WD External Harddrive issue...

[OnQ]

I hope this isn't much of an issue... Just can't figure out what's going on.
I plugged my 500 GB firewire drive into my macbook pro this morning but the icon didn't show up on my desktop. It's recognized when I look under the Firewire section in System Profiler, and I can hear the drive working but I can't find any link to actually locate the drive itself. Any ideas? I've rebooted both my computer and the drive, no luck. It worked fine last night, haven't touched it since.

 

[OnQ]

Weird... It just showed up. Hopefully that won't happen again. I really should go buy another one to back it up.

 

[dacalion]

I agree, a backup would be a good idea.

As far as the initial problem, it's a Mac, what do you expect?... lol.

 

[OnQ]

haha dac just gotta get those mac stabs in where you can eh?

 

[Sucio]

Damn Macs don't work with anything but shit made for Apple, only.

Wait...even Logic Pro is unstable.....

Thank the lord for FL Studio...

I have a WD 1TB external....no issues (windows xp pro, FTW).

 

[thedreampolice]

Damn Macs don't work with anything but shit made for Apple, only.

Wait...even Logic Pro is unstable....

huh? I use many different external drives with my mac, including WD, GLYPH, SEAGATE so whatever dude!

As far as Logic Pro being unstable? WTF I can crash fruity in a second EASY. Logic is very solid.

 

[Shonsteez]

Q - is it a WD MyBook?
I have one of those myself...
First, let me tell you that harddrive is a piece of shit.
When I initially bought mine back about 4-5 yrs ago the first one died almost a month into owning it. It simply fried all existing files on the drive after an app crashed on the school studio's computer we were using. (MacPro)

So later I sent it into WD and they sent me a replacement of the same drive.
I still use that drive to this day, and for the most part its still going strong however Ive never trusted it since the first one took a dump so I always back everything to DVD thats extremely important just to be safe.

Also, I had done a search on the particular drive I have after the failed one was sent back and there were numerous accounts of the same exact thing happening to other MyBook owners so IMO the drive is at fault, not the computer.

Since the replacement, Ive interfaced mine with my MacBook for 4-5 yrs now and it still mounts and works as it should. WDs are known for poor mounting issue though from what Ive read on various tech sites and forums.

And for future reference, just about any external drive will work just fine with your mac. Some drives have failures to mount properly on occasion but that tends to be the only issue, and a rare one at that.

Lastly, one thing you should always be sure to do before you proceed to use your new external drive is format it to your OS. You can do this is Disk Utility. If you dont, it is possible to run into mount issues or worse so better to be safe. (This really applies to any OS though)

 

[thedreampolice]

I have one of those myself...
First, let me tell you that harddrive is a piece of shit.

I actually had the exact same experience with that drive.

 

[lion-ucs]

Wait...even Logic Pro is unstable.....

But Logic wasn't always Mac. In fact, wasn't it Windows only at first?

 

[thedreampolice]

Logic was actually first on ATARI, but then went to Mac and Windows at the same time. But Apple has had it for a while now and its hardly even the same program.

 

[OnQ]

Q - is it a WD MyBook?
I have one of those myself...
First, let me tell you that harddrive is a piece of shit.

Yeah its a MyBook. I've had no problems with it in the 2 years I've had it. I do need to get another though, any suggestions on which HD I should invest in?

 

[thedreampolice]

Glyph!

 

[OnQ]

Thanks dp, those look pretty good. Any one in particular you recommend? I'd like to go with 1 TB at least.

 

[dacalion]

hahaha, just don't put it in the same room with a mic (fan noise is crazy!)

 

[thedreampolice]

You have clearly never used one. Ha ha they are not loud.

 

[OnQ]

Well it will be in a room with a mic... so what's the verdict? Too loud? My WD is plenty quiet.

 

[thedreampolice]

Go glyph they are the ONLY drive made for audio. And they do all kinds of things to the drive in make it work better in that setting. Also if the drive crashes they will try and recover the data for free. No one else does that!

 

[Shonsteez]

Yeah its a MyBook. I've had no problems with it in the 2 years I've had it. I do need to get another though, any suggestions on which HD I should invest in?

Yeah, Chris beat me to it...I would say roll with a Glyph if you have the paper as well...Their optimized specifically for music recording, their super quite, and their reliable. + Ive heard nothing but positive things about them from other fellow recording engineers....

Not entirely sure, but I think Glyph uses Seagate drives so you could prob cop a Seagate instead if your trying to save a few bucks and still end up with something thats very reliable, however I have a feeling that Glyph has a special contract with them for specific drive specs you cant get straight from SG???....This is all speculation though.

 

[OnQ]

Done, I'm gonna go pick up a Glyph tomorrow I think. For something this important, I'm definitely willing to pay a premium. Thanks guys, appreciate the input.

 

[dacalion]

their super quite, and their reliable. + Ive heard nothing but positive things about them from other fellow recording engineers....

Real talk, I own 3 of them... whoever told you that they are super quiet was BS'ing you and have NO clue.

They ARE some, if not the best hard drives on the market. They are very pricey yet well worth it in the long run. But the fan noise is loud PERIOD.

Q, I'm not trying to stop you from getting one, just make sure they demo it for you before you buy it, if you record vocals and it's gonna be in the same room, listen to it first then make your own decision, thats all. If you do get one, I know you will enjoy it, just figure out a way to keep it quiet.