USB not working and ruining sticks

[Muvuth]

Hi everyone,

PART ONE
Last year I suddenly started experiencing a problem with both my USB ports (MacBook Pro bought in December 2010, Mac OSX 10.6.8 with 2 USB ports).
All peripherals work properly, but when I plug in a USB memory stickin *ANY* of the two ports I have, it works for a few seconds and then stops. Afterwards, I have three cases:

1- cheap sticks will just not work at all. If they have an LED indicating that it's being read, it will stop blinking and that's it.
2- better sticks will cause the "USB memory was not ejected properly blablabla" message. Again, no signs of life whatsoever afterwards.
3- powered sources (such as an external HD) won't be read, although they will appear in the Disk Utility. But I won't get to access data, nor to check permissions. I can only format the disk, which I don't want to do (it's my work backup).

At first, the problem occurred only with cheap sticks. Then, it started to happen to all sticks, and finally with any source (also a voice recorder with USB plug). Now, nothing at all will work, except peripherals (mice, keyboards, printers and iOS devices work just fine).

PART TWO
What worries me the most is that some of the sticks were not readable at all after a couple of times this happened. I mean, not readable by other machines! For example, where I live, convenience stores have copying machines that you can use with a USB stick to print out PDFs. Well, now all the sticks that I have tried with my Mac are not readable by those machines either, and same with friends' computers. It's like some sort of STD, and now no one wants to lend me a USB stick fearing my Mac will "infect" and destroy it. And they are right, apparently.

Does anyone have ideas on how to solve this or, rather, if it can be solved without changing the hardware?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[honestone]

I have a late 2012 Mac Mini, and I use the latest version of El Capitan, OS 10.11.6. I tend to keep my machines "lean, mean, and clean". Yet, even with that, I do have issues with my brand name (not cheap) USB 3.0 sticks and the USB 3,0 ports on the Mini (I don't have the issue on my mid 2013 13" MacBook Air, also running OS 10.11.6). The two sticks I have are a SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 32 GB one, and a PNY USB 3.0 64 GB one.

Due to a number of peripherals I have, I also have a USB 3.0 "hub", with 6 USB 3.0 ports in the hub, and using the sticks with it is much, much better (the hub is "self-powered"). In fact, they work fine.

I had previously posted about the issue, and Cory Cooper (a super, super knowledgeable/helpful individual) did post something about what the issue could be. It would take me too long to try and find it (not even sure if I would be successful). From what I remember, it was/is potentially a hardware/software (OS) issue. Again, though, things are fine with my MacBook Air.

On my Mini, I am currently utilizing three of the four USB 3.0 ports: my Apple keyboard, the little receiver for my Logitech mouse, and my Logitech speakers. They all work fine. (I am using the Firewire 800 port for my external disk drive). I believe I once tried my external disk drive connected to one of the USB ports, and it worked fine.

One other thing I should mention, although not "directly" applicable: I have a Samsung Smart TV, and it has a couple of USB 2.0 ports (along with a built in video player). After formatting the sticks on either Mac as MS-DOS (ie, Windows format), and placing movies/TV series on the stick, I can plug it into any of the USB ports on the TV, and the video player recognizes the content on the sticks, thus allowing me to watch the movie/TV series on the TV.

 

[Muvuth]

I am also using a USB hub for the other peripherals. Right after I bought it, the idea of trying it hit me too and I tried–to no avail though.

What leaves me wondering the most is why a stick that first had problems on my Mac started not working anywhere else afterwards. I considered the possibility of an "overpowered" USB that damages what you connect to it, but besides being this unlikely for both ports at the same time, all the other peripherals work fine.

I'll check the track you mentioned about that super knowledgeable person, and see what I come up to.

Thank you for sharing

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

I can't remember (or find) the post that honestone mentioned either. Strange that the external powered USB hub doesn't help. Two things to try would be a NVRAM and SMC reset.

This is a bit baffling, since other peripherals work normally and it seems to only affect USB flash drives. Are the sticks USB 3.0 or USB 2.0? Maybe try a USB 2.0 only? It does sound like it may be USB port power related, but that shouldn't be the case with an external hub...unless all of its ports are being used simultaneously.

Let me think about this for a while to see if I can come up with any additional ideas/suggestions.

C

 

[Muvuth]

Hi Cory,

Thanks for sharing ideas on this issue too.

As far as I know, it's a USB 2.0 (not sure how to check though, but the profile tells me that the internal card reader has a 480 Mb/sec speed). I have been using USB sticks for years on this Mac, actually since I bought it in 2010, and I started having this problem just last year.

Then, the external HD started giving trouble last month, although I have used this device as well on this Mac since I bought it.

Sure it might be that this Mac is getting old, but I'd like to see if there is anything I can try before buying a new machine, as everything else works just fine and I don't like the new OS...

I've tried the resets you mentioned before, but I'll do it again now. At least they're good tries.

I'll post the results here.

Thanks heaps in the meanwhile!

 

[honestone]

It is possible that the drive mechanisms inside both your MacBook Pro and the external case are going bad. Typically, such hard drives last about 5 to 7 years, but of course it is possible to get a "dud" that goes bad earlier.

If you are willing to try, you could replace the internal drive inside the MacBook Pro. However, we will need the exact MacBook Pro model you have, including the screen size. For example, here are detailed instructions as to how to replace the internal hard disk inside a mid 2010 15" MacBook Pro:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2010+Hard+Drive+Replacement/3030

Note that you can install an SSD (definitely will give you a performance boost!).

For the external drive, you can either attempt to open up the case and swap out the hard drive with a new one, or just purchase a new external drive. Depending on your space requirements, they are still relatively inexpensive.

 

[Muvuth]

Hi to those who were trying to help.

I have tried NVRAM and SVC resets, but the problem persists. I guess I won't be able to use the current MacBook/HD combo anymore. I have lots of work data on the external HD, and the idea of losing it simply leaves me a bit uncomfortable, but I assume there's nothing I can do about it.

Thanks for trying to help anyway.

Cheers

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

-The 480 Mb/sec USB speed reported is USB 2.
-It does sound like their may be a hardware issue here. I definitely recommend taking your Mac to an Apple Store for hardware diagnosis. They may be able to determine if the USB ports are not supplying the required power and/or are failing in any way. We'd hate for you to lose any data. Unfortunately, that MBP may be vintage and not be able to be repaired.

I will think about this a bit further and let you know if I come up with anything additional.

C

 

[Muvuth]

Hi,

I guess that an Apple store is going to be my last resort.

Thank you for your support and your ideas. I'll post the results here, so in case you're curious you'll see what the solution is.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yes, definitely let us know what the outcome is.

Sorry we couldn't get to the bottom of it here,

C