Acomdata Enclosure, User Manual

Page 1: ...Hard Drive For 3 5 IDE hard drives ...

Page 2: ...Hot Pluggable 15 Fanless Design 15 Technical Specifications 16 Installing a 3 5 IDE Hard Drive 17 1 Configure Your IDE Hard Drive as a Master 17 2 Disassemble the Drive Enclosure 18 4 Re assemble the Drive Enclosure 20 Setting up the Drive 21 Choosing an Orientation Vertical or Horizontal 21 Vertical Placement 21 Horizontal Placement 23 Removing the stand 23 Affixing the rubber feet to the Drive c...

Page 3: ...e 35 PC Users 35 Mac Users 35 Maintaining Your Drive Safeguarding Your Data 36 Backing Up Your Data 36 Defragmenting and Optimizing a Hard Drive 36 Examining and Repairing a Hard Drive 37 Protect Your Data from Viruses 37 Cleaning the Drive Case 37 Frequently Asked Questions 38 Troubleshooting 41 Troubleshooting for PC Users 41 Troubleshooting for Mac users 44 Glossary 46 One Year Limited Warranty...

Page 4: ...dress 3410 Pomona Blvd Pomona CA 91768 Telephone 909 348 0680 Fax 909 598 8663 Web Site www acomdata com Customer Service customerservice acomdata com Technical Support techsupport acomdata com Pre Sales Questions sales acomdata com ...

Page 5: ...ure This guide contains important information for the proper installation use and care of your AcomData product Please read this guide carefully and retain it for future reference Symbols used in this guide THIS SYMBOL ALERTS THE READER TO A WARNING OR TO SOME VERY IMPOR TANT INFORMATION THIS SYMBOL ALERTS THE READER TO HELPFUL TIPS AND OTHER INFORMATION THAT MAY BE USEFUL THE WINDOWS LOGO ALERTS ...

Page 6: ...unlimited online technical support 3 You get your own personalized support page download software updates access all online support services view all of your registered AcomData products manage your personal profile 4 If you need warranty service arranging product returns is faster and easier if you registered online Mail in Registration You may also register via mail by filling out and returning ...

Page 7: ... acomdata com or call 909 348 0680 Pacific Time during regular business hours Do not expose the device to rain or use it in damp or wet conditions Never place containers of liquids on the device This can damage the device and increase the risk of electric shock short circuiting fire or personal injury If the device has a three prong plug never plug the device into a two prong outlet Do not expose ...

Page 8: ...r Service at customerservice acomdata com or call 800 470 4495 AcomData 2163 Drive Enclosure 6 pin to 6 pin FireWire cable FireWire equipped models only USB 2 0 Driver Software CD User s Guide Mail In Registration Card USB cable Rubber Feet Drive Mounting Screws AC Adapter Power Cord ...

Page 9: ...FireWire connection you must have Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 or later Go to www microsoft com and click on the Windows Update link Windows Me USB 2 0 users We strongly recommend getting the latest updates go to www microsoft com and click on the Windows Update link Windows 98SE users In order to use the USB 2 0 connection you must install the USB 2 0 driver included on the supplied CD See Mountin...

Page 10: ...vity Mac OS 9 requires FireWire software version 2 7 or later If you have Mac OS 9 1 or later you already have FireWire 2 7 or later Mac OS 9 updates are available at http docs info apple com article html artnum 75288 USB 1 x compatibility This device is backward compatible with USB 1 x However if you connect this device to a USB 1 x port it will operate at USB 1 x speeds up to 12 Mbps FireWire us...

Page 11: ...ered on Flashes red when reading or writing data Zinc Alloy Stand Can be removed for horizontal placement USB 2 0 FireWire Enclosures Power Switch USB 2 0 Port FireWire 400 Ports Power Port USB 2 0 Enclosures Power Switch USB 2 0 Port Power Port BACK PANEL Actual layout may not be exactly as shown ...

Page 12: ...nd 480 Mbps is the maximum speed data transfer rates will vary depending on a number of factors including available CPU resources Supports up to 127 devices Connecting more than one or two USB devices to a computer usually requires the use of one or more USB equipped hubs a hub can typically accommodate several USB devices Master slave architecture The computer the master dictates data flow to fro...

Page 13: ...the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers IEEE in 1995 400 Mbps Interface Transfer Rate FireWire 400 can transmit data at up to 400 Mbps 50 MB s FireWire supports both isochronous and asynchronous data transfers Isochronous mode provides guaranteed transmis sion of data at defined intervals it s used when delayed or out of order data frames are unacceptable such as for capturing digital...

Page 14: ...imum data transfer is lower than that for USB 2 0 Cable length up to 4 5 m Standard FireWire 400 cables use 6 pin connectors at both ends Cables with 4 pin connectors are also available for connecting FireWire devices to laptop notebook computers and other devices that have 4 pin ports On bus electrical power up to 45 watts FireWire can supply up to 45 W of power making it possible to use many low...

Page 15: ...ay If the Drive was not hot pluggable you would either have to shut down your computer every time you wanted to turn the Drive on or off or you would have to leave the Drive running all day unnecessarily Always dismount the Drive or turn off your computer before turning off and disconnecting the Drive Fanless Design All hard drives generate some heat as a result of normal operation which is why ha...

Page 16: ...er rate max Mbps USB 2 0 480 FireWire 400 400 Chassis approved recognized FCC CE UL Power Requirement 5VDC 5 12VDC 5 Startup current max A 2 0 12V Idle W 4 9 External Power Supply 40W switching UL CSA CE AC Input 100 240V 50 60Hz 1 5A DC output 12V 3 33A 40W max Ambient temperature operating 5ºC 55ºC Relative humidity non condensing 8 90 Maximum wet bulb non condensing 29 4ºC ...

Page 17: ...o the jumper block Each IDE drive manufacturer has a different jumper arrange ment for specific drive configurations master slave cable select etc Refer to the instructions that came with your drive and if necessary arrange the jumper s so that the drive is configured as a master You should use small needle nose pliers or tweezers to remove insert jumpers If you do not have your drive s manual mos...

Page 18: ...ws on the back panel 2 Remove the back fascia 3 Grab the front fascia and carefully slide out the Drive PCB Carrier which is attached to the front fascia When handling the Drive PCB Carrier never touch the PCB printed circuit board It contains sensitive electronics that an be easily damaged ...

Page 19: ...ted circuit board Orient your 3 5 IDE drive so that the drive s connectors are aligned with the ATA interface cable and the power cable 2 Plug the ATA interface cable into the ATA interface connector on the back of the drive 3 Plug the power cable into the drive s power connector The power cable connector is shaped so it can only be inserted one way ...

Page 20: ...ed screws Make sure all screws are secure and that the drive is firmly mounted to the Carrier 4 Re assemble the Drive Enclosure 1 Carefully slide the Drive PCB Carrier back into the Drive Enclosure making sure that the fascia is properly seated and pressed tightly against the enclosure s edge 2 Place the back fascia back onto the enclosure making sure it is properly seated and pressed tightly agai...

Page 21: ...her the ver tical or horizontal position Do not place the 2163 on your desk in any way other than what is described in this guide or it may get damaged Vertical Placement Most likely your 2163 Drive Enclosure was packaged with the zinc alloy stand attached However if the stand was not already attached follow the steps below 1 If the screws and nuts are not already affixed to the stand insert the t...

Page 22: ...groove in the Drive case enter ing from the backside of the case The stand is symmetri cal so it does not matter which end you insert first Once the nuts are in the groove position the stand so that it is centered with the Drive case 3 While holding the stand in place with one hand use a screwdriver with the proper type and size head to tighten the screws Make sure the stand is firmly secured to t...

Page 23: ...supplied rubber feet for horizontal placement The feet help keep the Drive securely in place and they also prevent the Drive case from possibly scuffing your desktop 1 Decide wether you want the Power Data Light to be located on the left or right side when the Drive is in the horizontal position and select the appropriate side on which to affix the feet 2 Remove one of the rubber feet from the pap...

Page 24: ...void the warranty FireWire Users FireWire plugs are shaped so they can only be inserted one way Be sure to insert the plugs properly or you may damage the Drive and void the war ranty FireWire equipped Drives have at least two FireWire ports for daisy chaining other FireWire devices You can use either port to connect the Drive to your computer Before you install the Drive we recommend that you res...

Page 25: ...gain Do not force the plug or you may damage it and or the Drive 2 Plug the power cord into the socket in the AC adapter Plug the other end into an AC outlet 3 Connect the USB 2 0 or FireWire cable 4 Press the power switch located on the back of the Drive If your IDE drive was already formatted for your computer s operating system prior to installation in the 2163 Drive En closure proceed to Mount...

Page 26: ...mputer Windows Explorer If your computer displays the Found New Hardware Wizard follow the steps below 1 In the Found New Hardware Wizard under Can Windows connect to Windows Update select Yes now and every time I connect a device Then click Next 2 On the next screen select Install the software automati cally Recommended Click Next 3 When the installation is complete click Finish You should now se...

Page 27: ... the Drive has been properly connected and powered on you should see a new hard drive icon and drive letter in My Computer Windows Explorer If this is not the case you will need to update your Windows Me To get the latest update go to www microsoft com and click on the Windows Update link Windows 98SE Users 1 After the Drive has been properly connected and turned on the Add New Hardware Wizard sho...

Page 28: ... already you may want to give your Drive a unique name to distinguish it from other storage devices connected to your computer Usually you assign a name to a hard drive during the formatting setup process However you can change the name of a hard drive at any time Mac Users 1 Locate the Drive icon on your computer s Desktop 2 Click and hold the mouse button on the icon s label until it is highligh...

Page 29: ...le system 2 Format the Drive on Mac OS 10 3 or later with the MS DOS file system Mac OS 10 2 Users FAT32 MS DOS formatted disks or disk partitions that are larger than 128 GB will not mount on Mac OS 10 2 through 10 2 8 There are several ways to deal with this issue 1 Format the Drive using the Mac OS Extended file system 2 Partition the Drive so that no partition is larger than 128 GB 3 Upgrade t...

Page 30: ...o the stated capacity of your Drive in gigabytes 5 In the File System pop up menu select NTFS Do not select FAT32 as you cannot format the Drive using the FAT32 file system on Windows 2000 or XP 6 In the Allocation unit size pop up select Default alloca tion size 6 In the Volume label field type in a name for the Drive You should give the drive a unique name that will allow you to easily distingui...

Page 31: ...Label field under Other options you may assign a name to the Drive You should give the drive a unique name that will allow you to easily distinguish it from other hard drives or storage devices The name you assign is limited to 8 characters and no symbols are allowed 5 Click Start The following warning message will appear This device is either a hard disk or a large removable disk Formatting it wi...

Page 32: ...c OS Extended With Mac OS 10 3 x or later you have the option of selecting Mac OS Extended Journaled Journaling is a feature that helps protect the file system against power outages or hardware failures reducing the need for repairs We recommend using journaling if avail able 6 In the Name field type in a name for the Drive You should give the drive a unique name that will allow you to easily dist...

Page 33: ...message This disk is unreadable by this computer Do you want to initialize this disk Click OK 5 In the Name field type in a name for your Drive You should give the drive a unique name that will allow you to easily distinguish it from other hard drives or storage devices 6 From the Format menu select Mac OS Extended 7 Click Initialize You should then get the alert message Initializing will erase al...

Page 34: ...ck ing on it 2 Go to Edit Copy 3 Double click the Drive icon to open it 4 If you want to copy the file or folder to a specific folder on the Drive double click that folder to open it 5 Go to Edit Paste The file or folder will copy over Mac Users 1 Highlight the file or folder that you want to copy by click ing on it but do not release the mouse button 2 While keeping the mouse button pressed drag ...

Page 35: ... green arrow On Windows 98SE and Me a rectangle will appear with the name of the Drive followed by the drive letter On Windows 2000 and XP you will see the alert message Safely Remove or Stop followed by the drive letter 2 Select the AcomData Drive After a few seconds Windows will give you a message that it is safe to remove the device 3 Click OK The Drive will dismount You can then safely turn it...

Page 36: ...tiguous clusters As old files are erased clusters that were previously occupied become available for new data However there may not be enough space for the drive to write a new file in a contiguous set of clusters The drive uses the clusters it can and if more are needed the drive uses other clusters in other locations The result is a frag mented file that is scattered in several places on the dis...

Page 37: ...a to examine a disk for damage at least once a month Protect Your Data from Viruses One of the greatest threats to your data comes from viruses The most common way computers catch viruses is by downloading and sharing infected files via e mail and other Internet services You can protect your data against viruses by using ant virus software There are a number of good anti virus programs on the mark...

Page 38: ...lder and more compatible file system but it has certain limitations such as file size maximum 4 GB NTFS is more secure and has fewer limitations The NTFS file system can only be used on Windows 2000 and XP If you plan to use your AcomData Drive on Windows 2000 XP only consider re formatting the Drive using the NTFS file system If you plan to use the Drive on a Mac OS only consider re formatting th...

Page 39: ...transfers FireWire on the other hand is a peer to peer technology that does not require CPU resources to facilitate data transfers between FireWire devices Moreover FireWire devices can guarantee real time delivery of data at a specific rate which is necessary for certain applications such as digital video capture where dropped or delayed data packets is unacceptable This is why devices like digit...

Page 40: ...neered to be more efficient and to generate so little heat that it does not need a fan allowing us to make the drive as compact and lightweight and quiet as possible Q Can I use my AcomData Drive to copy an operating system from one computer to another A You cannot transfer an installed operating system to another computer or hard drive simply by copying the operating system s files In order to in...

Page 41: ...power will not go on when I turn on the Drive A Make sure your connections are secure Make sure you properly connected the Drive s internal power cable to the installed IDE drive My computer does not recognize the Drive A Make sure all of your connections are secure If you have an add on card make sure it is working properly and or update the driver Make sure you properly connected the Drive s int...

Page 42: ... up menu In the Computer Management window select Storage then select Disk Management In the Disk Management window you should see a list of available stor age devices Look for the Disk that has a capacity closest to your AcomData Drive Right click on the right hand box in the pop up menu select Delete Partition Once you do this it will say Online Unallocated Right click on the box and select Crea...

Page 43: ...d XP users will get this alert message if you plug the Drive into a USB port that only supports USB 1 x This is fine except the Drive will operate USB 1 x speeds up to 12 Mbps When using a USB 2 0 connection the Drive seems to be operating slower than the rated 480 Mbps A First In order to reach USB 2 0 speeds you need a con nection that supports USB 2 0 If the connection only sup ports USB 1 x th...

Page 44: ...When I leave my computer idle for a while and come back my AcomData Drive won t work properly A The most likely cause is that your computer is going to sleep The immediate solution is to restart your computer To prevent this problem from recurring go into your Energy Saver preferences and set it to never go into Sleep mode My AcomData Drive feels warm when it s powered on A When in operation the D...

Page 45: ...pgrade is complete re initialize the Drive on Mac OS X and then copy the data back to it Why is my AcomData Drive asking me to initialize it It was already formatted and it contains data A On Mac OS 9 you may need to initialize a hard drive the first time you connect it to your computer even though the hard drive may have already been formatted Another reason is that the file system might have bec...

Page 46: ... enables a computer to communicate with peripheral devices such as hard drives and CD ROM drives Each type of device requires a different driver External Hard Drive A external peripheral device containing a hard drive mechanism connected to a computer via a data com munication interface FAT32 A file system that organizes files on a disk This file system is standard for Windows 98SE and Me and is s...

Page 47: ...ition A way to logically divide a hard drive so that an operat ing system treats each partition as if it were a separate hard drive Each partition is assigned a unique drive letter in Windows or icon in the Mac OS Peripheral A generic term for hard drives printers scanners and other discrete devices that add functionality to a computer Port A connection which enables compatible devices to send and...

Page 48: ...ware for your rights and obliga tions with respect to the software 2 any consumables such as batteries supplied with this product 3 cosmetic damages 4 damage to or loss of any software programs data or removable storage media 5 damage due to the Product such as but not limited to excessive heat or humidity or modifications of this Product This Warranty does not apply if the malfunction results fro...

Page 49: ...nsible for any damage to or loss of any programs data or other infor mation stored on any media or any part of any product serviced hereunder Be sure to remove all features parts options alterations and attachments not under warranty prior to returning the Product to AcomData AcomData is not liable for any loss or damage to these items Except to the extend prohibited by applicable law any implied ...

Page 50: ...the bill of sale from the purchase of your AcomData product 2 A Returned Merchandise Authorization RMA number that is assigned to your product by your TSS An RMA can only be generated if the product has been registered online at www acomdata com If your AcomData product is not registered at the time you need service you must register the product online or your Technical Support Specialist can regi...

Page 51: ...stomer Service at customerservice acomdata com In your e mail please include your name phone number mailing address model number or description of item and quantity per item A Customer Service agent will contact you to complete the transaction ...

Page 52: ...le reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy AcomData assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document or from the use of the information contained herein AcomData reserves the right to make changes or revisions in the product design or the product manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any person of su...

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