External Hard drive: I have a western digital "my passport" external hard drive, 4 tera, that i have been using for the last year or so to store my photos. Lately I have been having a...

truetexan

I have a western digital "my passport" external hard drive, 4 tera, that i have been using for the last year or so to store my photos. Lately I have been having a problem booting up the hard drive. Doesn't seem to be able to find the HD to start it when I plug the hard drive in. Recently i have begun to 1) plug the hard dive in and then 2) reboot my Mac. Then the hard drive is recognized and I can start the hard drive. Has anyone else run acroos this issue with xtrnl HD's, could it be the cable, or should fear the worst and try to get a new external HD and then move all my photos to the new hard drive ?...eeek...thanks for your help ya"ll...

Shutterbug57

truetexan wrote:

I have a western digital "my passport" e... (show quote)

I would at least have the files backed up.

alawry Loc: Timaru New Zealand

As shutterbug said, you/we should really have another copy of those files. It is easy to just store everything on the big external drive, but it's like all eggs in one basket. When the drive fails, (not if) you'll be glad you did have extra copies. You may be experiencing a failure right now..

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Another vote for an immediate backup!

JD750 Loc: SoCal

truetexan wrote:

I have a western digital "my passport" e... (show quote)

You have to be logged on to the mac first before you plug in the external disk. I you plug it in before you log on it won't mount.

Assuming you are logged in when you plug it in:

Have you made any changes to software such as an OS update?

Have you tried a different cable?

Open disk utility and if it appears in the left column try mounting it that way. Also you could try running first aid see if you get errors.

You need to back up your data, always, and if the disk is acting flakey then even more reason to back it up ASAP.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

truetexan wrote:

I have a western digital "my passport" e... (show quote)

Are you using the WD software? I have found that the WD software that was included with the external hard drive was corrupted and when I tried to use it for backup. My iMac never recognized the drive unless I plugged the usb cable in after I was logged on. Since I stopped using their software, I have had no problems with it. Now the drive mounts during boot-up.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Looks like your WD drive is on the way out, get a new one as soon as possible and copy your files to it, you might finish up with two copies which would not be a bad idea anyway.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Shutterbug57 wrote:

I would at least have the files backed up.

I'm thinking that is what the OP bought the HD for. But you are right, it isn't a question of "IF" a hard drive will fail, but "WHEN". I have 2 WD My Passports holding my "Keepers" So far, no problems with either one. But when problems do crop-up, I'll replace the faulty HD with a new one when it goes "On Sale" (they are always going on sale, it seems).

geneg12 Loc: Virginia

cameraf4 wrote:

I'm thinking that is what the OP bought the HD for. But you are right, it isn't a question of "IF" a hard drive will fail, but "WHEN". I have 2 WD My Passports holding my "Keepers" So far, no problems with either one. But when problems do crop-up, I'll replace the faulty HD with a new one when it goes "On Sale" (they are always going on sale, it seems).

I have a western digital rugged hard drive and I had problems having the drive reconized by 2 computers. Submitted a trouble ticket and never got a reply. So I changed the cable that came with the drive and am having no problems reading and writing to the drive. So try a different cable.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

truetexan wrote:

I have a western digital "my passport" external hard drive, 4 tera, that i have been using for the last year or so to store my photos. Lately I have been having a problem booting up the hard drive. Doesn't seem to be able to find the HD to start it when I plug the hard drive in. ...

If you have many apps open then there may not be enough RAM for the HD which is why restarting the computer works. Google Chrome and other browsers and Photoshop in particular use lots or RAM. So, instead of restarting, just close any browser and other RAM hogging apps before you plug the HD in. Hopefully that helps.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I have a problem with one laptop sometimes. It takes a few minutes to recognize anything. Desktop is quick.
Can you check it with another computer?

Thorburn Loc: Virginia

I agree if you think your HD is on the way out then BACK UP IMMEDIATELY; but if you are looking at a new HD take a look at a SSD especially if you move ar around a lot. I would definitely try a new USB cord prior to investing in a new HD. The statement of when rather than if about a HD failing is soooooo true.y_

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I suspect this is more of a computer software problem than a problem with the drive. I would find some software that can check the condition of the drive. I have multiple hard drives for my data. Having everything on one drive is like having no drive at all. One glitch, and you lose everything.

https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/hard-drive-not-showing-3613422/
https://appletoolbox.com/2017/03/mac-macbook-doesnt-recognize-external-drives-troubleshooting-tips/
https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-access-external-drive-thats-not-recognized-on-mac

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

I've had no end of grief with Western Digital drives. Get your data off ASAP.

Dik

Bill_de Loc: US

"Recently i have begun to 1) plug the hard dive in and then 2) reboot my Mac. Then the hard drive is recognized and I can start the hard drive."

Seems possible that the issue might be with the computer and not the drive. You are not alone.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mac+doesn't+recognize+external+drive+when+plugged+in&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=&oe=

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Just noticed Jerry's post I shouldn't be watching the news and UHH at the same time.

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