Package Contents: NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NexStar MX Dual Bay HDD Enclosure Power Adapter Arcsoft Totalmedia Backup™ Software USB Cable 1394a Cable 1394b Cable Enclosure Stand Installation Screws User’s Manual 1 2 3 4 Arcsoft Totalmedia Backup™ Software 5 7 6 8 9 USER’S MANUAL TRADEMARKS MS-DOS,Microsoft, Windows NT/2000/ME/XP/Vista are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Table of Contents: 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 02 2. Features/Specifications NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure ...............................................................03 3. System Requirements ......................................................................................04 4. Interface Information NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure ...............................................
1. Introduction: Vantec NexStar MX Dual Bay External HDD Enclosure now in the FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 interface is a quick and simple way to expand storage capacity to your computer. It comes without the hassle of diving inside the PC and messing with all those wires, cables and connections. It provides maximum storage with the increased capacity of two spanning hard drives for your precious family photos, music, video, and games.
2. Features/Specifications: NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure : Features: • Supports Dual SATA I/II Hard Drives Up to 2.0 TB of Storage • USB 2.
3. System Requirements: Intel Pentium II 266 MHz-compatible Mac PowerPC or Intel Core Duo processor Microsoft Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista. & greater.Mac OS 9.x & greater. (PowerPC processor) / Mac OS 10.4 & 1. USB port, FireWire 400(1394a) port, greater.(Intel Core Duo processor) or FireWire 800 (1394b) port. 1. USB port, FireWire 400(1394a) port, 2. For USB 2.0 speeds, the system must or FireWire 800 (1394b) port. support USB 2.0 specifications. 2. For USB 2.0 speeds, the system must 3.
4. Interface Information: NexStar MX – Dual 3.
5. Installation: NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure 5.1. Installing two hard drives into the NexStar MX Dual: (1) Release the four screws then pull out the rear panel and tray of the NexStar MX Dual ( Figure 5-A) ( Figure 5-A ) (2) Select Operation Mode by switching jumper.
(3) Slide the first HDD into the drive caddy then insert the HDD into the SATA connector. ( Figure 5-C ) ( Figure 5-C ) (4) Slide the second HDD into the drive caddy then insert the HDD into the SATA connector. ( Figure 5-D ) ( Figure 5-D ) 5) Secure the hard drives onto the drive caddy with the provided screws on both sides in order to secure the hard drive and the drive caddy.
(6) Insert the drive caddy back into the aluminum housing. Be sure to align and secure with the provided screws. ( Figure 5-F ) ( Figure 5-F ) IEEE POWER ( Figure 5-G ) Installation 8 1394a 1394b (7) Plug in the power cable along with the necessary connections to your computer then switch the power button to power on.
Connecting the NexStar MX Dual to your computer: NOTE : (1) Connect the Type B USB connector to the NexStar MX Dual and the Type A USB connector to an available USB 1.1/2.0 port on your system. For new hard drives, you will need to initialize and partition your hard drive before it will appear in Windows Explorer or on your Mac desktop. Please refer to your hard drive manufacturer’s documentation or read the “Creating a New Partition” section of this manual.
6. Driver Installation: NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure Windows 2000/2003/ XP/Vista: Mac OS 9.0 or later : (1) No drivers are necessary when using 1) No drivers are necessary when using Mac Windows ME/ XP/ 2000/ Vista. as 9.0 or later. If the hard drive does not If the hard drive does not appear appear on the desktop, be sure to partition under My Computer, be sure to partition your hard drive. your hard drive.
7. Creating a New Partition / Formatting The Hard Drive: NOTE : FOR Windows 2000/2003/ XP/ Vista Users : The best way to partition the new hard drive is using the supplier’s software. Please download the software from supplier’s website. If the software doesn’t exist, please try the following way. The system below Mac OS 9. please check the documents of the hard disk. There is information about partition the disk. STEP1: Right-click on “My Computer” icon and select the "Manage” column.
STEP2 : Select “Disk Management” and you will see your hard drives show “Unallocated”. Sample:750GB & 250GB hard drives. Individual Mode : This mode can show each hard disk as individual device. ( Figure 7-B ) ( Figure 7-B ) JBOD Mode : JBOD MODE can integrate two different brands of hard drives with different capacity to become a larger format hard drive.
STEP3: Right-click the red-squared block and select "Initialize Disk”. Take JBOD Mode for example. (one 750GB HDD & one 250GB hard drives) ( Figure 7-E ) ( Figure 7-E ) STEP4: Press “OK” button to initialize hard drive. ( Figure 7-F) ( Figure 7-F ) STEP5: The hard drive will show “Online”. Right-click the “Unallocated” block and selects “New Partition”.
STEP6: The “New Partition Wizard” will appear. Please follow the instruction of the wizard to complete the partition. ( Figure 7-H ) ( Figure 7-H ) STEP7: When new partition is completed, the hard drive will be recognized as a “New Volume”. ( Figure 7-I ) ( Figure 7-I ) STEP8: Format the other hard drive in the same way.
FOR Mac Users : STEP1: When you connect the NexStar MX Dual to a Mac with a new hard drive, the dialog "Disk Insertion" will appear. Please select "Initialize". (A formatted HDD will not display this dialog) (Figure 7-K) ( Figure 7-K ) STEP2: Select which HDD you want to erase. Individual Mode : This mode can show each hard disk as individual device.
RAID 0 Mode : Raid 0 Mode can integrate two different brands of hard drives with different capacity to a larger format hard drive. >Two hard drives of the same capacity: the total capacity is the sum of the two hard drives. >Two hard drives of the different capacity: the total capacity is the twice volume of the smaller hard drive.( Figure 7-N ) ( Figure 7-N ) STEP3: Click “Erase” at the upper right side. Select which kind of format from Volume Format.
Select how you want to use your new Volume or click “Cancel” if you want to use default settings.
8. RAID Mode Selection Jumper Selection & Storage Policy Definitions Individual Mode: This mode can show each hard disk as individual device.
JBOD Mode: This mode combines a series of physical hard drives as a single large volume; resulting in a seamless expansion of virtual volumes beyond the physical limitations of singularly connected hard drives. Hard drive A and B are combined into a single virtual volume in the figure below with a storage capacity that is equal to the sum of each of the physical hard drives A and B.
RAID 0: This mode is a combination of two physical partitions, where the data is striped between them. It presents the best data speed but no data redundancy. Two equal hard drives: The capacity is equal to the sum of both hard drives. Two unequal hard drives: The capacity is double of the smaller hard drives.
9. Disconnecting The NexStar MX DUAL NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure Windows 2000/ 2003/ XP /Vista: Mac OS: 1) Make sure all operation using the hard 1) Make sure all operation using the hard drive drive within the NexStar MX Dual has ceased. within the NexStar MX Dual has ceased. 2) Close any windows and programs pertaining 2) Close any windows and programs pertaining to the NexStar MX Dual. to the NexStar MX Dual.
10. Troubleshooting/ FAQ/ Warranty : NexStar MX – Dual 3.5” SATA HDD Enclosure 1. My computer recognizes the NexStar MX A: You are probably using a brand new hard drive. If not, then your computer may not be able to recognize the partition on the hard drive because it is damaged or not a valid format. Please refer to the section "Creating a New Partition" for information on how to create a useable partition on your drive. Dual, but it does not assign a drive letter to it ? 2.
A: Windows 98SE cannot recognize the NTFS file system. 5. Why can't Windows 98SE read my hard drive ? If you wish to use the device with Windows XP/2000 It works with Windows XP /2000 ? and Windows 98SE, you need to format the drive as FAT32 A: You have probably formatted the hard drive in the 6. Why can't I copy files larger than 4GB onto FAT32 file system. FAT32 limits the file sizes to 4GB my NexStar MX Dual ? maximum. The NTFS file system does not have this limitation.
11. Contact : Vantec Thermal Technologies 43951 Boscell Rd. Fremont, CA 94538 tel: 510-668-0368 fax: 510-668-0367 website: www.vantecusa.com Copyright © 2008 Vantec Thermal Technologies. All Right Reserved. All Registered Trademarks Belong To Their Respective Companies.