Identify a bad power supply

Identify a bad power supply.

Many problems that occur with any electronics happen due to power problems. LaCie drives are powered by external power supplies. The external power supply is a small, black box that contains a transformer. This changes the AC power coming from a power outlet, into the small amount of DC energy required by a drive. They appear somewhat like this:

psu

A power supply failure can have these symptoms:

  • Unusual sounds coming from the drive (clicking, humming or beeping in some cases.)
  • Unusual sounds coming from the external power supply. They should normally be silent.
  • Errors in Device Manager or System Profiler (error codes, driver problems, etc.)
  • General file errors or other strange behavior.
  • Some models of drives will flash or alternate colors when not receiving enough power.

Try a different power supply unit, from LaCie and of the same specifications, if the drive has similar symptoms.