Total system breakdown when connecting external hard-drive...

I have a Maxtor 300 GB external hard-drive which I use with my Powerbook G4. My problem is that when I connect the drive to my Mac while it's on, the whole system crashes. I've tried everything, turning the power on at different times, quitting all programs before inserting etc.

The only thing I can think of that could be a problem, is that the drive is formatted "Macintosh PC Exchange (MS-DOS)". Could this be the root of my agony?

All help much appreciated!

Uninstall the One touch software that came with the Maxtor. However it may already be too late.

Are you using USB or Firewire to connect? Try the other to test.

Boot with extensions off (hold down shift at boot) then plug it in. Might be a conflict with other devices.

See if there is an update at
Maxtor