Hi-Performance Hard Drives with PushButton™ Backup Hi-Performance Hard Drives external hardUser’s drives Guide E5
IMPORTANT 1) Retain the bill of sale from the purchase of your AcomData product. A copy of the bill of sale is needed in the event that you require warranty service. 2) Please write the Model and Serial numbers of your AcomData product in the spaces provided below. (The Model and Serial numbers are printed on the UPC label affixed to the bottom of the box. They are also printed on the label affixed to the underside of the Drive’s stand.
Contents Important ............................................................................ 1 AcomData Contact Information ........................................ 4 Welcome! ............................................................................. 5 Product Registration for Warranty Coverage ................... 7 Online Registration ......................................................................................... 7 Mail-in Registration........................................................
AcomData Contact Information Address: 3410 Pomona Blvd. Pomona, CA 91768 Telephone: (909) 348-0680 Fax: (909) 598-8663 Web Site: www.acomdata.com Customer Service: customerservice@acomdata.com Welcome! Welcome, and thank you for choosing an AcomData E5 External Hard Drive. Your AcomData E5 Drive features highquality construction, advanced engineering, and state-of-the-art data storage technology, designed to provide years of reliable performance.
If you have a Drive with PushButton Backup… Please follow the instructions in this guide first. Then refer to the PushButton Backup User’s Guide for information on setting up and using PushButton Backup. Symbols used in this guide: THIS SYMBOL ALERTS THE READER TO A WARNING OR TO SOME VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION. ��������� ������� THE APPLE LOGO ALERTS THE READER TO IMPORTANT INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO MAC USERS. THIS SYMBOL ALERTS THE READER TO THE USB 2.
Precautions Package Contents Failure to follow the precautions below may result in damage to the device, loss of data, and voiding of the warranty. • If using your AcomData product as a general-purpose storage device (as opposed to a backup device) AcomData strongly recommends that you backup the files stored on the device. AcomData is not responsible for data loss or corruption; nor will AcomData perform recovery of lost data or files. • Do not open the device or attempt to disassemble or modify it.
��������� ������� System Requirements for PC System Requirements for Mac • Minimum 233 MHz processor (Pentium, Celeron, AMD, etc.) • Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP • Available data port: - USB 2.0 users: USB port - FireWire 400 users: 6-pin FireWire port - FireWire 800 users: 9-pin FireWire port • PushButton Backup requires 128 MB of RAM • Power Macintosh (G5, G4, G3, iBook, PowerBook or iMac) • Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X • Available data port: - USB 2.
AcomData E5 Drives at a Glance (Front View) AcomData E5 Drives at a Glance (Back Panel) Actual layout may not be exactly as shown. PushButton Drives USB 2.0 Drives PushButton Lights up blue when the Drive is powered on. Flashes red when reading or writing data. Press to run a PushButton Backup (Requires installation of the PushButton Backup software. See the PushButton Backup User’s Guide for details.) FireWire Drives Power Switch Power Switch USB 2.
AcomData E5 Features Explored If you have a PushButton Drive, refer to the PushButton Backup User’s Guide for a description of PushButton Backup. FireWire (FireWire-equipped Drives only) FireWire is a serial data input/output technology developed by Apple Computer and Texas Instruments. The first FireWire standard was approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1995. Data transfers at up to 800 Mbps (100 MB/s) FireWire 400 can transmit data at up to 400 Mbps (50 MB/s).
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (USB 2.0-equipped Drives only) USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an interface technology for the serial transmission of digital data. The original standard (USB 1) could transmit data at speeds of up to 12 Mbps. USB 2.0 has a maximum throughput of 480 Mbps (60 Megabytes/s) –– that’s up to 40 times faster than USB 1. USB is a host-dependent technology, meaning USB devices need the computer to facilitate and manage communications between devices.
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. Heat generation can be an issue with some hard drives, which is why hard drives often have big, noisy fans.
FireWire 800 ...................................................................................800 Data buffer (MB) .............................2 (@< 250 GB), 8 (@≥ 250 GB) Rotational speed (rpm) ................................................................ 7200 Latency (average ms) ......................................................................4.17 Seek time (read typical, ms) ........................................................... 8.5 Error rate (nonrecoverable) ...........................
Vertical Placement Horizontal Placement Most likely, your Drive was packaged with the zinc alloy stand attached to the Drive case, so you can place the Drive on your desktop vertically right out of the box. However, if the stand was not already attached, follow the steps below: Do not discard the stand. Your Drive’s Model and Serial numbers are printed on the label affixed to the underside of the stand.
Connecting the Drive to Your Computer �������� ����������� ���������� 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 warranty. ���������� �������������� Windows 98SE Users with PushButton Drives ���������� ������������ You will need your Windows 98SE CD-ROM and the AcomData Software CD, which contains the USB 2.0 driver.
Mounting a FireWireConnected Drive 2. On the next screen (Figure 2), select “Install the software automatically (Recommended).” Click Next. Mac Users: Once the Drive has been properly connected and powered on, it should mount to your Desktop. Windows 2000/XP Users: Once the Drive has been properly connected and powered on, you should see a new hard drive icon with a new drive letter in My Computer/Windows Explorer. If your computer displays the Found New Hardware Wizard, follow the steps below. 1.
Mounting a USB-Connected Drive Mac Users: Once the Drive has been properly connected and powered on, it should mount to your Desktop. Windows 2000/XP Users: Once the Drive has been properly connected and powered on, you should see a new hard drive icon with a new drive letter in My Computer/Windows Explorer. Windows Me Users: Once the Drive has been properly connected and powered on, you should see a new hard drive icon with a new drive letter in My Computer/Windows Explorer.
4. In the next screen, select “Specify a location” and in the text field type: C:\ and then click Next (Figure 5). 11. In the next screen, select “Specify a location” and in the text field type: C:\ and then click Next. 12. You will then see the message: “Windows is now ready to install the best driver for the USB Human Interface Device…” Click Next. 13. You will be prompted to insert your Windows 98 Second Edition CD (Figure 6). Insert your Windows 98SE CD into the CD drive, and then click Next.
Windows 98SE Users with non-PushButton Drives: Naming Your Drive 1. After the Drive has been properly connected and turned on, the Add New Hardware Wizard should appear with the message: “Found New Hardware --> USB 2.0 Storage Adapter.” Click Next. 2. You will then see the message: “What do you want Windows to do?” with two options. Select “Search for the best driver for your device (Recommended).” Click Next. 3. In the next window that appears, check the box labeled CD-ROM drive and insert the USB 2.
Re-Formatting the Drive FORMATTING A HARD DRIVE ERASES ALL DATA STORED ON THE DRIVE! BEFORE YOU FORMAT THE DRIVE, BE SURE TO SAVE A COPY OF ANY FILES YOU WISH TO KEEP TO ANOTHER STORAGE DEVICE. Your AcomData E5 Drive was formatted at the factory with the FAT32 file system. This makes the Drive both PC and Mac compatible right out of the box, and allows you to share files between platforms.
Formatting the Drive in Windows 2000 or XP Formatting the Drive in Windows 98SE or Me 1. Disable any anti-virus software you may have running in the background. 2. Double-click on My Computer/Explorer. In the My Computer/Explorer window you should see the icon and drive letter for the AcomData Drive. (If you are not sure which drive letter represents the AcomData Drive, turn it off and see which one of the icons disappears. Then turn on the Drive and wait for the drive letter to reappear.) 3.
Formatting the Drive in Mac OS X Formatting the Drive in Mac OS 9 1. Disable any anti-virus software you may have running in the background. 2. Launch the Disk Utility application (Applications folder > Utilities folder > Disk Utility). The Disk Utility window will open with a small window at left and a larger window with a series of tabs at the top. 3. You should see the Drive listed in the left window. Click on the Drive to highlight it. Information about the Drive will appear in the Information window.
Using Your Drive for Routine Tasks Opening files and folders (All Users) How to Safely Dismount & Turn Off the Drive NEVER TURN OFF A HARD DRIVE WITHOUT DISMOUNTING IT FIRST. YOU MAY LOSE DATA OR DAMAGE THE DRIVE. 1. Double-click on the Drive icon. A window showing the files and folders stored on the Drive will appear. 2. Double-click on the file or folder that you want to open.
Stacking Drives Even with the large storage capacities offered by AcomData External Hard Drives, as your storage needs grow, one Drive may not be enough. We designed our E5 Drives to be stackable so that you can add more hi-performance data storage without taking up any more desktop space. For this section we assume that you already have an E5 Drive installed on your system, and that the Drive is placed in the horizontal position. 1.
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 fragmented file that is scattered in several places on the disk. Over time, as more and more files are erased and new files are added, the data on the drive becomes increasingly fragmented.
Frequently Asked Questions Q: Can I use my Drive on two computers at the same time? A: No. The Drive can only be used with one computer at a time. If you connect the Drive to two computers at the same time, you may damage the Drive and the computers. Q: Do I have to format my AcomData Drive prior to using it? A: No. All AcomData Drives are formatted at the factory with the FAT32 file system, making them compatible with all supported platforms right out of the box.
are performing tasks that require large, frequent data transfers. FireWire 800 is significantly faster than both USB 2.0 and FireWire 400. Q: Why doesn’t the FireWire cable fit my FireWire port? A: The supplied FireWire cable uses either 6-pin or 9-pin connectors at both ends, but many laptops have a 4-pin FireWire port. In order to connect the Drive to your laptop via FireWire, you will need to purchase a cable with a 4-pin connector at one end.
Troubleshooting If you experience a problem with your AcomData product, you should take the following actions in the order specified: 1. Make sure you followed all of the instructions in this guide properly. 2. Consult the Troubleshooting sections of this guide. 3. If the issue you are having is still not resolved, please contact Technical Support using one of the following options: a) via the online Technical Support form at our web site, www.acomdata.com; b) via e-mail at techsupport@acomdata.
Drive using the FAT32 file system. If reformatting the AcomData Drive and you do not need Mac compatibility, Windows 2000/XP users should use the NTFS files system. If the driver listed is “USB Authoring Support” or “Toast USB Support”, disable this Extension(s) in the Extensions Manager, as they can cause a conflict with the Drive. After I connected the Drive to my PC, I got the following alert message: “Hi-Speed USB device plugged into nonHi-Speed USB Hub.
the Desktop. (Refer to the manual that came with your Mac for instructions on how to rebuild the Desktop. It is good practice to periodically rebuilt the Desktop anyway.) After your Mac reboots, the AcomData Drive should mount normally and you should not have this problem again. Glossary I set up my AcomData Drive on Mac OS 9 and it was working fine. Then when I upgraded to Mac OS X my computer asked me to re-initialize the Drive.
Hub – A device which links peripherals together onto the same data bus. One Year Limited Warranty Interface – Junction between two items of hardware or software for the exchange of data. AcomData warrants this product (the “Product”) against defects in material or workmanship as follows: Mb (Megabit) – One million bits. 1.
down time and purchaser’s time. What you need in order to obtain warranty service: This warranty extends only to you, the original purchaser. It is not transferable to any one who subsequently purchases the Product from you. Proof of purchase in the form of a bill of sale (which is evidence that the Product is within the warranty period) must be presented to obtain warranty service.
Notices COPYRIGHTS Copyright © 2005 AcomData. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of AcomData. TRADEMARKS The AcomData name and its logos are registered trademarks of AcomData. Retrospect is a registered trademark of EMC corporation.
Microsoft Windows Copyright © 2005 AcomData. All rights reserved. The AcomData name and its logos are registered trademarks of AcomData. Retrospect is a registered trademark of EMC corporation. Other trademarks mentioned or appearing in this document are the property of their respective owners. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice.
