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USB - Mac will not recognize / mount devices: hard drives, dvd writer, gps

USB Accessories - Are not recognized or are slow (hours) to be recognized. Mac OS X 10.5.8 - No longer using usb hub and connecting directly to Mac. Use 1TB Maxtor with Time Machine, 300GB Maxtor for pictures - one day they will 'mount' and other days they will not 'mount'. Garmin 755T will not 'mount' at this time. HP c42870 printer is not recognized at times. All devices respond in one way or another when USB cord is connected (lights flash, drive motor spin, garmin turns on - MAC will not budge - Mac will not recognize any device at times or only recognize one of three devices.

I have tried: with the hub, no hub, restart mac with all USB stuff already on, restart mac with stuff off then turned on.... restart with stuff disconnected and then connect on and off, shutdown mac - unplug mac - restart mac, restart mac and press control command p, r...

There seems to be quite a few discussions regarding USB connectivity since December 2009.

What magic button do I need to push that will get the mac to 'see' the usb accessories - consistently.

2.4 GHz 667 MHz, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Feb 17, 2010 7:12 PM

Reply
5 replies

Feb 18, 2010 12:03 AM in response to saeeley

2.4 GHz 667 MHz Mac OS X (10.5.1)


I'm confused with your configuration. 667MHz ?? Which Mac is this?

Boot from your install disc and check the startup disk for errors.


Insert your install disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
*(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)*
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart

While you have the Disk Utility window open, look at the bottom of the window. Where you see Capacity and Available. Make sure there is always 10% to 15% free disk space

If you cannot boot from your install disc, try booting in Safe Mode

What is Safe Mode

Using your Mac install disc run the Apple Hardware Test







Carolyn 🙂

Feb 18, 2010 12:05 AM in response to Carolyn Samit

2.4 GHz 667 MHz Mac OS X (10.5.1)


I'm confused with your configuration. 667MHz ?? Which Mac is this?

Boot from your install disc and check the startup disk for errors.



Insert your install disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
*(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)*
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart

While you have the Disk Utility window open, look at the bottom of the window. Where you see Capacity and Available. *Make sure there is always 10% to 15% free disk space*

If you cannot boot from your install disc, try booting in Safe Mode

What is Safe Mode

Using your Mac install disc run the Apple Hardware Test

If your forum profile is up to date and you are running 10.5.1, you need to update your system software. Go here and download and install the v10.5.8 Combo Update







Carolyn 🙂

Feb 18, 2010 12:34 AM in response to saeeley

Was the USB hub you had previous to disconnecting it, a self-powered unit
with its own AC Adapter? This would be the recommended device to use in
the case of running multiple USB devices from the computer, since the port
power of a Mac or PC may not support sufficient power demand all the time
for peripherals to run correctly and the issue may be the load is so great as
to have compromised the computer's USB bus power.

There is a specified total USB power for the computer you have, it may be
in the computer technical specs in documentation shipped with the Mac
or probably available from the pages within Apple Support online, to read.

Usually, if there is too much demand on the computer's USB ports, there
would be a warning-dialog box pertaining to the USB port overload.

Are you using USB ports in the keyboard, to supplement the use of these
other products that are requiring a USB connection to the computer?

There should be some indication of where the trouble may be based, or a
greater idea of where to start looking, at least in the system error messages
or other logs; either in the Console utility, or in the System Profiler's software
logs and error messages. Some of these messages may be rather cryptic.

{If the computer's hard disk drive is way too full, and the system is compromised,
every action it could try & do, could take longer and longer times to perform. This
is a bad situation, and as noted in the above post(s) the computer may need help.}

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Feb 18, 2010 5:20 PM in response to K Shaffer

The hub was powered. The keyboard and mouse are bluetooth. Both hard drives are in the range of 50% capacity. I have yet to replace the hub - nothing would work thru the hub. I am managing the high use accessories (printer and two external drives) with the three usb ports. (iPod, DVD writer, Garmin GPS, thumb drives, and camera are now paper weights until I get a new hub.)

The remaining issues: 1. Garmin Nuvi 755T will not mount 2. 1TB Maxtor One Touch is extremely slow to mount.

1. The Garmin issue seems to be resolved by swapping usb cable with the One Touch. I need to buy a new cable and give it a spin.

2. The One Touch is EXTREMELY slow (HOURS!) to mount. This article provided good (I assume) insight as to what is going on: Mac OS X 10.5: Installer destination window does not show drives http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2200 I think this article tells me that - paraphrasing: It is going to take a while for your buddy MAC to checkout this drive that you think you want to load up here. Use this command line to determine if your buddy MAC is checking out the drive.....

The power supplies were replaced on the One Touch and 300GB Maxtor. This 'seemed' to solve the 300 GB issue. There was some forum talking about exactly what the 300 GB was doing: whirring then tick-tick noise. As soon as the power supply was replaced, problem solved. I am not convinced that the new power supply for the One Touch did a hill of beans difference.

It is bizarre that all of these faults happened at the same time.... I am going to get the new hub and usb cable and 'back out' some of the other changes to find out exactly what crapped out.

USB - Mac will not recognize / mount devices: hard drives, dvd writer, gps

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