1tb hd dosnt read on my macbook pro, but works on my imac (both running Snow Leo)

[avpmusic]

So, i bought a used macbook pro (2,2) 15inch 4gb ram, 320gb hd, and it is in GREAT condition, looks brand new. when i saw the laptop, i made sure everything worked, even the usb ports and all is fine.

when i came home, i formatted, and installed Snow Leopard, did ALL the updates before i did anything else. and i just noticed now when i plugged in my 1tb WD Passport it dosnt show up on the desktop, nor the disk utility, however the hard drive light turns on but when i put my hand on the laptop, it dosnt appear to be 'spinning' up.

i tried plugging in USB stick in both USB ports and it works, shows up just fine.
so i dont think it could be the usb ports..

BUT when i plug the same external hard drive on my new i7 imac it shows up.
yesterday, i plugged in the same drive into a friends Mac Pro, and had no problems. but i cant seem to figure this out.

any ideas?

 

[js81]

1TB Passport = laptop drive, right? One that doesn't use an external power supply?

Maybe your MBP isn't supplying enough power to the ports. Do you have one of the "y" type cables for the HD? If so, try plugging in BOTH ports. If that doesn't work (or you don't have a y cable), try using a powered USB hub and see if that works.

That's really the only thing I can think of...

BTW, my MBP powers that type of drive just fine, but mine is the new 13" - and my drive is a 9.5mm (standard height) laptop drive. Aren't the 1TB drives still 12.5mm? Do those need a little more power?

 

[avpmusic]

i dont know how to use a y cable when each usb port (1 each) is on each side of the macbook.. so i think that's outta the question.

yes, my 1tb hard drive is 'usb powered' and does turn on, but just dosnt show up on the macbook. i tried to update the firmware on a windows computer (which it shows up on by the way) and it says its up to date. the last update WD put out was last month, and claims it should work on mac os 10.4 and above.

i currently dont have a usb hub to try your idea..

does anyone else have any ideas?

 

[avpmusic]

oh, i forgot the mention that the battery needs to be replaced, when its charged it says "service battery" maybe that has something to do with it?

i mean, i tried plugging the macbook using the charger and still dosnt connect.
do you think this has anything to do with 'usb power' maybe not getting enough juice?

 

[js81]

Could be... but I doubt it. If its running on wall power, it should be supplying full power to the USB ports.

Sorry about the y cable - I totally forgot that the port were on opposite sides on that model MBP. And I had a PowerBook G4 with that same chassis! I should've known...

Must admit, I'm a little stumped by it all...

 

[jim4spam]

The power thing (not enough juice via the single USB) sounds a likely culprit. you could test this by connecting a USB extension lead to extend the second leg of the Y-cable from the second USB port on the other side.