Macbook Air usb3 not working!

I'd say that Mac OS (or the hardware) has a pretty shaky implementation of USB 3.0 right now. Not sure if it is possible for them to fix it in a minor upgrade.

On another note: I got a Matrox DS1 Thunderbolt hub.

The USB connections on it are good for charging phones and keyboards, but no good for communicating.

Matrox seems to be blaming Apple for the issue:

http://forum.matrox.com/ds1/viewforum.php?f=5

I have the latest EFI update and I confirm the problem with that Lexar drive. I contacted Lexar support via chat. Below's the transcript.

Their key argument (to not help in the matter) is:

"The drives are Mac compatible as stated on packaging, however this is a Flash Storage Device and is not intended to be used as a bootable device, which have similar properties to a Hard Drive."

Welcome to Lexar's Live Chat. A Live Chat agent will join you in a moment... Please do not begin typing until you have been connected to an agent.

Hello, my name is Zach . How may I help you?

Martin: Hello, I'm Martin. I have a Lexar® JumpDrive® Triton USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Martin: 32 GB version

Martin: I'm on a MacBook Air from 2012 that has USB 3

Martin: I cloned a system to the drive but my Mac won't start up from the drive. I cloned the system from another USB drive (Patriot USB 2) which worked fine. I formatted the Lexar drive correctly (GUID) exactly like the Patriot. -- The Patriot works, but the Lexar doesn't. I ran DiskWarrior to make sure all is right -- but I CANNOT BOOT. Is this a known problem?

Zach : I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately our drives were not tested for use as bootable devices. I cannot guarantee they will work for this task.

Zach : I apologize for the inconvenience you've encountered, however I do not have any information on how to make your Triton a bootable device.

Martin: Hm. Your page said "Mac compatible"

Martin: I bought 2 of the USB drives - it was a lot of money 😟

Zach : That is correct, the drive will mount and allow file transfer on your Mac.

Martin: How can I find out more about the issue? May there be a fix soon? Should I return the items?

Zach : Unfortunately we do not design our products with this in mind, Lexar will have no fix for this as it is not an intended purpose of our drive.

Zach : Is there anything else I can help you with?

Martin: So since this limitation was unknown to me and in contrary I was led to believe that it works with a Mac -- I'd kindly request my money back. Can you help me with this?

Zach : Did you purchase these drives directly from us? If so, you will need to contact our Sales department to inquire of this. If not, we will not be able to issue a refund.

Martin: What about "Warranty" ?

Zach : The drives are Mac compatible as stated on packaging, however this is a Flash Storage Device and is not intended to be used as a bootable device, which have similar properties to a Hard Drive.

Martin: Just out of curiosity: Where is it stated (you can point me to an online document or page) that this drive "is not intended as a bootable drive for Mac"?

Zach : Did you purchase these drives directly from Lexar?

Martin: No.

Zach : I apologize, but we will not be able to issue a refund since the product was not purchased directly from us. This device is Mac compatible and is a personal storage device. The product page covers its uses at: http://www.lexar.com/products/lexar-jumpdrive-triton-usb-30-flash-drive?category =207

Martin: Thank you. Good bye.

Zach : You're most welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?

Martin: No.

This is not a Lexar problem, it is an Apple problem. The Patriot Memory Supersonic Boost XT USB 3.0 Flash Drive does work as a bootable drive on the mid 2012 MBA's. I have created 2. It is hit or miss whether these flash drives will work. I have posted several times that these drives work so I am not sure why people are continuing to buy other brands and are surprised when they do not work. The LaCie 500GB Porsche Design P'9223 USB 3.0 Mobile Hard Drive can also be used as a boot drive if you say need to make a bootable clone that will not fit on a flash drive.

ioSafe Rugged Portable does not work in USB 3 mode. Link: http://www.amazon.com/review/RR237YPUEO8WG/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004J 6JWL4&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

I wish I knew about this issue before I purchased a Macbook air.

I had the same problem. I emailed ioSafe and they called me back. The new macs have a power saving chip so the ioSafe is drawing to much power. You will need to plug in both usb ends on the y cable it came with into both usb ports on your mac. You can send ioSafe your address and they will send you the new cable for use with the new macs. I hope this helps it took me 5 hours to figure it out!

I had the same problem. I emailed ioSafe and they called me back. The new macs have a power saving chip so the ioSafe is drawing to much power. You will need to plug in both usb ends on the y cable it came with into both usb ports on your mac. You can send ioSafe your address and they will send you the new cable for use with the new macs. I hope this helps it took me 5 hours to figure it out!

I *confirm* the problem is not the external drives, but the CABLES! I have a WD MyPassport SE 1Tb that *for the love of God* would NOT be recognized (not even show up as a drive, as if nothing was plugged) with my Macbook Air 11" 2013 edition (USB3 port) but would work just FINE with my Macbook Air 13" 2011 edition (USB2 port) and any other device.

I also have an external Seagate GoFlex 1Tb drive with both USB3 and Thunderbolt connections. It works just fine, either connected as a Thunderbolt drive, or as an USB3 drive.

So just this moment, trying once again to mount my WD drive, with NO success, I had the idea to mount the Seagate drive using the Thunderbolt connection and borrow its USB3 cable to connect the WD drive. SUCCESS! Both drives mounted and working flawlessly!

I will now shop for a "MacBook compatible USB3 cable"...

I had same problem with a Toshiba Canvio External 1TB drive, 2.5 USB 3.0. I SOLVED using a usb 2.0 extension of about 1ft.

Just to double check ... are you all running current software? This article discusses the fact that a software update came out last month addressing this issue: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5384

http://store.apple.com/us/product/H7749VC/A

Belkin 4-Port USB2.0 Travel Hub * Pebble

Was the only one I could get in the apple store. But its worked 🙂

Take it to the ProDesk, have them sort it out.

Try again later that is what I do I crashed my computer once and now it works.

Or just go to the apple genius bar.

It doesn't happen to be a Toshiba Canvio, does it?

Does your old Mac Pro have the same OS as your MacBook Air? If not, it's possible that Lion just doesn't support your specific device.