usb 3.0 pen drive not recognized

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Level 1

0 points

usb 3.0 pen drive not recognized

I understand that there are already several similar discussions, but nothing seems to solve my problem...

1. I have a mid-2009 15'' MBP (Mavericks 10.9.2)

2. I have a Lexar Jumpdrive S23 (32 BG, usb 3.0) pen drive

3. I cannot mount the pen drive! [It is not particular to this specific usb stick, I guess it will not read any usb 3.0 devices]

I have already tried a lot of "solutions". In fact I cannot believe the amount of time I have already lost with a problem that simply does not exist in any other system (Windows 7, Windows 8, Ubuntu, Debian). In particular I tried to:

* Apply every possible update

* Repair disk permissions

* Reset SMC

* Reset NVRAM

* install alternative kernel extensions to handle usb I/0

Honestly, I have been a mac user for the last 10 years or so and, for the first time I find myself wondering if I should just change to other systems! I cannot beleive that Apple still did not provide a fix for this. I had my hopes high for 10.9.2 but ...

I will very grateful for any advice!

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Feb 27, 2014 3:10 AM

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Answer 1

BALR1415

Level 1

8 points

Apr 17, 2017 11:30 AM in response to krymgr

I have the exact same problem wit a Lexar S25 64GB USB 3.0 jumpdrive. And I have to do the same procedure for it to work in multiple Macs prior to 2011: moving in and out of the port until I can see the indicator light on the Lexar light.

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Answer 2

léonie

Level 10

194,743 points

Feb 27, 2014 3:26 AM in response to jjanela

Does your MBP have an USB 3 port?

If it is this model, it will only have USB2 ports:

http://support.apple.com/kb/sp544

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Answer 3

T. Moix

Level 1

0 points

Feb 27, 2014 5:32 AM in response to jjanela

I have exactly the same problem on my MBP Retina (late 2012). I've tried all the ways to solve.

I launch the same machine with Linux and the sticks works perfectly. It is not a hardware problem.

Regards,

PM

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Answer 4

jjanela Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 27, 2014 5:35 AM in response to léonie

Yes, my usb ports are in fact 2.0 but this should not be a problem... USB 3 devices should be back compatible and usable (at lower speeds) in USB 2 or even USB 1.1 ports. In fact, this particular usb stick works perfectly in USB 2 ports under both Windows and Linux.

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Answer 5

léonie

Level 10

194,743 points

Feb 27, 2014 11:16 AM in response to jjanela

. USB 3 devices should be back compatible and usable (at lower speeds) in USB 2 or even USB 1.1 ports.

It could be a problem with the power. USB 3 has a slightly higer current consumption than USB 2, afaik. Did you have your MBP connected to a power supply?

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Answer 6

krymgr

Level 1

15 points

Mar 28, 2015 3:15 PM in response to jjanela

I was having this problem with the exact same USB drive (Lexar USB 3.0 32GB) and an early 2011 Macbook pro. I tried EVERYTHING to make it work: most of the things you did including resetting the PRAM and the SMC and tried every kind of formatting (Mac Journaled, exFat, Fat32....), I tried every port on my laptop, I cleaned the contacts.... nothing worked. It was working on a friend's newer Macbook, and on my roommate's brand new windows desktop. However, on my computer It wasn't showing up in Finder or in Disk Utility no matter what I did.

I then read this comment on another forum: "Likely the problem is the USB 3.0 plug going into a USB 2.0 socket. Move it back and forth a bit and it should connect. For me this works every time."

And it works. I just have to move the USB drive slightly away from my screen and presto. I am not sure how great this is for the USB port itself but I have decided to sacrifice one USB port to using my thumb drive because I need it every day.

I too spent hours trying to resolve this and this was the solution, and it's been working for months.

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