LaCie d2 quadra (1TB) unresponsive (will not mount, will not make noise, etc.)

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Level 1

13 points

LaCie d2 quadra (1TB) unresponsive (will not mount, will not make noise, etc.)

Hi guys,

I have a LaCie d2 quadra (1TB) that I have happily used for almost four years now (out of warranty). I was most recently using it via USB 2.0 on my MacBook Pro running Mountain Lion 10.8.3. Sadly this morning the following occurred:

- Time Machine backups began failing

- Drive would become unresponsive and silent while the blue light flashed rapidly

Finally, the drive stopped responding altogether and now when I turn it on, the blue light comes on (no flashing) but the drive makes no sound and will not appear on the desktop.

I have tried the below:

- Checking if the drive appears in the System Profiler (it does not).

- Checking if the drive appears in Disk Utility (it does not).

- Trying a different USB 2.0 cable.

- Trying a Firewire cable.

- Trying the power supply from my other, newer LaCie d2 quadra which still works.

- Trying to mount the drive on a different computer.

- Trying to mount the working d2 quadra and accessing the unresponsive drive via daisy chain.

None of these has worked. Is there anything else that can be done?

Thank you very much for any advice.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Jul 7, 2013 2:56 PM

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Answer 1

arthur

Level 5

5,254 points

Jul 7, 2013 3:05 PM in response to beckwith

You can give it a nice funeral.

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 10

93,716 points

Jul 7, 2013 3:25 PM in response to beckwith

beckwith wrote:

None of these has worked. Is there anything else that can be done?

Unfortunately it's impossible to know for sure if it's the LaCie Enclosure or the Hard Drive that has gone south.

The only way to find out for sure is to bust open the LaCie, remove the Hard Drive and try it in another Enclosure or with a Universal Drive Adapter.

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Answer 3

beckwith Author

Level 1

13 points

Jul 7, 2013 3:35 PM in response to den.thed

Thanks. I have another [newer] LaCie d2 quadra that is working. Can I put the old drive into the new enclosure and try it that way? Is this something a layperson can accomplish fairly easily?

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 10

93,716 points

Jul 7, 2013 7:21 PM in response to beckwith

Yes, it is real simple to open it up and remove the Hard Drive.

Have a look at > Upgrading the disk in a LaCie d2 Quadra | MacBitz

If you find that the LaCie Enclosure is bad, then yes you can continue to use the Hard Drive in another Enclosure.

On the other hand if you find that the Hard Drive is bad, you could put a new Hard Drive into the LaCie Enclosure and use it that way.

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Answer 5

beckwith Author

Level 1

13 points

Jul 8, 2013 6:01 PM in response to den.thed

Thanks a lot for the link. Really appreciate it!

Only thing now is that when I went to disassemble the enclosures, I noticed the bottom right screws on the back of both drives are covered in some kind of scratch-off covering, which I can only assume is there to indicate whether a drive has been tampered with. Presumably breaking this seal will void the warranty on my newer drive.

I will see if any of my friends has an enclosure. Otherwise I'll have to just go for it, I guess. Will update again soon...