Greetings, I have an Acomdata Firewire HD that features "one button backup" After research, I found that it is not bootable... I don't recall reading this on the packaging, and I'm stuck with it. (had it for 3 months now...) Is it possible to flash the firmware to make it bootable? I'm pretty angry at this point! - and would like to chuck it out the window!!! I do need a backup drive, but more importantly, I need a BOOTABLE drive to take my system with me.

This non-boot thing is new to me. Please advise. Cheers!

It appears that the drive is not bootable precisely because it has the one-button backup feature. Please see the bottom of the page at:

http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40309

Check out Carbon Copy Cloner for a free bootable backup maker using your current external hard drive.

I emailed Acomdata and was sent this:

Very sorry about the inconvenience you've had so far. Below is the steps used to make your drive bootable on your Mac:

I have attached this firmware version and also the PCB firmware Utility to this email. To do the firmware update, you need to connect the hdd via USB Not Firewire.

1. Save this 2 files on your desktop.
2. Connect the hdd via USB and turn on the hdd which should be mounted on the desktop.
3. When you open the "FWConfig1530_104.sitx" file to your desktop it will give you an instruction what to do.
4. Once you follow this instruction, this firmware utility should recognized the hdd with the current firmware version which is 3.10 5. Select/Highlight this hdd and click on "Update Firmware"
6. Locate the "HID_1530_353.bta" file on your computer and select this file and click "Update"
7. Once the computer is finish with the firmware update, it may or may not asked you to restart the computer. Go ahead and restart the computer.
8. Once your computer completely booted up to your desktop, verify the hdd firmware version and make sure the firmware update v3.53 has taken affect. You can do this by either going back and open the firmware utility via USB or via Firewire go to your System Profiler.
9. If this firmware is updated, the hdd should now be Mac bootable.

If you need any help or have further questions/concerns, please let me know.

Has anyone tried this yet? I'll take the leap of faith soon, and see if it works...

Cheers.

If it works, could you please e-mail me the firmware update if it is not too large? Thanks (Click on my name to the left for the e-mail address).

Your other alternative, by the way, is to make a bootable CD using BootCD. (I don't think Carbon Copy Cloner will make a boot CD)

did you get it working? i have emailed acom data last week and still no response... any idea where i can get the updates from? or do i have to wait till they send it to me. i have several clients that have this problem and i need to get it remedied.

The update/firmware flash worked for me - HD boots into OSX just fine, and I can send out the files if you like, it took Acomdata about 2 days to get back to me...

Cheers!

We Bought 7 of these HD and are stuck with them. Could I get a copy of the update? kdelcastillo@emuhsd.k12.ca.us Thanks

I've tried emailing Acomdata twice about this trying to get them to email me this firmware update, and they don't even respond. Could anyone out there, please, please, email me the update. sousa.gary@gmail.com

please...can you send me the file ???

one more question ...wich model is the yours ?

thanks in advance !!!
karlos..

kphazer_at symbol_hotmail_dot_com

(edited to make e-mail address less likely to be harvested by web-crawler.....)