Y cable is to short for Powerbook G4 17"

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for macOS
1

I’ve got a Passport Essential SE that will not show up on my PowerBook G4 (Mac OS X 10.5.8 - 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 2 GB DDR SDRAM)  Spoke with Tech support and they sent me a Y cable.  The problem is the USB connectors will not reach accross the laptop, they are about 4" to short.  Does anyone know of another  cable manufacturer or another work around.  The drive is for transfering large files from a Mac desktop to take off site  and use with the Laptop. 

I wouldn’t have kept the drive and written files to it if the support person had not been so sure this would work, so I’m desperate to find a way to use this drive.

2

In order for the Passport to work effectively, the USB cable cannot be longer than 22 inches.  If you’re 4 inches short and the booster cable is only 18 inches long, then you can try to find a tiny cable of 4 inches to help make up the difference.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t know. 

You can also try a short powered hub to see if that works.  Then connect the power booster cable to that.