User manual LACIE RUGGED HARD DISK

[. . . ] LaCie Rugged Hard Disk · Design by neil Poulton User Manual Table of Contents page 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Box Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] If the hard disk does not appear in My Computer (Windows) or on the desktop (Mac), it may not be formatted properly. File System Formats There are three different file system format categories: NTFS, FAT 32 (MS-DOS), and Mac OS Extended (HFS+). Use the information below to determine which format is best for you. Use NTFS if. . . . . . you will be using the drive only with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (performance will generally be greater when compared to FAT 32). This file system is compatible in read only mode with Mac OS X 10. 3 and higher. What is Formatting? When a disk is formatted, the following things occur: 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. A hard disk must be formatted before it can be used to store data. Use HFS+ if. . . . . . you will be using the drive on Macs only; performance will generally be greater when compared to FAT 32. This file system is NOT compatible with Windows OS. What is Partitioning? You can also divide the hard disk into sections, called partitions. A partition is a section of the hard disk's storage capacity that is created to contain files and data. For instance, you could create three partitions on your drive: one partition for your office documents, one as a backup and one for your multimedia files. Or, if you will be sharing the drive with another person in your household or office, you can create a partition for each person who uses the drive. IMPORTANT INFO: Please copy the User Manual and utilities to your computer before reformatting. If you have other data that you want to protect or continue to use, copy this information to your computer before reformatting. Use FAT 32 (MS-DOS) if. . . . . . you will be using your drive with both Windows and Mac. Maximum single file size is 4GB. LaCie Rugged Hard Disk · Design by neil Poulton User Manual Optional Formatting and Partitioning page 16 3. 1. Finding the File System Format You may need to know the current file system format of your LaCie hard disk if: You want to reformat your LaCie hard disk. The current file system format may determine the process you'll use to reformat it. In this case, the file system format may prevent your operating system from recognizing the LaCie hard disk (ex. If you connect a hard disk formatted in HFS+ to a Windows computer). Windows Users 1. Right-click My Computer and select Manage from the right-click options menu. Select Disk Management under Storage (you may have to expand the Storage list to see the Disk Management option). Information about all storage devices connected to your computer appears in the right hand pane. If other storage devices are connected to your computer, refer to the disk information in the upper pane to determine which disk is your LaCie hard disk. The File System column in the upper pane lists the file system of each disk. Disks are listed as "NTFS", "FAT32" or blank (if the file system format is not recognizes, such as if it is HFS+). Mac Users 1. In the disk list on the left side of the Disk Utility window, find the disk corresponding to your LaCie hard disk. [. . . ] Minimum System Requirements. Is the drive connected to a HiSpeed USB 2. 0 port on your computer?Does your computer or operating system support Hi-Speed USB 2. 0? continued on next page. . . LaCie Rugged Hard Disk · Design by neil Poulton User Manual Troubleshooting page 25 Problem The drive turns on and off when you turn your computer on and off (USB and FireWire connections). Question Solution This is normal. Your drive has an autoswitching power feature, which means that if your drive is connected to your computer, turning the computer on will automatically turn the drive on. Likewise, turning the computer off will automatically turn the drive off. LaCie Rugged Hard Disk · Design by neil Poulton User Manual Contacting Customer Support page 26 5. [. . . ]