Acomdata EXTERNAL E5 HARD DRIVE USB 2.0 User manual

Copyright © 2006 AcomData. All rights reserved. The AcomData
name and its logos are registered trademarks of Dura Micro, Inc.
Other trademarks mentioned or appearing in this document are
the property of their respective owners. Prices and specifications
are subject to change without notice.
M-HDXXXUPE5-74-V1E
USER’S GUIDE
EXTERNAL
HARD DRIVE
E5
HI-SPEED USB 2.0

1. Please retain the bill of sale from the purchase of your
AcomData product. A copy of the bill of sale will be
needed in the event that the product requires warranty
service.
2. Please fill in the information requested below. You will
need this information at hand for product registration
and in the event that the product requires service. (See
“Obtaining Service” for more information.) The Model
and Serial numbers are printed on the label affixed to the
underside of the Drive's stand.
Model Number:________________________________________
Serial Number:_________________________________________
Date of Purchase:_______________________________________
Name of Reseller:___________________________________
Important

2
Address: 3410 Pomona Blvd.,
Pomona, CA 91768
Telephone: [phone]
Fax:[phone]
Web Site: www.acomdata.com
Customer
Service: [e-mail]
Technical
Support: [email protected]
Pre-Sales
Questions: [email protected]
Contact AcomData

3
1 Important
2 Contact AcomData
Introduction
8 Welcome
10 Precautions
11 Package Contents
12 Product Registration for Warranty Coverage
14 System Requirements for Windows
16 System Requirements for Mac
Getting to Know Your AcomData Drive
20 The Drive at a Glance
21 The Drive In-Depth
21 About Hi-Speed USB 2.0
22 CD + SecureHD
23 Password Security
25 PushButton™ Backup
25 Synchronization (Sync)
26 Mac & PC Ready
Contents

4
26 Hot-Pluggable
27 Fanless Design
27 On-Off Switch
28 Technical Specifications
Drive Installation & Setup
30 Setting Up the Drive
30 Choosing an Orientation (Vertical or Horizontal)
30 Vertical Placement
32 Horizontal Placement
34 Installing the USB 2.0 Driver
35 Connecting the Drive
Using Password Security
40 Password Security for Windows
40 Changing the Password
41 Disabling Password Security
42 Enabling Password Security
44 Password Security for Mac
44 Installing the SecureHD Login Software
45 Changing the Password
46 Disabling Password Security
47 Enabling Password Security

5
49 What if you forget your password?
Using & Maintaining Your Drive
52 How to Properly Turn Off and Disconnect the Drive
54 Naming the HD Partition
56 Re-Formatting the HD Partition
56 About Formatting and File Systems
58 Choosing a File System
59 Formatting the HD Partition in Windows XP or 2000
60 Formatting the HD Partition in Windows Me or 98SE
61 Formatting the HD Partition in Mac OS X
62 Performing Routine Tasks
63 Maintaining your Drive
63 Defragmenting and Optimizing a Hard Drive
64 Examining and Repairing a Hard Drive
65 Protecting Your Data from Viruses
65 Cleaning the Drive Case
66 Stacking Drives
Help & Other Information
68 Troubleshooting & Tech Support
69 Troubleshooting for Windows Users
72 Troubleshooting for Mac Users

75 Obtaining Service
76 Frequently Asked Questions
80 Glossary of Terms
83 One Year Limited Warranty
85 Notices

Introduction

8
Welcome, and thank you for choosing an
AcomData E5 External Hard Drive.
Your AcomData Drive features high-qual-
ity construction, advanced engineering,
and state-of-the-art data storage tech-
nology, designed to provide years of reli-
able, user-friendly performance.
Your AcomData Drive is furnished with two guides:
1) this Hard Drive User's Guide, and;
2) a PDF* PushButton Backup User's Guide, located on the
Drive's CD partition (more on the CD partition later).
* Viewing PDF Documents requires ADobe AcrobAt or ADobe reADer V. 5 or lAter. You cAn
DownloAD ADobe reADer For Free At: www.ADobe.com/ProDucts/AcrobAt/reADsteP2.html
This User's Guide will help you set up your Drive as a high-per-
formance data storage device, complete with robust, portable
Password Security (if desired). Please read this guide carefully
and retain it for future reference.
If you want to use PushButton™ Backup or Synchronization, please follow the
instructions in this guide first; then refer to the PushButton™ Backup User’s
Guide.
Welcome

9
Symbols used in this guide:
Alerts the reAder to A
wArning or importAnt
informAtion.
indicAtes Ahelpful tip or
other useful informAtion.
Alerts the reAder to
importAnt informAtion About
usb-relAted issues.
indicAtes informAtion
specific to mAc users.
indicAtes informAtion
specific to windows users.

10
Please follow the precautions listed below. Not doing so may result in damage to the
device, loss of data, and voiding of the warranty.
• If using this device for general-purpose storage, we strongly
recommend 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 attempt to open, disassemble, or modify the device.
• Do not expose the device to damp or wet conditions.
• Never place containers of liquids on the device. This can damage
the device and increase the risk of electric shock, short-circuiting,
fire, or personal injury.
• Do not expose this device to temperatures outside the range of
5°C to 35°C when the device is in operation, and -20ºC to 60ºC
when not in operation.
• Do not use a third-party AC adapter or power cord.
• Do not bump, jar or drop the device.
• Do not stand the device in a way not described in this guide.
• Do not disconnect any cables, while the device is powered on,
without first unmounting the device.
Precautions

11
If you are missing any item shown above, please contact Customer Service at
[email protected], or call 800-470-4495.
AcomdAtA
e5 drive & stAnd
Ac AdApter &
power cord
hArd drive
user’sguide
mAil-in
registrAtion cArd rubber feet
usb cAble
Package Contents
usb 2.0 driver
instAllAtion cd

12
Registration is required in the event that your product needs servicing.
(See“ObtainingService” for details.)
Online Registration
Register your product instantly 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 your product is registered immediately;
2. Free unlimited online technical support;
3. You get your own personalized support page:
• download software updates
• access all online support services
• view all of your registered AcomData products
• manage your personal profile;
4. If you need warranty service, arranging product returns is faster
and easier if you registered online.
Product Registration
for Warranty Coverage

13
Mail-in Registration
You may also register via mail by filling out and returning the
Registration Card included in the package.
When registering your AcomData product you will need the Model number and
Serial number. Both are printed on the product label affixed to the box, and on the
labelaffixedtotheundersideoftheDrive's stand.

14
What you need for the Drive itself:
• Minimum 233 MHz processor (Pentium, Celeron, AMD, etc.)
• One of the following operating systems:
- Windows XP
(Home Edition, Professional, Professional x64 Edition, Media Center Edition)
- Windows 2000
- Windows Me
- Windows 98SE
• Available USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port
Password Security has no additional requirements.
PushButton Backup requires:
• 800 MHz or faster processor
• 20 MB of free hard disk space on your computer
System Requirements for Windows

15
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Windows 98SE users:
You will need to install the supplied USB 2.0 driver. Instructions are provided in
"Installing the USB 2.0 Driver."
Windows 2000 Users:
If you do not have Service Pack 4 you will need to install the supplied USB 2.0 driver.
Instructions are provided in "Installing the USB 2.0 Driver."
If using a USB 1.1 connection the device will operate at USB 1.1 speeds
(up to 12 Mbps).

16
What you need for the Drive itself:
• Mac or Power Mac with a PowerPC or Intel processor
• Mac OS 10.2 or later
• Available USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port
Password Security requires:
5 MB of free computer hard disk space for the SecureHD Login
software
PushButton Backup requires:
• Mac OS 10.3 or later
• 10 MB of free computer hard disk space for the backup software
System Requirements for Mac

17
IMPORTANT NOTES:
If using a USB 1.1 connection the device will operate at USB 1.1 speeds
(up to 12 Mbps).
Mac OS 10.2 users whose Drives are 128 GB or larger:
Mac OS 10.2 does not recognize FAT32/MS-DOS formatted volumes larger than
128 GB. (For more information on this issue, go to: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.
html?artnum=107483 on the Apple web site.)
If you are using Mac OS 10.2 and your Drive is larger than 128 GB there are several ways
to deal with this issue:
1. If you don’t need Windows compatibility, you can re-format the Drive using one of the
Mac OS Extended file systems;
2. If you want to maintain Windows compatibility, you can partition the Drive such that no
partition is larger than 128 GB. Partitioning a hard disk will erase any data stored on the
disk. Go to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107483 for instructions;
3. Before you connect the Drive to your computer, upgrade to Mac OS 10.3 or later. This
option will allow you to maintain Windows compatibility and no partitioning or re-
formatting is required.

Getting to
Know Your
AcomData Drive