New Mac Pro won't boot when USB hub is attached

Question

New Mac Pro won't boot when USB hub is attached

Hello, I recently upgraded my Mac Pro from a 1,1 to a 5,1. I am using a 7 port powered USB hub to keep all of my USB devices attached so that I don't have to pull cables out all of the time. For example, I leave my iPhone cable plugged into the computer all of the time.

The USB hub worked fine on my older Mac Pro. However the new Mac Pro won't boot when the USB hub is attached. Someone might think it is trying to boot off of one of the USB devices, but I don't think that is the case as it never gets to the grey screen. The Mac just clicks repeatedly and the fans don't start. As soon as I unplug the USB hub, the Mac starts fine.

If I plug the USB hub in after the device has booted then everything works fine. I often boot between OSX and Windows7 on bootcamp, so I have to reach down and unplug the hub for about 30 seconds every time I boot.

This is a monoprice 7 port powered USB hub. Is there something I can do to fix it? If it is my hub specifically, then what do I need to be aware of when buying a new one. This worked fine on my old Mac Pro, so I assumed it was going to work on the new one.

Mac Pro 5,1, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Mar 28, 2011 10:23 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Tom Nelson1

Level 4

2,711 points

Mar 28, 2011 11:07 AM in response to AstroZombie138

Do you have every USB device connected through the hub?

I would make sure the keyboard and mouse are attached directly to your Mac.

I would also wonder if your hub is actually drawing to much current from your Mac. Are you sure the power to the powered hub is connected and working?

So how I would troubleshoot the problem:

Plug your keyboard and mouse directly into your Mac, unless of course they are wireless models.

Remove all of the USB connections to your powered hub.

Boot with just the hub connected, and your keyboard and mouse.

Does your Mac boot?

If so, shutdown and connect one device at a time to your hub, then restart. continue till you find a bad device, or you find that too many devices connected are causing the hub to have problems.

If you can't boot with just the empty hub, then I would tend to think its time to toss the hub.

Tom

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Answer 2

Mar 28, 2011 1:49 PM in response to Tom Nelson1

Thanks for your thoughts. I do have my mouse and keyboard directly connected, but even with the hub empty, the Mac won't boot. I wanted to clarify that when I say it won't boot I mean it won't even power on - its not that it isn't recognized, it disables the Mac entirely and I don't even hear the fans kick in or see the grey screen.

I am pretty sure this is a problem on the Mac and not the USB hub. The hub works fine in all of my other machines and worked fine on my older Mac Pro. It is just the new Mac pro that it isn't working with.

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Answer 3

Mar 31, 2011 8:50 AM in response to AstroZombie138

I also have a Monoprice 7 port USB hub (likely the same model as yours), with a Mid-2010 Mac Pro (6 Core), and I have the EXACT same problem as you describe. I don't have the same issue with my D-Link 7 port USB hub. I think the Monoprice hubs simply aren't compatible with the Mac Pro (but they do seem to work fine with my MacBook Pro).

Hope it helps!

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Answer 4

May 23, 2011 10:39 AM in response to AstroZombie138

I got the same problem:

MacPro2,1 (2007)

10 Ports 480MBps USB 2.0 HUB W/Power Adapter (model C715B, eBay, from China)

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Answer 5

Jun 18, 2011 5:54 AM in response to Yves D'Astous

The MacPro2,1 (2007) work without problem with the 10 ports USB HUB if the power adapter is not plug in the HUB. Probably a USB power problem.

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Answer 6

Dec 6, 2011 9:16 AM in response to Yves D'Astous

I'm experiencing exactly the same both with my iMac 2010 model and Mac Mini late 2011 model. Both of them with the same power supply powered 7-port dlink usb hub. When I unplug the hub, the mac's boot immediately.

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Answer 7

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Dec 6, 2011 9:26 AM in response to AstroZombie138

Even with that, have you got room PCIe slot and considered adding a USB card along with it (assuming a 4-port card solves the problem and may even eliminate the need).

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/USB3ME/

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/USB2E/

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Answer 8

Sweejak

Level 2

433 points

Dec 23, 2011 2:41 PM in response to AstroZombie138

I'm mostly weighing in with the same problem. I have a 10 slot powered USB hub and the machine will not boot unless it's unplugged. Once the machine is up I can plug the strip back in. Luckily I've managed to get all the main devices hooked into the machine and monitor and am using an unpowered hub which boots fine.

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Answer 9

Sep 3, 2012 5:22 PM in response to AstroZombie138

I have the same probelm with a Mac Pro 1,1 and a SIIG 7 port hub. Strangely enough, it used to work just fine, and only started acting like this recently.

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Answer 10

Sep 5, 2012 8:14 PM in response to Milky Rock

In fact, this phenomenon seems to have friend my USB port. It no longer detects my webcam, though my display, the keyboard/mouse connected to it, and my ereader are still detected

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Answer 11

Sep 7, 2012 9:17 AM in response to Milky Rock

The webcam is also a good mic (Blue Eyeball). I have heard rumors that plugging a mic into a usb port can cause them to mutually "fry" eachother. Could this be why the mic and usb hub no longer work, and why, when the hub is plugged into the computer, it won't boot?

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