User manual LACIE BIG DISK

[. . . ] LaCie Big Disk USB 2. 0 User's Manual How To Use This Manual How To Use This Manual In the toolbar: Previous Page / Next Page Go to Previous View / Go to Next View Go to Contents Page / Go to Precautions Page On the page: Click on the text within the Contents page to jump to information on that topic. Printing: While optimized for onscreen viewing, the pages of this manual are formatted for printing on 8 paper, giving you the option to print the entire manual or just a specific page or section. 1/2" x 11" and A4 sized To Exit: From the Menu bar at the top of your screen, select: File > Quit. Icons Used In This Manual Italicized paragraphs feature an icon describing the type of information being given. Important Info: This icon refers to an important step that must be followed. Tech Note: This icon refers to tips to help maximize performance. Caution!This icon indicates a potential hazard, and gives tips on how to avoid them. LaCie Big Disk USB 2. 0 User's Manual Table of Contents Table of Contents Foreword Precautions 1. Optimizing Data Transfers 4 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 12 13 14 15 15 19 21 22 22 22 23 24 24 26 28 28 28 29 30 30 LaCie Big Disk USB 2. 0 User's Manual 5. 3. 1. [. . . ] Unless you have a specific reason to use the UNIX File System, you should instead format your drive using Mac OS Extended (HFS+), because it provides Mac users with a more familiar operating experience. LaCie Big Disk USB 2. 0 User's Manual 5. 1. 2. Tech Tips page 29 There are basically two file system formats for Windows: FAT 32 and NTFS. The following information will hopefully make choosing one or the other a little easier. FAT 32 FAT is an acronym for File Allocation Table, which dates back to the beginnings of DOS programming. Originally, FAT was only 16 bits, but after the second release of Windows 95 it was upgraded to 32 bits, hence the name FAT 32. In theory, FAT 32 volume sizes can range from less than 1MB all the way to 2TB. It is the native file system of Windows 98 and Windows Me, and is supported by Windows 2000 and XP. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000 and XP, though, volume size is limited to 32GB (by the Windows partition utility, i. e. Disk Manager), and the individual file size is limited to 4GB. NTFS This acronym stands for New Technology Filing System, and it is the native file system for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP. file compression, encryption, permissions, and auditing, as well as the ability to mirror drives and RAID 5 capabilities. The minimum supported volume size for NTFS is 10MB, with a maximum of 2TB, with no limit to file size. Volumes created in NTFS can only be directly accessed (not through shares) by Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP, without resorting to help from third-party products. Guidelines for Choosing FAT 32 Or NTFS Use FAT 32 if: · You want to access your data on any Operating System - FAT 32 is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, NT, Mac OS 9. x and Mac OS 10. x. · You will be dual booting with an Operating System other than Windows NT or Windows 2000. Once you have converted a volume from FAT 32 to NTFS, there is no going back. Use NTFS if: · You want to optimize drive performance under Windows 2000 or XP. · You want to encrypt files, assign permissions to files, or want to audit files for access. · You need a filing system that can be mirrored or structured like a RAID 5 configuration. LaCie Big Disk USB 2. 0 User's Manual 5. Available Storage Capacity A gigabyte (GB) means 1, 000, 000, 000 bytes. Formatting a disk consists of the following: the operating system erases all of the bookkeeping information on the disk, tests the disk to make sure that all of the sectors are reliable, marks bad sectors (i. e. , those that are scratched) and creates internal address tables that it later uses to locate information. Once formatted, the actual available storage capacity varies, depending on operating environment, and is generally about 10% less than the non-formatted capacity. 5. 3. Optimizing Data Transfers Data transfers are the flow of data that accomplishes a task, usually related to moving data from storage to computer RAM, or between storage devices. With external drives, such as the LaCie Big Disk USB 2. 0, the data is transferred from the drive to the computer via the USB interface. The data is fed from the drive through the USB port on the drive, and passes to the computer through either the USB host-bus adapter interface. [. . . ] Partition, -ing ­ After formatting, the hard drive is not yet ready to store files. It must be divided into sections that will contain special information required for a Mac or PC to operate and other sections that will contain the files. A partition is just one section of the hard drive that will contain either special data put there by Silverlining or other files and data. Peripheral ­ A generic term applied to printers, scanners, mice, keyboards, serial ports, graphics cords, disk drives and other computer subsystems. [. . . ]