FireWire doesn't work anymore

[OS923]

I've used an external IDE enclosure from Kangaroo with an ATA disk of 128 GB with USB 2 and FW 400, formatted as HFS+ for years without issues.

I connected it via FW to an MDD with OS 9.2.2 and via USB to an XP SP3 laptop with MacDrive Pro 9.

I updated to Windows 10 Home. It asked to reformat the HD. I chose GPT because I was curious what the effect would be. Since then I can't use it with FW on the MDD.

I reformatted it several times to remove the GPT and I tried different formats, FAT32, HFS, HFS+. I can use it with the MDD via USB but not FW.

It doesn't show up in Apple System Profiler.

You can guru, you can! What am I to do?

[Daniel]

I know what the problem is, but have no idea how to fix it. You got the partition map itself into a format that MacOS 9 can't recognize. MacOS 9 can only use the Apple Partition Map (APM) format, not GUID Partition Table (GPT).

[IIO]

if a disk is only formatted in an unreadable format, it should not do nothing, it should prompt the user that it is unreadable ask him to format.

[OS923]

The disk appears on the OS 9 desktop if it’s connected with USB, and I can reformat it as HFS+, but it’s totally ignored when connected via FireWire.

[nateman831]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the MBR partition map is more compatible with legacy OS’es. Or do you know if i was APM before?

If you’d like to convert to MBR, you can:
1) On Windows 10, launch command prompt
2) type “diskpart.exe”
3) type “List Disk” (and make note of which disk # your external drive is)
4) type “select disk x” where x is your external drive
5) type “clean” - this command will erase and remove all partition maps leaving it on MBR
6) type “convert mbr” - just to ensure it really uses MBR
7) now create the partition you’d like in your tool of choice. On drives larger than 32GB, FAT32 is not an option with standard windows tools

Hope this helps you get your drive working again…

[OS923]

The FW connectors on the external HD enclosure smell burnt. Is it possible that they are burnt while the USB still works?

[IIO]

of course. firewire controllers can break.

but didnt you say it works under OSX?

[OS923]

I bought this for 10 euros 5 years and 5 months ago. I promise I won't cry.

[OS923]

I replaced it with a WD My Book Elite 2 TB. It came with a special USB cable with 3 connectors. I don't have a 9-pin to 6-pin FW cable. UltraDMA is not enabled.