Acomdata external E5 Serial ATA(SATA) User manual

hard driveE5
Serial ATA (SATA)
external
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 specifica-
tions 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 ......................................... 12
Features Explored .............................................. 13
Serial ATA ...................................................................................13
Hot-Pluggable .........................................................................14
Fanless Design .........................................................................14
Plug & Play Setup ...................................................................14
Mac & PC Ready ......................................................................14
Hardware Command Queuing ........................................15
Hardware Direct Memory Access .....................................15
Hardware RAID Acceleration ..............................................15
RAID Manager .........................................................................15
Specifications ..................................................... 16
E5 SATA External Hard Drive ...............................................16
SATA PCI Host Bus Adapter Card .......................................17
Installing the PCI Card ....................................... 18
Installing the Software ...................................... 23
Setting up the Drive .......................................... 28
Choosing an Orientation ....................................................28

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 ....................................39
How to Safely Turn Off the Drive ...................... 40
Stacking Drives .................................................. 42
Maintaining Your Drive ..................................... 43
Backup Your Data ...................................................................43
Defragmenting and Optimizing a Hard Drive .............43
Examining and Repairing a Hard Drive ..........................45
Protect Your Data from Viruses ..........................................45
Cleaning the Drive Case .......................................................46
Frequently Asked Questions ............................ 47
Troubleshooting ................................................ 50
Troubleshooting for PC Users ............................................51
Troubleshooting for Mac users .........................................53
One Year Limited Warranty ............................... 55
Arranging for Service ....................................... 57
How to Purchase Accessories ............................ 58
Notices ................................................................ 59
AcomData Contact Information ....................... 60

– 5 –
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 exam-
ple, if your Drive has a capacity of 250 GB, the model
number is HD250SE5-72-PCI.
The model number of your Drive is printed on the UPC
label affixed to the bottom of the box, and on the label
affixed to the underside of the Drive’s stand.
This guide contains important information for the proper
installation, use, and care of your AcomData E5 Drive.
Please read this guide carefully and retain it for future
reference.

– 6 –
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 impor-
tant information specific to Windows users.
A word about using two-button mice:
When following the instructions in this guide, PC users
will need to use both the left and right mouse buttons.
While users may reverse the functions of the buttons,
in this guide “click” means pressing the left-side button;
“right-click” means pressing the right-side button.
Although Mac OS X supports two-button mice, this
guide assumes all Mac users are using a conventional,
one-button mouse.
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– 7 –
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. 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.
Mail-in Registration
You may also register via mail by filling out and return-
ing the Registration Card included in the package.

– 8 –
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 cor-
ruption. AcomData will not perform data recovery.
• Do not open the device or attempt to disassemble or
modify it. If the device is malfunctioning, contact
AcomData Technical Support.
• Do not expose the device to rain, or use it in 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.
• If the device has a three-prong 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).
• Do not use a third-party AC adapter or power cord.
• Do not bump, jar or drop the device.
• Do not try to stand the device in a way not described
in this guide.
• Do not disconnect any cables while the device is pow-
ered on without first unmounting the device.

– 9 –
PACKAGE CONTENTS
If you are missing any item listed above, please contact
Customer Service at [email protected]om,
or call 800-470-4495.
AcomData E5 SATA Drive & Stand
SATA Cable
User’s Guide
Registration
Card Rubber Feet
PCI Host Bus
Adapter Card
Power Cable
Software CD
Molex Cable

– 10 –
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 compli-
ant 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 10.2 or later
• 64 MB or RAM
• Available 32-bit PCI expansion slot (2.2 or 2.3 compli-
ant or 32-bit portion of a 64-bit PCI/PCI-X slot
• CD/DVD drive
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– 11 –
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.

– 12 –
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.
Gold Connectors
White Power
Connector
Internal SATA Port
SATA E PCI CARD
Allows you to connect two
external SATA hard drives.
2 Power Ports
2 SATA Ports
Power Port
SATA Port
White Power
Connector
Gold Connectors

– 13 –
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 specifi-
cation to be continuously updated to avoid becoming
the limiting factor in disk I/O performance.
At the same time, popular applications––such as digital
video creation and editing, digital audio storage and
playback, file sharing over high-speed networks, and
other data intensive applications––are placing greater
and greater demands on hard drive performance.
Ultra ATA, an enhancement of the original parallel ATA
interface, was created as a result, and it became the
standard for years. However, continued increases in
demands for faster performance has necessitated a
need for a storage interconnect that goes beyond even
Ultra ATA.
The new approach is SATA, a serial implementation
of the parallel Ultra ATA interface. SATA architecture
overcomes the electrical constraints that limited per-
formance enhancements of the classic parallel ATA bus.
SATA not only offers higher data rates, but also smaller
cables and connectors, and lower voltage signals. In
addition, SATA can be scaled to accommodate system
needs for increasing storage capacity and performance
over the coming years.

– 14 –
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.
Fanless Design
The E5 Drive was engineered to generate less heat and
to dissipate that heat so efficiently that it doesn’t need
a fan, for near-silent operation.
Plug & Play Setup
In most cases, installing the Drive on your system
involves nothing more than connecting the cables and
turning it on.
Mac & PC Ready
The E5 SATA Drive is ready to use on either a Mac or a
PC right out of the box––no formatting is required.
The Drive was formatted at the factory using the FAT32
file system, which makes the Drive compatible with all
supported operating systems. That said, you may want
to consider re-formatting the Drive using one of the
other file systems that may be available to you.
For more information and formatting instructions, see
“Re-Formatting the Drive.”

– 15 –
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 synchroniza-
tion with each attached drive for the fastest possible
ordering and re-ordering with the out of sequence
command operations.
Hardware Direct Memory Access
An advanced, embedded hardware DMA engine reduc-
es the amount of communication and time normally
required by the PCI bus to control an ATA-based device.
This increases data performance, particularly in a data
streaming environment, such as video streaming.
Hardware RAID Acceleration
Hardware RAID acceleration improves RAID perfor-
mance and scaling throughput as activity is increased.
Each port on the PCI card includes a dedicated RAID
engine that can participate in a JBOD or a RAID volume.
RAID Manager
RAID Manager for Windows is powerful, yet easy to use
software that lets you:
• Create and delete multiple RAID volumes;
• Monitor the details and health of a RAID volume.

– 16 –
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) ............................FCC/CE/UL
Interface transfer rate (max) ......................................150 MB/s
Data buffer ................2 MB (@< 250 GB), 8 MB (@≥ 250 GB)
Rotational speed ..........................................................7200 RPM
Latency (average) ............................................................. 4.17 ms
Seek time (read typical) ....................................................8.5 ms
Error rate (nonrecoverable) .....................................1 in 10E13
Start/Stops (at 40º C) ..............................................................40K
Power
Requirement ..................+5VDC (+/- 5%) +12VDC (+/- 5%)
Startup current (max) ........................................... 2.0 A @ 12V)
Idle ..............................................................................................4.9 W
Environmental characteristics (operating)
Ambient temperature ............................................... 5ºC – 55ºC
Relative humidity (non-condensing) ....................8% – 90%
Shock (half sine wave) ................................................ 55 G/2ms
Vibration (random [RMS]) 0.67 (horizontal), 0.56 (vertical)

– 17 –
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 2.3 compliant

– 18 –
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 com-
puter’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 com-
pleted the installa-
tion of the PCI card.
3. Unplug the power
cord.
4. Open the computer
cover. (See your
computer’s manual
for instructions.)
5. Remove the screw
that holds the PCI
slot access cover
in place (Figure 2).
Do not discard the
screw.
6. Remove the PCI slot
access cover. FIGURE 1

– 19 –
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. Align the card’s connectors with the PCI slot and
press down until the connector is inserted all the way
into the slot. You can apply a bit of pressure to firmly
secure the card into the slot (Figure 3, next page).
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FIGURE 2

– 20 –
• 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 resis-
tance, pull the card out and check the connectors
and slot for damage or obstructions, then try insert-
ing 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. Secure the card in place with the screw you removed
in step 5.
FIGURE 3