Brucelin
Level 1 (13 points)
Notebooks

Q: Problem connecting USB hard drive to Macbook

I am the proud owner of a 2015 Macbook.  I find that when I connect an external hard drive via the USB-C port, the system does not see the drive.  I have tried it with my Apple USB/HDMI/USB-C adapter, a USB to USB-C converter, and a USB-C cord from the hard drive, and have had the problem with two different drives, one formatted for NFTS, and the other formatted for MAC.  The drives power up, but do not show up.  They are not even seen by the disk utility.  The only way to recognize the drives seems to be a reboot.  My wife, who has a MacBook Air has no problem with either drive.  Any idea why this might be happening?  Thanks.

MacBook, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on Jun 5, 2016 3:03 AM

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Brucelin

Q: Problem connecting USB hard drive to Macbook

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  • by Ed Glasheen,

    Ed Glasheen Ed Glasheen Jun 6, 2016 9:21 AM in response to Brucelin
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jun 6, 2016 9:21 AM in response to Brucelin

    I have the same issue. It may be an issue with USB C to USB connector. I think it fried one of my external HDs and while another external HD does mount, the transfer rates are worse than 56k. Not liking this USB C port at all.

  • by IMWJL,

    IMWJL IMWJL Jun 8, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Ed Glasheen
    Level 1 (59 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 8, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Ed Glasheen

    If you are close to an Apple store or good seller and service spot take both in. See if that drive works on another MacBook's USB-C port.

     

    So far I've only seen slow performance where it makes total sense - an old drive vs newer USB 3, and my work still uses a serial cable so 9600 baud is slower than the modem described!

     

    Good luck.