My firewire 800 isn't working

I bought a new external drive and it came with a firewire 800 cord - when I plugged it in nothing happened. Connecting with a firewire 400 cord is fine and it works just right, but why won't it work with firewire 800?

My last drive (also connected to firewire 800) failed after only 6 months and since then the 800 port won't work at all.

Any ideas? Is there a way of "resetting" it?

You do not say what OS you are using. Sometimes a full install will get Firewire up and running, and here are some other suggestions using the OS X install disc. Let's know if you get it working.

http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-ipod-help-troubleshooting/46590-firewire-400-port-not-working-imac-24-a.html

Hey thanks!!! Shutting down and pulling out all connections, including power cable, then reconnecting and restarting worked! I don't really get why, but am very glad.

Thanks so much for the help!!!

Great. Some times after a failure, a reset is required to restore it to A1 working order. Much like using a reset button on older electrical gadgets, if you think about it!