User manual LACIE MINI

[. . . ] USB 2. 0 C O M PA N I O N HARD DRIVE user manual user manual user manual user manual user manual user manual user manual user manual LaCie HARD DRIVE mini COMPANION Table of Contents Foreword Precautions 1. Unpacking Your LaCie Drive 1. 1 Minimum System Requirements 1. 2 Stacking Your LaCie mini 2. Getting Connected 2. 1 Connect the Power Supply and Switch On the Drive 2. 2 Connect the USB 2. 0 Cable to Your LaCie mini and to Your Computer 3. Using Your LaCie Drive 3. 1 Formatting and Partitioning Your LaCie mini 3. 1. 1 Mac Users 3. 1. 2 Windows Users 4. [. . . ] Rightclick on the available space and select Create Partition. . . user manual | page 16 LaCie HARD DRIVE mini COMPANION 8) This will bring up the Create Partition Wizard. Click Next. Using Your LaCie Drive 10) Here you must specify partition size. It is recommended that you leave the partition set to the maximum available size, unless you want multiple partitions on the same drive. 11) Select Assign drive letter and select the desired letter for the drive. and then select a file system: FAT32 FAT32 is a file system that is compatible with Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000 and Windows XP; however, it has limitations. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, you will not be able to create a partition greater than 32GB. NTFS NTFS is a newer file system that is compatible only with Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It has fewer limitations than FAT 32 and will enable a partition to be created that is larger than 32GB. Important Note: Please refer to section 4. 2. File System Formats, for a more detailed discussion on the differences between the two systems. 15) Disk Management will create the partition and begin formatting the drive. Once completed, close Disk Management and your new drive will be ready to use. user manual | page 17 LaCie HARD DRIVE mini COMPANION 4. Advice For Optimizing USB 2. 0 Connections The following technical information relates to your LaCie Drive and gives some practical advice: Helpful Information USB 2. 0 Logo 4. 1. 1 What is USB 2. 0? The new USB 2. 0 standard provides higher bandwidth for high-speed peripherals such as external hard drives, high-speed scanners and CD-RW drives. USB 2. 0 delivers transfer rates up to 480Mb/s, while conveniently maintaining backward compatibility with USB 1. 1 devices. USB 1. 1 Logo USB 2. 0 can still be used to connect lower-speed USB 1. 1 ports and devices like digital cameras, scanners, modems, keyboards, mice, joysticks and printers. In the USB 2. 0 system, existing USB peripherals do not have to be upgraded, and lower-speed devices will not require additional performance, instead operating as USB 1. 1 devices. USB Cables and Connectors Your LaCie drive is shipped with a USB 2. 0-certified USB cable, to ensure maximum data transfer performance when connected to a USB 2. 0 port. The cable will also work when connected to a USB 1. 1 port, but drive performance will be limited to USB 1. 1 transfer rates. There are also different types of USB connections, such as the mini-cable and device end. Make sure that you have the correct type of connection on computer. Consult LaCie Customer Support or your LaCie reseller for more information. USB 2. 0 Host Bus Adapters and Performance To utilize the newly-enhanced USB 2. 0 performances, your computer must be equipped with a USB 2. 0 host bus adapter card (sold separately, such as the LaCie USB 2. 0 PCI Card, or integrated by your PC manufacturer) and the appropriate drivers. [. . . ] When you choose a hub, opt for the self-powered variety, as they have their own AC adapter. The most powerful hubs provide 0. 5A of power to each port. If you buy a hub, make sure that it supports per-port switching. This function prevents the entire chain of peripherals from freezing up if one of them is not working properly or is down. [. . . ]