external hard drive E5 Serial ATA (SATA) User’sGuide Copyright © 2005 AcomData. All rights reserved. The AcomData name and its logos are registered trademarks of AcomData. Other trademarks mentioned or appearing in this document are the property of their respective owners. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice.
CONTENTS Important ............................................................. 1 Welcome! .............................................................. 5 Product Registration for Warranty Coverage .... 7 Precautions .......................................................... 8 Package Contents ................................................ 9 System Requirements ....................................... 10 AcomData E5 SATA Drive at a Glance ............... 11 PCI Cards at a Glance .........................
Vertical Placement .................................................................28 Horizontal Placement ...........................................................30 Connecting the Drive to Your Computer.......... 32 Naming Your Drive............................................. 34 Re-Formatting the Drive ................................... 35 Formatting the Drive in Windows XP or 2000..............37 Formatting the Drive in Windows 98SE or Me .............38 Formatting the Drive in Mac OS X...........
WELCOME! Welcome, and thank you for choosing an AcomData E5 External Hard Drive. Your AcomData E5 Drive features high-quality construction, advanced engineering, and state-of-the-art data storage technology, designed to provide years of reliable performance. The information in this guide pertains to E5 models HDxxxSE5-72-PCI. The “xxx” refers to capacity. For example, if your Drive has a capacity of 250 GB, the model number is HD250SE5-72-PCI.
Symbols used in this guide: This symbol alerts the reader to a warning or to some very important information. This symbol alerts the reader to helpful tips and other information that may be useful. The Apple logo alerts the reader to important information specific to Mac users. ��������� ������� The Windows logo alerts the reader to important information specific to Windows users.
PRODUCT REGISTRATION FOR WARRANTY COVERAGE Registration is required in the event that your product needs servicing. See “Arranging for Service” for details. Online Registration You can register online at www.acomdata.com. Once you enter the site, click on the Product Registration button and follow the instructions on screen. Advantages of Online Registration: 1. It’s fast, free, and immediate; 2. Free unlimited online technical support; 3.
PRECAUTIONS Failure to follow the following precautions may result in damage to the device, loss of data, and voiding of the warranty. • Do not touch the surface or the gold connectors of the PCI card. Always handle the card by its edges. • AcomData strongly recommends that you backup your Drive. AcomData is not responsible for data loss or corruption. AcomData will not perform data recovery. • Do not open the device or attempt to disassemble or modify it.
PACKAGE CONTENTS AcomData E5 SATA Drive & Stand Power Cable Software CD SATA Cable User’s Guide PCI Host Bus Adapter Card Molex Cable Registration Card Rubber Feet If you are missing any item listed above, please contact Customer Service at customerservice@acomdata.com, or call 800-470-4495.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ��������� ������� System Requirements for Windows PCs • Minimum 233 MHz Pentium processor or equivalent (Celeron, AMD, etc.) • Windows XP (Service Pack 1 or later), 2000 (Service Pack 3 or later), Server 2003, 98SE, or Me • 64 MB of RAM • Available 32-bit PCI expansion slot (2.2 or 2.3 compliant or 32-bit portion of a 64-bit PCI/PCI-X slot • CD/DVD drive System Requirements for Mac • Macintosh with G3 or later processor • Mac OS 10.
ACOMDATA E5 SATA DRIVE AT A GLANCE Power-Data Light Lights up blue when the Drive is powered on. Flashes red when reading or writing data. Zinc Alloy Stand Can be removed for horizontal placement or stacking of Drives. Power Switch You can turn the Drive off when you’re not using it. See “How to Safely Turn Off the Drive” for important information. SATA Port Power Port Using the supplied power cable, the Drive plugs directly into the PCI card that you install in your computer.
PCI CARDS AT A GLANCE Your AcomData E5 SATA Drive was bundled with one of the SATA PCI cards shown below. SATA E/I PCI CARD Allows you to connect one external and one internal SATA hard drive. White Power Connector Internal SATA Port Power Port Gold Connectors SATA Port SATA E PCI CARD Allows you to connect two external SATA hard drives.
FEATURES EXPLORED Serial ATA Parallel ATA technology has served computers well for about two decades. However, increasingly faster hard disk transfer rates have forced the ATA interface specification to be continuously updated to avoid becoming the limiting factor in disk I/O performance.
Hot-Pluggable You can turn the Drive on and off (and disconnect it) while your computer is running (i.e. “hot”), in order to conserve energy. 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 until you turned off your computer.
Hardware Command Queuing Queuing increases data performance, particularly when random accesses are frequent. The most noticeable performance increases are I/Os per second. The PCI card features embedded hardware support for ATA-7 Tagged Command Queuing and SATA-II Native Command Queuing. The queuing engine operates in synchronization with each attached drive for the fastest possible ordering and re-ordering with the out of sequence command operations.
SPECIFICATIONS E5 SATA External Hard Drive Model #: ...........................................................HDxxxSE5-72-PCI Physical (without stand) Dimensions: ...... 4.6” X 1.37” X 8.13”; 117 X 35 x 206.5 mm Weight ................................................................... 2.4 lbs./1.09 Kg Configuration/Performance Interface...........................................................................Serial ATA Chassis (approved/recognized) ............................
SATA PCI Host Bus Adapter Card Bandwidth: 1.5 Gbps Interface Transfer Rate: 150 MB/s Burst Transfer Rate: 264 MB/s (using a SATA RAID array) Supports two SATA Drives on independent Direct Memory Access channels RAID Level 0 and Level 1 support Built in hardware bus master engine 256 Byte data FIFO each channel Tag Command Queue support Supports 48-bit Logical Block Addressing PCI 32 bit/66 MHz interface PCI 2.
INSTALLING THE PCI CARD Accessing the PCI Slot 1. Save all your work and shut down the computer. Disconnect all cables except the power cord. Make sure you will have unobstructed access to your computer’s interior. 2. Touch the metal PCI access covers on the back of the computer to discharge any static electricity (Figure 1). To avoid generating static electricity, do not walk around the room until you have completed the installation of the PCI card. 3. Unplug the power cord. 4. Open the computer cover.
����������������� ��������������������� ��������������������� ��������������� FIGURE 2 Installing the PCI Card Do not touch the gold connectors or any of the components on the card. Handle the card by its edges. Adapter cards are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage. 1. Carefully remove the PCI card from the packaging. Handle the card by its edges. Take care not to touch the gold connectors or any of the components on the card. 2.
FIGURE 3 • Do not rock the card from side to side; press the card straight down into the slot. • Don’t force the card. If you encounter a lot of resistance, pull the card out and check the connectors and slot for damage or obstructions, then try inserting the card again. • Once the card in place, gently pull on it to see if it is properly connected. If the card stays in place and the terminals on the gold connectors are barely visible, the card is properly connected. 3.
Connect the Molex Cable ���������� ��������� ������������ ��������� ���������� ��������� FIGURE 4 1. Connect the 4-pin mini power connector of the Molex cable (Figure 4) onto the white power connector on the SATA card (Figure 5). The mini power connector is keyed so it will only plug in one way.
2. Locate a free Molex cable inside your computer. The cable would come from your computer’s power supply. Connect the male connector of the supplied Molex cable to a female connector on a Molex cable from the computer’s power supply. The female connector of the supplied Molex cable is an extra connection you can use for powering another internal device. Tuck the loose connector out of the way where it will not interfere with any internal components. 3. Check that all power connections are secure. 4.
INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE Windows Users: This software installation installs both the RAID Manager software and the driver needed to operate the Drive on Windows. Even if you never plan to set up a RAID volume, ������� you must install this software for your Drive to work. ��������� Mac Users: The RAID Manager software is compatible with Windows only, and you do not need to install a driver.
4. Read the licensing agreement. If you agree to the terms, check “I Agree” and click Next. 5. The default location for the installation is the Programs folder on your computer’s C drive. You can change the location if you wish. Click Next (Figure 7). FIGURE 7 6. When the Installation Complete screen appears, click Close, and then restart your computer. 7. After your computer restarts, the Found New Hardware Wizard will launch (Figure 8). Select “Install the Software Automatically.” Click Next. 8.
FIGURE 8 FIGURE 9 – 25 –
9. In the next screen, the Wizard will inform you that the installation is finished. Click Finish. 10. Next, the Raid Interface Installer will appear (Figure 10). Select “Install the software automatically (Recommended)” and click Next. FIGURE 10 11. On the next screen, press “Continue Anyway.” 12. Once the installation is complete, click Finish.
If you wish to verify the installation: 1. Go into My Computer––>Control Panel––> System. 2. Open Device Manager 3. Expand SCSI and RAID controllers, and check that it contains “DMI Raid Interface” and “Dura Micro SATA Raid Adapter” (Figure 11). FIGURE 11 For instructions on setting up and managing a RAID array with the RAID Manager software, see the E5 SATA Drive support page at www.acomdata.com.
SETTING UP THE DRIVE Choosing an Orientation Your AcomData E5 Drive can be placed on your desktop in either the vertical or horizontal position. If you do not plan to stack on additional E5 Drives, we recommend the vertical position, as this orientation takes up the minimum amount of desktop space. Also, the Power-Data Light will be higher up, so there is less chance it will get obstructed by other items on your desk.
the end of each screw just far enough to hold the nut to the screw. Do not tighten the nuts. 2. With both screws and nuts in place, push down on each screw head to make sure the screws extend through the holes as far as they will go. 3. Attach the stand to the Drive case by sliding the nuts through the groove in the Drive case, entering from the backside of the case. You cannot slide the stand in from the front of the case. The stand is symmetrical so it does not matter which end you insert first.
Horizontal Placement Do not discard the stand. Your Drive’s Model and Serial numbers are printed on the label affixed to the underside of the stand. In the event that you need warranty service, you will need to send us the stand along with the Drive. Removing the stand Use a screw driver with the proper type and size head to loosen the two screws located on the underside of the stand. Loosen the screws just enough so that you can easily slide the stand out of the groove.
the horizontal position, and select the appropriate side on which to affix the feet. 2. Remove one of the rubber feet from the paper backing and carefully position the foot inside one of the four oblong indentations, with the adhesive side down. Once the foot is properly positioned, press down firmly to secure it in place. Repeat for the other three feet. 4. Proceed to “Connecting the Drive to Your Computer.
CONNECTING THE DRIVE TO YOUR COMPUTER Before you install the Drive, we recommend that you restart your computer or shut it down and connect the Drive with the computer turned off. 1. The pins of the power cable’s plugs are arranged such that the plugs can be inserted only one way. Plug one end of the power cable into a power port on the PCI card. (If your PCI card has two power ports, it doesn’t matter which port you use.) If the plug will not go in, check that the orientation is correct and try again.
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NAMING YOUR DRIVE Now that your Drive has been connected and mounted to your operating system, you may want to give it a name to distinguish it from other storage devices connected to your computer. If you are going to re-format the Drive, go to “Re-Formatting the Drive” now; you will have the opportunity to name the Drive during the formatting setup process. 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 highlighted. 3.
RE-FORMATTING THE DRIVE FORMATTING A HARD DISK ERASES ALL DATA STORED ON THE DISK! BEFORE YOU FORMAT THE DRIVE, BE SURE TO SAVE A COPY OF ANY FILES YOU WISH TO KEEP TO ANOTHER STORAGE DEVICE. Your AcomData the Drive was formatted at the factory with the FAT32 file system. This makes the Drive both Mac and PC compatible right out of the box, and allows you to share files between platforms.
Mac OS 10.2 Users: Hard drives or drive partitions larger than 128 GB and formatted with FAT32/MS DOS will not mount on Mac OS 10.2. There are several ways to deal with this issue: 1) Re-format the Drive using the Mac OS Extended file system; 2) Partition the Drive so that no single partition is larger than 128 GB; 3) Upgrade to Mac OS 10.3 or later. For more information, go to http://docs.info.apple.com/article. html?artnum=107483 on the Apple web site. Users of Mac OS X v.10.
Formatting the Drive in Windows XP or 2000 1. Disable any anti-virus software you may have running. 2. Double-click on My Computer. In the My Computer window you should see the icon/letter for the Drive (labeled “External’). 3. Right-click on the Drive letter/icon and select Format… in the pop-up menu. The Format dialog box will appear. 4. Under Capacity, verify the capacity. It should be close to the stated capacity of your the Drive in Gigabytes. 5. In the File System pop-up menu, select NTFS.
Formatting the Drive in Windows 98SE or Me 1. Disable any anti-virus software you may have running. 2. Double-click on the My Computer icon. In the My Computer window you should see the icon/letter for the Drive (labeled “External”). 3. Right-click on the Drive icon/letter and select Format. In the Format window, verify the capacity; it should be close to the stated capacity of your the Drive in Megabytes. 4. Under Format type, select Full; everything else should be left at the default setting.
Formatting the Drive in Mac OS X 1. Disable any anti-virus software you may have running. 2. Launch the Disk Utility application (Applications folder ––> Utilities folder ––> Disk Utility). 3. You should see the Drive, listed in the left window as “External.” Click on the Drive listing to highlight it. Information about the Drive will appear in the Information window. 4. Click on the Erase tab. In the Erase window you will see a Volume Format pop-up menu and a Name field. 5.
HOW TO SAFELY TURN OFF THE DRIVE NEVER TURN OFF A HARD DRIVE WITHOUT FIRST UNMOUNTING IT. YOU MAY LOSE DATA OR DAMAGE THE DRIVE. The Importance of Mounting and Unmounting A hard drive requires two types of connections to "talk" to a computer: a physical connection, which is made using the interface cable, and which serves as the line of communication; and a logical connection, which allows the two devices to detect and recognize each other. Establishing the logical connection is called “mounting.
PC Users 1. In the system tray at the bottom of your screen, click the safely remove/icon (the icon with the green arrow)… On Windows 2000 and XP you will see the alert message “Safely Remove…” or “Stop…” followed by the drive letter. On Windows 98SE and Me a rectangle will appear with the name of the Drive followed by the drive letter. 2. Select the Drive. After a few seconds, Windows will give you a message that it is safe to remove the device. Click OK. The Drive will unmount.
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 hiperformance 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.
MAINTAINING YOUR DRIVE A hard drive is a very sophisticated and sensitive device that requires proper care and maintenance to ensure the longest possible life, reliable operation, and most of all, the integrity of your stored data. Backup Your Data The single most important action you can take to safeguard your valuable data is to backup the data to another storage device. There are many reasons why data stored on a hard drive can become corrupted or lost.
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 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.
Examining and Repairing a Hard Drive There are a number of reasons why a hard drive may become damaged or the data may become corrupted. Regular examination of your disk with a quality disk examination and repair utility is the best way to prevent irreparable disk damage and avoid data loss. There are several software packages available that offer a suite of disk management utilities, including defragmentation, optimization, repair, erased file recovery and more.
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. These programs are designed to seek out and eradicate viruses before they can cause damage. There are a number of good anti-virus programs on the market for both PC and Mac. Cleaning the Drive Case Always unplug all cables from the Drive before cleaning it. Clean the Drive using a soft, dry cloth.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 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. You can re-format the Drive if you wish to use a file system other than FAT32.
Q: What is the cache size on my AcomData Drive? A: All drives under 250 GB have 2MB caches; drives that are 250 GB or larger have 8MB caches. Q: Why doesn’t the Drive need a fan? A: All hard drives generate some heat during normal operation. Heat generation can be an issue with some hard drives, which is why hard drives often have big, noisy fans.
of disk space for their own purposes. The actual amount may vary depending on the operating system. 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 install an operating system, you’ll need to follow the manufacturer’s installation procedure.
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.
Troubleshooting for PC Users The power will not go on when I turn on the Drive. A: Make sure your connections are secure. My computer does not recognize the Drive. A: Make sure all of your connections are secure. Also, make sure you have all the latest updates for your operating system. 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 into sleep mode. The immediate solution is to restart your computer.
pop-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 storage 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 Create New Partition in the pop-up menu.
Troubleshooting for Mac users The power will not go on when I plug in the Drive. A: Make sure your connections are secure. When I leave my computer idle for a while and come back, my 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. The Drive feels warm when it’s powered on.
should not have this problem again. Why is my AcomData Drive asking me to initialize it? It was already formatted and it contains data. A: The file system might have become corrupted, in which case it needs to be repaired. Use disk utility software, such as Norton Utilities, to repair the disk. Periodic testing of a hard drive is recommended to keep it in good working order. I can’t transfer files larger than 2 GB. A: This is a limitation of the FAT32 file system.
ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY AcomData warrants this product (the “Product”) against defects in material or workmanship as follows: 1. LABOR: For a period of one (1) year from the original date of purchase from AcomData or its local representative supplier, AcomData will repair defective Product (or, at its option, replace with a new or recertified product) at no charge. After this 1 year period, you must pay for all labor charges. 2.
tal or consequential damages for breach of any expressed or implied warranty, breach of contract, negligence, strict liability, or any other legal theory related to this product. Such damages include, but are not limited to: loss of profits; loss of data; loss of use of the product or any associated equipment; down time and purchaser’s time. This warranty extends only to you, the original purchaser. It is not transferable to any one who subsequently purchases the Product from you.
ARRANGING FOR SERVICE If you experience a problem with your Acomdata product, please consult the troubleshooting section of this guide or contact Technical Support at techsupport@acomdata.com, or call (909) 348-0680. A knowledgeable AcomData Technical Support Specialist (TSS) will be able to help you solve most problems. If the problem cannot be resolved by Tech Support, your TSS will arrange for service. Please read the One Year Limited Warranty for terms and conditions.
HOW TO PURCHASE ACCESSORIES You can purchase accessories by contacting Customer Service at customerservice@acomdata.com. In your e-mail, please include: • your name; • phone number; • mailing address; • model number or description of item (e.g. SATA cable); • quantity per item. A Customer Service agent will contact you to complete the transaction.
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. Other trademarks mentioned or appearing in this document are the property of their respective owners.
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 Technical Support: techsupport@acomdata.com Pre-Sales Questions: sales@acomdata.
external hard drive E5 Serial ATA (SATA) User’sGuide Copyright © 2005 AcomData. All rights reserved. The AcomData name and its logos are registered trademarks of AcomData. Other trademarks mentioned or appearing in this document are the property of their respective owners. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice.
