USB and FireWire Quick Assist

What do you need help with?

• How do I tell which devices will work with my Mac?
• Tell me how to connect my stuff
• I plugged in my USB or FireWire device, but it's not working

For your information...

USB and FireWire are two data-transfer technologies that allow your Mac and connected devices to communicate and interact with each other so you can get things done. For example, pretty soon you're going to use your mouse (which is probably connected to your Mac through USB) to tell your Mac to scroll further down this page.

USB comes in two flavors—USB 1.1 and USB 2.0—as does FireWire, which offers FireWire 400 and FireWire 800. Basically, the higher number offers faster data transfer speeds. FireWire is often found on devices that require very fast data transfer speeds, such as DV camcorders, audio interfaces, external hard drives, and professional scanners and printers. You'll find the older USB 1.1 mostly on input devices, such as keyboards and mice, while the newer USB 2.0 (which offers speeds at around the rate of FireWire 400) is featured on most of today's digital cameras, iPods, hard drives, flash drives, and printers. Versions of iMovie earlier than iMovie 7 require a video camera with a Firewire connection. iMovie 7 supports video cameras via USB or Firewire connections.

If you want to learn more about USB and FireWire ports and connectors, check out this article about USB or this one about FireWire.

Selecting Devices for Your Mac

1) Make Sure That Your Mac Has USB, FireWire, or Both
If your Mac is less than 7 years old, it most likely has USB and FireWire ports. To verify what your Mac has, take a look at its ports—if you see a port stamped with an icon that looks like the left-most icon in the title graphic on this page, that's a USB port. If you see a port stamped with the icon to the right of the USB one (shown above), that's a FireWire port.

2) Make Sure That Your Mac Meets the Device's Requirements
All devices usually have their system requirements printed on the packaging or you can generally find this information on the manufacturer's website. Be sure that your Mac meets the device's minimum system requirements—especially make sure that the device works with Mac OS X. To find out your Mac's processor speed, memory amount, and version of Mac OS it's using, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu to bring up a window that displays this information.

Connecting Devices to Your Mac

1) Get Your Cable Ready
If your device requires a USB or FireWire cable for connection (some devices, such as a flash drive, can be plugged directly into a port), make sure that you have one. While most products generally come with the appropriate cable to make a computer connection, not all of them do.

2) Plug and Play
If your device requires that you install software before using it, do so now and then restart your Mac. Then simply plug your device into one of your computer's USB or FireWire ports using the appropriate cable (or make a direct connection) and you're ready to go.

Top 10 Troubleshooting Tips

1) Check Your Connections
If you're using a cable, make sure that both ends of the cable are properly and securely connected to your device and Mac. Try unplugging your device and then plugging it back in. If you're connecting a FireWire device, make sure that the cable is no more than 15 feet (4.5 meters) long. If you're connecting a USB device, make sure that the cable is no more than 16 feet. If you're making a direct connection, make sure that the device's connector is fully seated in your computer's port.

2) Check Your System Requirements
Check your device's documentation or packaging, or go to the manufacturer's website, and verify that your Mac meets the minimum system requirements to use the device.

3) Restart Your Mac
Sometimes a simple restart can clear up issues. From the Apple menu, choose Restart and restart your computer. Once it's finished starting up, test your device again.

4) Check Your Software
Make sure that you've installed the latest software for your device if it requires software. Visit the product manufacturer's website to download and install the latest software update.

5) Check Your Device
Make sure that your device is powered on if it has a power switch—try turning your device off and then on again.

6) Try Another Port and Cable
Connect your device to another USB or FireWire port on your Mac. If you connected your device to a USB or FireWire hub or to a port on another USB or FireWire device that's connected to your Mac (known as daisy chaining), connect your device directly to a port on your computer. Some devices need to draw power from a USB or FireWire port to work; if you connect a device to a non-powered hub (one that isn't plugged in to a power source) or to a low-power port (such as the one on your USB keyboard), it may not work. If you have another known-good cable, try swapping the cable to see if that works. If it does, you should replace the faulty cable.

7) Check for Device Conflicts
Disconnect all USB or FireWire devices (including hubs and extension cables) except for your Apple keyboard and mouse. Then connect the device in question directly to your computer. If your device works now, there may be a conflict between that device and one of your other USB or FireWire devices. If it doesn't work, go to step 8. If you do have a conflict, you can determine which devices are affected. Connect your other devices to your Mac, one by one, making sure to test that each device works before making another connection. When you find the device that causes the issue, contact the manufacturer for assistance (check both manufacturers' websites for software updates and additional information).

8) Try Quitting the Application
If you're using a particular application that uses the device in question (for example, you're using Image Capture with a USB scanner), try quitting the application and then opening it again.

9) Try Another Computer or User Account
If you have another Mac available, try connecting your device to that other computer to see if it works. If you don't have another computer available, log in to another user account on your Mac (or create a new user account and log in to it) and test the device again. If the device is working now, there may be a software conflict between the device and something in your original user account.

10) Check System Profiler for Hardware Issues
Open System Profiler (from the Apple menu, choose About This Mac, then click More Info) and then click either USB or FireWire. If you don't see your device listed in the pane, the issue could be with the device itself or your computer's USB or FireWire port. To rule out the port, plug the device into another USB or FireWire port on your Mac and then check System Profiler again (press Command-R to refresh the window). Also try resetting the FireWire bus. If you see your device listed in the pane but it doesn't work, you may want to contact the device's manufacturer for assistance.