Problem with External Hard Drive - Really Need Help - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

RetroGunslinger · 10-02-2008, 02:38 PM

Okay, so, I'm an idiot. While I'm good with computers in general, there are some territories I don't know too much about, and thus rely on my techie friends. Recently, one of those friends offered to let me borrow a rather large and expensive program. He was going to transfer said program to my external hard drive (a 1TB MyBook), but when he tried, it apparently wouldn't work because my drive wasn't properly formatted for the Mac, which is weird since I have a Macbook Pro.

Anywho, that's neither here nor there. He gave me some instructions, which consisted of exporting the files on the drive back onto my computer, go to Disk Utility, to the MyBook, and to Erase. He set it all up so I could do it after exporting the files, but I had to restart my computer at one point and lost the settings he applied. So, I guessed the Volume Format and selected "Mac OS Extended". There was an error, and now my computer doesn't recognize the MyBook.

So, I obviously did something wrong, does anyone know how to correct it? I hesitate to ask my friend.

Vigilante · 10-02-2008, 03:15 PM

Are both machines macs?

NeoRete · 10-02-2008, 05:18 PM

Does the hard drive show up at all in disc utility (in the left-hand side), or will it just not mount on your MacBook desktop when it is attached?

Typically you would select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" to make it a bootable (startup) volume or "Mac OS Extended" if you didn't need it to be bootable.

RetroGunslinger · 10-02-2008, 07:40 PM

Both computers mentioned are Macs.

The hard drive won't connect at all now, it showed up perfectly before.

cker · 10-03-2008, 04:54 PM

Stupid question - after you shut down everything - the Mac, the MyBook, everything - and plug it back in, do you see the device in Disk Utility, on the left? If not, then it's quite possible either the drive itself, or the cable, is bad. If it does, then you will need to Erase it again. I know the Mac will play nicely with the 1TB MyBook.

There's not a clicking or anything coming from the MyBook, is there? Do you have another system you plug the drive into?

10-02-2008, 02:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
RetroGunslinger eats puppies and shits rainbows Location: An Area of Space Occupied by a Population, SC, USA	Problem with External Hard Drive - Really Need Help Okay, so, I'm an idiot. While I'm good with computers in general, there are some territories I don't know too much about, and thus rely on my techie friends. Recently, one of those friends offered to let me borrow a rather large and expensive program. He was going to transfer said program to my external hard drive (a 1TB MyBook), but when he tried, it apparently wouldn't work because my drive wasn't properly formatted for the Mac, which is weird since I have a Macbook Pro. Anywho, that's neither here nor there. He gave me some instructions, which consisted of exporting the files on the drive back onto my computer, go to Disk Utility, to the MyBook, and to Erase. He set it all up so I could do it after exporting the files, but I had to restart my computer at one point and lost the settings he applied. So, I guessed the Volume Format and selected "Mac OS Extended". There was an error, and now my computer doesn't recognize the MyBook. So, I obviously did something wrong, does anyone know how to correct it? I hesitate to ask my friend. __________________ It's a rare pleasure in this world to get your mind fucked. Usually it's just foreplay. M.B. Keene

10-02-2008, 03:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	Are both machines macs? __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

10-02-2008, 05:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
NeoRete Crazy Location: Cape Cod	Does the hard drive show up at all in disc utility (in the left-hand side), or will it just not mount on your MacBook desktop when it is attached? Typically you would select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" to make it a bootable (startup) volume or "Mac OS Extended" if you didn't need it to be bootable. __________________ Charlie was a chemist but Charlie is nomore, what Charlie thought was H2O was H2SO4

10-02-2008, 07:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
RetroGunslinger eats puppies and shits rainbows Location: An Area of Space Occupied by a Population, SC, USA	Both computers mentioned are Macs. The hard drive won't connect at all now, it showed up perfectly before. __________________ It's a rare pleasure in this world to get your mind fucked. Usually it's just foreplay. M.B. Keene

10-03-2008, 04:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
cker Upright Location: Alabama	Stupid question - after you shut down everything - the Mac, the MyBook, everything - and plug it back in, do you see the device in Disk Utility, on the left? If not, then it's quite possible either the drive itself, or the cable, is bad. If it does, then you will need to Erase it again. I know the Mac will play nicely with the 1TB MyBook. There's not a clicking or anything coming from the MyBook, is there? Do you have another system you plug the drive into?