IEEE-1394 Port/Device Issues


Tutorial Home >PC Hardware >Computer Basics >PC Upgrade, Troubleshooting and Repair >Installing USB and 1394 Devices >IEEE-1394 Port/Device Issues

  Step 1:  Disabled On-Board 1394 Ports

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If your have built-in IEEE-1394 ports but a device connected to those ports does not work, the port might not be enabled in the system BIOS. To check port configuration, restart your system, start the BIOS setup program and open the dialog for the onboard ports (see figure). If the ports are disabled, enable them, save changes and restart your system. See the tutorial "Configuring Onboard Peripherals" for details. If the ports are enabled in the BIOS, check Device Manager to see if they are properly operating.
  Step 2:  Disabled Ports on an Add-on Card

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If your system's 1394 ports are on an add-on card and the card is not recognized or the ports are not working, check the card installation. Many 1394 cards must be connected to a hard disk (Molex) power connector from the power supply to provide adequate support for all ports (see figure). If this step was omitted during installation, the card might not be recognized or might not work. Also, check Device Manager for problems with card drivers or port configuration. See the tutorial "Device Manager Troubleshooting" for details.
  Step 3:  Dealing with Cable Mismatches

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There are two types of cables used with IEEE-1394a devices. The six-pin cable (see figure option A) provides power to a device but is relatively bulky. The four-pin cable (B) does not provide power, but is more compact. Use a four-pin to six-pin cable to connect devices with different port types to each other.
  Step 4:  Dealing with 1394 Port Shortages

Many systems have only one or two 1394 ports, but you might have more 1394 devices than ports. There are two ways to deal with this problem. One method is to use the built-in daisy-chaining capabilities of most 1394 devices. If the device has two ports (see figure), connect one to the computer and the other to an additional device. This can cause slower data transfer and prevents easy hot-swapping of daisy chained devices. A better solution is to install a 1394 hub. This offers multiple ports and hot-swapping of devices.