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PC to MAC Pro

S

specs777

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2007
5
0
Hey Guys,

I am .... excuse me, was, a PC user for 16 yrs (I'm 28) and finally made the big switch to MAC. I know very little of how it works and since the delivery yesterday of my MAC Pro, am SURPRISINGLY finding it difficult to get use to. So I was thinking that perhaps some of you very kind people could shed some light on simply one of my many questions ... lol

Here it is, and I know you must think I am ridiculously unintelligent;

How do I add my external devices? For example I have a Western Digital 500 GB drive, I plug it into the wall, connect the USB and get nothing. How do I get my computer to recognize the device.

Silly hey?! ... lol

I tried going to the website to download the drive for OS X Leopard and still not recognition, any ideas?
 
Its probably formatted as NTFS (a format Mac OSX can't read natively), make sure its switched on. If you don't mind erasing the data, open Disk Utility with it plugged in (Applications->Utilities) and then click Erase, choose a format and voilà :)
 
No it is definitely not NTFS, before I converted to MAC, I reformatted the drive to FAT32 for compatibility reasons, then stored all my files to bring over.

But I am having the same problem with ALL my external devices i.e. I have a Tascam external audio device that as well plugs in USB and I download the drivers etc.. and still does not recognize it, nor can I go to "system preferences" and add it or select it in the "sound" preferences.

Typically are devices automatically found once you plug them in via USB, Firewire?
 
specs777 said:
No it is definitely not NTFS, before I converted to MAC, I reformatted the drive to FAT32 for compatibility reasons, then stored all my files to bring over.

But I am having the same problem with ALL my external devices i.e. I have a Tascam external audio device that as well plugs in USB and I download the drivers etc.. and still does not recognize it, nor can I go to "system preferences" and add it or select it in the "sound" preferences.

Typically are devices automatically found once you plug them in via USB, Firewire?
Click to expand...

Also, I'm pretty sure OS X can read NTFS but not write it? I could be wrong, but that was my thought.

Anyway, to me it sounds like you have something bad with the hardware. Have you tried different USB ports? Do you have a simple flash drive to try? I've never had a problem with an external drive working on my mac (I've used three different USB based external enclosures, all different brands, and most fairly cheap)
 
OSX can read NTFS, it just can't write to it without a third party help. The disk should mount on the desktop or in the left column of the Finder window. Click on the Finder menu, then Preferences, then General and make sure external disks is ticked. Ditto for Sidebar.
 
Does leopard have USB drives show up on the desktop by default?

Do you see them in Finder (the blue face icon) on the left hand side?

Open up Disk Utility (Spotlight, upper right hand corner, type Disk Utility, hit enter) –- do they show up in there?
 
Blogger said:
OSX can read NTFS, it just can't write to it without a third party help. The disk should mount on the desktop or in the left column of the Finder window. Click on the Finder menu, then Preferences, then General and make sure external disks is ticked. Ditto for Sidebar.
Click to expand...


Yeah the Mac guy said it needed to be FAT32.

I did as you suggested and external devices etc... is already checked to show on desktop.

the light on the drive goes on when i plug it in to the computers usb, but nothing else happens.
 
desenso said:
Does leopard have USB drives show up on the desktop by default?

Do you see them in Finder (the blue face icon) on the left hand side?

Open up Disk Utility (Spotlight, upper right hand corner, type Disk Utility, hit enter) –- do they show up in there?
Click to expand...

thank you for your response, but no, it does not show up in there. Only my two hard drive and two optical drives.

I've checked multiple USB ports too, nothing gets found
 
specs777 said:
No it is definitely not NTFS, before I converted to MAC, I reformatted the drive to FAT32 for compatibility reasons, then stored all my files to bring over.

But I am having the same problem with ALL my external devices i.e. I have a Tascam external audio device that as well plugs in USB and I download the drivers etc.. and still does not recognize it, nor can I go to "system preferences" and add it or select it in the "sound" preferences.

Typically are devices automatically found once you plug them in via USB, Firewire?
Click to expand...

I've got a couple of WD drives, a Maxtor, and even an Iomega MiniMate drive. All work fine with my Mac Pro. I just plug them in and power them up. One WD is FAT32, the others are OSX journaled. Digital TV receivers, mice, keyboards, iPods, data pens, external disks - all autodetect on my Mac Pro and "just work"

First thing to check is if the USB ports are even working. Try a USB data pen first (note that this will not work from the USB ports on your keyboard as they are not powered). Check system profile (Apple->About This Mac->More Info->USB) to see if the USB devices show up at all. It is possible (I hope not true though) that there is "something up" with your USB ports.

Presumably you have the USB keyboard and mouse working. Try them in other USB ports to see if they are active. Perhaps try daisy-chaining your HD off the keyboard (not the optimum solution - but the drive is self powered, so it will work - just perhaps not very fast).
 
This seems really odd, not to point the finger away from the system, but are you using the same usb cable over and over? could be broken...

other than that, try plugging them back into a PC and see if you get any response, I had no trouble plugging in my generic PC brand external on my mac...
 
Try resetting the SMC. That worked for me with a non-functioning Firewire port.

Mac Pro: How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
The System Management Controller (SMC) is a chip on the logic board that controls all power functions for your
computer. If your computer is experiencing any power issue, resetting the SMC may resolve it. The SMC controls
several functions, including:
Telling the computer when to turn on, turn off, sleep, wake, idle, and so forth.
Handling system resets from various commands.
Controlling the fans.
Note that resetting the SMC does not reset the PRAM. Resetting the SMC will not resolve issues in which your
computer is unresponsive—in these situations, restarting your computer will generally suffice. If your computer
isn't responding, perform these steps one at a time, in this order, until the issue has been resolved:
.
1 Force Quit (Option-Command-Escape).
.
2 Restart (Control-Command-Power).
.
3 Force Shut Down (press the power button for 10 seconds).
Resetting the SMC can resolve some computer issues such as not starting up, not displaying video, sleep issues,
fan noise issues, and so forth. If your computer still exhibits these types of issues after you've restarted the
computer, try resetting the SMC. To reset the SMC on a Mac Pro:
.
1 From the Apple menu, choose Shut Down (or if the computer is not responding, hold the power button
until it turns off).
.
2 Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord and any display cables.
.
3 Wait at least fifteen seconds.
.
4 Plug the power cord back in, making sure the power button is not being pressed at the time. Then
reconnect your keyboard and mouse to the computer.
.
5 Press the power button to start up your computer.
Another way to reset the SMC on a Mac Pro computer is:
.
1 From the Apple menu, choose Shut Down (or if the computer is not responding, hold the power button
until it turns off).
.
2 Open and remove the metallic outer door.
.
3 Press the SMC_RST switch that is located slightly below and to the right of the row of diagnostic LEDs. Use
a non-metallic, non-conductive object, such as a wooden pencil.
.
4 Replace the metallic outer door.
.
5 Press the power button to start up your computer.
 
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