QuickStart Installation Guide For AcomData External Hard Drives: · USB 2.0 Drives · USB 2.0 & FireWire Combo Drives · USB 2.0 & FireWire 800 Combo Drives Windows & Mac Please retain this guide for future reference. Contents Introduction ............................................................ 2 FireWire and USB 2.0 Compared.............................. 3 Parts & Accessories List ......................................... 4 System Requirements ............................................. 5 Precautions ............................................................ 6 AcomData External Hard Drive at a Glance ................ 7 Connecting the Drive to Your Computer ..................... 8 Installing the USB 2.0 CD (Windows 98SE/ME) ........ 9 Formatting Your AcomData External Hard Drive ....... Formatting the Drive in Windows 98/ME ................. Formatting the Drive in Windows 2000/XP ............... Formatting the Drive in Mac OS 9 .......................... Formatting the Drive in Mac OS 10 ......................... 10 11 12 12 13 How to safely dismount and turn off your AcomData External Hard Drive ............................... 14 Performing Basic Tasks ......................................... 16 Troubleshooting / Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ........................ 17 Glossary ............................................................... 21 One Year Limited Warranty .................................. 23 Contact Information .............................................. 25 2 Introduction Welcome, and thank you for purchasing an AcomData External Hard Drive. The information in this QuickStart Guide pertains to the following models: · USB 2.0 External Hard Drives · USB 2.0 & FireWire Combo External Hard Drives; · USB 2.0 & FireWire 800 Combo External Hard Drives. In photos and illustrations in this guide, Combo Drives are shown. (Except for the addition of FireWire ports and logos on Combo Drives, AcomData USB 2.0 and Combo Drives are visually identical.) The following alert symbols are used in this guide: This signifies important information for ALL users. This signifies important information for USB 2.0 users. This signifies important information for FireWire users. USB 2.0 compatibility with USB 1.x USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.x. However, if you connect the Drive to a USB 1.x port, it will operate at USB 1.x speeds. Combo Drive Users You have the choice of using either the USB 2.0 or a FireWire connection. You cannot use the USB 2.0 and FireWire connections at the same time. You must select one interface or the other. If you have both USB 2.0 and FireWire connections available with your computer system, you may be wondering which interface to use. To help you decide, see "FireWire and USB 2.0 Compared" on the next page. 3 FireWire & USB 2.0 Compared Data transfer rate of 400 Mbps (FireWire) and 800 Mbps (FireWire 800) FireWire is suitable for applications where delayed or out-of-order data frames are unacceptable, such as digital video editing. Supports up to 63 devices FireWire devices can be linked in a daisy-chain configuration. With the use of FireWire hubs, up to 63 devices can be linked on a single FireWire bus. Peer-to-peer architecture FireWire devices are intelligent. Data transmission can take place without the need for input from the computer. Cable length up to 4.5 m On-bus power up to 45 W FireWire can power larger, higher power consumption devices than USB 2.0. Plug & Play You do not need to install drivers, assign unique ID numbers, or connect terminators. Hot-swappable Devices can be added and removed while the computer is running. Also, you can turn off the device when not needed, in order to conserve electricity. Data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps With USB, data transfer rates can vary depending on a number of factors, including available CPU resources. Supports up to 127 devices Connecting more than one or two USB devices to a computer typically requires the use of one or more hubs: each hub can accommodate several USB devices. Master-slave architecture The computer dictates data flow to, from, and between attached devices. Cable length up to 5 m On-bus power up to 2.5 W Suitable for low-power-consumption devices such as flash card readers. Plug & Play You do not need to assign unique ID numbers, or connect terminators. On most operating system you do not need to install drivers. Hot-swappable Devices can be added and removed while the computer is running. Also, you can turn off the device when not needed, in order to conserve electricity. 4 Parts & Accessories List The package should contain the following items: · AcomData External Hard Drive · USB cable · FireWire cable (supplied with Combo Drives only) · AC adapter and power cord · USB 2.0 Installation CD (required for Windows 98SE and ME only) · Quick Start Installation Guide · Warranty Registration Card · If you are missing any items listed above, please contact Customer Service: - E-mail: customerservice@acomdata.com - Telephone: 800-470-4495. · Please retain a copy of your receipt. You will need it if warranty repair service is required in the future. 5 System Requirements System Requirement for PC · · · · · Pentium-based PC with 233 MHz or faster CPU Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP 32 MB RAM Available USB port (for USB 2.0 Drives) Available USB port or FireWire port (for Combo Drives) Windows 98 users: · Windows 98 First Edition does not support USB 2.0. The AcomData External Hard Drive will operate at USB 1.x speeds on Windows First Edition. · Windows 98 First Edition does not support FireWire. If using Windows 98, you must have Windows 98SE. Windows XP users: In order to use the USB 2.0 connection, you must have at least Service Pack 1 for Windows XP . System Requirements for Mac · Power Macintosh (G5, G4, Blue & White G3, iBook or iMac) · Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X · Available USB port (for USB 2.0 Drives) · Available USB port or FireWire port (for Combo Drives) Mac OS 9 Users: · We recommended using the latest version (OS 9.2.2). You can download the updates you need at http://docs. info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75288. · Mac OS 9 does not support USB 2.0. The AcomData External Hard Drive will operate at USB 1.x speeds on OS 9. 6 · Mac OS 9 requires USB Mass Storage Support version 1.3.5 or later. You can download the latest update at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60394. · Mac OS 9 requires FireWire Support and Enabler version 2.3.3 or higher. You can download the latest update at: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86020. Precautions Failure to follow the precautions described below may cause damage to your AcomData External Hard Drive and void the warranty. · DO NOT open the case. Doing so will void the warranty. · Do not use a third-party AC adapter or power cord. Doing so may damage the Drive and void the warranty. · DO NOT bump, jar or drop the Drive as this may damage it or result in loss of data. · DO NOT try to set the Drive on its side; it is not designed to be placed on its side. It may fall over and get damaged. · DO NOT disconnect any cables while the Drive is powered on without first properly dismounting the device via your operating system; doing so can result in data loss and possible damage. · DO NOT set any liquids or beverages on the Drive as they may damage the internal electronics. · AcomData highly recommends that you regularly backup the files stored on your AcomData External Hard Drive. AcomData is not responsible for any data loss, nor will AcomData perform any recovery on lost data or files. 7 AcomData External Hard Drive at a Glance Data/Power indicator light · Lights green when the Drive is powered on · Flashes red when the Drive is reading or writing data FireWire ports (Combo Drives only) · Two ports for daisy chaining other FireWire devices USB port Power switch AC adapter power port Stackable Case If you need more storage, you can install additional External Hard Drives without taking up more desktop space. 8 Connecting the Drive to Your Computer 1. Plug the AC adapter cord into the power port on the back of the Drive. The plug AcomData should not require much effort to insert. External Hard Drive If the plug will not go in, do not force it; the plug is probably USB 2.0 cable upside down. Rotate AC adapter & power cord the plug and try again. Incorrectly inserting the plug could damage the Drive and void the warranty. 2. Plug the power cord into the cord socket in the AC adapter. Plug the other end into a three-prong outlet. 3. Plug in the USB 2.0 or FireWire data cable. Each end of the USB cable has different plugs. One plug matches the USB port on your computer; the other matches the USB port on the Drive. Be sure to plug the correct plug into the corresponding port, or you may damage the Drive and void the warranty. · FireWire plugs are shaped so they can only be properly inserted one way. Be sure to insert the plugs properly or you may damage the Drive and void the warranty. · The Drive has two FireWire ports for connecting another FireWire device in a daisy chain. You can use either port to connect the Drive to your computer. 4. Press the power switch located on the back of the Drive. Once the Drive is powered up, your computer should recognize it and the Drive will be ready to use. No formatting is required. 9 Installing the USB 2.0 CD (For Windows 98SE and ME* only) *Windows ME users: If you have upgraded your Windows ME OS with all of the latest available updates from Microsoft, you will not need to install the USB 2.0 CD. 1. After the Drive has been properly connected and turned on, the Add New Hardware Wizard should appear with the message: "Found New Hardware --> USB 2.0 Storage Adapter." Click Next. 2. You will then see the message: "What do you want Windows to do?" with two options. Select "Search for the best driver for your device (Recommended)." Click Next. 3. In the next window that appears, check the box labeled CD-ROM drive and insert the USB 2.0 Installation CD into your CD drive. Click Next. 4. You will then see the message: "Windows is now ready to install the best driver for this device..." Click Next. 5. Once the software installation is complete, you will see the message "Windows has finished installing the software that your new hardware device requires." Click Finish and then eject the CD. You should now see a new icon (a gray box with a green arrow) next to the time display on your System Tray. 10 Formatting your AcomData External Hard Drive It is not necessary to format your AcomData External Hard Drive. It was formatted at the factory with the FAT 32 file system, which makes the Drive both PC and Mac compatible. We provide formatting instructions in the event that you need to reformat your Drive, or if you want to format your Drive with a file system other than FAT 32. Reformatting Options for PC Users If you are running Windows 2000 or XP and do not plan to use the Drive on a Mac or on Windows 95 or ME, consider reformatting your Drive with the NTFS file system. NTFS provides several advantages over FAT 32, including support for files larger than 4 GB. Reformatting Options for Mac Users If you plan to use the Drive only on a Mac, you may want to consider reformatting your Drive with the Mac OS Extended file system. Reformatting the Drive for Cross-Platform Compatibility If you ever need to reformat your Drive and you need PC/ Mac cross-platform compatibility, you have two recommended options: 1. Format the Drive on a PC with the FAT 32 file system (if this option is available with your operating system). 2. Format the Drive on Mac OS X v.10.3.x with the DOS file system. Although it is possible to format a hard drive on earlier versions of Mac OS X and on Mac OS 9 using the DOS file system, we do not recommend this, as an artificial capacity limit may be imposed on the drive and performance will be unpredictable. 11 Formatting a hard drive erases all data contained on the drive. If you wish to reformat your AcomData External Hard Drive, be sure to create a copy of the files you wish to keep before reformatting. Formatting the Drive in Windows 98SE/ME 1. Double-click on the My Computer icon. In the My Computer window you should see an icon and drive letter for the External Hard Drive. (If you are not sure which icon represents the External Hard Drive, turn off the Drive and see which icon disappears. Then turn the Drive back on and wait for the icon to reappear.) 2. Right-click on the drive letter and select Format. In the Format window, verify the Drive's capacity; it should be close to the stated capacity of your Drive in megabytes. 3. Under Format type, Select Full; everything else should be left at the default setting. In the Label field under Other options you may assign a name to the External Hard Drive. (The name you assign is limited to 8 characters and no symbols are allo ...