PowerBook G4 USB Port problem

[PC-Man]

Hi all, I have just installed Leopard on this Powerbook. Everything is working ok except the 2 usb port unable to powerup USB external hard drive. USB mouse works perfectly on both ports.

When I plug in the external hard drive I could hear ticking noise, on a side note the external hard drive work perfectly well on other machines running Win-XP and another Macbook.

Any idea or tips welcome.

Many thanks in advance.

[anonymous Mac Tech]

You had already started a thread about this machine. You could have just added more info on the other thread. Is it a 12",15", or 17" powerbook? Also, its been a while since I've looked at a powerbook. Is there usb ports on both sides of the machine? I can't remember.

[PC-Man]

The Powerbook G4 have only 2 USB ports

[Cornerstone Technologies]

It is likely that the single usb port is unable to deliver enough power to spin up the drive, let alone allow it to be accessible to your OS. I would suggest maybe using a powered USB hub, or sharing the drive from another computer over the network.