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micdaflip · Mar 2, 2006, 11:25 AM

Okay well, I just got my new MacBook Pro - about two hours ago - and I'm new to the whole mac world. I've been using Windows since '94, I'm quite savvy in that context. Macs on the other hand, no experience.

Anyway, I've got a bit of problem now. I have an external HDD (100GB 5400RPM) which I plugged into my macbook pro to transfer my music files. However, after that was complete I pulled it out the USB socket, and Tiger said that I needed to eject it first and that data might have been lost. Now, when I plug the HDD in to the USB it doesn't show.

What's going on?

Did i corrupt the hdd?

I have no clue as to even search for the drive now. Any help will be appreciated.

hemant · Mar 2, 2006, 03:31 PM

Restart your MBP and then try to connect it.

micdaflip · Mar 2, 2006, 04:14 PM

I tried that but still it doesn't show up...

Are there any other ways to get into it?

Enigmaaron · Mar 2, 2006, 04:25 PM

Is the drive one that you can turn on/off? If so try cycling the power on it. Also if you still have a windows machine maybe hooking the drive up to that will reset it somehow.

micdaflip · Mar 2, 2006, 04:39 PM

No this external HDD runs its power off of the USB port; so it has not I/O switch, and unfortunately I don't have windows machine any longer. Is there any software out there that will allow me to find the drive such as partitioning software for mac?

romeosc · Mar 2, 2006, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by micdaflip

No this external HDD runs its power off of the USB port; so it has not I/O switch, and unfortunately I don't have windows machine any longer. Is there any software out there that will allow me to find the drive such as partitioning software for mac?

run disk utility and try mounting drive

micdaflip · Mar 2, 2006, 09:44 PM

Well, I tried your advice and still nothing. The drive doesn't come up at all whatsoever. I'm just wondering what the problem could be. I hope the data on this drive isn't corrupt...

Are there any forensic programs - ie, data recovery - out there on the OS X platform that I can use to boot into the HDD?

jamil5454 · Mar 2, 2006, 10:31 PM

http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

That might do it. I had a similar problem with flash drive I pulled from my PowerMac before ejecting. It wasn't showing up at all on my desktop.

Plugging it into a windows computer, then doing a "safely remove hardware" fixed the problem for me.

ibook_steve · Mar 2, 2006, 11:58 PM

First of all, you always need to remember to eject external drives before you remove them. Just a tip for the future, though this should not have completely killed your drive.

Is it a 2.5 or 3.5" case? I'm guessing 2.5 because I don't think I've seen a 3.5 that could be powered by just the USB port. If the case came with a power supply or you can get one, I'd try using it. See if that helps. If the drive has Firewire ports too, try that. If you have any other computer available, PC or Mac, try attaching it to that. I seriously doubt your drive is dead. It would at least show up in Disk Utility. That's why I'm thinking it's a drive power issue. Maybe the MBP was just barely providing enough power to the drive for it to work. An external supply or the Firewire, which may have more power, might work.

Steve

micdaflip · Mar 3, 2006, 04:16 PM

Well I'm a bit relieved at the moment... I finally got a Windows PC to check the status of the drive. I plugged it in and thank god it worked. I removed the drive properly this time and tried plugging it into my MBP, but still nothing pops up - not even in disk utility. The system actually hangs.

I'm just wondering, is it possible to FRY the USB port on my MBP by just pulling it out?

I'm such an idiot

!!! I should have known better...

Any other ideas as to remedy this problem???

tooki · Mar 3, 2006, 05:00 PM

No, the disk is probably just corrupted enough for Mac OS X to not read it.

tooki

JKT · Mar 3, 2006, 05:28 PM

Try plugging it into the other USB port to see if that makes any difference.

atc ben · Mar 3, 2006, 08:15 PM

What about an external USB hub? Would it make a difference if you plugged in one of those little portable hubs, installed it correctly, and then plugged your drive into that? Do you have any other USB devices you can plug into your MBP to test the USB port?

micdaflip · Mar 3, 2006, 11:47 PM

Wow! I am currently at a loss for words at the moment. I have no idea what happened, but now it works!

Weird!

After some critical thinking I decided to rule out a bad HDD case - 'cause I thought perhaps I fried the internal circuitry. So I get a new case at the store all the while leaving the external HDD plugged in, and when I return low and behold the HDD appears.

I don't understand - why was it acting up, and after two days just reappear? Hmmm....

Needless to say I've learned my lesson.

So with that I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to answering my question. It's great to know that there is a spot in cyberspace where people care and can help each other. I'll keep all of your suggestions and tips in mind.

Mad love to ya'll!

JKT · Mar 4, 2006, 05:42 AM

The first thing I would do after recovering my data from the disk is run disk utility to repair it. It could very well have been damaged in the boot sector which might explain why it took so long to mount. In fact, once I had recovered my data, I would wipe it and reformat it just to be 100% sure I would avoid problems in the future... and, remember, always eject the disk before physically disconnecting it!

ender78 · Mar 4, 2006, 07:27 PM

I have had a similar problem with my enclosure on my Mac mini. When a drive is not properly ejected, it will sometimes take a little while for it to re-map. The chipsets in the enclosures are to blame, get one with the right chipset and the problems are less likely to happen. Here is what usually works

- unplug and turn off enclosure
- turn off machine
- boot machine with drive disconnected
- connect enclosure

It may take a few minutes for the drive to be recognized and mounted.