External HDD works with USB bot not Firewire...need help!

[Wiking_abx]

Hi all,

I have a rather horrible problem. Last night none of my external Lacie disks connected via firewire is found under My Computer or anything else....i turn the disk on but they wont show up in Vista. This happens on several computers also with firewire connection so it not related to one single computer.
The weird is, that USB connections still works connecting the drives..but no Firewire 400 ...

Any suggestions ??

Please help. lots of valuable data in danger here...

Best regards
Nick

[Drufuss]

Well, i'd suspect a defective controller inside the disk case. Had several usb and firwire harddisk exchanged several times some years ago because of usb working but not firewire after some time.

Greetings

Dru

[ctal]

Are the multiple firewire drives daisy-chained together? If so, have you tried to connect them individually to the computer, with only one connected at a time? Daisy-chaining doesn't work properly with many firewire devices, even though it is supposed to. I've always found myself having to use a firewire hub to reliably connect multiple devices.

If they are daisy-chained, and you have not tried connecting them individually, and the chain worked in the past, then the obvious suspect would be the firewire controller in the first device in the chain.

Regards,

-- Al

[Wiking_abx]

No, i don't have them daisy chained so it can't be that im afraid.
I've done some thinking, they all passed out on me when i connected them to a Dell XPS420 desktop- my thought was if it could be possible that some defect on the computer somehow damaged the drives????

[ctal]

Originally Posted by Wiking_abx

No, i don't have them daisy chained so it can't be that im afraid.
I've done some thinking, they all passed out on me when i connected them to a Dell XPS420 desktop- my thought was if it could be possible that some defect on the computer somehow damaged the drives????

Yes, it could be, particularly if the Dell has a 6 pin (not a 4 pin) firewire connector. The extra two pins carry power and ground. If a mating connector is inserted misaligned, while the computer is turned on, the power connection can short to one of the signal lines, causing the port to blow. If that happens it is conceivable to me that a signal line on that port could end up essentially shorted to the power voltage, which in turn would damage the port on anything plugged into it.

If you are saying, as I think you are, that you have tried each of the drives individually on multiple computers, and they each do not work via firewire on each computer, but they all do work via usb, then I suspect that is what happened, unfortunately.

I've read of many instances of blown firewire ports due to misaligned insertion of 6 pin firewire plugs, although I haven't seen anyone else mention that the blown port caused damage to other devices that were subsequently plugged into it.

You might also want to look at that firewire connector with a magnifying glass to see if there is any sign of physical damage or foreign material.

Regards,

-- Al

[Wiking_abx]

Originally Posted by ctal

Yes, it could be, particularly if the Dell has a 6 pin (not a 4 pin) firewire connector. The extra two pins carry power and ground. If a mating connector is inserted misaligned, while the computer is turned on, the power connection can short to one of the signal lines, causing the port to blow. If that happens it is conceivable to me that a signal line on that port could end up essentially shorted to the power voltage, which in turn would damage the port on anything plugged into it.

If you are saying, as I think you are, that you have tried each of the drives individually on multiple computers, and they each do not work via firewire on each computer, but they all do work via usb, then I suspect that is what happened, unfortunately.

I've read of many instances of blown firewire ports due to misaligned insertion of 6 pin firewire plugs, although I haven't seen anyone else mention that the blown port caused damage to other devices that were subsequently plugged into it.

You might also want to look at that firewire connector with a magnifying glass to see if there is any sign of physical damage or foreign material.

Regards,

-- Al

Thanks, i think we know have the answer.. The Dell has a 6-pin connector so i must have misaligned the mating connector....
If it is the Dell, would i dare to plug in a new fw disk ? is it recommended to insert the firewire connectors when the computer is off ? (i'm afraid, i haven't done so)

Regards
-- Nick

[ctal]

Originally Posted by Wiking_abx

Thanks, i think we know have the answer.. The Dell has a 6-pin connector so i must have misaligned the mating connector....
If it is the Dell, would i dare to plug in a new fw disk ? is it recommended to insert the firewire connectors when the computer is off ? (i'm afraid, i haven't done so)

Regards
-- Nick

I wouldn't plug anything else into that connector, at least without measuring the voltages that are present on the signal pins (which obviously would be difficult to do without risking creating a short with the measurement probes). It would probably be best to buy an add-on pci firewire card and put it in that computer.

Lots of people plug in firewire devices while the power is on, because in principle it is ok to do so, but the result is lots of blown ports unless care is taken to make sure the plug does not go in at an angle. A lot of expensive digital video camcorders have been damaged that way, among other things.

Regards,

-- Al

[Wiking_abx]

Originally Posted by ctal

I wouldn't plug anything else into that connector, at least without measuring the voltages that are present on the signal pins (which obviously would be difficult to do without risking creating a short with the measurement probes). It would probably be best to buy an add-on pci firewire card and put it in that computer.

Lots of people plug in firewire devices while the power is on, because in principle it is ok to do so, but the result is lots of blown ports unless care is taken to make sure the plug does not go in at an angle. A lot of expensive digital video camcorders have been damaged that way, among other things.

Regards,

-- Al

I was afraid of that but i have already ordered a add-on pci card and i will disable the two ports on the dell via the bios setting.
One lesson learned
BUT, i also have a eSata connector on that computer- is it safe to use ? it would'n by any chance be damaged as well ?

btw...will contact Dell toworrow and see what they have to say. I still have a warranty- and i have never used them firewire ports until some days ago.


I really appreciate your help

[ctal]

I see no reason to suspect that the eSata port is damaged -- it has no relation to the firewire port, and its completely different mechanical configuration may not be susceptible to power-to-signal shorts the way 6-pin firewire connectors are when inserted at an angle. Keep in mind, though, that hdd's in eSata external enclosures are only hot-pluggable if ahci is supported by the mobo, and is enabled, and was enabled when Windows was installed. Otherwise, they should only be connected with the power off.

Regards,
-- Al