[AdamSomers]

I have used the firewire 400 port twice with my new powerbook; once with an external harddrive and once with another powerbook (t at startup). I recently got my screen replaced due to white spots, and installed panther. I am trying to connect to another powerbook now via firewire, and it doesn't work. I also tried to connect an ipod, and used a different firewire cable. The fw port powers the ipod, but it does not mount. Anyone seen this kind of problem?

[chipchen]

Originally posted by AdamSomers:
I have used the firewire 400 port twice with my new powerbook; once with an external harddrive and once with another powerbook (t at startup). I recently got my screen replaced due to white spots, and installed panther. I am trying to connect to another powerbook now via firewire, and it doesn't work. I also tried to connect an ipod, and used a different firewire cable. The fw port powers the ipod, but it does not mount. Anyone seen this kind of problem?

I have this same problem. I don't know what happened, but the FireWire port is now definately dead, though it does still charge an iPod. Hmm.... I'm not sure whether this was before Panther install or after...

[iDaver]

I've had the same problem with an iMac but it's intermittent. If I unplug the iMac for a few minutes then boot up fresh, the Firewire port then seems to work fine until, say, the next day when I have trouble again. So, based on this, I'd suggest shutting down your PowerBook, removing the battery, perhaps even resetting the power manager too, to see if this will help.

There's obviously some kind of problem but I just hate to send my out of warranty iMac in for repair over this.

[Macola]

Try running the hardware test CD and see what it finds. My 12" AlBook is waiting on repair for a dead Firewire port, which requires a logic board replacement. If you send it in, be prepared for a long wait, though.

[iDaver]

Originally posted by Macola:
Try running the hardware test CD and see what it finds.

Did that on my iMac awhile back and it detected no problems.

[• C_A_S •]

Same problem here, none of my external FW drives mount on my new Ibook G4 800.

The drives are all right, mount within seconds on my TI667G4DVI, also with 10.3.1.

But now, here comes the real issue:

The FW port does work:

I tried to pur the iBook into targetmode and the iBooks HDD mounted easily on the TI667.
So just one way communication? No, not even.
I can burn CDs on an external 24xburner, it sees my audio interfaces, exept for the drives all jolly...
The latest hit I got when I plugged one 2,5 buspowered drive at our company in, that was initialized on a new G4 15"ALbook.
It mounted sweet as...

I wonder if it's a harware issue... for me this is strongly related to the panther difficulties with external FW drives that pop up at this and various other forums.
So before you send in the book, make sure that you know for sure that it is a hardware problem.
Otherwise they might just try at Apple with another FW drive and it mounts...

[techbrl]

this is a common problem, according to medicalmac.com the firewire design is flawed and can fail at any time, if you go to the site you will see what is wrong. only problem is apple have not yet agreed their design may be at fault.

yes it happened to me so I trawled around the net and found several sites dicussing this problem, i tried to fire up the posters on the mac forums at apple.com but without much success, my mac cost the best part of two grand and it failed after 16 months. firewire has not worked since.

beware it will happen more and more
check out medicalmac.com for the full skinny.

it appears that apple have modified certain boards to stop this but their are a lot of unmodified ones out there.


www.medicalmac.com/mac98e.html

have a look and see if this is your mac problem, it is mine on two macs
PBG4 667 gigabit and iMac 400DV
good luck and hassle apple for a fix the more noise we make the less they listen, if we make enough they will have to.