Mac Mini won't connect to Thunderbolt 4 SSD

I have the same issue with my new Mac Mini M4 and my HP Thunderbolt Dock.

External drive (for example an HP P800) are not accepted. A message appears to "use a TB port on the Mac Mini".

Strange, as all these devices are Thunderbolt certified.

Unfortunately, that happens with my external USB3.2 disks as well.

But when I connect my MacBook Pro M1Max to the same hub and connect the same drives, whether TB or USB3.x all external drives are instantly recognized (and the HP P800 has the same drive speed as my internal Mac Mini ssd).

So, I guess it is an Mac Mini issue.

Mac Mini Pro and M1Max do not have this issue.

I think I will send my Mac Mini back, as I assume that the integrated Thunderbolt controler is junk.

Don't look at System Settings. You need to run the software from the manufacturer site (Windows version only), connect ZikeDrive and check the firmware version. The correct working one is 24112985. Most likely you have an older version and need to upgrade it.

Link to upg sw:

[Edited by Moderator]

Have you tried a different TB cable? I have had TB drives indicate power but have a bad cable. What NVME drive are you using? I tested a Qwizzlab with my WD SN750 NVME drive and works fine connected to the rear TB ports on my Mac Studio. Later this week I plan on testing on my new Mac M4 pro. I will report results.

Just tested on my new Mac Mini M4 pro. Connected to the rear TB5 ports I have no issue. Good high speeds using my WD SN750 drive. Also works on the front ports but of course slower. I would assume it should work fine on your TB4 ports as it did on my Mac Studio with TB4 ports. As I stated try another cable.

I'm having the same problem for ZikeDrive and Mac mini M4. In System Settings, Hardware, Thunderbolt/USB4/USB4 NVMe SSD Pro Enclosure, it shows Firmware Version 1.87

Why firmware version are you on now? The only upgrade SOFTWARE I RECEIVED FROM ZIKETECH was to run on Windows. Where did you get the software on manufacturer's website (link please)?

Thanks!

I solved it in the end for the Satechi enclosure (their tech support were really helpful). First they sent a new thunderbolt cable which didn’t fix the issue, then they sent a new enclosure which works perfectly via the TB4 port (read/write 3,100mb/s).

I don’t know much about it, but to me it looks like some of the enclosure manufacturers have received bad TB4 chips, so their products aren’t registering via TB4 ports.

if you’re having issues I’d reach out to the manufacturer’s tech support (chances are it’s the enclosure not the Mac Mini I’d say)

Any progress on this? I have the same issue with a Satechi pro and WD Black SN770.

That drive appears to have been discontinued by HP with no TB-certified successor. Could be related.

I am having the same issue using a Satechi M.2 NVMe enclosure and a Samsung 990 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD, any updates? (Mac Mini M4, 24GB RAM, 512GB internal SSD)

Connect direct. If it works, chuck the cage.

I don't have anything else that I can connect an NVMe SSD to, other than the enclosure, as OP mentioned it works fine through the front two ports, just not through the Thunderbolt ports.

Ok! What’s the issue with connecting to the front port?

The front ports aren't Thunderbolt 4 ports, so they run at a fraction of the speed.

That’s because your enclosure isn’t compatible - contact Satechi.

I had same problem with ZikeDrive and Mac Mini M4 (The device worked on USB ports and not on TB4). The solution was to upgrade the chipset using software from the manufacturer's website.