Plug-and-Play Buses
The two most commonly used plug-and-play buses for connecting peripheral devices to Macintosh computers are Universal Serial Bus (USB) and FireWire. Bluetooth is less common, but is gaining popularity. Plug-and-play buses allow you to connect, use, and disconnect devices while the device and the computer are powered on (hot-swapping), without the need to install special drivers or software for the devices to function.
USB 1.1/2.0
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a plug-and-play interface for external add-on devices such as audio players, joysticks, keyboards, phones, scanners, and printers. You can connect USB devices directly to your computer or to other USB devices. For example, you can connect your USB mouse to your USB keyboard, which is then connected to your computer. You can also purchase USB hubs that allow you connect several USB devices to a single port on your computer.

USB Error Messages
Most USB issues occur because a device is not properly powered or the correct driver software is not installed. There are four categories of USB error messages:
- Not Enough Power to Function
A device is drawing too much power, or the device requires its own power cord. - Not Enough Power for All Functions
There is enough power to supply some, but not all, of the functions the device is designed to provide. - The USB Driver Needs to be Updated. Would you like to search for the update on the Internet ?
Mac OS X detects an out-of-date driver. - No Driver Found
Mac OS X detects no driver for the device, and cannot use the generic driver for the device class.
Troubleshooting USB Issues
To troubleshoot USB issues, try the following:
- Make sure all USB cables and power cords are plugged in properly.
- Make sure you have installed any software that was included with the device. Check for updates to software required by the device. Visit the manufacturer's website to get the latest software for your device.
- If the device doesn't have a power cord and is plugged into another USB device that doesn't have a power cord, try plugging the device directly into your computer or to a USB device that does have a power cord.
FireWire 400/800
All current Macintosh computers have one or more FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) ports that transfer data at up to 400 Mbit/s. Some also have a FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) port that transfers data at up to 800 Mbit/s.

Starting in Target Disk Mode
Most Mac OS X computers that have built-in FireWire have the capability to start in Target Disk Mode (TDM). Instead of booting the operating system, the computer (target) in disk mode acts as a hard drive that can be used by the host Macintosh with a FireWire connection. Essentially, this gives the host computer full access to the master internal hard drive of the target computer.NOTEBlue and White G3 computers do not support Target Disk Mode.Target Disk Mode is useful whether or not the computer can boot. You may opt to use TDM on a fully-functioning computer as an alternative to file sharing over a network if you have a large amount of data to transfer between computers. You can also use Target Disk Mode to migrate user accounts and home folders from one computer to another using the Migration Assistant during setup. You can even install software on a computer in TDM (for example, to get around Mac OS X 10.4's requirement for a DVD drive).Target Disk Mode is especially useful when a computer is unable to boot. You can use TDM to try to fix the problem with Disk Utility or third-party tools running on another computer. If that fails, you may still be able to copy or recover files from the nonbooting computer before erasing.Target Disk Mode can be a big security risk. There are multiple ways to use TDM to access a system without knowing the system's password. If someone has physical access to a system, he or she can access files on the system. One method to lock out TDM is to use the Open Firmware Password utility (which you can download from Apple) and give the hardware itself a password.To experiment with Target Disk Mode, you need two Macintosh computers with FireWire ports and a single FireWire cable. If you don't have access to the necessary hardware, you can still follow along with these instructions:MORE INFORefer to Knowledge Base document 58583, "How to Use FireWire Target Disk Mode."
Troubleshooting FireWire Issues
To troubleshoot FireWire issues, try the following:
- Make sure each FireWire device is turned on and connected to AC power (if device is not bus-powered).
- Make sure all cables and power cords are plugged in. Make sure the cables match the requirements for the FireWire connection protocol (for FireWire 400, cables no longer than 15 feet; for FireWire 800, cables no longer than 300 feet).
- Make sure you have installed any software that came with the device. Check for updates to software required by the device. Visit the manufacturer's website to get the latest software for the device.
- If the device still doesn't work, try quitting and restarting any applications that use the device.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless connection protocol used by desktop and portable computers, personal digital assistants, mobile phones, printers, scanners, digital cameras, and even some home appliances. It uses a globally available frequency band (2.4 GHz) for worldwide compatibility. Because Bluetooth uses a radio frequency to transmit data, Bluetooth devices communicate with any devices in range, even those that are not in line of sight. Although Bluetooth uses the same frequency as AirPort, they can both be enabled at the same time.

Configuring Bluetooth Preferences
To experiment with Bluetooth devices, you need two Macintosh computers, both with built-in Bluetooth or with Bluetooth adapters. If you don't have access to the necessary hardware, you can still follow along with these instructions.Before you can use Bluetooth to connect your computer to another Bluetooth device, you must perform some configuration, including setting a unique name for your computer:
Exchanging Files Using Bluetooth
To use the Bluetooth File Exchange application to exchange files between Bluetoothenabled computers, follow these steps:
Pairing Two Devices Using Bluetooth
When you want two devices to communicate automatically, they must be paired so they can identify and authenticate each other. Normally you would pair your computer with a Bluetooth device such as a phone or PDA; however, this exercise has you pair two computers. The task is very similar to pairing with a phone or PDA.
1. | On your computer, click Devices in Bluetooth preferences. |
2. | Click "Set up new device."The Bluetooth Setup Assistant prompts you for the device type.![]() |
3. | Select Other Device, and click Continue.Bluetooth searches for Bluetoothenabled devices within range.At first all other in-range Bluetoothenabled devices are displayed as their MAC addresses, but after a few seconds, these numbers are replaced with their DNS names or local hostnames. |
4. | Select the device (your other computer) that you want to pair with, and click Continue.You will see a six-digit passkey on your computer while a pairing request dialog appears on the other computer.[View full size image]![]() |
5. | On the other computer, enter the passkey and click Pair.If you enter an incorrect passkey, no error appears, and you will have to try again. If you enter the correct passkey, the Bluetooth pair is created and remembered, and the paired computers appear in each other's Bluetooth Devices lists in the Devices pane. |
6. | On the other computer, the Devices pane of Bluetooth preferences should look something like this:![]() |
7. | Quit Bluetooth preferences.Paired devices and computers will automatically attempt to connect to your computer if they are within range of the Bluetooth receiver. Therefore, pairing allows devices such as PDAs, mobile phones, keyboards, and mice to work seamlessly with your computer, and you can delete specific pairings or create temporary pairings as needed. |