Powerbook G4 and external 2.5"HD

[zoranb]

... I use a W-D Passport model that works fine without extra power.

Thanx for the tips, witch WD Passport model would that be?

[DeltaMac]

It's a My Passport model...
I have two, with different capacities.

I use other USB portable drives at work, and don't usually have problems with power. I use a couple of different LaCie, and another one that I have used for several years, something generic. That one needs external power.
My point is, there's other portable drive cases out there that work without needing the extra power, but some do need that. My experience may not be shared by others here.

[zoranb]

...and are you certain that the usb port you plug it into is a low powered usb port? Is it a port on a PowerBook G4?

[DeltaMac]

Won't work reliably through an external keyboard USB port, if that's what you mean. I work in a shop, and use several different USB drives, most are not self-powered, and use on almost any Mac. Some are PowerBook G4s, which, IMHO, are the poorest Macs for lacking power to the USB ports. I run into some that don't work, but most will bus-power the USB drives that I have. Your Experience May Prove to be Different.
Again, for the most reliable results - use a powered USB external hub. Or, a self-powered USB drive.
If you want a reliable USB to hard drive connection, then trade off the G4, and get one of the aluminum MacBooks, or MacBook Pro. I see MUCH improved file transfers through USB, and devices mount much more quickly than any previous Mac I have used. I read about some problems with the new NVIDIA chipset on those models, but USB performance is not one of those problems, in my experience.... (just a recommendation!)