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Troubleshooting
Tips
Click on the product name to go to a list of troubleshooting tips for that product. The Mac OS CD next to each symptom indicates which version of Mac OS system software that the issue pertains to.
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| Internal CD-RW Drive for iMac |
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Symptom: 
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My CD-RW drive is not being recognized by iTunes or Disc Burner/Finder burning software. |
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Solution:
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Please see the software driver downloads page and follow the instructions there. |
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| Xcarét
Pro Expansion Bay Hard Drives |
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Symptom:
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My hard drive no longer mounts on the desktop. What can I do? |
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Solution
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If your drive used to mount but has disappeared, it may have damage in the drive's boot directory. Try running a disk repair program such as Disk First Aid (Mac OS 9) or Disk Utility (Mac OS X) to repair the disk. |
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| MobileStor
Internal Hard Drive Upgrades |
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Symptom:
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I get a blinking question mark at startup. |
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Solution:
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This means that the computer does not detect system software from which it may startup.
1.) If you've just installed the drive and didn't transfer the system from the original internal drive to the new one before installation, then you must install Mac OS system software onto the drive. Using either the system restore CD included with your computer, or a Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X install disc, load a new system onto the new hard drive.
2.) If you've been using the hard drive for some time and you get the question mark, your hard drive directory or system files may have become corrupted. Running a disk repair program such as Disk First Aid (Mac OS 9) or Disk Utility (Mac OS X) may repair the damaged data. There are third-party disk repair utilities available for retail sale, such as Alsoft Disk Warrior or Symantec Norton Utilities which may be of some assistance in recovering data from a corrupted hard drive. If this does not work you may have to start from scratch by re-formatting your hard drive and re-installing your software programs onto the drive. Check the user's guide that came with your computer for details on this procedure.
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| Lucid
FireWire CD-RW Drive |
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Symptom:
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I'm not able to burn a CD using the Toast Lite program that comes with the drive. |
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Solution:
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1.) Launch the Toast application and change the RAM Cache preference from "generous"
(or any other setting) to "16 MB" (or more depending on available RAM.)
2.) Restart your computer with all extensions off (by holding the Shift key during
restart) and then burn a CD using Toast. Restart the computer and see if the new
CD mounts on the desktop. If all goes well, the burner is a properly working unit
and you are experiencing a software conflict.
3.) To determine the software conflict, you may need to gradually disable System
extensions using your Extensions Manager control panel and restarting your computer
until you find the problematic file.
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Symptom:
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I cannot select the higher burning rates in Toast. |
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Solution:
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There are two preferences in Toast which, when selected, will slow down the burn
speed. First is "buffer underrun protection" and second is "prefer
disc-at-once." If these are selected, you may not be able to select the higher
burn speeds. If you still cannot burn at the desired rate, check to see if your CD-R
media is 16 or 24x compliant. |
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| Xcarét
Pro Expansion Bay CD-RW and CD-RW/DVD Combo Drives |
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Symptom:
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I hear a clicking sound when I try to eject a CD. |
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Solution:
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This is due to slightly different PowerBook molds, there is a simple fix. Eject the
CD tray by gently inserting a paper clip into the emergency eject hole on the bezel
of the drive and wipe a razor blade across the top lip of the tray 2 or 3 times.
It will remove a thin shaving with each swipe. 2 or 3 swipes should be enough to
allow the tray to eject properly. |
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| Transport
Pro FireWire/USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drives |
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Symptom:
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The drive does not mount when connected to the computer. |
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1.) Check cable connections. Make sure the Transport Pro’s FireWire or USB cable is firmly connected to both your Transport Pro drive and your computer.
2.) Make sure power is properly connected. If you’re using the Transport Pro drive in USB mode or in FireWire mode with add-on CardBus or PCI Card-based FireWire ports, then it is necessary to use the AC adapter that was included with your Transport Pro drive to supply power to the drive. Make sure the AC adapter is correctly connected to a powered electrical outlet and to your Transport Pro drive. If your computer has a built-in FireWire port and therefore does not need the AC adapter for power, then make sure the FireWire cable is firmly connected to both the Transport Pro and the computer for power. In either situation, the green LED on the Transport Pro should be illuminated without interruption when power is being properly supplied.
3.) Make sure proper software is installed. While using the drive in FireWire mode, you should have the Apple FireWire Support and FireWire Enabler extensions enabled. Users of Mac OS 9.0.4 or earlier should also have the HDST™ FireWire Support extension installed and enabled. While in USB mode make sure the USB Device Extension is enabled. If using Mac OS 8.6 or 9.0, make sure that the MCE USB drivers are enabled as well. If you have a computer with add-on CardBus or PCI card FireWire or USB ports, then you should also have the relevant software drivers for this card enabled.
4.) Wait for a moment. Once you connect the Transport Pro to your computer’s FireWire or USB port, it may take several moments for your computer to recognize that a device has been attached, then load the appropriate drivers, then finally access and mount the Transport Pro drive. This may take up to 30 seconds or so.
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| Transport/Transport Pro Do-It-Yourself Kits |
Symptom:
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The drive does not mount when connected to the computer. |
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Solution:
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(Note: While the Transport Pro FireWire/USB Kit is compatible with Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, the Transport PC Card Kit is only compatible with Mac OS 9 and does not operate under Mac OS X.)
Make sure that the cable is connected properly at the drive and at the computer and is supplying power to the enclosure as indicated by the green LED lighting up.
Nine times out of ten, the solution for this is to completely remove the hard drive from the enclosure and then re-install it (no matter how carefully you think you may have installed it to begin with).
1.) Remove all of the screws, disconnect the hard drive from the connector on the PCB and reconnect it, making sure that only "group A" pins are connected to the connector (as noted in the installation guide) and that "group B" pins are left unconnected. Also make sure that the hard drive is seated snug onto the connector such that no part of the hard drive's pins are visible between the end of the hard drive and the connector.
2.) Before putting the screws or the enclosure cover back on, test the drive by connecting it to your computer to see if it now mounts. When it is connected to the computer, the green power LED should light up and you should feel/hear the drive spinning. After several moments the drive should appear on the computer's Desktop. If it does, you may umnount the drive and re-assemble it. If it does not mount, contact MCE Technical Support at (949) 458-0800 for further instruction.
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