User manual LACIE DATA BANK

[. . . ] LaCie Data Bank Hi-Speed USB 2. 0 User's Manual How To Use This Manual 1 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. Click on any red text to automatically jump to more information about that topic. Printing: While optimized for onscreen viewing, the pages of this manual are formatted for printing on 8 1/2" x 11" and A4 sized paper, giving you the option to print the entire manual or just a specific page or section. 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 Data Bank Hi-Speed USB 2. 0 User's Manual Table of Contents page 2 Table of Contents Foreword Precautions 1. [. . . ] HFS - Mac OS Standard Mac OS Standard refers to the file system used by Mac OS 8. 0 and earlier. This is no longer a modern file sytem specification, and Mac OS Extended is more efficient. Only use this file system if you are creating a volume smaller than 32MB, using a Mac with a 680X0 processor, or you are creating a file structure that will be need to be used by Macs using Mac OS 8. 0 or earlier. HFS+ - Mac OS Extended Mac OS Extended refers to the file system used by Mac OS 8. 1 and later. HFS+ represents an optimization of the older HFS file system by using hard disk space more efficiently. Building off of HFS, they increased the number of blocks from 65, 536 to 4. 29 billion. MS-DOS File System This is the Microsoft file system, more typically known as FAT 32. This is the file system to use if you are going to be using your LaCie hard drive between Macs and Windows operating systems. UNIX File System This is the file system based on UNIX, and is preferrable for users developing UNIX-based applications within Mac OS 10. x. 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 Data Bank Hi-Speed 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 Hard Drive, 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 Tech Note: For more drive, and passes to the computer through either the USB host-bus adapter interface. information on the USB The USB interface specifies certain requirements, filed under the OHCI (Open Host interface, please see Controller Interface) standards. All LaCie drives comply to OHCI standards and have been USB Questions and rigorously tested on computers that have host bus adapters that also comply to OHCI Answers. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers respect these guidelines, and anomalies may arise with computers that have host bus adapters that do not conform to OHCI standards. For the best performance, connect your LaCie Hard Drive directly to a native USB port on your computer, and avoid using hubs*. During data transfers, it's best to wait before launching other applications that will be using the same port. Tech Note: Please see 3. 3 Connecting Multiple Devices for more information. If you do not have a native USB port, LaCie offers USB host bust adapter cards, also known as PCI or PC/PCMCIA cards, that have been tested and comply with LaCie drives. [. . . ] 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. [. . . ]