hard drivemacbook prousb
I have an old Kingston 2 GB USB flash drive. I believe it was bought in 2006.
When I plug it into the right hand side USB port of a 2012 retina MacBook Pro, nothing happens. When I plug it into the left hand side port, it works fine.
Does this indicate a problem with the computer and its ports? Does it indicate a problem with the USB drive?
All other devices I tried worked with both the left and right hand side USB port.
If it happens to your drive only with your macbook (on both OS X and Windows) and works fine with other machines, then the problem is most likely your USB port.
I suspect that it is supplying more than the stipulated voltage (5V ± 5% for USB 2.0) and your device must not be sophisticated enough to only take what it needs.
You can check this using a multimeter and a USB male connector (I chopped a spare USB extension cord when I needed it). It should register the correct voltage and if not, there's your problem.
If you're going the chopping an extension cord route like me, here is what it will look like if you strip the wires (image source)
The white and green wires are for data transfer — you don't want that. The red is +5V and the black is ground. Connect your multimeter to those to check the voltage.
Best Answer
System Management Controller (SMC)
Reset the SMC by following the instructions below, that should restore the power to the port:
1.Shut down the computer. 2.Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected. 3.On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time. 4.Release all the keys and the power button at the same time. 5.Press the power button to turn on the computer.
Note: The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.