Fantom Drives GF1000EU Instruction Manual

QuickStart
Installation Guide
Windows & Mac
Thank you for choosing Fantom Drives! Your Fantom Drives GForce
MegaDisk has been built to the highest standard of quality and
workmanship and, when used according to the instructions in this guide,
will provide years of trouble-free operation. We at Fantom Drives take
great pride in bringing personal satisfaction to each of our customers.
Your drive is compatible with all USB-capable Apple Macintosh computers
running MacOS 10.2 (or greater) and PC-Compatible computers running
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, and Windows Vista.
6-7-2007 1DMDUM Rev A
The material in this document is for information only and is subject to change without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation
of this document to assure its accuracy, Fantom Drives and Fantom Drives assume no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from
the use of the information contained herein.
Fantom Drives reserves the right to make changes in the product design without reservation and without notification to its users.
Fantom Drives, The Fantom Drives Logo, Fantom Drives and the Fantom Drives logo are registered trademarks of Fantom Drives. Mac Mini, Macintosh,
and the MacOS Logo are trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. Microsoft Windows and the Windows Logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. All other names and logos are property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 1999, 2007 Fantom Drives. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
or by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Fantom Drives, 19260 Van Ness Ave., Torrance CA 90501.
WARNING - TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
CAUTION - TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO
QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
FCC Compliance Statements
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to correct the interference by one or more
of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the distance between the equipment and receiver
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
Fantom Drives Technology
19260 Van Ness Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Sales: 310-320-7272
Support: http://www.Fantomdrives.com/help
www.Fantomdrives.com
MegaDisk

returning the Product to Fantom Drives. Fantom Drives is not liable
for any loss or damage to these items.
This limited warranty does not cover: (1) any consumables (such as
batteries) supplied with this product; cosmetic damages; damage or
loss to any software programs, data or removable storage media;
or damage due to the Product such as but not limited to excessive
heat or humidity, or modifications of this Product; (2) improper
installation, operation, testing or maintenance of this Product;
(3) power failure or connection to improper voltage supply; or;
(4) attempted repair by any party other than Fantom Drives. This
Warranty does not apply when the malfunction results from the use
of this Product in conjunction with accessories, products or ancillary
or peripheral equipment, or where it is determined by Fantom
Drives that there is no fault with this Product itself.
This Limited Warranty is invalid if the factory applied serial number
has been altered or removed from the Product.
Repair or replacement as provided under this warranty is the
exclusive remedy of the consumer. Fantom Drives shall not be
liable for any incidental or consequential damages for breach of
any express or implied warranty, breach of contract, negligence,
strict liability or any other legal theory related to this product.
Such damage 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. Except to the extend prohibited
by applicable law, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness
for a particular purpose on this product is limited in duration of this
warranty.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or
consequential damages, or allow limitations on how long on implied
warranty lasts, so the above limitation or exclusions may not apply
to you. This warranty gives you specific rights; you may have other
rights which vary from state to state.
17

16
Contents
Introduction ............................................................ 2
Parts & Accessories List......................................... 2
System Requirements ............................................. 3
Precautions............................................................. 4
Fantom Drives GForce MegaDisk at a Glance............. 5
Connecting the drive to Your Computer ..................... 6
Formatting Your Fantom Drives External Hard drive ... 7
Formatting the drive in Mac OS X .............................. 7
Formatting the drive in Windows ............................... 8
How to safely dismount and turn off your
Fantom Drives External Hard drive........................... 9
Performing Basic Tasks......................................... 10
Troubleshooting /
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ........................ 11
Glossary ............................................................... 14
One Year Limited Warranty .................................. 16
Contact Information.............................................. BC
One Year
Limited Warranty
Fantom Drives 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 Fantom Drives or its authorized relseller, Fantom Drives
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. PARTS: For a period of one (1) year from the original date of purchase
from Fantom Drives or its authorized reseller, Fantom Drives will supply,
at no charge, new or rebuilt replacement parts in exchange for defective
parts of this Product. Any replacement parts will be warranted for
the remainder of the original warranty period or ninety (90) days from
installation by Fantom Drives. All exchanged parts replaced under this
warranty will become the property of Fantom Drives.
This warranty only covers the hardware components packaged with the
Product. This warranty does not cover any software contained in, or
included with, the Product; any such software is provided “AS IS”. Please
refer to any documentation included with the software for your rights
and obligations with respect to the software.
This warranty extends only to you, the original purchaser. It is not
transferable to any one who subsequently purchases the Product from
you.
Proof of purchase in the form of a bill of sale (which is evidence that
the Product is within the warranty period) must be presented to obtain
warranty service.
To obtain warranty service you must take the Product, or deliver the
Product freight prepaid, in either it’s original packaging, or in a package
that provides the Product with a degree of protection equivalent to that
of the original packaging, to Fantom Drives. Please contact Fantom
Drives at the number listed on the reverse side for further information.
Fantom Drives is not responsible for any damage to, or loss of, any
programs, data, or other information stored on any media or any part
of any Product serviced hereunder. Be sure to remove all features,
parts, options, alterations, and attachments not under warranty prior to

2 15
Introduction
Welcome, and thank you for purchasing GForce MegaDisk, the
external High Capacity Hard drive from Fantom Drives.
USB 2.0 compatibility with USB 1.1
USB 2.0 ports are backward compatible with USB 1.1. However,
if you connect the drive to a USB 1.1 port, it will operate at USB
1.1 speeds.
Parts &
Accessories List
The package should contain the following items:
• Fantom Drives GForce MegaDisk
• USB cable
• AC Adapter and power cord
• Quick Start Installation Guide
If you are missing any items listed above, please fill out the
customer support form at:
http://www.Fantomdrives.com/support/missingpart.asp
Please retain a copy of your receipt. You will need it if warranty
repair service is required in the future.
Peripheral - A generic term for hard drives, printers, scanners
and other discreet devices that add functionality to a computer.
Port - A connection which enables compatible peripherals to
send and receive data.
Software- A set of instructions that enable the computer to
perform pre-programmed functions in the order specified by the
user.
Storage - Any equipment which stores data, such as hard
drives, CDs, and DVDs.

14 3
Glossary
Bit - The smallest unit of digital data. In binary code, a bit is
represented logically as a either 1 or a 0.
Buffer - RAM cache that temporarily stores data so it can be
delivered to a device as it is needed.
Bus - An electronic link for the transmission of data between
digital devices, such as computers and computer peripherals.
Byte - A unit of digital data, usually made up of eight bits.
Data Stream - The flow of data between digital devices such as
computers and hard drives.
driver - Software that enables the computer to communicate
with a peripheral.
Gigabyte - 1,024 Megabytes, or approximately one billion bytes.
The capacity of most hard drives is measured in Gigabytes.
Hardware - Physical components of a computer system
(computer, hard drives, printers, etc.)
Hub - A device which links peripherals together onto the same
bus.
Interface - Junction between two items of hardware or software
for the exchange of data.
Mb (Megabit) - One million bits.
Mbps (Megabits per second) - A data transmission speed of
one million bits per second. Data transmissions are typically
measured in bits (kilobits, megabits etc) per second.
MB (Megabyte) - 1,048,576 bytes.
Operating System (OS) - Software that controls the assignment
and use of hardware and application software resources.
System Requirements
System Requirements for Mac
• Power Macintosh (Mac Mini, G5, G4, Blue & White G3, iBook
or iMac)
• Mac OS X 10.2 or newer
• Available USB port or available eSATA port
System Requirement for PC
• Pentium-based PC with 233 MHz or faster CPU
• Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, 2003, Windows Vista
• 32 MB RAM
• Available USB or available eSATA port
Windows XP users:
In order to use the USB 2.0 connection, you must have at least
Service Pack 1 for Windows XP.

4 13
Precautions
Failure to follow the precautions described below may cause
damage to your Fantom Drives External Hard drive and void the
warranty.
• DO NOT open the case. Doing so will void the warranty.
• DO NOT use a third-party AC adapter or power cord. Doing so
may damage the drive and void the warranty.
• DO NOT bump, jar or drop the drive as this may damage it and/
or result in loss of data.
• DO NOT disconnect any cables while the drive is powered on
without first properly dismounting the device via your operating
system; doing so can result in data loss and possible damage.
• DO NOT set any liquids or beverages on the drive as they may
damage the internal electronics.
• Fantom Drives highly recommends that you regularly back-up the
files stored on your Fantom Drives external hard drive.
Fantom Drives is not responsible for any data loss, nor will
Fantom Drives perform any recovery of lost data or files.
Q: I do not see my drive listed in the My Computer window,
but it does appear in the Device Manager list.
A: Right-click on My Computer. Select Manage in the pop-up
menu. In the Computer Management window and navigate to
Storage -> 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 Fantom Drives External
Hard 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. When the Partition Wizard
appears, select "Primary Partition" and click "Next." You will see
a default value for the drive; click Next, You will then see a drive
letter (you can change this drive letter if you wish); click Next.
You will then be asked to format the drive.
Q: Is the drive compatible with Windows NT 4.0?
A: No.
Q: After I connected the drive to my PC, I got the following
alert message: HI-SPEED USB Device Plugged into non-HI-
SPEED USB Hub.” What does this mean?
A: Windows 2000 and XP users will get this alert message
if you plugged the drive into a USB port that only supports
USB 1.1. This is fine, except your drive will operate USB 1.1
speeds.
Q: I bought a 500GB drive, but my computer is showing
465GB. Where is the missing capacity?
A: Hard drive manufacturers market drives in terms of decimal
(base 10) capacity. In decimal notation, one megabyte (MB) is
equal to 1,000,000 bytes, and one Gigabyte (GB) is equal to
1,000,000,000 bytes. Many operating systems use the binary
(base 2) numbering system to describe disk capacity; In the
binary numbering system, one megabyte is equal to 1,048,576
bytes, and one gigabyte is equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes.
Simply put, decimal and binary translates to the same amount
of storage capacity.
If an issue cannot resolved by using our FAQ, please contact
Technical Support via the Fantom Drives support site at
http://www.Fantomdrives.com/help

12 5
Q: I have a FAT32 disk, and when I try to copy a large file I
get an error saying there is not enough room on the drive-- I
have lots of free space!
A: FAT32 only allows files up to 4GB in size. To copy larger files,
please reformat the volume using MacOS Extended Format.
FAQs for PC Users:
Q: My computer does not recognize the drive.
A: Make sure all of your connections are secure. If you have an
add-on card, make sure it is working properly and/or update the
driver. Also, make sure you have all the latest updates for your
Windows installation
Q: Does the drive work with Norton Ghost?
A: Yes. Norton Ghost 2003 or newer support USB drives.
Fantom Drives does not provide any additional drivers.
Q: Do you have “DOS driver” or a for the drive?
A: No.
Q: Where are the drivers for 2000/XP/2003/Vista?
A: Windows 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista already include all the
necessary drivers! No additional drivers are necessary.
Q: When I leave my computer idle for a while, my drive won’t
work properly.
A: The most likely cause is that your computer is going into
sleep mode. The immediate solution is to shut down your computer
and turn off the drive, and then restart your computer. Once your
computer is completely booted up, turn on the drive. You should
see the drive in the Windows Explorer. To prevent this problem
from recurring, open the “Power Settings/Energy Saver” and set it
to never go into sleep mode.
Q: Can you make the External Hard drive bootable?
A: This depends on your computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output
System). The BIOS contains code required to control a number
of miscellaneous functions. Please check with your computer
manufacturer for BIOS updates to determine if your computer’s
BIOS supports this feature.
Fantom Drives GForce
MegaDisk Hard Disk
at a Glance
AC adapter port
Power Switch
USB 2.0 port
Disk Activity/Power
Indicator
Light (Blue)
eSATA port

6 11
Troubleshooting/
Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)
FAQs for Mac Users:
Q: Why is my drive asking me to format it? It was already
formatted and it contains data.
A1: Run a disk repair utility on the drive.
A2: Perform permission repair on your system drive. Open the
disk utility (located in /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app.)
Select your system drive (usually the first disk listed) and click
"Repair Disk Permissions" in the "First Aid" Tab.
A3: Restart your computer. As soon as the bootup chime
sounds, press and hold down the option-command-p-r key
combination to reset the PRAM. Release the keys when the
chime sounds a second time.
Please refer to your Mac manual for more information on these
procedures
Q: I’m using a USB connection on a Mac. Do I need to install
the USB 2.0 Installation CD?
A: No, the External Hard drive uses the built-in Mac USB Mass
Storage Support software, which includes the necessary system
extensions.
Q: My computer does not recognize the drive.
A: First, check to make sure that all of your connections are
secure, and that the power switch is in the "ON" position. Then
check if your External Hard drive is listed in the Apple System
Profiler. If the problem persists, verify that the USB port used
is functioning.
Q: I'm trying to copy files to/from FAT32 volumes or network
shares, and it keeps failing.
A: FAT32, HFS+, and other file system formats allow different
standards of filename length or use of special characters.
Rename the offending file(s) and try the operation again.
Connecting the drive
to Your Computer
1. Plug the AC adapter cord into the power port on the back of
the drive. The plug should not require much effort to insert. If
the plug will not go in, do not force it; the plug is probably upside
down. Rotate the plug and try again. Incorrectly inserting the
plug could damage the drive and void the warranty.
2. Plug the power cord into the cord socket in the AC adapter.
Plug the other end into an AC outlet.
3. Connect the appropriate cable to your host:
USB and eSATA plugs are shaped so they can only
be properly inserted one way. Be sure to insert
the plugs properly or you may damage the drive
and void the warranty.
(USB) Connect the square USB 2.0 connector
(type B) of the included USB cable to a the
square USB plug on the GForce MegaDisk, and
the rectangular end to a free USB port on your
computer.
(eSATA) Connect the included eSATA cable to a
free eSATA port on your computer.
If your computer does not have eSATA ports,
you may purchase an eSATA expansion card for
your computer. Contact your authorized Fantom
Drives reseller for further details.
4. Flip the power switch located on the back of the GForce
MegaDisk to the "ON" position (labelled "-".) Once the drive is
powered up, your computer should recognize it and the drive will
be ready to format.

10 7
Performing Basic Tasks
How to open files and folders on the External
Hard drive (MacOS or Windows)
1. Double-click on the drive icon. A window showing the files and
folders stored on the drive will appear.
2. Double-click on the file or folder that you want to open.
How to copy files and folders to your
External Hard drive
Mac Users
1. Highlight the file or folder that you want to copy by clicking on
it, but do not release the mouse button.
2. While keeping the mouse button pressed down, drag the
highlighted file or folder to the drive icon or to a specific folder
on the drive.
3. Release the mouse button. The file or folder will copy over.
PC Users
1. Single-click the file or folder that you want to copy in order to
highlight it.
2. Go to “Edit --> Copy”.
3. Double-click the drive icon to open it.
4. If you want to copy the file or folder to a specific folder on the
drive, double-click that folder to open it.
5. Go to “Edit --> Paste”. The file or folder will copy over.
Performing Data Backup
Backing up your data is best defined by the keeping duplicate
copies of your files on a separate storage device. It is always a
good idea to keep important data in at least two different places.
We recommend that you obtain and use a quality backup software
application if the basic program that come with your operating
system is not robust enough for your particular purposes.
Formatting
Your GForce MegaDisk
The GForce MegaDisk comes preformatted at the factory with the
FAT32 file system, which will mount on most modern operating
systems. FAT32 has some limitations, and we recommend you
reformat the volume to a file system format more compatible with
your particular computer and operating system environment.
Formatting a hard drive erases all data contained on the
drive. If you wish to reformat your Fantom Drives External
Hard drive, be sure to create a copy of the files you wish to
keep before reformatting.
Formatting the drive in Mac OS X
1. Launch the Disk Utility application (Disk Utility is located in
the Utilities folder, inside the Applications folder). The Disk Utility
window will open with a small sub-window at left and a larger sub-
window with a series of tabs at the top.
2. You should see the drive listed in the left sub-window. Click on
the drive to highlight it; if you see two icons for the drive, select
the uppermost (root) instance. Information about the drive will
appear in the Information sub-window.
3. Click on the Erase tab. In the Erase sub-window you will see a
Volume Format pop-up menu and a Name field.
4. In the Volume Format pop-up, select the format type (MacOS
Extended is recommended.)
Although it is possible to format a hard drive on Mac OS X
using the DOS file system, we do not recommend this, as
an artificial capacity limit may be imposed on the drive and
performance will be unpredictable.
5. Click Erase. You should see an alert pop up with the message:
“Erasing a disk will destroy all information on all of the volumes of
the disk…” Click Erase. Once initializing is complete, you should see
the drive listed in the left sub-window of the Disk Utility screen. Quit
Disk Utility. You should now see the drive icon on the Desktop.

Formatting the drive in
Windows Hosts
1. Open the disk management console. A list of the attached
drives and their respective volumes will appear. Select the
GForce Disk.
The Disk Management Console can be found under
\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc on your system drive. For
an illustrated guide, please see
http://www.fantomdrives.com/support/faqs
2. Right-click on the drive letter and select Format in the pop-up
menu. The Format dialog box will appear.
Before a new, un-partitioned disk can be used in Windows, it
must contain a disk signature. If the hard disk is not signed
for use, the New Partition option is unavailable (superimposed
no-entry icon). In this case a
signature can be written on the
hard drive by right clicking on
the disk description window and
selecting "Initialize Disk".
3. Under Capacity, verify the drive capacity. It should be close to
the stated capacity of your drive in gigabytes.
4. In the File System pop-up menu, select NTFS. The default
formatting option is full format. A full format will take about
30-90 minutes. A Quick format will take just a minute, but will
do less verifying of the drive than a full format. Click Start. Once
the format process is complete, your External Hard drive is
ready to use.
5. In Windows XP and Vista, it is possible to optimize the drive
for performance or quick removal. To select your desired mode,
open the device manager (located in \Windows\System32\
devmgmt.msc on your system drive.) Right-click Fantom Disk in
Disk drives, and select properties. Select the Policies Tab near
the top left of the window, and click your desired optimization
level. Press OK when finished, and you may close the disk
management applet.
8 9
How to Safely Dismount
and Turn Off the
External Hard drive
What do 'mounting' and 'dismounting' mean? When a device
such as a hard drive is mounted, that means the computer
‘sees’ the device and is able to communicate with it. When you
dismount a device, the computer no longer sees it. The device
may still be running but the computer cannot access it, as
though the device no longer exists.
Never turn off or unplug a hard drive without dismounting it first.
Doing so could cause data on the drive to be lost or damaged.
How to safely dismount and turn off the
drive with the computer running
Mac Users
Drag the icon for the External Hard drive to the Trash. The drive will
dismount and you can then safely turn if off. You may then unplug the
power cord and data cable if you want to disconnect the drive.
PC Users
1. Locate the System Tray. The System Tray includes the time
display in the bottom right, and icons to the left of the time. One
of the icons will be an hot plug icon ( ).
2. Left-click on ( ). You will receive the alert message “Safely
Remove..” followed by the drive description and drive letter for
the device.
3. Left-click on the appropriate device (with the drive letter
matching the one used by the External Hard drive). After a few
seconds, Windows will give you a message that it is safe to
remove the device.