My Mac pro doesn't recognise a USB memory stick?

[Sky]

My Mac pro doesn't recognise a USB memory stick when i plug it in? I've tried it in a pc and its fine so its not the stick. Basically I can't find it on my mac. Can anyone help please? Love & Peace always. . Sky. .

 

[jtb123]

Do you happen to know what format the drive is in?

 

[Sky]

Do you happen to know what format the drive is in?

Thank you for your reply! I don't have a clue. Is all I know is it works for on my pc? and my MAC doesn't see it. .

 

[jtb123]

Was your Mac ever able to recognize the memory stick?

If not, and this is first time you've tried, it very well could be the memory stick is not in the right format.

I found this video that may help. If you do try this it's very important to backup the contents of the memory stick to your Windows machine if there is anything important on it then format as the video explains. Then copy the contents back on the memory stick.

This may or may not be the issue but I've ran into this problem in the past also.

 

[honestone]

Is it a brand new USB Flash Drive? Typically when you purchase a new one, it is formatted for the Windows OS, but your Mac can "see" it.

Also, for that video above, one can do the exact same thing on their Mac, ie, via Disk Utility, Erase and Format it as ExFat.

Maybe what you can try is to start up your Mac, plug in the flash drive, and after about 10 seconds or so (assuming it does not appear on the desktop), launch Disk Utility and see if it recognizes the stick.

If that does not work, then possibly it is Windows formatted with a "strange" format. If you don't have a Windows machine, maybe take the stick back to where you purchased it from and either exchange it, or have them Erase and Format it as ExFat. Your Mac should then be able to recognize it.

Myself, in order to watch a movie or a TV series on our 65" Samsung Smart TV using a flash drive, I always need to format a flash drive as ExFat, then after copying movies and/or TV series onto it, I can remove it, plug it into any of the USB ports on the TV, and voila, I can watch what is on the drive (the TV has a built in video player).

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Thank you for your reply! I don't have a clue. Is all I know is it works for on my pc? and my MAC doesn't see it. .

Does the stick show up in the left pane in Disc Utility? If you open a Finder window does the stick show in the sidebar under 'Devices'?

 

[Sky]

Is it a brand new USB Flash Drive? Typically when you purchase a new one, it is formatted for the Windows OS, but your Mac can "see" it.

Also, for that video above, one can do the exact same thing on their Mac, ie, via Disk Utility, Erase and Format it as ExFat.

Maybe what you can try is to start up your Mac, plug in the flash drive, and after about 10 seconds or so (assuming it does not appear on the desktop), launch Disk Utility and see if it recognizes the stick.

If that does not work, then possibly it is Windows formatted with a "strange" format. If you don't have a Windows machine, maybe take the stick back to where you purchased it from and either exchange it, or have them Erase and Format it as ExFat. Your Mac should then be able to recognize it.

Myself, in order to watch a movie or a TV series on our 65" Samsung Smart TV using a flash drive, I always need to format a flash drive as ExFat, then after copying movies and/or TV series onto it, I can remove it, plug it into any of the USB ports on the TV, and voila, I can watch what is on the drive (the TV has a built in video player).

Hi Thank you for that! Ok I've watch the video and I get it. . But my MAC does no even know its plugged in so i can't get to it. I guess its back to the drawing board for me. Thank you for replying! Sky. .

 

[honestone]

First, that video only applies if you have a Windows machine. Again, as I stated above, you can do the same "thing" with Disk Utility on a Mac. But until you can "see" it on your Mac, there is nothing you can do regarding the reformatting.

When you say "But my MAC does no even know its plugged in so i can't get to it", what exactly do you mean by that? If you plug it in, I assume it does not show up on the desktop. Then, after plugging it in, did you launch Disk Utility (it's contained within the Utilities folder within your Applications folder) and see if it can "see" the flash drive?

Also, is it a brand new flash drive?

 

[Sky]

First, that video only applies if you have a Windows machine. Again, as I stated above, you can do the same "thing" with Disk Utility on a Mac. But until you can "see" it on your Mac, there is nothing you can do regarding the reformatting.

When you say "But my MAC does no even know its plugged in so i can't get to it", what exactly do you mean by that? If you plug it in, I assume it does not show up on the desktop. Then, after plugging it in, did you launch Disk Utility (it's contained within the Utilities folder within your Applications folder) and see if it can "see" the flash drive?

Also, is it a brand new flash drive?

Sorry I didn't explain myself very well. I opened Disk utility and it cannot see it. and yes its a new san disk flash drive. Thank you.. Sky..

 

[honestone]

Sorry I didn't explain myself very well. I opened Disk utility and it cannot see it. and yes its a new san disk flash drive. Thank you.. Sky..

Strange. I recently purchased a 32 gig San Disk Flash Drive, and both of my Macs (and our Samsung Smart TV) recognized it. I had previously purchased another one, and again no issues.

May I ask where did you purchase it? My most recent one was from San Disk directly, and the other one was from Best Buy. Not sure where you live, but if it's in the US, maybe take it to a Best Buy store, stick it into a Windows machine there, and see if it's recognized. Then maybe, with info from the video, reformat it as ExFAT. Or do you have a friend who has a Windows machine?

Finally, if your Mac Pro has more than one USB port on it, try plugging in the flash drive in another port.

 

[Sky]

Strange. I recently purchased a 32 gig San Disk Flash Drive, and both of my Macs (and our Samsung Smart TV) recognized it. I had previously purchased another one, and again no issues.

May I ask where did you purchase it? My most recent one was from San Disk directly, and the other one was from Best Buy. Not sure where you live, but if it's in the US, maybe take it to a Best Buy store, stick it into a Windows machine there, and see if it's recognized. Then maybe, with info from the video, reformat it as ExFAT. Or do you have a friend who has a Windows machine?

Finally, if your Mac Pro has more than one USB port on it, try plugging in the flash drive in another port.

My PC reads if just fine. .

 

[honestone]

My PC reads if just fine. .

OK, then use the video to reformat it as is done in it. If that does not work, I would return it.

 

[Sky]

OK, then use the video to reformat it as is done in it. If that does not work, I would return it.

The plot thickens . I tried an external hard drive and it won't see that either! Its going from bad to worse. .

 

[honestone]

That is certainly troublesome. Need some basic information:

1. What exact Mac Pro model do you have?

2. What exact Mac OS are you running?

3. This one os critical: are you making backups to an external device? If you are, what software are you using for that?

4. Have you ever done any disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective?

5. When was the last time you were able to "see" your external drive? Between that time and now, what "significant" events have happened with your machine, ie, updated to a new Mac OS, installation/update of applications, etc.?

6. What third party apps (ie, non Apple) are you using?

7. Just like I asked about the flash drive, if you plug the external drive into another port, can it be seen?