by Roy Green » Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:28 pm
Can't offer any expert advice, Sylv, but I recently had big problems with a Firewire 120GB Smartdisk external disk, runing off a G4 Mac ( OS X.4 system). Had it for several years, too. I'd backed up all my stuff to it progressively. Some computer good fairy must have been guiding me, because just before major problems, I'd backed up all my many image files, and most data, onto DVDs also.
The problem: first the drive disappeared, defying several software tricks to get it to mount. Then, horrors, the Mac itself would not mount - only gave me the nightmare option of reinitialising. Gave up myself, and took to AAMAC repairers. (Very good people; they are in Stafford Road, Wallington, 0845 123 5595) Raoul there got Mac back to life, with all my data and programs intact. But he said the External Drive was now useless - I've chucked it. BTW, the 'si;ver-something' software someone mentioned is probably Silverkeeper, highly recommended by my Mac man for progressive backups to an external HD.
Moral here, for both Mac and PC users is that backup time is never wasted. I'm getting a new external, and Lacie seems best option. But I've learnt the lesson to back up additionally precious data also onto DVD. Well, you wouldn't take just one spare tube when you go out for a ride, would you?