LaCie problem ?

Question

Level 2

220 points

LaCie problem ?

Hi -

I have had a LaCie firewire hook-uped to my MAC for quite sometime.
It has performed GREAT all the time. But, just today when I turn my computer on ORactivateit from the sleep mode it will not recognize my LaCie drive.
I have had my wife look at it. I am BLIND. She has noticed that the blue LED on the front of the LaCie is intermittantly always blinking instead of staying solid blue like it used to. I have RE-STARTed etc. my MAC as well as the LaCie
numerous times. I DO NOT know what else to do. It was installed along time ago (approximately 2 years) by someone who I can not locate.
Is there a utility or something you know I can do to make my system recognize my external LaCie hard-drive?

I really appreciate your help,
Cary

iMAC FPD 20, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Jun 9, 2007 9:41 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Martin van-Eerde

Level 1

60 points

Jun 9, 2007 10:12 AM in response to Cary Renault

Is the drive recognised by Disk Utility?

You could try the following update tool, caution advised:
http://www.lacie.com/uk/support/drivers/driver.htm?id=10053

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Answer 2

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 9, 2007 11:42 AM in response to Martin van-Eerde

Hi -

Thanks for the prmompt reply. But, NO it is NOT recognised by Disk Utility.

Keep the potential answers coming,

Appreciative,
Cary

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Answer 3

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 9, 2007 11:48 AM in response to Cary Renault

Hi =

To let you know I have a 200GB LaCie d2 HD FW 7200RPM 2MB (APPLE)

Hopefully, this will assist you in helping me.

Thanks,
Cary

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Answer 4

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 9, 2007 11:54 AM in response to Martin van-Eerde

Hi -

I did try and heared the LaCie update tool. I do not need it.

Appreciative,
Cary

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Answer 5

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 11, 2007 8:26 AM in response to Cary Renault

Hi -

I contacted LaCie to no avail. The drive is still NOT recongnized!

Your expertise needed.

Cary

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Answer 6

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Jun 11, 2007 2:14 PM in response to Cary Renault

If Disk Utility won't see the drive, then either your Firewire port is non-functional, you have a bad Firewire cable, or the drive has failed. Do you have access to another Mac on which you could try the drive?

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Answer 7

A A P L

Level 7

21,746 points

Jun 11, 2007 2:15 PM in response to Cary Renault

IN CAPS FOR THE OP:

TRY SHUTTING DOWN YOUR MAC AND PULLING OUT THE POWER CABLE FOR 10-15 MINUTES.
MAKE SURE YOU TURN THE POWER TO THE LACIE DRIVE OFF ALSO.

THEN, PLUG-IN THE POWER ON THE MAC AND POWER-UP.
POWER-UP THE LACIE DRIVE AND ATTACH.

DOES IT SHOW UP?

SCOTT

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Answer 8

Jun 11, 2007 3:45 PM in response to Cary Renault

A friend of mine has an external drive that can run on a USB cable alone. He was having more and more trouble with it not reading properly, then one day when I visited, he handed me the drive in a bag, and pressed the USB connector from the drive into my hand. It had lifted up off the board and detached.

Years ago, these would not have come loose, because the socket would be connected to the board with legs inserted into plated holes in the board and filled with solder. With the move to all surface-mount components, they can lift off the board and detach if stressed.

Executive summary: Suspect power problems, especially if the drive LED is out, or the cable socket on the drive is the slightest bit wobbly.

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Answer 9

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Jun 11, 2007 8:07 PM in response to Cary Renault

Cary:

A while ago my LaCie did exactly the same thing to me. Here's what I did:
1. I tried different cables and different ports.
2. Checked System Profiler with La Cie off and on. With LaCie off you will know if the computers firewire is working. With the LaCie on the details will be listed in System Profiler.
3. If none of the above work your next step is to ascertain if you HDD is funtional. If the Drive is spinning (and the blue light seems to indicate that), and you can feel the vibration, there is a good chance that the drive (and data) can be salvaged.
4. (a)In my case the Firewire bridge had failed, which, I understand, is not unusual with LaCie HDDs. Here's what I did.
(b) I bought a Firewire enclosure from OWC. It has the more reliable Oxford 911 chipset and also comes with a 6' firewire cable.
(c) I opened the LaCie case, removed a few screws and got the drive out, pleced it in the enclosure, put it back together, hooked it up, and, in my case, I was fortunated and excited to learn that everthing on my drive was intact.

Please do not hesitate to post back with further questions or comments.

Link to my question

cornelius

Message was edited by: cornelius

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Answer 10

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 17, 2007 8:30 PM in response to cornelius

Hi Cornelius, Grant and others -

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback. I have been earnestly trying to resolve this situation. I have tried all the shutdowns etc. and contacted LaCie themselves who gave me some nice talk about the fire-wire bridge etc. which I knew nothing about. I read Cornelious topic too. Thanks for the link to it.
I got a ride to the nearest Apple store but they didn't really help. Want you to spend a lot of money seemed more of an interet to them.

Anyway, I want to do what Cornelious has stated in his reply to me. But, I do not know how whatspecific enclosure to choose. Remember, I have a 250 Lacie 400 fire-wire drive. The details are just above this message.

So, I went to the link about OWC (do not know how do make a link like that) that Cornelious mentioned. Typed in the search box "fire wire enclosure" and came up with a bunch. I do not know which to choose but is this one close;
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/NP35FW/

Corneloius or others, I need a specific link to the enclosure you are talking about? You VERY much so seemed to have the same problem as me. I want to get help to do what you did. I need someone who can se and remove screws etc. It is the most cost effective at this time.

Please, Cornelious give me the exact link to the fire-wire enclosure?

Thank you,
Cary

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Answer 11

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 17, 2007 8:39 PM in response to Cary Renault

Hi -

Hey, Cornelis

could it have been this enclosure "The Neptune" ?
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/NP35FW/

Later,
CAry

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Answer 12

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Jun 18, 2007 10:05 AM in response to Cary Renault

Gary:

That is the enclosure I bought for my LaCie (the one for $44.95) It is still working perfectly. To open the LaCie enclosure, just pry it open with something like a flat blade screw driver. Remove the retaining screws, uplug the drive from the interface, insert in new enclosure. It is pretty intuitive if you're the least bit handy.

Please do post back with further questions/comments or update.

Good luck.

cornelius

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Answer 13

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 22, 2007 5:50 PM in response to cornelius

Hi Cornelius et. al. -

YES YES YES My drive is now working. The Neptune enclosurer from OWC as
Cornelius suggested was bought last week and arrived this afternoon.
I just got done removing it from the LaCie and putting it into the Neptune.
It was VERY awkward and somewhat difficult for me because of my blindness
but I use a 6X lens. Something like jewlers use. I probably misthred some screws but I got the connections to the pin connectors okay. I fired the system up and can retrive my data and use the 250 GB LaCie drive fantastic.
So far so good.

Thank you VERY much for your helpful guidelines,

Cary

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Answer 14

Cary Renault Author

Level 2

220 points

Jun 22, 2007 5:58 PM in response to Cary Renault

I followed eveyones suggestions and ultimately bought a new encloser at;
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/NP35FW/

As suggested by Cornelius. It is working fine nw.

Thank you all,
cary
'

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Answer 15

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Jun 22, 2007 7:22 PM in response to Cary Renault

Cary:

Congratulations! That's amazing that you could work with those tiny screws even with your blindness! You should get a medal. I am very happy that my solution worked for you, and that you can access your info again. I am glad I could have been of some help.

Please don't hesitate to post back should you run into anything you want to bounce of someone else.

Good luck.

cornelius

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