Acomdata HDXXXU2E3-XX User Manual

User’s Guide

For the AcomData

USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

Windows & Mac

Please retain
this guide for
future reference.

CONTENTS

AcomData Contact Information ................................. 2

Welcome ................................................................ 3

Product Registration for Warranty Coverage ............ 3

Precautions ............................................................ 4

Parts & Accessories List .......................................... 5

System Requirements .............................................. 6

About USB 2.0 ........................................................ 7

AcomData External Hard Drive at a Glance ................ 8

Technical Specifications ............................................ 9

Connecting the Drive to Your Computer ................... 10

Installing the USB 2.0 CD (Windows 98SE/ME) ...... 11

Formatting Your AcomData External Hard Drive ....... 12

Formatting the Drive in Windows 98SE/ME .............. 13

Formatting the Drive in Windows 2000/XP ............... 14

Formatting the Drive in Mac OS 9 .......................... 14

Formatting the Drive in Mac OS 10 ......................... 15

How to safely dismount and turn off your

AcomData External Hard Drive ............................... 17

Using Your Drive ................................................... 18

Maintaining Your Drive ........................................... 19

Troubleshooting /

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ........................ 21

Solving Technical Problems ..................................... 25

Glossary ............................................................... 26

One Year Limited Warranty .................................. 27

Notices ................................................................ 28

1

ACOMDATA

WELCOME

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address:

3410 Pomona Blvd.
Pomona, CA 91768

Telephone:

[phone]

Fax:

[phone]

Web Site:

www.acomdata.com

Customer Service:

[e-mail]

Technical Support:

[e-mail]

Pre-Sales Questions:

[e-mail]

Welcome, and thank you
for purchasing an AcomData
External Hard Drive. The informa­tion in this User’s Guide pertains to
USB 2.0 External Hard Drive models HDxxxU2E3-72. The
“xxx” in the model number refers to Drive capacity. For
example, if you have a 160 GB Drive, the model number of
your Drive is HD160U2E3-72.

This guide contains very important information for the prop­er installation, use and care of your Drive. Please read this
guide carefully before installing your Drive, and retain it for
future reference.

PRODUCT REGISTRATION

FOR WARRANTY COVERAGE

Please take a few moments to register your AcomData
product. Registration is required in the event that your
product needs warranty service. Also, please retain your
product’s sales receipt; a copy of the sales receipt is also
required to attain warranty service.

2

Two ways to register:

1. Fill out and return the Warranty Registration Card
included in the package;

2. Register your AcomData product online at www.
acomdata.com. To register, click on the Customer
Support button and follow the instructions.

Online registration entitles you to free online support
services, including online tech support and customized
software updates.

3

PRECAUTIONS

PARTS &

Please follow the precautions listed below. Failure to do
so may cause damage to the device and void the war­ranty.

• Read this User’s Guide carefully and follow the correct
procedures for installing and using the device.

• Do not open the device or attempt to disassemble or
modify it. If it appears to be malfunctioning, contact
AcomData Technical Support.

• Never expose the device to rain or use it near water or in
damp or wet conditions.

• Never place containers containing liquids onto the device.
This can damage the device and increase the risk of elec­tric shock, short-circuiting, fire or personal injury.

• Make sure that the computer and the device are electri­cally grounded. If the device has a three-prong (grounded)
plug, never plug the device into a two-prong outlet.

• Do not expose the device to temperatures outside the
range of 5° C to 55° C (41° F to 131° F). Doing so may
damage the device or disfigure its casing.

• Do not use a third-party AC adapter or power cord.

• Do not bump, jar or drop the device as this may damage
it or result in loss of data.

• Do not try to stand the device on its side.

ACCESSORIES LIST

The package should contain the following items:

• AcomData USB 2.0* External Hard Drive

• USB 2.0 cable (compatible with USB 1.x)

• AC adapter and power cord

• USB 2.0 Installation CD
(required for Windows 98SE and ME only)

• User’s Guide

• Warranty Registration Card

* USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.x. However, if you
connect the Drive to a USB 1.x port, it will operate at USB 1.x
speeds (up to 12 Mbps, rather than up to 480 Mbps).

If you are missing any items listed above, please contact
Customer Service:

- E-mail: [e-mail]

- Telephone: [phone].

Please retain a copy of your receipt. You will need it if
warranty repair service is required in the future.

• Do not disconnect any cables with the device powered on.

• AcomData highly recommends that you regularly back-up
the files stored on your hard drive(s). AcomData is not
responsible for any data loss, nor will AcomData perform
any recovery of lost data or files.

4

5

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

ABOUT USB 2.0

System Requirement for PC

• 233 MHz Pentium or equivalent processor, or faster

• Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP

• 32 MB RAM

• Available USB port

Windows 98 users:

Windows 98 First Edition does not support USB 2.0. The
Drive will operate at USB 1.x speeds on Windows First
Edition.

Windows XP users:

In order to use the USB 2.0 connection, you must have at
least Service Pack 1 for Windows XP. Otherwise the Drive
will operate at USB 1.x speeds.

System Requirements for Mac

• Power Macintosh

(G5, G4, Blue & White G3, iBook or iMac)

• Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X

• Available USB port

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 – up to
40 times faster than USB 1. USB is a host-based technol­ogy, meaning USB devices need to be connected to a com­puter––either directly or indirectly via a hub––in order to
communicate with each other.

Data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps

480 Mbps is equivalent to 60 megabytes per second. Put
another way, it is possible to transfer a full gigabyte of data in just
under 18 seconds. However, 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 typi­cally requires the use of one or more hubs: each hub can accom­modate several USB devices.

Master-slave architecture

The computer dictates data flow to, from, and between attached
devices.

Cable length up to 5 m

Mac OS 9 Users:

• We recommended using the latest version (OS 9.2.2).

You can download the updates you need at http://docs.
info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75288.

• Mac OS 9 does not support USB 2.0. The Drive will oper-

ate at USB 1.x speeds on OS 9. Mac OS 9 requires USB
Mass Storage Support version 1.3.5 or later. You can
download the latest update at http://docs.info.apple.com/
article.html?artnum=60394.

6

On-bus power up to 2.5 W

Suitable for low-power-consumption devices such as flash card
readers.

Plug & Play

You do not need to assign ID numbers, or connect terminators.
On most operating system you do not need to install drivers.

Hot-swappable

Devices can be added and removed while the computer is run­ning. Also, you can turn off the device when not needed, in order
to conserve electricity.

7

THE ACOMDATA
USB 2.0 EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

AT A GLANCE

Data/Power
indicator light

• Lights green when the
Drive is powered on

• Flashes red when the
Drive is reading or writ­ing data

USB 2.0 port
Power switch
AC adapter power port

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Configuration

Interface .......................................................................USB 2.0

Recording Zone ......................................................................31

Max areal density (Gbits/sq. inch) .........................................29.7

Max recording density (BPI) ...................................................547

Track Density .........................................................................54

Performance

Data Buffer (MB) ......................................................................2

Rotational speed (rpm) ........................................................7200

Latency (average ms) ...........................................................4.17

Interface transfer (max Mbps) ................................................480

Seek time (read typical, ms) .................................................. <8.5

Reliability

Error Rate (nonrecoverable) .........................................1 in 10E13

Start/Stops (at 40º C ...........................................................40K

Power

Requirement ............................ +5VDC (+/- 5%) +12VDC (+/- 5%)

Startup Current (max A) ................................................ 2.0 (12V)

Idle (W) ................................................................................4.9

Effeciency (watts/MB). .......................................................0.114

Power Supply

External Power Supply ......................... 40W switching UL/CSA/CE

AC Input ............................................100-240V~, 50/60Hz 1.5A

DC output .................................................12V@3.33A 40W Max

Stackable Case

If you need more storage,
you can install additional
AcomData External Hard
Drives without taking up more
desktop space. The case is
designed for precise, secure
stacking.

8

Physical

Height (mm/in) ............................................................40.3/1.6

Width (mm/in) ..............................................................140/5.6

Depth (mm/in) ..............................................................210/8.5

Weight (g/kg) ...........................................................1190/1.19

Chassis (approved/recognized) .................................... FCC/CE/UL

Environmental characteristics (operating)

Ambient temperature ..................................................5ºC – 55ºC

Relative humidity (non-condensing) ................................. 8% – 90%

Maximum wet bulb (non-condensing) .................................. 29.4ºC

Shock (half sine wave) ................................................. 55 G/2ms

Vibration (random [RMS]) ...............0.67 (horizontal), 0.56 (vertical)

9