"USB Device Drawing Too Much Power"

Has anyone figured this out? I've had my MBP for 4 years and this is the first time I've had this error message. I normally keep my printer plugged into one of the 2 USB ports, but I only turn the printer on if I'm going to use it. My printer was off when I got the message, and now that USB port does not work. What happened, and how do I get the port to work again? Now I only have on working USB port!

Please help!!!

It is a not uncommon feature of poorly designed controller boards used in the drive enclosure. Does the drive have an external power supply as an well and are you using it? If it is strictly a bus powered enclosure, you would do best to return it and get something else. Either get a drive with an external power supply, or google for a USB powered drive known to work on your model of MacBook Pro. Another possibility is to get a two-into-one USB connector that uses both of your MBP's USB ports and goes into one port on the drive (data from the MBP only goes through one port, but the second port provides additional power - you can get these cables at many electronics stores).

I have a WD portable bus powered USB2 drive that has always worked alright on my MBP, but I cannot remember the specfic drive model right now. Another WD portable drive that I actually bought from an Apple store though would NOT power up with my MBP, and I later found numerous reports of the same problem with that drive (Apple gave me a refund on that one and I noted they later stopped selling it altogether). I've also never had a problem with any one of several firewire bus powered drives (I have a SeaGate Freeagent GO firewire8 800 bus powered drive that is fine, and have used OWC's drives as well).

I am having similar troubles - the same message appear after restart. I have no USB devices attached to my MBP when this message appears.

My configuration is: MacBook Pro unibody 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, MacOSx 1.6.7. No recent change in configuration.

Tried clearing PRAM, resetting SMC, nothing helps..

Any useful suggestion is highly appreciated...

I started getting this error 5 days after having a logic board replaced on my 17" MacBook Pro… took it back to the Genius Bar a few days ago and it was diagnosed as needing another new logic board, which I had replaced yesterday! ***!

I'm just set up to DJ and plugged in a device that I use twice a week and got the same message about the USB. I have never had this problem with this or any other device in the past. I just did a software update, so I suspect that the update may have something to do with it... What makes me very suspicious is that the device is actually a two part device and both units have a USB connection and both units are prompting the same message, even when they're not connected to each other. I also tried using a different cable and got the same result.

tokihammer wrote:

I took mine to the Mac store and they couldn't fix it. I ended up buying an external 4 port USB hub and plug that into my 1 remaining USB slot that works. Sad they couldn't fix it.

There are 2 USB busses in a Mac, each one can supply .5A. If your devices need more than that an external supply is needed. This is normal, there is nothing to fix.

USB 2.0 has a maximum power output of 500ma at 5v, and that is the bus not the socket, this is not much power to share between devices. Buy a powered hub and spread the load around.

This is exactly the same as mine! Did you manage to fix it? If so any help would be much appreciated.

Power them externally (don't need that problem in the middle of a show)

I took mine to the Mac store and they couldn't fix it. I ended up buying an external 4 port USB hub and plug that into my 1 remaining USB slot that works. Sad they couldn't fix it.