Emac (rev 1) with OS X 10.4.11 - Have to restart every time I connect new USB device

Hello!

I just got a used Emac, first version with 700 MHz and USB 1.1.

I have just made a fresh install of Mac OS X 10.4, which has been updated to 10.4.11.

The problem is that every time I connect an USB device (except for the mouse) - nothing happens. I have to restart the computer and keep the device connected in order for it to be usable.

What could possibly be causing this? I have tried USB memory sticks (FAT formatted) and a wifi dongle. They do work fine if I restart, but otherwise nothing.

It doesn't matter what USB port I use.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I've been waiting and watching to see if someone else responded to this post, but I have to admit that it's got me puzzled. USB should just work.

The only suggestion I can offer at this stage is to repair Permissions, preferably using OnyX Titanium Software applicable to your present OS version, and then see if USB devices will mount without hassle.

Thanks for your reply! But I am unsure if it will work to use that program... because I have discovered something.

It seems the usb drive does actually work, but only if I wait for a few minutes. It will then show up normally on the desktop. What could be causing this delay?

I bought a couple of eMacs a year ago dirt cheap from my works. One was dead, so I used it's bits to make the other work really well.
Anyhoo... I had a similar problem. The odd thing was that after a while, about a week IIRC, everything went right by itself. I also had the problem on my G5 PPC and again, after a while it sorted itself out. To this day I have no idea why?

My works has just sold a few eMacs... You're not in Cardiff by any chance?

Coconuts 500 said:

Thanks for your reply! But I am unsure if it will work to use that program... because I have discovered something.
It seems the usb drive does actually work, but only if I wait for a few minutes. It will then show up normally on the desktop. What could be causing this delay?

Click to expand...

Immediate thought - USB 1.1! It's 12 Mbs transfer rate, which is slow. Fine for mouse and keyboard, and should be okay for flash drive, providing there isn't a massive amount of data on it.

Another thought - how much RAM have you in that eMac? That model was issued originally with only 128 Mb, later bumped to 256. If you're operating on anything less than 512 Mb, I suggest, you're going to experience delays with peripheral devices. The eMac 700 will take up to 1 Gb RAM.

OnyX, by the way, is a simple application/utility, that does a great job. There are many Mac users who've found that when they're experiencing OS, software, even hardware problems, a tune-up with OnyX often fixes things.

Hello again!

It has 512 MB RAM. The flash drive does have a rather large amount of data on it, and is an 8 GB one. I will try with a smaller one with no data, to see if it gets detected any faster. The wlan stick still seems to require a restart to work, though.

Sorry dazcaz, I live in Scandinavia.