Vista and external hard disks

[Pete]

Maybe its time somebody asked WHY you want to switch the drive to
Firewire. If it works using USB and you have USB 2.0 and not the older
USB 1.0 the rated file transfer speed is 480 mbps while Firewire is
rated at 400 mbps. So it actually would run slower under Firewire.

I hear that in the "real world" firewire is faster. I forget why.
-Pete

 

[Pete]

Was all the hardware powered off when you connected the firewire cable?
If not, there's a good possibility that the ports are dead.

Firewire is *supposed* to support hot-plugging, but in reality doing this
is often lethal to the chips that form the firewire ports. Power
everything off, connect it, power on the peripheral devices, then the PC.

It appears from this post and your subsequent replies that the Firewire
portion of the case circuitry is simply non-functional.

You have also provided power to the device, haven't you? Don't expect it
to be carried over the FW cable, not the amount a hard disk needs.

HTH
-pk

It doesn't work on two machines. So I think the failure is with the HD.
Yes, of course, it has an external power source.

 

[Pete]

I use two WD external drives on Vista Ultimate and they are both
connected via Firewire. However, before I could utilize the Firewire
connections I had to connect it via USB first so as to install the
drivers. This was done according to the directions included with the
drives.

C.B.

PS: I like and agree with your signature.

 

[Pete]

Your Firewire connection is going to need a driver. You should then be
able to use the Firewire connection. See the Seagate link below.

http://seagate.custhelp.com/cgi-bin...Xh0PUZpcmV3aXJlIGRyaXZlcnM*&p_li=&p_topview=1

C.B.

There is no connection.

 

[Pete]

Your Firewire connection is going to need a driver. You should then be
able to use the Firewire connection. See the Seagate link below.

http://seagate.custhelp.com/cgi-bin...Xh0PUZpcmV3aXJlIGRyaXZlcnM*&p_li=&p_topview=1

C.B.

PS: I have already investigated that page.
Could there be a change in protocal for firewire? The disk is a year or two
old.

 

[Pete]

Been there, done that.
I conclude this is a hardware failure in the external drive.

 

[Adam Albright]

PS: I have already investigated that page.
Could there be a change in protocal for firewire? The disk is a year or two
old.

Specs for Firewire devices haven't changed much in years. Have you
actually followed the instructions on the page offered?

Your problem as best you described it sounds like either the drive is
broken so it can't function as a firewire drive, or for some reason a
driver isn't getting installed for it. Vista should be able to "see"
it and install a generic driver for it. Why it hasn't, is anybody's
guess.

Since you said it works as a USB drive and I already told you USB is
marginally faster, you seem to be making a big deal out of nothing. If
it works as a USB device leave well enough alone.

 

[Pete]

Specs for Firewire devices haven't changed much in years. Have you
actually followed the instructions on the page offered?

Your problem as best you described it sounds like either the drive is
broken so it can't function as a firewire drive, or for some reason a
driver isn't getting installed for it. Vista should be able to "see"
it and install a generic driver for it. Why it hasn't, is anybody's
guess.

Since you said it works as a USB drive and I already told you USB is
marginally faster, you seem to be making a big deal out of nothing. If
it works as a USB device leave well enough alone.

Yeah, good advice.
-Pete

 

[Pete]

I've been running my Vista machine with a Seagate hard disk. Works fine in
paralell. I tried to hook it up with Firewire on both ends and Vista never
recognized the HD. Is there something I am doing wrong?
Tks. -Pete

Turns out I ordered a bad cable from Ebay. A second cable came yesterday and
BINGO.