How to connect G-Drive HD FW800 port to Mac Mini USB

Hey there chucky10,

Thankyou for sharing your issue in a detailed explanation.

Unfortunately, you cannot directly convert FireWire to USB — they are completely different protocols. But there are a few ways to make this work depending on what ports your Mac mini has.

Option 1: Use Thunderbolt + FireWire Adapters

• If your Mac mini has Thunderbolt 2 (older) or Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C (newer models), you can chain adapters.

• Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter

This gives you a native FireWire 800 port from Thunderbolt.

If your Mac mini has Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports:

• Add the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter in front.

So the chain looks like:

Mac Mini (Thunderbolt 3) → TB3-to-TB2 Adapter → TB2-to-FireWire Adapter → G-Drive FW800 cable

This is the most reliable and Apple-supported method — the Mac will see the G-Drive as a native FireWire device.

Option 2: If Your Mac mini Only Has USB-A and No Thunderbolt

There is no direct USB-to-FireWire adapter that works for data.

Those cheap "FireWire to USB cables" online do not work — they are meant for very specific DV camcorders with nonstandard pinouts.

Your options then are:

• Use another computer with a FireWire port (or Thunderbolt adapter as above) to copy the data off the G-Drive to a USB drive.
• Open the G-Drive enclosure, remove the hard disk, and put it in a USB 3.0 or USB-C SATA enclosure. (G-Drives usually use standard 3.5″ SATA drives inside.)

If your Mac mini supports Thunderbolt (2011 and newer), go with Option 1 (adapter chain).

It’s plug-and-play, keeps the enclosure intact, and macOS natively supports FireWire via that adapter. If it doesn’t support Thunderbolt, Option 2 (drive swap into USB enclosure) is your best choice.

Feel free to reply if you need any other additional support with this, I'll be happy to assist.