Golfragnabbit ! Mini 2012 FW800 port bites the dust

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Chakravartin wrote:
Try a SMC reset.

The FW ports on a Mac can be temporarily disabled if there's a surge. If that occurs then a SMC reset will bring them back.

I think it's simply a complete power off, i.e. disconnect the FireWire cable, unplug the power to the computer and wait a few minutes.