external hard drive trouble - Blu-ray Forum

buckshot · 01-06-2010, 08:24 PM

i come to you for help as i know there are some very tech savvy folks here. I have a buffalo external hard drive (hd-hc500u2) 500gb that i've been using for my photos and itunes and such. I'm going to upgrade next month to a 2 tb harddrive because i'm filling this one up with raw uncopressed photos. BUT there's a problem. I think i hurt the ext HD's feelings because now the damn thing won't connect to my macbook. I plug it into the computer via USB and hear the hard drive start to spin but the icon never comes up on my desktop. this presents a problem because i have photos to upload and edit and there are literally 10,000 pictures on it right now and only some are backed up or printed. anyone have any help or knowledge they can pass along to me or any words to console me?

brettallica · 01-06-2010, 08:49 PM

The first thing I would do is to open up your preferences in Finder (apple + , from the desktop) and make sure the the checkbox next to "Hard disks" is checked for the category "Show these items on the Desktop":

finder_preferences.jpg
(you'll see mine is unchecked)

If that doesn't work, then pull up Disk Utility (Applications -> Utilities) and see if it shows up there.

Then we'll go from there.

mikejet · 01-06-2010, 09:03 PM

Hardware problems on a Mac?!?! The world is ending!!!!!

brettallica · 01-06-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

Hardware problems on a Mac?!?! The world is ending!!!!!

I was wondering when you'd show up. hahaha! Mac HATER!

By the way, it is probably a very easy fix, and most likely a user error. We'll see, though...

sfmarine · 01-06-2010, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

Hardware problems on a Mac?!?! The world is ending!!!!!

Ya..this is a bit odd.

jadedeath · 01-06-2010, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

Hardware problems on a Mac?!?! The world is ending!!!!!

I suppose Bretallica's suggestion is better than, "just shut it off and that should fix the problem... it'll all go away and likely the rest of your information will end up in the crapper too" that would be suggested if this wasn't a Mac.

Logan

buckshot · 01-06-2010, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikejet

Hardware problems on a Mac?!?! The world is ending!!!!!

it doesn't seem to be the mac or the settings. i have another ext HD that i hooked up to it and it shows up right away with no problems. its something that just started happening too. the last time i ejected the hard drive it took about 10 minutes to eject.

brettallica · 01-07-2010, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckshot

it doesn't seem to be the mac or the settings. i have another ext HD that i hooked up to it and it shows up right away with no problems. its something that just started happening too. the last time i ejected the hard drive it took about 10 minutes to eject.

It sounds to me like that particular device **may** be failing, but it could be as simple as repairing the permissions in the operating system. Go into Disk Utility (see my first post in this thread), then repair permissions on your hardwired (internal) drive(s) first. Depending on the size of your hard disk(s) and the amunt of repair needed, it could take a bit of time. After you repair permissions of your internal drive(s), plug the external drive back in and see if that made any difference.

If that doesn't work, pop in your install disc and boot to disc. Once you've booted to disc, run Disk Utility from said startup disc and try to repair permissions again on your OS hard disk. Then power down, power back up into normal OS, plug in the drive, and see what happens.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then I would suggest gong into Disk Utility (yes, again), only this time see if you can repair the permissions of the external drive.

Report back!

calvert · 01-09-2010, 06:06 AM

One of the most liberating things you can begin with is your hard drive. Whether all your information fits on an 80GB laptop drive or you use several terabytes of external storage, freeing up some space is a positive step to take.

Hammie · 01-09-2010, 01:58 PM

Unfortunately, I had a similar issue with a Buffalo external drive (on a Windows PC) and it was toast. It was under warranty and they replaced it, but I lost all the data. Fortunately, though, I have two copies of all my backups.

Hope it works out for you.

PS3+HDDVD OWNER · 01-09-2010, 02:05 PM

If Brettallica's advice didn't produce any results, im afraid i'm going to have to concur that your drive is probably toast. Have you tried using the HD on another Mac/PC?

I'm not nearly as proficient with Mac's as i am with PC's, but this situation seems like a clear case of a seized hard drive.

brettallica · 01-10-2010, 04:13 PM

What sucks about the way some drives format themselves is sometimes they can be read/written cross-platform, albeit not likely the case here (I haven't seen this to be the case to often, but I have seen it plenty to know it's possible). My assumption is that it's formatted for a Mac only, in which case reading it from a Windows-based PC would likely be impossible unless that PC had some type of software on it like MacDrive, which is specifically designed to be able to recognize Mac-formatted drives. It actually works pretty well, too.

I'm curious to know what's happened with this guy's drive, as he hasn't really reported back. Perhaps he was looking for some super simple answer or something and wasn't into my (free) support.

Hammie · 01-11-2010, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brettallica

What sucks about the way some drives format themselves is sometimes they can be read/written cross-platform, albeit not likely the case here (I haven't seen this to be the case to often, but I have seen it plenty to know it's possible). My assumption is that it's formatted for a Mac only, in which case reading it from a Windows-based PC would likely be impossible unless that PC had some type of software on it like MacDrive, which is specifically designed to be able to recognize Mac-formatted drives. It actually works pretty well, too.

I'm curious to know what's happened with this guy's drive, as he hasn't really reported back. Perhaps he was looking for some super simple answer or something and wasn't into my (free) support.

Or he blew himself up.

LeAnn · 01-11-2010, 01:46 PM

I had a problem like this once, and it ended up being the USB cord itself. Once I switched it out, it works like new.

buckshot · 01-12-2010, 02:46 AM

sorry for the delay in responding. was out of town for the last 4 days. well here's the story of the ridiculousness that has been this external hard drive. i went through all of the steps outlined earlier and got no results. so i unplugged everything from the Ext HD yelled at it a bit (literally) plugged everything back in.......and still nothing. i left it plugged in and began looking for a new Ext HD, after about 30 minutes of cruising amazon.com and facebook the EXT HD icon popped up on my desktop. it has been working since then but takes an extremely long time to register. i'm anxiously waiting for the end of the month when i can buy a new hard drive. are there any suggestions? i'm looking for a 2 terabyte with usb 2.0 or firewire. and want to spend less than $150. I have seen the hitachi 2 TB hd at frys for $135.99 and that seemed very appealing to me.

buckshot · 01-16-2010, 04:38 AM

i got a seagate 1.5 tb drive today at frys. after i uploaded my itunes and photos the old hard drive has seemed to stop working. hope not completely i have some stuff i've written on there too.

Goodguy818 · 01-16-2010, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckshot

i got a seagate 1.5 tb drive today at frys. after i uploaded my itunes and photos the old hard drive has seemed to stop working. hope not completely i have some stuff i've written on there too.

off topic but im looking for a 1tb+ hdd, was the 1.5tb good deal?

buckshot · 01-16-2010, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodguy818

off topic but im looking for a 1tb+ hdd, was the 1.5tb good deal?

i thought so. it was $99

OrlandoEastwood · 01-16-2010, 06:46 AM

Did you check to make sure the metal end pieces were clean? My external Blu-ray drive was having some problems and it was suggested to wipe the metal ends to see if it would help because they get dirt and oil from your fingers so it screws it up.

01-06-2010, 08:24 PM	#1
buckshot Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2007 Location:san die ego Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	external hard drive trouble i come to you for help as i know there are some very tech savvy folks here. I have a buffalo external hard drive (hd-hc500u2) 500gb that i've been using for my photos and itunes and such. I'm going to upgrade next month to a 2 tb harddrive because i'm filling this one up with raw uncopressed photos. BUT there's a problem. I think i hurt the ext HD's feelings because now the damn thing won't connect to my macbook. I plug it into the computer via USB and hear the hard drive start to spin but the icon never comes up on my desktop. this presents a problem because i have photos to upload and edit and there are literally 10,000 pictures on it right now and only some are backed up or printed. anyone have any help or knowledge they can pass along to me or any words to console me?

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01-06-2010, 08:49 PM	#2
brettallica Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Santa Cruz, California Home Theater Gallery:51 Blu-ray collection:79 Trading Score:6	The first thing I would do is to open up your preferences in Finder (apple + , from the desktop) and make sure the the checkbox next to "Hard disks" is checked for the category "Show these items on the Desktop": finder_preferences.jpg (you'll see mine is unchecked) If that doesn't work, then pull up Disk Utility (Applications -> Utilities) and see if it shows up there. Then we'll go from there.

01-06-2010, 09:03 PM	#3
mikejet Banned Member since:Sep 2008 Location:Los Angeles, CA Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:29	Hardware problems on a Mac?!?! The world is ending!!!!!

01-09-2010, 06:06 AM	#9
calvert New Member Member since:Jan 2010	One of the most liberating things you can begin with is your hard drive. Whether all your information fits on an 80GB laptop drive or you use several terabytes of external storage, freeing up some space is a positive step to take.

01-09-2010, 01:58 PM	#10
Hammie Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Location:Washington, DC Metro Home Theater Gallery:53 Blu-ray collection:545 DVD collection:12 Trading Score:12	Unfortunately, I had a similar issue with a Buffalo external drive (on a Windows PC) and it was toast. It was under warranty and they replaced it, but I lost all the data. Fortunately, though, I have two copies of all my backups. Hope it works out for you.

01-09-2010, 02:05 PM	#11
PS3+HDDVD OWNER Special Member Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Chicago Trading Score:12	If Brettallica's advice didn't produce any results, im afraid i'm going to have to concur that your drive is probably toast. Have you tried using the HD on another Mac/PC? I'm not nearly as proficient with Mac's as i am with PC's, but this situation seems like a clear case of a seized hard drive.

01-10-2010, 04:13 PM	#12
brettallica Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Santa Cruz, California Home Theater Gallery:51 Blu-ray collection:79 Trading Score:6	What sucks about the way some drives format themselves is sometimes they can be read/written cross-platform, albeit not likely the case here (I haven't seen this to be the case to often, but I have seen it plenty to know it's possible). My assumption is that it's formatted for a Mac only, in which case reading it from a Windows-based PC would likely be impossible unless that PC had some type of software on it like MacDrive, which is specifically designed to be able to recognize Mac-formatted drives. It actually works pretty well, too. I'm curious to know what's happened with this guy's drive, as he hasn't really reported back. Perhaps he was looking for some super simple answer or something and wasn't into my (free) support.

01-11-2010, 01:46 PM	#14
LeAnn Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2009 Home Theater Gallery:48 Blu-ray collection:303 Trading Score:9	I had a problem like this once, and it ended up being the USB cord itself. Once I switched it out, it works like new.

01-12-2010, 02:46 AM	#15
buckshot Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2007 Location:san die ego Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	sorry for the delay in responding. was out of town for the last 4 days. well here's the story of the ridiculousness that has been this external hard drive. i went through all of the steps outlined earlier and got no results. so i unplugged everything from the Ext HD yelled at it a bit (literally) plugged everything back in.......and still nothing. i left it plugged in and began looking for a new Ext HD, after about 30 minutes of cruising amazon.com and facebook the EXT HD icon popped up on my desktop. it has been working since then but takes an extremely long time to register. i'm anxiously waiting for the end of the month when i can buy a new hard drive. are there any suggestions? i'm looking for a 2 terabyte with usb 2.0 or firewire. and want to spend less than $150. I have seen the hitachi 2 TB hd at frys for $135.99 and that seemed very appealing to me.

01-16-2010, 04:38 AM	#16
buckshot Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2007 Location:san die ego Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	i got a seagate 1.5 tb drive today at frys. after i uploaded my itunes and photos the old hard drive has seemed to stop working. hope not completely i have some stuff i've written on there too.

01-16-2010, 06:46 AM	#19
OrlandoEastwood Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:R-Point Blu-ray reviews:86 Trading Score:24	Did you check to make sure the metal end pieces were clean? My external Blu-ray drive was having some problems and it was suggested to wipe the metal ends to see if it would help because they get dirt and oil from your fingers so it screws it up.

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