Q: Mac keeps freezing after Mavericks 1.9.2 clean install

Correct: there should't be drivers at all: it is just a sata to usb converter. I don't know that brand Gembird, I have several makes, on of which is Icybox (for 2.5" and 3.5") which looks exactly like the vertical one of Gembird H32.u2s (and has about the same price (US$25). That Icybox is very good. Then Griffin, very good, then Bluestork (that one has a double ended usb cable on the computer end) very good. With the double ended cables you have to make sure you use the USB end or both (the second end is only for power, although an USB connector).

Are you sure you have the drive fully seated on the internal connector? If so, all you can do is try it on another computer. I think you'd be better off with a better quality enclosure.

Congratulations to BobRz and LexSchellings. It looks like you actually managed to talk the OP into taking what was orginally a semi- working system and turn it into a completely broken one. Well done, gentlemen, well done.

This is why people shouldn't pay that much attention to some, or any of these posts. Take them with a grain of salt. Take them for what they're worth. Apple should do away with its brownie point system because it helps promote false expertise. A real "expert" would never tell someone to tear a system apart unless they were familiar with that users skill set. Buy hey, if the user accidentally breaks it, that's not BobRz's or LexSchellings problem now, is it?

CNET is one of the largest and most reputable web sites on the internet, Here we have two posters making it sound like it's run by a couple of beedy eyed weasels sticking malware and adware into third party products to "track" vistors.This tells me something about their degrees of expertiise. Vast generalizations, stereotypes, and wreckless assumptions don't cut it with me. These aren't signs of a "thinker". Quite the opposite!

Again, look up Cnet on these forums. It loads up systems with junk. And explain to me how putting a hard drive in an enclosure breaks a system, oh pontificating one. How much expertise does it take to pull out a few screws? If the user isn't capable, he should take it in. No one is holding a gun to anyone's head here. The advice was all good, despite your ridiculous comments. 

So which company do you work for? Cnet? Scannerz? Did you earn that 10 points all on your own for dispensing worthless drivel like this?

This will be my last post on this because I'm not going to waste time with you. Your answer was exactly what I expected. Conspiracy theories. Obviously, in your minds eye, I must work for a company you and your cohort criticized, rather than accept blame for the fact that you might have talked someone into taking apart a fragile system that he doens't have experience working with. Blame is much easier to give than receive.

You made no effort, no effort whatsoever to assess the OPs skill set. Was he familiar with working with fragile electronic components? Where did  you check this, and how can you check this over the web? You made broad assumptions, and the trend continues.

If you don't want to take the time to assess someone's skill set, then you should have told  him to take his unit to Apple. If you worked for me and you pulled this rubbish, I would have docked your pay to re-imburse the OP.

Well Bob, we stepped on somebodies toes......

I wonder how he can live with all others here, and sites like TheSafeMac....

He has a lot of interrupts to make in this discussion forum then

good night,

Lex

No problem. If I found myself working for you I'd quit. I'm glad it's your last post, since I really don't need to hear any more of your nonsense. Instructions are readily available for any of these operations, and someone unsure is always free to ask. In any event, I see no evidence other than your assumptions that anything is broken anyway. I recommended a specific item, the OP bought a less expensive one. As far as I know, that's the issue. There's no way we can give aptitude tests on here. He knew enough to get to the hard drive, one would have to assume he could take out the four screws and get it into a case. Again, any uncertainty, ask.

As for conspiracy theories, please take some time and look into CNET. Their installers typically install unwanted items in addition to what the user desires.

Thanks for your input.

Hi Lex. Take it with a grain. I don't see any bad advice we gave anywhere along the way.

Well at least he did not try to give any help!

I assume he has something to sell at Cnet.

I don't really see any bad advice either. Like I said everyone has their opinions. I like test tools. Whether the cause of the problems is the SATA cable or the HD is sort of irrelevant, because in both cases someone somewhere has to open the unit up to service it. I suppose that if somebody tried this once themselves and ended up breaking their own computer they might be apprehensive about opening something up or seeing others suggest it.

I was unaware of the CNET problem. I also mentioned MacUpdate. I'm also aware of Softpedia as sources of free stuff. Are there problems with these sites too?

If the drive isn't being seen by the system,  remember to do the NVRAM reset if it hasn't been done already,  (Command-Option-P-R held down at startup):

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379

I've run into drives that simply wouldn't be seen by the system until that was done. Another thing I can think of is that the USB drive isn't getting enough power. Around here it isn't uncommon for external drives to come with Windows drivers and custom backup software. It's supposed to be a feature but it's utterly useless to Macs. A final possibility might be that the drive is actually failing and is now to the point the system won't even acknowledge it.

If the system gets to the point where the drive is seen, I'd still recommend zeroing the drive as I described earlier before putting the OS on. If it's got so many bad sectors on it they can't be remapped any longer, depending on the drive, the controller may just leave entact and available for use, and Disk Utility may report the drive is unusable (may being the keyword there.)

Hope this helps,

Ciao

Suhov,

Thanks for jumping in. Lex and I did give you the best advice we could, and I honestly think it was good. If I thought you couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have given any and I think Lex would be the same. There are cases on here where I've suggested the poster take the machine in because it was obvious that they had no expertise at all. Where are you at with your system at this point? Last I knew, my guess was the enclosure was the problem, which is why I suggested trying it in another machine to see if it at least saw the drive.

ZV,

I'm personally not sure of Macupdate or Softpedia. There are a lot of posts here fro people who have installed something from CNET and gotten additional items they didn't want, resulting in a bunch of "How do I get rid of this" posts. Feel free to search for yourself, obviously. I'm with you on liking test tools, but this particular problem happens SO often here that it's always the drive or the cable. I've seen it suggested that it may be a motherboard trace, but I've personally never seen that verified by anyone here. I'm not sure if it's the same issue, but on my machine the network cable failed after about 3 1/2 years. The member who suggested that may be the problem did some extensive testing and determined that some of the cables are so close to the bottom cover that the flexing from picking the MBP up and setting it on your lap or whatever eventually fractures the conductors. The PRAM reset isn't a bad idea to get the drive at least recognized. I'd be interested in hearing if that helped. I've never seen one where that was necessary, but it seems very possible.

NVRAM resets are wierd. I had  2 Mac Minis, one PPC, one Intel, an Intel iMac, and not once did they ever need it. I had access to an Intel MacBook and I swear, it seemed like any time a new drive was attached to the thing it would need the reset.

I don't think you need to apologize for anything. All you were doing was trying to help. If some guy opens one of these up and then yanks the drive cable off the logic board like he'd pull the plug out of an electric outlet and ends up with a logic board connector and probably portions of traces dangling in mid air, that's their problem. There are tons of videos all over the web instructing people how to take things apart.

By the way it also dawned on me that the Windows drivers with that thing might be for SMART montoring, assuming the drive housing is SAT capable.

BTW it's in the vicinity of 4AM if the country code on the link to the USB box is an indicator of his location.

Ciao.

I'd be a little surprised if the PRAM reset fixed it, but as I said I'd appreciate knowing that. I don't doubt that you may be right, it's just odd. Especially with an external. I've swapped drives in and out many times without ever having to do that, but it could be just a particular model issue.

I wasn't apologizing, just to be clear. I wouldn't want to contribute to anyone harming their system of course, but the advice was sound and Suhov confirmed that himself as well as your own opinion. Lex and I have helped hundreds of users on here with one thing or another, and the user always has the option of saying it's out of his league. That happens all the time. To me this is like working on a car. If someone tells you the clutch is bad and how to fix it, it's up to you to decide if you're up to the job of changing it.

No idea what the drivers are for. I was a little surprised to see that it had any. I thought drivers for external drives were a thing of the past.

4 AM? Well, I guess if he's going to sleep in like this it may have to wait awhile longer. lol