Troubleshooting Tips for Resolving Common Firewire Cable Issues
Firewire ports and cables have been around for some time and are widely used in computers and other devices. Firewire cables are generally reliable and offer great data transfer speeds, but they occasionally encounter problems. From full malfunctioning to slower than normal speeds, here are five of the most common firewire cable problems encountered by users.
The first issue that most users experience with firewire cables is a break or fault in the cable. Cheaper cables are more prone to these problems and unfortunately, an intermittent break in the cable, where the device will appear and disappear in the device manager, is a common problem. To avoid this, you should purchase higher quality cables as a rule of thumb; the shorter the cable and the thicker it is, the better. This will cost more than the cheaper alternatives, but it will offer better quality and last much longer.
Static electricity is another common problem with firewire cables and ports. Faulty design and dry atmospheric conditions can both contribute to the buildup of static electricity. Certain models of notebook computers are particularly vulnerable to damage caused by static electricity and, if the firewire port has been damaged in this way, the computer may not detect it at all.
When your firewire cable is detected but transferring data at slower than normal speeds, it could be due to an issue with the bus. The bus is responsible for transferring data between the components in your computer and if it is designed poorly, it can cause a firewire cable to underperform. Updating your operating system might be necessary in order to get the full benefits of the firewire protocol – both Windows XP and Vista may require an update to get the most out of the connection.
When a firewire cable is incorrectly plugged into a port, the power supply that connects to the peripheral device can interfere with the part of the computer responsible for data transfer. This can cause a short circuit and damage both the device and your computer. To avoid this from occurring, be sure to check that the firewire cable is properly plugged in.
The last thing to consider is the fact that firewire ports may not always be turned on. Check the power management settings and look for the “Power up with attached device” option and enable it if it is not already turned on. This should ensure that any attached firewire devices are turned on automatically when the computer starts.
Firewire can be incredibly reliable for the tasks it was designed for, such as transferring data between computers and digital video cameras. By avoiding these common problems and taking steps to ensure that your firewire ports and cables are functioning properly, you should have no trouble in getting the most out of this technology.
