12-12-2008, 01:15 AM

Ok so a little while ago I had a a mac g4 powerbook, The computer got ruined but the hard drive was ok. I requested the repair company I took it to, to turn it into an external hard drive by putting it into an external casing.
The casing is an Icy Dock brand Model No. MB 448UA, it is a USB device.

So my main computer right now is an intel based iMac which is only less than a year old. I went to plug in my new external hard drive (which has a lot of my old important data from my laptop) and the computer will not recognize it. It will not mount, It will not show up on my desktop, It will not show up in the disc manager. The device itself seems to turn on fine, and has enough power to run, and it stated on the box that it would be compatible with my mac and the current OS.

I am not looking for someone to tell me to go buy another encasing, I would like to know possible ways I can make this thing work. Are there drivers or somthing I need? someone please help!

thank you

12-12-2008, 01:48 AM

One thing at a time:
1. Is the external USB drive/enclosure mains-powered or bus-powered?
2. A Google Search for Icy Dock suggests that it's mainly a Win-based unit, therefore the controlling chipset may not be friendly with MacOS.

Generally speaking, OS X does not need drivers for external devices, and I can see no obvious driver links in the Google search.

Some possible work-arounds (powering sequences):
1. Power on your G4 PBk, and then plug in the Icy.
2. Plug in the Icy and then power on your PBk.

12-12-2008, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by chase8662

I am not looking for someone to tell me to go buy another encasing, I would like to know possible ways I can make this thing work. Are there drivers or somthing I need? someone please help! thank you

As hugh asked... is it bus powered or does it have an adapter for AC? If the drive is OK and it's not recognized by your iMac, it's possible the enclosure which houses it needs more current than the USB port on your iMac can provide.

I have had this very same thing occur even with store bought external hard drives. Not all enclosures have the same specs. Some draw more current than others and may have to be powered from an AC source rather than pure USB.

I suggest testing the drive on another machine even if the machine is a PC.

Regards.