How to Restore Data from FireWire External Drive on Mac?

Theo Lucia

Jan 27, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Mac computers (iMacs and MacBooks) are recognized for having an operating system (Mac OS) that provides a lot of security and fluidity, fully fulfilling complex tasks of all kinds.

However, your files may be deleted due to several factors, such as accidental deletion, data corruption, or even accidental format. When the issue happens, just keep calm because this article will help you restore your lost information through an external drive with a FireWire connection.

What is FireWire Connection?

FireWire is a name for IEEE 1394, developed by Apple in 1986. It is used as a connection between computers and external devices. Its transfer speed, which is up to 400Mbit/s, wins a lot of popularity. While the USB connection only gains the transfer rate of 12Mbit/s. From the aspect of transfer speed, FireWire connection is preferred regarding audio and video transfer.

Here also list the features of FireWire Connection(FireWire Port):

• Target Disk Mode: A FireWire cable connection can activate Target Disk Mode, which allows you to quickly transfer files between Mac computers even when the operating system cannot work correctly.
• Uncompressed video capture: If you connect an external device to Mac through a FireWire cable, you can get high-quality files without compressing.
• Faster Data Transfer: its transfer speed can reach 400 Mbit/s, which makes it an ideal option for transferring large amounts of information.
• No networking configuration: Using a FireWire cable, there is no need for a network configuration. This greatly facilitates the data transfer process and avoid transfer failures due to an unstable network connection.

Now you must know that what is the FireWire connection. Next, let's come to Common causes leading to data loss on FireWire external hard drive.

What Are the Causes of Data Loss in FireWire External Hard Drive?

Data loss of any hard drive is not desirable. Have you ever thought of the causes when the condition happens to you?

• Accidental human errors: Accidental deletion and format happen more often than it seems.
• Physical issues: After a long period, a hard drive tends to be abrased. Or you may drop your FireWire external hard drive to the floor.
• Electronic Issues: Damaged power cables will cause problems when transferring data, such as information loss, data corruption, etc.
• Logical Issues: FireWire external hard drive is also vulnerable, the loss of catalog will lead to the logical issue. In this case, the data is stored on the drive, but it cannot be found.

Common Data Loss Symptoms for FireWire Drives

The FireWire cable input is a characteristic of Mac computers, which facilitates the Mac transferring rate, hence improves efficiency.

Though FireWire external hard disk is powerful in certain aspects, it cannot avoid the fate of data loss due to its regular drive structure. And before losing data, there are common symptoms:

If your FireWire external hard disk shows the above symptoms, it has a high risk of data loss. To prevent it from happening, it is advised to make a backup as soon as possible.

How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive via FireWire Cable?

If your data stored on a FireWire external device gets lost, don’t worry! Wondershare Recoverit can help you recover lost data from external media on a Mac computer. Recoverit has strong "Preview" and "Filter" functions, which enables you to restore your lost information efficiently. Except for FireWire external hard drive, it also supports SD card, USB flash disks, and other devices.

Click the following download link to start your data recovery tour immediately.

After you launch it to your Mac desktop, recover your files in three simple steps.

Step 1: Select the Drive

To recover lost or deleted files from a drive, you should choose it as the target location for data scanning and searching.

Step 2: Scan the removable media

An all-around scan starts once you make the choice. It usually takes a few minutes.

During the process, you can filter and locate files of your choice.

Step 3: Preview and recover files

After it, Recoverit provides the preview function for you before recovery. A variety of files can be previewed, such as pictures, videos, movies, audios, music, documents, and so forth. Then, select one or more files you want to restore and click "Recover" to get all of them back.

Top Brands for External Hard Drive with Firewire Port

FireWire cable is popular among those who require large-amount data transferring, and an external hard drive with FireWire Port is also necessary. Here list three top brands of FireWire external hard drive:

• G-Tech: It is a well-known brand for producing high capacity hard drives and enterprise-class storage systems, with the latest technology and maximum security for device protection.
• LaCie: This Company produces external hard drives, solid-state drives, and RAID solutions, which makes it a very reliable supplier with very strict quality standards that generate trust in users.
• Seagate: Seagate drives are particularly famous for their attractive costs, high component quality, and excellent performance. They offer a wide variety of models that adapt to the needs of each user.

Conclusion

Because of its user-friendly operation and high transfer rate, FireWire technology is very popular among Mac users.

However, external disk failure happens, which causes data loss. For this reason, it is advised to make constantly backup files. And I would like to recommend AOMEI Backupper to u. With it, cloud backup, external hard drive backup, system backup, and other types of backup are all supported.