First, check for a bad USB cable. Just swap it out and see.
Second, about the power draw: besides Dan’s question, you might consider getting a tester. Klein Tools makes a tester, about $40 I think for the better of the two models, that checks the available current from the port and the draw of the device, plus of course the voltage (5).
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Does this 'dock' have its own power supply or does it run off the computer?
Either way, it's probably a cheaper fix than a new computer. Not that I want to talk you out of a newer computer ..
rharv: It has it's own internal power supply and an older style USB cable.
A new one only costs $38 from Amazon, if I decide to replace it.
On the newer computer, I am currently using my old Laptop because my old desktop bit the dust 6 months ago when the MB went bad. And I do mean it was old, bought back in 2006 and it used an AMD Phenom 6 core processor. Not a big loss as it did not even have all the instruction sets to run many of today's programs and was incompatible with the newer version of Windows 11.
BIAB2026 Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!) WA6NCB
Just tried to copy some data over to a spare Toshiba 500gb mechanical laptop drive and it failed after 3gb of data 3 times.
See the attachment.
I then used a single USB to SATA cable and it copied 350 GB of data over flawlessly using the same USB port, 2 separate AOEMI backup images were transferred without a hitch.
That's all I needed to see.
BIAB2026 Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!) WA6NCB
So this gets replaced, right? Or at least the power side of it .. the rest of it may work fine, considering USB to SATA worked, all signs (so far) seem to point to power supply at the Inatek more than the unit itself. I've had wall warts fail more times than I care to count, when the unit itself was fine
Last edited by rharv; 08/17/2411:56 AM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
So this gets replaced, right? Or at least the power side of it .. the rest of it may work fine, considering USB to SATA worked, all signs (so far) seem to point to power supply at the Inatek more than the unit itself. I've had wall warts fail more times than I care to count, when the unit itself was fine
Just copied another bunch of files over via the SATA to USB device and had zero problems.
Good idea about the power supply. I have a bunch of them and even have an old Radio Shack universal power supply with different voltage and polarity settings. Will probably try that tomorrow.
BIAB2026 Windows 10 Pro (Never Windows 11!) WA6NCB
The laptop is an old HP Envy 7 that I purchased back in 2013. I am wondering if the power output of the USB port is being taxed too high with mechanical drives plugged in along with an SSD.
When powering external devices from a laptop, try to connect to the USB port that is as close as possible to the laptop power connection. This minimizes risk of voltage drops that can occur using longer circuit-board tracks on the internal motherboard.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
The laptop is an old HP Envy 7 that I purchased back in 2013. I am wondering if the power output of the USB port is being taxed too high with mechanical drives plugged in along with an SSD.
When powering external devices from a laptop, try to connect to the USB port that is as close as possible to the laptop power connection. This minimizes risk of voltage drops that can occur using longer circuit-board tracks on the internal motherboard.
Older USB 2 ports are normally limited to to 0.5A and (usually?) will disconnect if that is exceeded A lot of external drive now expect USB 3 (blue) ports that can supply 3A.
Some older drives had two USB connections to get over the 0.5A limit. Often they'll work OK on just one connection, but it's pushing luck a bit.
Trace length certainly can be an issue and there's also a small current sense resistance in the the circuit so that an over-current can be detected, so the nominal 3V can drop a little.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
[quote=Gordon Scott.................................... A lot of external drive now expect USB 3 (blue) ports that can supply 3A. ................................................... [/quote]
This unit comes with its own power supply. For years I have the same unit plugged into an USB 3 powered hub and I have never had a problem. In fact the specs for this unit calls for USB 3, this from their website:
" RGB Effect Available: The RGB LED flashes quickly when there is a hard drive working in the docking station. It enters breathing mode when the hard drive is under sleep status or gets removed. Offline Clone: The docking station can operate offline cloning independent from a computer. Fast Transfer Speed: Besides USB 3.0 super speed, the docking station supports UASP, which provides even faster data transfer. Wide Compatibility: Support up to 2 x 10TB hard drives. The product is compatible with almost all kinds of 2.5" and 3.5" HDDs and SSDs on the market. Package List: 1 x Inateck SA02003 docking station, 1 x instruction manual, 1 x 12V/3A Power Adapter, 1 x USB 3.0 Data Cable."
Waitress "How did you find your steak sir"?
Me "I just looked next to the potatoes and there it was"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Ah ok, I was comparing the 2tb Blue vs the 2tb P3+. The 4tb Blue is 1200TBW, still better than 800TBW for the P3+.
Originally Posted by justanoldmuso
could it be that the reason ive never ever had even one drive..old or new tech go on the blink is i always go for small drives eg 256 or 512 ?
I'd expect the opposite, given that smaller drives have less space available to round-robin. Example - if you wrote 1tb to a 1tb drive it only writes each bit once, where if you wrote 1tb worth of data to a 256gb drive that would overwrite every bit 4 times. This doesn't account for the flash controller failing, only the actual NAND flash.
Originally Posted by Matt Finley
First, check for a bad USB cable. Just swap it out and see.
Always the first thing to try. I recently bought a pair of USB-C M.2 enclosures, and both disconnect under any amount of load - but only when using the included USB cables. Using other cables I had laying around, no issues at all.
Originally Posted by Gordon Scott
A lot of external drive now expect USB 3 (blue) ports that can supply 3A.
The blue USB-A ports can deliver up to 900ma. USB C can deliver 1.5A on a single lane or 3A with multi-lane, or higher if using "power delivery" standards.
Originally Posted by Joseph Land
It is definitely pointing to the Inateck DS.
Just tried to copy some data over to a spare Toshiba 500gb mechanical laptop drive and it failed after 3gb of data 3 times.
See the attachment.
I then used a single USB to SATA cable and it copied 350 GB of data over flawlessly using the same USB port, 2 separate AOEMI backup images were transferred without a hitch.
A lot of external drive now expect USB 3 (blue) ports that can supply 3A.
The blue USB-A ports can deliver up to 900ma. USB C can deliver 1.5A on a single lane or 3A with multi-lane, or higher if using "power delivery" standards.
Hmm ... I'll explore that. The USB-A ports I've done have all used the TI power-distribution chips that set the limit at 500mA continuous, with current trip from750mA.
I have a couple of USB-C power supplies that will deliver 3A at 5V or(?) 12V.
The USB 3 Power Delivery spec. says 3A, but if "power delivery" is special, that may explain that. USB has become a bit convoluted and I haven't designed with it in the last few years.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
The blue USB-A ports can deliver up to 900ma. USB C can deliver 1.5A on a single lane or 3A with multi-lane, or higher if using "power delivery" standards.
Simon's quite correct about 900mA for blue ports, I inadvertently checked the "power delivery" specification for power capability, not the main specification, without realising it was a special case. In my defence, at 631 pages the USB-3.1 specification is 1.5 times the size of the BIAB manual and the power delivery specification is a further 381 pages. The base USB-2 spec is another 650 pages, then there are the protocol specs and the connector specs and ....
Where I last worked, when I reported a delay because something on USB wasn't yet working properly (A Windows 7 bug as it turned out) our sales director's response was "It's USB, you just plug it in and it works! What's the problem?". Idiot!
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
"It's USB, you just plug it in and it works! What's the problem?".
I do remember the slogan 'Plug and Play' often being referred to as 'Shrug and Pray"
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
"It's USB, you just plug it in and it works! What's the problem?".
I do remember the slogan 'Plug and Play' often being referred to as 'Shrug and Pray"
Microsoft in particular were infamous for doing half-baked implementations of the host end. That's why people like FTDI gave up and wrote their own alternative drivers.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
I watched a little of both, but they're really a very low level view of things. The PS/2 interface over USB is almost a kludge just to maintain some compatibility. It's very, very simple.
The device discovery video covers a little more, but stays almost entirely within the basic "Hi, who are you" section of the protocol.
The HMI protocol page which he's showing is about as low in the protocol as one can get and still function, apart from that PS/2 interface over USB.
There's lots more.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Oh yes, it's low level, no question about that. Ben Eater works at bit level, always.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Oh yes, it's low level, no question about that. Ben Eater works at bit level, always.
Oh, I see. No, I meant basic rather than bit-level.
Yes, one one very often does have to get right down to bit-level to manage much of USB, often for stuff that's not really relevant.
I wrote a long-ish explanation, but it's now seriously off-topic, so I binned it.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2026 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
Order before 11:59pm PDT today (May 15, 2026) to save up to 50% off your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrade and receive a FREE Bonus PAK loaded with great new Add-ons to use with this new version!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
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20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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