally too, test the other iPod, by itself, on each of the ports. If all four tests are successful, it would appear that the error message was just a transitory glitch. If either iPod alone, on either port, yields the same error message, there's something wrong with that iPod or with the MBP that will need repair.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411

I think the crux of the matter is that without any change to hardware or software, this message pops up, even without USB devices being attached. Additionally, all internal USB devices, the keyboard, trackpad, and iSight, are functioning perfectly. This goes a little beyond the SMC reset, which I have definitely done.

Hi, woof.

...except that it's a 2007 model. Unfortunately, I see no forum for that.

Here's the forum you're looking for. It's under "MacBook Pro (Original)":

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1152

You have the "original" MBP in the sense that it has the original case style, rather than the unibody.

Exactly the same with me.

I get this message with my Fantom hard drive plugged in. Worked once, but ever since then I get this message. Macbook snowleapord. Can't figure out how to get data transferred from HD to macbook with this **** error.

Fantom hard drive

Doesn't it come with an external power supply?

I just recently purchased a second macbook pro. My external hard drive has always worked on my original. Plugged my external hard drive into both yesterday and did a bunch of transferring of photos. Today plugged it in and got the error message "drawing too much power" -- is there any way to get around this to retrieve the important photos/files from the hard drive? Any solutions at all for this? I have seen a lot of posts but non quite like this. Let me know - Thanks.

Yes — the solution is to get an AC-powered USB hub and plug your devices into it, rather than directly into the computer.

I'm getting this message too. I seem to get it when I have a dangling USB cord, i.e., there is no USB device attached. So, for instance, I attach my iPhone to sync. The sync takes place, I disconnect the cord from the iPhone (and the other end remains in the USB port) and the "Because a USB device.." dialog will appear. Not always and not always right away.

Late 2008 MBP 15 and it doesn't seem to matter which of the two USB ports I'm using. Seems to me I started seeing this around Thanksgiving (November 26).

dorias: A USB cable is not a device, to your computer's way of thinking. It bears the same relationship to your computer and iPod that your MBP's accessory AC cable does to the AC adapter and a wall outlet. Basically, it's just an extension that moves the USB port closer to the iPod. Because no circuits are closed when a cable alone is connected, the computer doesn't even see the cable. Only when a device is connected to the end of the cable does the computer see anything plugged into its USB port. When the device on the end of the cable (your iPod, in this case) is disconnected in an untimely or improper way, the computer puts up that error message even if the USB cable remains connected to the computer.

See your iPod manual for the proper way to disconnect the iPod from your computer. Not being an iPod user, I don't know what the proper steps are.