PRODUCT MANUAL Portable Dual-Drive Storage System g-technology.
Table Table of Contents Welcome to G-RAID mini Table of Contents Safety & General Use Safety Precautions......................................4 Backup Your Data.......................................5 About Your G-RAID mini Introduction.................................................7 What’s in the Box .......................................8 Overview of the Drive ..............................9 System Requirements............................ 10 Disconnect the Drive .............................
Safety & General Use Safety Precautions ...................................... p.4 • Backup Your Data ........................................ p.
health Safety & General Use Safety Precautions G-RAID mini’s warranty may be void as a result of the failure to respect the precautions listed here. If you detect a problem with your drive, please contact our Technical Support department. If the product is returned with damage caused by improper handling, the warranty will be void and liability will rest with the user. Please read our Limited Warranty. • Servicing: Your drive contains no user-serviceable parts.
backup Safety & General Use Backup Your Data The disk drive contained in your G-RAID mini is a delicate electronic instrument and is susceptible to damage due to excessive physical shock. Under no circumstances will G-Technology be held liable for the recovery or restoration of lost data. Any loss, corruption or destruction of data while using a G-Technology drive is the sole responsibility of the user.
About Your G-RAID mini • • • • • Introduction ............................................... What’s in the Box .................................... Overview of the Drive ............................. System Requirements ............................. Disconnect the Drive .............................. p.7 p.8 p.9 p.10 p.
intro About Your G-RAID mini Introduction Thank you for purchasing the G-RAID mini from G-Technology. The G-RAID mini hard drive is a high-speed, low-cost portable RAID designed specifically for professional content creation applications. G-RAID mini features either RAID 0 (performance) or RAID 1 (protected) operation, and high-speed USB 3.0 and FireWire interface. G-RAID mini is the ideal portable storage solution for safe-guarding content transferred from professional tapeless video cameras.
inbox About Your G-RAID mini What’s in the Box The following items are included in the box: • G-RAID mini • (1) USB 3.0 cable (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) • (2) FireWire cables (800; 800 to 400) • Portable carrying case • External DC Power Supply If any items are missing, please contact G-Technology at g-technology.com/support or call (888) 426-5214. p.
overview About Your G-RAID mini Overview of the Drive This diagram shows the helpful features of your G-RAID mini. There is a Power & Activity LED and a Yellow Drive Failure LED on the front of the unit. (On some models the Drive Failure LED may be RED.) There is a heat-sink and cooling fan on the bottom. Read about LEDs. On the rear of the drive is a high speed USB 3.0 port, two FireWire 800 ports and a DC Power In Connector. p.
disconnect About Your G-RAID mini System Requirements G-RAID mini supports the folllowing Operating Systems. The drive is set up at the factory for use with Mac OS® X systems, and formatted as ‘HFS+ with Journaling’. • Mac OS 10.5 or higher • Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 Disconnect the Drive A great feature of G-RAID mini is its ability to connect and disconnect while your computer is running.
Using Your Drive on Mac Easy Installation for Mac ......................... p.12 • Optimize its Performance ....................... p.13 • Activity & Failure LEDs ............................ p.
install Using Your Drive on Mac Easy Installation for Mac G-RAID mini attaches to your computer via a USB 3.0, or one of two FireWire 800 ports. FireWire 400 connectivity is handled by a 9 to 6 pin cable (included). Choose the connection appropriate for your system and connect G-RAID mini with the matching supplied cable. The unit is bus powered via FireWire so no AC power is needed. However, if no FireWire power is available, the included power supply can be used.
optimize Using Your Drive on Mac Optimize its Performance G-RAID mini can be connected to any Mac or Windows machine equipped with a USB 3.0 port, FireWire 800, or FireWire 400. For maximum performance, G-RAID mini should be connected via USB 3.0 or FireWire 800. Activity & Failure LEDs G-RAID mini contains LEDs that describe the following operations: System Boot Up, System Activity, Disk Activity and Disk Drive Failure. The following table explains the meaning of each combination of LEDs on the drive.
Using RAID Modes Supported RAID Modes ....................... p.15 • The Configurator Utility ........................ p.16 • Configure the RAID Mode .................... p.
raid01 Using RAID Modes Supported RAID Modes G-RAID mini ships from the factory in RAID 0 mode, and for use with Mac OS X systems. The drive can be configured in RAID 0 (Performance) mode or RAID 1 (Protected) mode. The following table explains the advantages and disadvantages for each RAID level. To change the RAID mode of the G-RAID mini, follow the steps in Configure the RAID Mode. RAID 0 (Performance) G-RAID mini ships in RAID 0 (Performance) mode.
configure Using RAID Modes The Configurator Utility The G-Technology Configurator is used to change the RAID level of your G-RAID mini. You can use either USB 3.0 or FireWire 800 with Configurator. The utility is available on the enclosed CD or you can download it from the G-Technology website at http://www.g-technology/support If you download the Configurator, you should launch it directly from the mounted Disk Image.
Using RAID Modes 2. Click on the Continue button. A window will appear telling you that Configurator is searching for the G-RAID mini. 3. Once the utility finds your G-RAID mini, the following window will appear. Select the RAID 1 (Protected) or RAID 0 (Performance) radio button. Then click the Configure button to continue. 4. Two Warning windows will appear, letting you know that the following step will erase all of your data. Click the OK/Yes buttons to continue. p.
Using RAID Modes 5. A window will appear telling you the configuration is in progress. The next window will confirm that your G-RAID mini is configured in RAID 1 or 0 mode. 6. Changing the RAID mode of G-RAID mini will require you to re-initialize the disk with the Disk Utility application. The Disk Insertion dialog below should appear. Click the Initialize button to launch Disk Utility. Go here for the simple steps to initialize G-RAID mini for use with Mac.
Maintenance for Your Drive Initialize Drive for Mac ........................... p.20 • Restore the Drive Icon ............................ p.23 • Reformat with Partitions ......................... p.
initialize Maintenance for Your Drive Initialize Drive for Mac G-RAID mini was factory-formatted for use or ‘initialized’ for Mac OS X. You can reinitialize if you¹d like to quickly erase the contents of the drive, or if you reconfigure the RAID mode. Here are the steps. 1. First, open the Disk Utility program. This application is located on your hard drive under Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. The window below will appear. Your G-RAID mini will be displayed in the left-hand column. 2.
format Maintenance for Your Drive 4. Choose the Format option that you prefer. • Mac OS Extended (Journaled): Use this format if you intend to use the drive for Time Machine or to create a separate bootable installation of OS X. • Mac OS Extended: Use this format for best performance and media storage. To select, click the Format pop-up and its option to Mac OS Extended. 5. Click the Erase button in the lower right corner of the window.
Maintenance for Your Drive WARNING: THIS NEXT STEP WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE. 6. Click on the Erase button to continue. A progress bar in the lower right corner of the window will show the progress of the disk’s reformatting. 7. After the drive is reinitialized, you should automatically see the Time Machine dialog box. • Click the Use as Backup Disk button if you want to use the drive with Time Machine.
restore Maintenance for Your Drive Restore the Drive Icon If the G-RAID mini drive icon was erased during the reinitializing process (see previous section), you can restore the icon with the following easy steps. NOTE: This process is not required for the operation of G-RAID mini. However, it will make your drive’s appearance on the computer desktop look nicer and more accurate. 1. To get the G-Technology icon package, go to www.g-technology.com/support and navigate to your product.
Maintenance for Your Drive 4. Select the G-RAID mini icon on your desktop and press Command+I. This opens its Get Info window. (below left) 5. Select the default icon in the Get Info window. (below left) 6. Press Command+V to paste the custom G-RAID mini icon into the Get Info window. (below right) The icon for your G-RAID mini has been restored and you can close the Get Info window. Your drive is now fully ready for use! p.
multiple Maintenance for Your Drive Reformat with Partitions ‘Partitioning’ a hard drive is the process of dividing a hard drive into separate, discrete sections called ‘volumes’. Each volume works like a separate disk. You can create up to 16 different partitions on a hard drive in OS X and each partition can be a different size and format. With hard drives getting bigger, it is useful to partition your hard drive so sections of its space can be used for different purposes.
Maintenance for Your Drive 2. Select the FireWire or USB icon – not the G-Technology drive icon – by clicking it in the left-side column. 3. Click on the Partition button in the main window. 4. Select the number of partitions you would like from the Volume Scheme menu. Below, we have selected ‘2 Partitions’ to create two partitions. p.
Maintenance for Your Drive 5. Click on the first partition in the Volume Scheme area. Your partition will be highlighted by a blue bounding box. • In the Name field, type a name for the partition. • From the Format menu, choose your desired disk format. If you will use your drive primarily on Mac OSX, it is recommended to use Mac OS Extended or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). For info about formats, go here. • In the Size field, type in a size for the partition.
Maintenance for Your Drive 8. Click on the Partition button to continue. A progress bar in the lower right corner of the window will show you the progress of the disk’s reformatting. 9. When partitioning is complete, the multiple partitions will be displayed in the left-hand panel of Disk Utility. 10. Quit the Disk Utility program. After reinitializing the drive, the custom icon for the G-Technology drive has been erased.
Using Your Drive on Windows Windows Use ............................................... p.30 • Cross Platform Use .................................... p.
winuse Using Your Drive on Windows Windows Use G-RAID mini is set up at the factory for use with Mac OS X systems. A simple initialization will prepare your drive for use with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 systems. For helpful information on configuring and using your drive with Windows, please visit www.g-technology.com/support p.
crossplat Using Your Drive on Windows Cross Platform Use You can set up G-RAID mini for use on both Windows and Mac system by formatting the drive as ‘FAT32’. To do this, use the Disk Utility application and format the drive to MS-DOS (FAT), also known as FAT32. 1. First, open the Disk Utility program. This application is located on your hard drive under Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. The window below will appear. Your G-RAID mini will be displayed in the left-hand column. 2.
Using Your Drive on Windows 4. Select MS-DOS File System from the Format pop-up menu. This will format to FAT32. NOTE: You may need to rename the drive because FAT32 does not support more than 11 letters in the drive name. WARNING: THIS NEXT STEP WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE. 5. Click the Erase button in the lower right corner of the window. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to erase the G-RAID mini partition. p.
Using Your Drive on Windows 5. Click the Erase button. A progress bar in the lower right corner of the window will show the progress of the disk’s reformatting. Your drive will be formatted to its full capacity as FAT32. 6. Quit the Disk Utility program. You are finished! 7. After reinitializing, the custom icon for the G-RAID mini will be erased. No icons are available for FAT32. With this format, you will be able to read/write on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 and on Mac OS X machines.
Support & Warranty Technical Support ..................................... p.35 • Limited Warranty ...................................... p.36 • Copyright ..................................................... p.
techsupp Support & Warranty Technical Support Thank you for purchasing G-RAID mini. If you have any comments or questions about this manual or the product, please let us know! G-Technology appreciates and values its customers, striving to give you the finest service and support. If you encounter any difficulties while installing or using G-RAID mini, please contact G-Technology Technical Support at g-technology.com/support.
warranty Support & Warranty Limited Warranty HGST, a Western Digital Company (“HGST”) Including G-Technology for External Hard Disk Drives What does this limited warranty cover? This Limited Warranty applies to new HGST products purchased from an authorized HGST dealer by the original purchaser for normal use and not for resale. HGST warrants that a covered product is free from defects in materials and workmanship, with the exceptions stated below.
Support & Warranty What must you do? If you are having trouble with a product, before seeking limited warranty service, first follow the troubleshooting procedures that HGST or your reseller provides. To obtain limited warranty service, you must first obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) and ship-to address by contacting G-Technology at http://www.g-technology.com/support. Please follow the instructions found on the website.
copyright Support & Warranty CAPACITY DEFINITION AND DISCLAIMER For G-Technology products 1TB or greater: “One gigabyte (GB) is equal to one billion bytes and one terabyte (TB) equals 1,000 GB (one trillion bytes). Accessible capacity will vary from the stated capacity due to formatting and partitioning of the hard drive, the computer’s operating system, and other factors” For G-Technology products less than 1TB: “One gigabyte (GB) is equal to one billion bytes when referring to hard drive capacity.
