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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Hardware Recognition
Sneezy - Jul 9, 2005 - 10:27 am
I have a Mac G 5, about 4 months old. I use a Maxtor external hard drive, occasionally a Zip 250, a card reader, printer and a "sketch pad", all hooked to USB ports. At different times some of these devices do not appear on the screen, especially the Maxtor HD which I use to file and store photographs.
I recently bought a 4 outlet USB hub in hopes it would reduce problems with finding enough USB ports, though the problem of showing all devices continues.
Restarting the computer, or shutting down and starting up may show the drive I'm looking for, but then maybe the picture card reader will disappear.
On rare occasions all devices are shown as available on the screen/desktop.
Curiously, even though something like the Maxtor will not be recognized onscreen but pulling the USB plug WILL bring up a warning message.
How can I get all available devices to show consistantly?
I've bought the Tiger software but afraid to install it yet, as it's suggested I do a backup first and I'm not sure of how to do this.
John W. Sheridan
I recently bought a 4 outlet USB hub in hopes it would reduce problems with finding enough USB ports, though the problem of showing all devices continues.
Restarting the computer, or shutting down and starting up may show the drive I'm looking for, but then maybe the picture card reader will disappear.
On rare occasions all devices are shown as available on the screen/desktop.
Curiously, even though something like the Maxtor will not be recognized onscreen but pulling the USB plug WILL bring up a warning message.
How can I get all available devices to show consistantly?
I've bought the Tiger software but afraid to install it yet, as it's suggested I do a backup first and I'm not sure of how to do this.
John W. Sheridan
Stuartpau - Jul 9, 2005 - 2:47 pm
Hi, I run a ton of stuff off my USB and have had problems similar to those you are having.
What I had to do, was to first of all make absolutely sure that I have the most current drivers installed on the computer, making absolutely sure, that none of the old drivers were still installed. Not every installer removes the old files.
Also there appears to be some issues for some people using Maxtor drives and to get around this you will need to go to Maxtor's web site and make absolutely sure that you have the latest firmware installed on you HD.
Using the a hub is a good idea, but have you tried deinstalling the drivers for each of your devices one at a time to see if there is one particular device that is causing your problem. Just unplugging the device may not be enough, you may have to remove any files that were installed when you added the device to your system.
What is going on here is probably a USB conflict, although the Maxtor may well be the primary cause of your problems.
Are you able to get your data off the Maxtor?, as sometimes updating the firmware may cost you the data on the drive.
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Stuart
What I had to do, was to first of all make absolutely sure that I have the most current drivers installed on the computer, making absolutely sure, that none of the old drivers were still installed. Not every installer removes the old files.
Also there appears to be some issues for some people using Maxtor drives and to get around this you will need to go to Maxtor's web site and make absolutely sure that you have the latest firmware installed on you HD.
Using the a hub is a good idea, but have you tried deinstalling the drivers for each of your devices one at a time to see if there is one particular device that is causing your problem. Just unplugging the device may not be enough, you may have to remove any files that were installed when you added the device to your system.
What is going on here is probably a USB conflict, although the Maxtor may well be the primary cause of your problems.
Are you able to get your data off the Maxtor?, as sometimes updating the firmware may cost you the data on the drive.
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Stuart
Sneezy - Jul 9, 2005 - 6:50 pm
When visable onscreen the drive operates just fine, but is always identified as "Noname", while the card reader is identified as "Unnamed". Might this be a clue to the problem?
Stuartpau - Jul 9, 2005 - 8:21 pm
It is probably a hint but the only thing, I can think it means is pretty much what I said before, some kind of USB conflict.
The card reader itself is probably dependant on what it is being used for, for example one that I use comes up as D1X for the camera it is used in. that usually canot be changed and it will only appear on the deasktop when I have an actual card in it.
A drive on the other hand should always come up with whatever name you gave it, or the name it got when it was set up.
The card when it mounts is acting like a disk, so this points to something not working properly in the USB area.
I certainly do not recommend you install Tiger until you have everything working as it should in Panther, there is a remote possibility that all your problems will resolve themselves but more likely you will end up with even more problems than you are already having.
One fact that is interesting is the fact that when you disconnect the USB Drive improperly, when it does not show on the desktop, yet you get the error message about disconnecting drives properly, it shows that the computer has recognized the drive, but is not displaying it.
One thing I would do with everything plugged, would be to run the System Profiler in the Utilities folder. Click on the USB part and see what is actually connected. For example plug the drive directly into the computer, the graphics pad (I am assuming that is what you mean by sketch pad) and the card reader into the Hub the mouse into the Keyboard etc. When you click on the USB it should show you what is connected and the way it is connected.
I am a little curious as to what you mean by everything showing up on the desktop. I use a Cintiq tablet by Wacom and I never see any icons that let me know it is available. I only find that out by using or rather sometimes trying to use it.
As for backing up there are several different approaches to this.
Some people only back up their data as they can reinstall their software and OS again if they have to, some people back up everything. A lot depends on how much data you need to backup, and how much software you would have to reinstall in the event of a crash.
To backup anything it is generally recommended that you use a piece of software designed for this purpose. I use the full version of Retrospect and backup everything for the first backup, after this the software will only backup any new files I have created and files that have been altered. Retrospect is very powerful and has a lot of capabilities that you may not need. For this reason they have Retrospect Express and there are plenty of other backup programs out there for the Mac.
The main principle is to back up all your data (Photos, Email messages, any documents you create Etc and in OS X your Home Folder as that will contain things that pertain to your particular account). an easy way to back just your files and Home folder is to back them up onto a rewritable CD or DVD R so that you have a copy of the data you need, if your machine goes down and you have to rebuild the OS and applications from scratch again. At least you will not lose any files that you have created and a good backup system can save you a ton of headaches down the line, in fact everyone I know who has been around computers for a while, feel that a good backup scheme is as important as a good Anti Virus program or disk utility,
Let me know what you want to back up and we can work out a good back up schemefor oyur system.
Backing up is pretty much a golden rule of computing because sooner or later something will break and you don't want to lose that nice piece of artwork you have been working on for the past month yet not been backing up.
It looks like you have a bit of work to do to get your system in order, so I think that depending on how much data you have on your system that you need to keep (Stuff you have created yourself and your Home Folder) I would back it up as soon as possible. I hope you have all the Cd's and DVD's you need to reinstall your software if need be.
Stuart
The card reader itself is probably dependant on what it is being used for, for example one that I use comes up as D1X for the camera it is used in. that usually canot be changed and it will only appear on the deasktop when I have an actual card in it.
A drive on the other hand should always come up with whatever name you gave it, or the name it got when it was set up.
The card when it mounts is acting like a disk, so this points to something not working properly in the USB area.
I certainly do not recommend you install Tiger until you have everything working as it should in Panther, there is a remote possibility that all your problems will resolve themselves but more likely you will end up with even more problems than you are already having.
One fact that is interesting is the fact that when you disconnect the USB Drive improperly, when it does not show on the desktop, yet you get the error message about disconnecting drives properly, it shows that the computer has recognized the drive, but is not displaying it.
One thing I would do with everything plugged, would be to run the System Profiler in the Utilities folder. Click on the USB part and see what is actually connected. For example plug the drive directly into the computer, the graphics pad (I am assuming that is what you mean by sketch pad) and the card reader into the Hub the mouse into the Keyboard etc. When you click on the USB it should show you what is connected and the way it is connected.
I am a little curious as to what you mean by everything showing up on the desktop. I use a Cintiq tablet by Wacom and I never see any icons that let me know it is available. I only find that out by using or rather sometimes trying to use it.
As for backing up there are several different approaches to this.
Some people only back up their data as they can reinstall their software and OS again if they have to, some people back up everything. A lot depends on how much data you need to backup, and how much software you would have to reinstall in the event of a crash.
To backup anything it is generally recommended that you use a piece of software designed for this purpose. I use the full version of Retrospect and backup everything for the first backup, after this the software will only backup any new files I have created and files that have been altered. Retrospect is very powerful and has a lot of capabilities that you may not need. For this reason they have Retrospect Express and there are plenty of other backup programs out there for the Mac.
The main principle is to back up all your data (Photos, Email messages, any documents you create Etc and in OS X your Home Folder as that will contain things that pertain to your particular account). an easy way to back just your files and Home folder is to back them up onto a rewritable CD or DVD R so that you have a copy of the data you need, if your machine goes down and you have to rebuild the OS and applications from scratch again. At least you will not lose any files that you have created and a good backup system can save you a ton of headaches down the line, in fact everyone I know who has been around computers for a while, feel that a good backup scheme is as important as a good Anti Virus program or disk utility,
Let me know what you want to back up and we can work out a good back up schemefor oyur system.
Backing up is pretty much a golden rule of computing because sooner or later something will break and you don't want to lose that nice piece of artwork you have been working on for the past month yet not been backing up.
It looks like you have a bit of work to do to get your system in order, so I think that depending on how much data you have on your system that you need to keep (Stuff you have created yourself and your Home Folder) I would back it up as soon as possible. I hope you have all the Cd's and DVD's you need to reinstall your software if need be.
Stuart
Sneezy - Jul 10, 2005 - 2:22 am
Of course, only the storage devices show up on the screen, like the photo card, the Maxtor and the Zip when I use it with the Mac. I have a 128 meg storage "key" that plugs into a USB that has yet to show on screen. It's been used on a PC previously and wonder if that might be part of the problem?
The Maxtor showed up when I started the computer after pulling the photo card. There have been occasions when both were present on screen.
Outside of some photos on the Mac HD, which I ought to copy to the Maxtor, I have the original CD's for the Photoshop Elements, Apple Works, and that's about it. I have a Norton Internet protection not yet installed - as I've only logged on the net 2 times. I'm wondering if I should consider another external, or internal HD for just back ups? I use an older Toshiba Satellite, and a 2 year old Dell for most of my Internet work, etc. I may also have to install more memory in the Mac. I have 1 gig, but have been having problems on some prints with large files and the wife suggests it's a memory problem. I've a new Canon 9950, does beautiful color work but can detect faint lines or lighter/darker areas and have already returned one printer.
The Maxtor showed up when I started the computer after pulling the photo card. There have been occasions when both were present on screen.
Outside of some photos on the Mac HD, which I ought to copy to the Maxtor, I have the original CD's for the Photoshop Elements, Apple Works, and that's about it. I have a Norton Internet protection not yet installed - as I've only logged on the net 2 times. I'm wondering if I should consider another external, or internal HD for just back ups? I use an older Toshiba Satellite, and a 2 year old Dell for most of my Internet work, etc. I may also have to install more memory in the Mac. I have 1 gig, but have been having problems on some prints with large files and the wife suggests it's a memory problem. I've a new Canon 9950, does beautiful color work but can detect faint lines or lighter/darker areas and have already returned one printer.
Stuartpau - Jul 11, 2005 - 11:17 am
HI the storage key, may have been formatted for PC use and unless it was done in a specific way, it will not mount properly on a Mac and be capable of storage use or for that matter depending on how it was formatted it may not even mount on a Mac as Pc's and Macs both use a different Scheme for their drive formatting.
I have a feeling that you may need to get either a Firmware update for the Maxtor if one is available and or new Drivrs for it to work properly.
This also sounds as if it is the same for the Memory card for the Photos. Intermittent mounting often indicates that one or even both item drivers are not working correctly.
I kinnow of no one who uses an internal drive for backups, the main reason for this is viruses. Even though your Virus software can scan for every known Virus, there is always the chance that there is a new undiscovered one around and if both your Backup drive and your Main drive are always online, then the viruse could conceivable transfer to your backup drive and infect that as well.
So at the very least get a big Firewire drive for backups, but remember Hard Drives are not always the best solution for backups. Tape Devices from La Cie are great because if you fill up a tape all you need is a new tape but if you fill a drive you need anew drive. IF your Mac has a built in DVD/CD burner then that is a very good option as it is permanent. The advantage of the drive of course is you can install a spare system on it and use it for testing if need be. You could get an extra Internal and use that for online backups (Temporary) and a a spare for system work if needed. Then periodically transfer the files you really waant to keep onto a DVD or CD. CD's ten to be a bit small these days so DVD is definitely better. IF your Mac does not have a built in DVD/R then you could get an external one for backup purposes.
I resiously doubt that the faint lines and light and dark areas on your printer are caused by a lack of RAM and 1 Gig is quite a lot of RAM.
It could be a faulty printer Driver, or more commonly the image being printed is not set at the correct resoloution for the printer. IF it is an Inkjet most images need to be 360 DPi 720Dpi and in cases of lower quality 180Dpi. Make sure that the image DPI is an exact multiple of the resolution you are using for example if you are using 1440 and a 360 Dpi Image then the Multiple is 4.
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Stuart
I have a feeling that you may need to get either a Firmware update for the Maxtor if one is available and or new Drivrs for it to work properly.
This also sounds as if it is the same for the Memory card for the Photos. Intermittent mounting often indicates that one or even both item drivers are not working correctly.
I kinnow of no one who uses an internal drive for backups, the main reason for this is viruses. Even though your Virus software can scan for every known Virus, there is always the chance that there is a new undiscovered one around and if both your Backup drive and your Main drive are always online, then the viruse could conceivable transfer to your backup drive and infect that as well.
So at the very least get a big Firewire drive for backups, but remember Hard Drives are not always the best solution for backups. Tape Devices from La Cie are great because if you fill up a tape all you need is a new tape but if you fill a drive you need anew drive. IF your Mac has a built in DVD/CD burner then that is a very good option as it is permanent. The advantage of the drive of course is you can install a spare system on it and use it for testing if need be. You could get an extra Internal and use that for online backups (Temporary) and a a spare for system work if needed. Then periodically transfer the files you really waant to keep onto a DVD or CD. CD's ten to be a bit small these days so DVD is definitely better. IF your Mac does not have a built in DVD/R then you could get an external one for backup purposes.
I resiously doubt that the faint lines and light and dark areas on your printer are caused by a lack of RAM and 1 Gig is quite a lot of RAM.
It could be a faulty printer Driver, or more commonly the image being printed is not set at the correct resoloution for the printer. IF it is an Inkjet most images need to be 360 DPi 720Dpi and in cases of lower quality 180Dpi. Make sure that the image DPI is an exact multiple of the resolution you are using for example if you are using 1440 and a 360 Dpi Image then the Multiple is 4.
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Stuart
Sneezy - Jul 11, 2005 - 7:38 pm
I have a built in DVD/CD writer. Curiously, with the 4 CD's I have burned so far the Mac identifies them as Sony DVD's. Is this a problem? The CD's seem to be OK. They have all been for the guy who was working on my printers.
Stuartpau - Jul 13, 2005 - 7:34 pm
HI, I have a question, have you resolved any of the original issues that you opened this question and answer thread with.
Before I get into exploaining all the issues that can come up with computers, it would be nice to know how you have managed with your original problem
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Stuart
Before I get into exploaining all the issues that can come up with computers, it would be nice to know how you have managed with your original problem
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Stuart
Sneezy - Jul 14, 2005 - 7:51 am
My appologies for straining your patience. You have answered the basic part of my original question. The card reader disappeared because there wasn't a card in it, and I believe on my PC it remains present as a drive whether there is a card or not. The little plug in storage device you've explained, so it is only the Maxtor that remains tentative. I will check to see if the Maxtor software is up to date. It has been working fine this past week, though I've haven't rebooted recently to see if it remains or not. I generally leave the computer on full time, whether in use or not. I did have an incident this past weekend where I left a large multilayered picture open, and returning an hour later was met with a message to shut the comuter off. After restarting the computer everything has been working normally. I assume if the Zip drive does not have a disc in it, it will not appear on screen. Currently it's hooked up to the Dell.
I don't know specifically how to back up the computer - is this just a matter of saving files, etc to a separate source, or is "back up" a specific function? I guess that sounded dumb, but generally I use my computer HD for basic software, and try to farm out other files to external drives. I bought this Mac soley for my photography, and use the other computers for most of my email, internet roaming, etc.
You have been helpful, and my problems are not so pressing as others, so I don't mind if you put off any replies for more pressing problems. In the meantime I will make sure the Maxtor drivers are current and check to see if the problem continues.
I don't know specifically how to back up the computer - is this just a matter of saving files, etc to a separate source, or is "back up" a specific function? I guess that sounded dumb, but generally I use my computer HD for basic software, and try to farm out other files to external drives. I bought this Mac soley for my photography, and use the other computers for most of my email, internet roaming, etc.
You have been helpful, and my problems are not so pressing as others, so I don't mind if you put off any replies for more pressing problems. In the meantime I will make sure the Maxtor drivers are current and check to see if the problem continues.
snipper - Jul 15, 2005 - 9:53 pm
About backing up: Just burn a copy of your home directory. Most things are in there, like your docs and email (unless you specificly placed them elsewhere, like you can do with your iPhoto and iTunes folders). Things like applications are not, but if you work neatly, you have backups of the installers, right?
snipper - Jul 15, 2005 - 9:56 pm
Also, if you ever used custom fonts, you probebly want to backup your [your hard disk]/Library/Fonts directory.
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