G-Raid Studio Thunderbolt 2 drive connected to Mac Mini with a USB C adaptor does not mount

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G-Raid Studio Thunderbolt 2 drive connected to Mac Mini with a USB C adaptor does not mount

Hi. I recently got a Mac Mini after not having a Mac for a few years. As I had the cylindrical black desktop, I was using the G-Raid Studio drive with a Thunderbolt cable, so am very keen to use it now, for music and Time Machine backups.

I purchased the appropriate Apple adaptor and have it connected via the adaptor cable into a USB C port.

Despite all of it's details appearing under System Information > Hardware > Thunderbolt (vendor / device name, UID, etc), it does not mount, or appear in Disk Utility, so is rather frustrating to say the least.

If anybody has a solution, I would be extremely grateful!

Thanks,

Sarah

Cornwall, England

Mac mini, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jul 11, 2020 10:24 AM

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Answer 1

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SarahD22 Author

Level 1

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Jul 14, 2020 6:50 AM in response to SarahD22

When they say "start with the basics", it is actually true....!

I am dependent upon others to physically connect devices due to my disability. It turned out that the wrong AC adaptor was connected to my G-Raid Studio...

Forgetting the hours spent on looking at "the problem", I am very happy that it is working, and immediately mounted in macOS once switched back on!! So, this device definitely does work with the adaptor mentioned.

Many thanks to everybody who replied, and to Christophe at Western Digital for his patience.

Sarah

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Answer 2

SarahD22 Author

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16 points

Jul 12, 2020 9:54 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks for your reply. I have double checked the power and connection, but when it still didn’t mount, I installed extFS and NTFS for Mac as I can’t remember what is on the drive, so was grasping at straws I guess. Neither caused the G-Raid Studio to mount.

I have taken a screen capture that I would be very grateful for your option on.

Many thanks again,

Sarah

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Answer 3

Jul 11, 2020 11:27 AM in response to SarahD22

If you used the Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 cable, it does not pass any power signal. If that G-drive provides bus-powered, and powered sources, plug in your power adaptor, and see if it will then mount on the Mac mini.

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Answer 4

Jul 12, 2020 2:36 PM in response to SarahD22

Based on how long you have had the G-Raid Studio, there may be firmware updates available (or not), and newer G-Raid Studio software from here. Is the closest G-Drive dealer in London, as I was wondering if you could get phone support from them, or at least help from their community?

The new Mac mini is offering TB3, and that G-Raid Studio is TB2. As I mentioned earlier, the Apple TB3 to TB2 cable does not pass power, and I would expect you are also using an Apple TB2 cable for the final device connection with the Studio plugged into its own power. It is encouraging that the Apple hardware is recognizing the G-Raid, but I don't know where to go beyond that.

Unless you get help from G-Drive or their community, or someone here using the G-RAID Studio with a new Mac mini, this may be tough to resolve. I can think of nothing else I can offer at this time.

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Answer 5

steve626

Level 6

10,001 points

Jul 12, 2020 4:17 PM in response to SarahD22

Have you tried using a USB 3 cable (with USB-C adaptor) instead? I recall that the G-Raid also had a USB 3 connection option. Is there another computer you can try to connect to in order to make sure there isn't some problem with the G-Raid software or firmware?

If none of this works, you could also contact Western Digital about this. I would not give up on a storage system like that without trying a few more things. You could also explore some of the software downloads and guidance on their web page for this product

https://support-en.g-technology.com/app/products/detailnew/p/90/~/g-raid-with-thunderbolt-2

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Answer 6

SarahD22 Author

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16 points

Jul 14, 2020 8:14 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks!!

Another happy ending would be for Apple to manufacture a large "enclosure" for the Mac Mini that can accommodate SATA HDDs, SSDs, optical drives and many more USB-A and USB-C ports.

A laptop with a numerical keypad and clickable trackpad buttons would be really good too!

We can but dream!

Sarah

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Answer 7

Jul 14, 2020 8:31 AM in response to SarahD22

Apple does not want the overhead cost of producing things that are already available in the aftermarket. There are USB connected numerical keypads available, and external docks with additional storage and port functionality. These are likely less expensive than if Apple manufactured them.

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Answer 8

Jul 14, 2020 7:50 AM in response to SarahD22

Eureka! A fortunate and happy ending. Take care Sarah.

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G-Raid Studio Thunderbolt 2 drive connected to Mac Mini with a USB C adaptor does not mount

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