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How to Attach a Firewire Drive to Your Computer

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By eHow Contributing Writer
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FireWire is the Apple corporation's brand name for the IEEE 1394 interface cable that makes high-speed communications possible. FireWire is mostly used for data transfer with external drives, DV camcorders, webcams and digital movie players. Now you can buy an external FireWire drive, available in 4-pin and 6-pin. The 4-pin FireWire drive is used to connect a digital camera with an external or additional power source. The 6-pin Firewire drive is used with a hard drive to provide data as well as power to some other drives. Follow these steps to find out how to attach a FireWire drive to your computer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

    Attach the FireWire Drive to a Windows Computer

  1. Step 1

    Connect the FireWire cable to its port provided on the bus-powered FireWire drive. The hard drive will spin and your computer will detect it as a "Plug-n-Play" device.

  2. Step 2

    Go to "My Computer" to view the drive's contents. You can view, modify and edit those contents the same way you do the files on a regular external hard drive or pen drive.

  3. Step 3

    To detach the FireWire drive, click on "Safely Remove Hardware" icon at the bottom of the Windows tray. Click "OK." You'll get this message: "It is now safe to remove hardware." Click "OK" and detach the FireWire drive.

  4. Attach the FireWire Drive to a Macintosh

  5. Step 1

    Connect the FireWire cable to the port provided on the bus-powered FireWire drive. The hard drive will spin and build up on the desktop.

  6. Step 2

    Click the FireWire drive icon to view its contents. You can view, modify and edit those contents the same way you do the files on a regular external hard disk or pen drive.

  7. Step 3

    To detach the FireWire drive, drag the icon to "Trash" or right-click the icon. Select "Eject" from the file menu.

Tips & Warnings
  • You should restart your computer when you attach a FireWire drive.
  • Make sure you dismount the FireWire drive from your computer before you unplug it. This will prevent any potential data loss.
  • Avoid mishandling the external drive. Don't twist or cut the cables.

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