Macbook pro 2017 External HDD ISSUE

[frase]

I have a Macbook Pro 2017 here, the issue is the external HDD has those stupid Micro USB Type B, USB Type A connectors. So I went and got a Micro USB Type B > USB C cable. I connected the drive formated as exFAT, the drive has power and is operational though it is not detecting the drive.

I tried terminal diskutil list and it does not show the drive>
Also in system report it shows nothing connected to the Thunderbolt ports.

Anyone have any ideas here? This is why I hardly work on macs witht their inane system specs.

 

[fincoder]

the external HDD has those stupid Micro USB Type B

Do you mean Mini USB like the pic below? If so, that drive is ancient and slow USB 2.0. I wouldn't use that drive except to save data from it. Most portable drives of that age will have issues. Why didn't you just try with a USBC-USBA adapter or hub?

 

[Markverhyden]

What was the status before you looked at it? Did you try to plug it into another computer.

Another thing. Open terminal with out the drive plugged in. At CLI type in pwd. That tells you what directory you are working in. Then type in ls -Al /dev > dev01.txt. That is a list of all devices it sees in dev01.txt. Plug in the drive, wait 10 seconds, then type in ls -Al /dev > dev02.txt. you open them side by side to see if there is any differences. If it's being "seen" you'll see new entries in dev02.txt.

 

[frase]

It is a drive that a client has

Do you mean Mini USB like the pic below? If so, that drive is ancient and slow USB 2.0. I wouldn't use that drive except to save data from it. Most portable drives of that age will have issues. Why didn't you just try with a USBC-USBA adapter or hub?
View attachment 17269

It is a WD Drive that the client purchased, it looks to me that the cable does not power the drive enough. As it does actually power on, light on etc though does not detect on windows or mac. Can someone reccomend a specific working cable or way about to do this?

What was the status before you looked at it? Did you try to plug it into another computer.

Another thing. Open terminal with out the drive plugged in. At CLI type in pwd. That tells you what directory you are working in. Then type in ls -Al /dev > dev01.txt. That is a list of all devices it sees in dev01.txt. Plug in the drive, wait 10 seconds, then type in ls -Al /dev > dev02.txt. you open them side by side to see if there is any differences. If it's being "seen" you'll see new entries in dev02.txt.

I plugged it into mac no detection plugged into PC with the Mini B- USB A Cable detected.

"No such file or directory"

 

[frase]

Do you mean Mini USB like the pic below? If so, that drive is ancient and slow USB 2.0. I wouldn't use that drive except to save data from it. Most portable drives of that age will have issues. Why didn't you just try with a USBC-USBA adapter or hub?
View attachment 17269

Yes it is I will have to see if I have one around.

 

[frase]

Gave up incompatible drive. so will have to grab the receipt from customer negotiate with store to see what I can do, nothing most likely. I normally purchase the drives myself though was busy and advised the client to get one and not being specific. My bad sigh.

 

[fincoder]

It is a WD Drive that the client purchased

Does it have the mini USB connector as per my pic? If so, drives with that connector haven't been sold for 15 years or so.

 

[Markverhyden]

@frase according to the "Internet" Macbook Pro 2017 does not support USB 2. So you all to know if the drive is USB 2 or 3.

Google Search

 

[frase]

I did advise the customer to tell the store that it was for mac, one of those chain stores here he went to called "The Good Guys".
The sales person stated yea fine with mac systems..hmmm. So am taking the hit and going to order a drive via my supplier very annoying though.

 

[frase]

Does it have the mini USB connector as per my pic? If so, drives with that connector haven't been sold for 15 years or so.

No has a USB MICRO B > A. As soon as I opened the package I was full of dread.

 

[frase]

Well in the end I purchased an adaptor for the purpose, always shy of them though this one worked fine.

USB-C TO Friggen USB-A Adaptor

 

[GTP]

Well in the end I purchased an adaptor for the purpose, always shy of them though this one worked fine.

Friggen USB-A Adaptor

A new type of USB Adapter!

 

[timeshifter]

Well in the end I purchased an adaptor for the purpose, always shy of them though this one worked fine.

USB-C TO Friggen USB-A Adaptor

So you connected that adapter to the Mac and then plugged in the cable and drive the customer handed to you and it worked?

 

[frase]

So you connected that adapter to the Mac and then plugged in the cable and drive the customer handed to you and it worked?

Yup problem solved, why I hardly work on macs.

 

[timeshifter]

So the USB-C to USB-B cable you bought didn't work?

And it didn't work on a Mac or a PC?

The USB-C to USB-A adapter and the original cable worked?

So, the summary is that you picked up a defective USB-C to USB-B cable?

I'm curious as I usually keep a couple USB-C to USB-B cables just for this purpose and have used them on Macs and PCs and never had a problem.

 

[britechguy]

Well in the end I purchased an adaptor for the purpose, always shy of them though this one worked fine.

USB-C TO Friggen USB-A Adaptor

I've bought quite a few of these simply because USB-C is becoming the default on most laptops and there's still an awful lot of USB-A equipment out there. Never had a single issue with them, either.

3-Pack USB-C 3.1 Male to USB A Female Adapter Converter OTG Type C Android Phone | eBay

Then you can use your USB-C OTG phone (act as a host) to get data, video and audio from cell phone or hard drive without using a computer. With OTG function supported, it connects your USB-A (Flash Drive, Mouse, card readers, Keyboard) to USB-C devices (smart phone, tablet, laptop);.

www.ebay.com

and an even better deal:

4 Pack USB-C 3.1 Male to USB A Female Adapter Converter OTG Type C Android Phone | eBay

Important Note: It supports OTG function for connecting to USB Peripherals, NOT for power charging. 4 x Type C to USB Converter OTG. OTGUSB 3.0 to C-type adapter: USB 3.0 female to USB C female connection conversion head.

www.ebay.com

These adapters are not "rocket science."

 

[timeshifter]

I've been buying 5 packs of these, no adapter involved, straight USB-C to USB-B. For hard drives I like to minimize connections. They've all worked fine.

 

[frase]

I've been buying 5 packs of these, no adapter involved, straight USB-C to USB-B. For hard drives I like to minimize connections. They've all worked fine.

Yes all well and good, the the customer purchased this particular drive so was the only solution.

 

[GTP]

So, the summary is that you picked up a defective USB-C to USB-B cable?

Maybe it was a "charge only" cable?

 

[fincoder]

No has a USB MICRO B > A

OK. I have never seen a USB external hard drive that comes with that connector. This might be what happened in that store the customer went to:

CUSTOMER: I need an external hard drive for a Mac.
SALESMAN: All the external hard disc drives have USB-A connectors, so you'll need a different cable [thinking the Mac only has USB-C]. Here's the cable you need for a Mac [idiot salesman gets the wrong cable off the shelf, doesn't check the connectors].
CUSTOMER: [swaps the cable in the drive box with the one supposedly needed before handing to frase]

USB 3.0 Micro-B sockets (on all portable HDDs made in the last 15 years) will accommodate the smaller USB 2.0 Micro-B plugs for backwards compatibility. Either the Mac doesn't support USB 2.0 conveyed by that cable, or it's a charge-only cable.

Only external SSDs include a USB-C cable for use on newer Macs to my knowledge, but they are obviously more expensive drives.

In hindsight it would have been better to instruct the customer to get any portable HDD, it's only the format that might be different on Mac-specific ones. And I haven't seen any Mac-specific ones in recent years, ones that mention Mac compatibility include an NTFS driver for Macs that installs automatically.
Even better, buy 1 or 2 external drives in stock when you seem them cheap and mark them up to full price when you sell.

So am taking the hit and going to order a drive via my supplier very annoying though.

Why take the hit when it's the Good Guys salesman's fault?