User manual LACIE BIG DISK QUADRA

[. . . ] LaCie Big Disk Quadra · Design by Neil Poulton User Manual Table of Contents page 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Box Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Views of the Big Disk Quadra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] For example, if you used LaCie Setup Assistant to format your drive to work with your Mac (HFS+), but now you want to share your hard disk with Windows users, you can reformat it to FAT 32 (MS-DOS) for this purpose. You may need to format your LaCie hard disk if LaCie Setup Assistant was interrupted or stopped. If the hard disk does not appear in My Computer (Windows) or on the desktop (Mac), it may not be formatted properly. ImpOrTANT INfO: Please copy the User Manual and utilities to your computer before reformatting. Reformatting will erase everything from the hard disk. If you have other data that you want to protect or continue to use, copy this information to your computer before reformatting. 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. 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. 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. Partitioning is optional. Use NTFS if. . . . . . you will be using the drive only with Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista (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. 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. Use FAT 32 (MS-DOS) if. . . . . . you will be using your drive with both Windows and Mac OS X 10. 3 or sharing the drive between Windows 2000 and Windows XP or Windows Vista. Maximum single file size is 4GB. LaCie Big Disk Quadra · Design by Neil Poulton User Manual Optional Formatting and Partitioning page 19 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. The LaCie hard disk does not appear to mount on your computer. 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). [. . . ] After you have disconnected the drive, flip the On/Off/ Auto button on the back of the drive to turn the drive off. Replacement power supply cords are available for purchase on the LaCie Web page: www. lacie. com LaCie Big Disk Quadra · Design by Neil Poulton User Manual Contacting Customer Support page 30 5. Before You Contact Technical Support 1. If possible, make the drive the only external device on the CPU, and make sure that all of the cables are correctly and securely attached. [. . . ]