Q: I just purchased a FireWire interface for my Mac and noticed that at several points in the manual, it warns against plugging or unplugging the FireWire cables from the computer or the interface when both are powered up. I thought FireWire devices were “hot-pluggable!”
A: While one of the benefits of external FireWire devices is their ability to be connected to a computer while both are powered up (or “hot”), there may be issues with a specific manufacturer’s driver that precludes it from being hot-pluggable. The driver is specialized software that tells your computer how to communicate with a specific hardware device. We suggest following the manufacturer’s instructions.
