Freecom TOUGH DRIVE CUSTOM User manual

USER MANUAL
Rev. 848
TOUGH DRIVE CUSTOM
EXTERNAL MOBILE HARD DRIVE / 2.5" / USB 2.0
WIN & MAC

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
Dear user!
Thank you for choosing the Freecom ToughDrive Custom as an external hard drive.
For optimal use and performance we advise you to read this manual carefully before
using this product.
Freecom Technologies • Germany
www.freecom.com
Contents of the box
Please check the contents of the box; the following items should be included:
•Freecom ToughDrive Custom with integrated USB cable*
• USB Extension Cable
• 3 Design Covers (template on hard drive)
•Manual, safety manual and application software pre-installed on the hard drive
•Quick Install Guide
* Operation without power pack possible, power supply occurs over the USB port.
When the power provided by the USB port is not sufficient, visit www.freecom.com/support for an optional
AC adapter.
Warning !
All rights reserved. The products named in this manual are only used for identification
purposes and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
This device was designed for home or office use.
Warning! This device is equipment complying with EN55022 class A. This equipment can
cause radio disturbances in a residential area. If this is the case, the user has to take ap-
propriate measures and assume all responsibility and costs for. It may not be used near
or with any life-sustaining systems.
Freecom cannot be made liable for any damages, loss of data or damage following thereof
-whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business
interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use
of or inability to use this Freecom product, even if Freecom has been advised of the pos-
sibility of such damages.
We reserve the right to upgrade our products in keeping with technological advances.

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User manual
General Information ...........................................................................................................page 4
Precautionary measures....................................................................................................page 5
Freecom ToughDrive Custom ........................................................................................page 5
Individual look of Freecom ToughDrive Custom ....................................................page 6
Chapter 1:
Hardware Installation.........................................................................................................page 8
Chapter 2:
Driver Installation ................................................................................................................page 8
Chapter 3:
Installation of the application software ......................................................................page 9
Chapter 4:
Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool ............................................................................page 11
Chapter 5:
Using Freecom Turbo USB 2.0 (only PC) ......................................................................page 20
Chapter 6:
Partitioning your Freecom ToughDrive Custom .....................................................page 21
Table of Contents
© 2008 Freecom Technologies

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
* To achieve optimal performance from the Freecom ToughDrive Custom your PC should be equipped with an
USB 2.0 port.
General Information
The following hardware and software requirements must be fulfilled to ensure trouble-
free operation.
System requirements
In order to use the Freecom ToughDrive Custom, following components are needed:
PC:
• Intel Pentium III / AMD Duron 900 MHz or higher
• 256 MB RAM (Vista: 512 MB RAM) or higher
• Available USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port*
• Internet connection for online warranty registration and software updates and
downloads
•Operating system: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Mac:
• PowerPC G3/G4/G5, Mac Book Pro or Intel Mac
• 256 MB RAM or higher
• Available USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port*
• Internet connection for online warranty registration and software updates and
downloads
•Operating system: Mac OS X v10.4 or higher

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General Information
Precautionary measures
To ensure that your Freecom ToughDrive Custom functions properly, please take note
of the following precautions. If these are not followed, you may void your warranty and
damage the Freecom ToughDrive Custom.
• Safely remove the Freecom ToughDrive Custom via your operating system (the "unplug
or eject hardware" option in the Windows taskbar) before disconnecting the USB cable or
power cable and before switching off the device. Failing to do so may result in data loss.
•Do not drop the Freecom ToughDrive Custom (more than 2 m) or expose it to other
kinds of sudden mechanical shocks as this may result in data loss and damage to the
Freecom ToughDrive Custom.
•Do not use the Freecom ToughDrive Custom when the ambient temperature is below
10°C or above 35°C.
•If the Freecom ToughDrive Custom is moved from a cool environment to a warmer
environment, please allow the drive to acclimatize to the ambient temperature
before operating the device. Failing to do so may lead to condensation within the
drive enclosure, which in turn may cause the drive to malfunction.
•Do not place liquids or drinks on the Freecom ToughDrive Custom. When liquids
are spilled and get in contact with the electronics within the drive enclosure, it will
damage the drive and will cause the drive to malfunction.
•Do not use the Freecom ToughDrive Custom in a dusty environment. Dust inside the
enclosure may damage the internal electronics and result in drive malfunction.
•Opening the Freecom ToughDrive Custom will void the warranty.
• Since USB 2.0 is backwards compatible with USB 1.1, the Freecom ToughDrive Custom
can be connected to all USB ports. When connected to a USB 1.1 port, however, the
performance (data transfer rate) of the Freecom ToughDrive Custom will be much
lower than when the drive is connected to a USB 2.0 port.
On some computers it might occur that the USB port does not deliver enough
power to the ToughDrive Custom. In that case, you need to use an external
power supply.
For safety reasons you must only use Freecom’s Power Supply Part.No. 30921.
Don’t use any other power supply!
Freecom ToughDrive Custom
The hi-speed data transfer through the USB 2.0 interface makes it ideally suitable for
data-storage, file sharing, backup, archiving, audio playback and all applications that
need fast file access.
Foryourconvenience,theFreecom ToughDriveCustom has been partitioned(1 partition)
and pre-formatted (FAT32filesystem).The FAT32formatensures maximum interchange-
ability of the Freecom ToughDrive Custom between different computers. Should you
choose to format the Freecom ToughDrive Custom in another file system (e.g. NTFS),
pleasebe awareofpossibleproblemswhen connectingtheFreecom ToughDriveCustom
to another computer than the one you used for formatting.

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
Individual look of Freecom ToughDrive Custom
The template for PC
1. Click on "StartPC.exe" in the main directory of the hard drive. The Freecom start menu
opens.
2. Click on "Software Installation" -> "Template". The installation starts now. Follow the
instructions on the screen, confirm with "Next" in order to continue with the instal-
lation.
The template for Mac
1. Click on "Start MAC" in the main directory of the hard drive. The Freecom start menu
opens.
2. Click on "Manual / Template". The template for the size can be found in the "Template"
folder on the hard drive.

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Individual look PC/Mac
1. Select a new pattern or cut out your own pattern (see template).
2. Put new pattern in transparent film and place it under the silicon cover. Ready!
2. Transparent film
3. Silicon cover
1. Photo
3. You can select a new pattern any time you like.
General Information

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1
Freecom ToughDrive Custom
Chapter 1: Hardware Installation
Connect the interface cable to the
Freecom ToughDrive Custom.
Since USB 2.0 is backwards compatible with USB 1.1, the Freecom Tough-
Drive Custom can be connectedto all USB ports.When connected toaUSB
1.1 port, however, the performance (data transfer rate) of the Freecom
ToughDrive Custom will be much lower than when the drive is connected
to a USB 2.0 port.
On some computers it might occur that the USB port does not deliver
enough power to the ToughDrive Custom. In that case, you need to use
an external power supply.
For safety reasons you must only use Freecom’s Power Supply Part.No.
30921. Don’t use any other power supply!
Chapter 2: Driver Installation
Under Windows 2000 / XP / Vista and Mac OS X a separate Freecom driver is not required.
The drivers will be installed automatically by the operating system after plugging in the
Freecom ToughDrive Custom into the USB port of the computer.

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Installation of the application software
Chapter 3: Installation of the application software
3.1 Installation software PC
1. Click on "StartPC.exe" in the main directory of the hard drive. The Freecom start menu
opens.
2. Click on "Software Installation" -> "NTI Shadow", "NTI Ripper" or other software. The
installation starts now. Follow the instructions on the screen, confirm with "Next" in
order to continue with the installation.
3.1.1 Saving Freecom data
The user manuals and complementary software (when applicable) are pre-loaded
onto the hard drive. We recommend that you save these files to your computer ("My
Documents"/"Freecom"), to always have a backup of these files in case you (accidentally)
reformat the drive or delete these files from the drive.
Saving these files from the external hard drive to your computer is easy:
1. Click on the button „Save Freecom files“.
2. All provided data on the Freecom hard drive will be saved to the folder "Freecom" in
"My Documents".

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
3.2 Installation software Mac
1. Click on "Start MAC" in the main directory of the hard drive. The Freecom start menu
opens.
2. Click on "Install NTI Shadow". The installation starts now. Follow the instructions on
the screen, confirm with "Next" in order to continue with the installation.
3.2.1 Saving Freecom data
The user manuals and complementary software (when applicable) are pre-loaded onto
the hard drive. We recommend that you save these files to your computer ("Documents"/
"Freecom"), to always have a backup of these files in case you (accidentally) reformat
the drive or delete these files from the drive.
Saving these files from the external hard drive to your computer is easy:
1. Click on the button "Save Freecom files".
2. All provided data on the Freecom hard drive will be saved to the folder "Freecom" in
"Documents".

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4
Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool
Chapter 4: Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool
4.1 Using the Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool (PC)
Your Freecom ToughDrive Custom is equipped with a password protection feature. This
provides the best possible protection. Your data is always protected, even if the internal
hard drive is taken out of the enclosure and connected to a computer, you still will not
be able to access the data.
If your PC is shut down or sent to hibernation, we recommend to completely disconnect-
ing the ToughDrive Custom from your PC in order to reactivate the password protection.
Some PCs keep USB devices supplied with power when being in hibernation mode,
therefore you remain logged in with your password.
4.1.1 Configuring the password protection
1. Connect your Freecom ToughDrive Custom to your PC. A Hard Disk Drive (“FREECOM
HDD”) and a Virtual CD-ROM Drive (“Password”) will appear in “My Computer”.
The Virtual CD-ROM Drive is an undeletable partition on your ToughDrive Custom on
which the Freecom Hard Drive Protection software is stored. This ensures that you
always have the password protection application available when needed, it can not
be accidentally deleted.
2. If the virtual CD-ROM drive does not automatically open after the hard drive has been
connected, double-click on the virtual CD ROM drive icon (“Password”) to open it.

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
3. Double-clickon the „Password.exe“symboltorun the FreecomHard Drive Protection
software. The Hard Drive Protection Wizard will open. Click “Next” to proceed.
4. Enter a password. This password will be required to access the protected partition.
Confirm the password in the second field and click “Next”.
5. Your hard drive is now protected with a password. Click “Finish” to exit the wizard.

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4
Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool
Accessing the password-encrypted hard drive
1. Open the virtual CD-ROM Drive and double-click on “Password.exe”. The Freecom
Hard Drive Protection tool opens.
2. Enter your password and click “Finish”. Your password-protected hard drive will now
be accessible in “My Computer”.
I lost my password, what can I do now?
If you lose your password, you will not be able to access your data anymore. The only way
to continue using your ToughDrive Custom is to erase and format the hard drive.
Attention!Whenerasingandformattingtheharddrive,alldatapreviously
stored on the drive will be erased. All data on the drive will be deleted!
Follow these steps to erase and format your hard drive:
1. Run “Password.exe” from the virtual CD-ROM Drive.

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
2. Click on “Lost your password?” and confirm that you want to start the “Erase and
Format Hard Disk Wizard”.
3. To continue, you have to confirm that all data on your hard disk will be deleted. Click
on “Next” to continue.
4. In a final step, you have to confirm once again that you want to erase and format
the hard disk. Clicking on “Yes” in this step will irreversibly delete all your data. This
might take up to two hours.

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4
Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool
Removing the password encryption
It is possible to remove the password protection feature, meaning that the data on the
drive will always be visible when you connect the drive.
1. Make sure you already run the “Password.exe” to have access to your protected data.
2. Once you haveaccesstoyourprotecteddata, run the“Password.exe” againand select
“Remove password encryption”. Click on “Next” to continue.
3. Enter your password and click on “Next”.
4. The password protection will now be removed and you will always have access to
your data.

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4
Freecom ToughDrive Custom
4.2 Using the Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool (Mac)
Your Freecom ToughDrive Custom is equipped with a password protection feature. This
provides the best possible protection. Your data is always protected, even if the internal
hard drive is taken out of the enclosure and connected to a computer, you still will not
be able to access the data.
If your Mac is shut down or sent to hibernation, we recommend to completely discon-
necting the ToughDrive Custom from your Mac in order to reactivate the password pro-
tection. Some Macs keep USB devices supplied with power when being in hibernation
mode, therefore you remain logged in with your password.
4.2.1 Configuring the password protection
1. ConnectyourFreecomToughDriveCustomtoyourMac.AHardDiskDrive(“FREECOM
HDD”) and a Virtual CD-ROM Drive (“Password”) will appear.
The Virtual CD-ROM Drive is an undeletable partition on your ToughDrive Custom on
which the Freecom Hard Drive Protection software is stored. This ensures that you
always have the password protection application available when needed, it can not
be accidentally deleted.
2. Open the CD-ROM drive and double-click on “Password”.

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Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool
3. Enter a password. This password will be required to access the protected partition.
Confirm the password in the second field and click on “OK”.
Accessing the password-encrypted hard disk
1. Connect your Freecom ToughDrive Custom to your Mac. A window will open, stating
that the inserted disk is not readable. Click on “Ignore”.
2. Run “Password” from the CD-ROMdrive.Youwill bepromptedtoenteryourpassword
to access the hard drive. Enter your password and click on “OK”. You will have full
access to your ToughDrive Custom now.

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Freecom ToughDrive Custom
I lost my password, what can I do now?
If you lose your password, you will not be able to access your data anymore. The only way
to continue using your ToughDrive Custom is to erase and format the hard drive.
Attention!Whenerasingandformattingtheharddrive,alldatapreviously
stored on the drive will be erased. All data on the drive will be deleted!
Follow these steps to erase and format your hard drive:
1. Run “Password” from the virtual CD-ROM Drive and click on “Lost password”. You
will be asked if you want to erase and format your hard drive. Click on “Continue”.
2. Check the box to confirm that all data on your hard disk will be deleted and click
on “Erase”. Your hard disk will be erased and formatted, this might take up to two
hours.

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4
Freecom Hard Drive Protection Tool
Removing the password encryption
It is possible to remove the password protection feature, meaning that the data on the
drive will always be visible when you connect the drive.
1. Make sure you already run “Password” to have access to your protected data.
2. Once you have access to your protected data, run “Password” again and select “Re-
move password protection”.
3. Enter your password and click on “OK”.
4. The password protection will now be removed and you will always have access to
your data.

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5
Freecom ToughDrive Custom
Chapter 5: Using Freecom Turbo USB 2.0 (only PC)
By installing the Turbo USB 2.0 driver for your ToughDrive Custom, the data transfer rate
can be significantly increased (up to 40% faster transfer speed compared to standard
High-Speed USB).
Enabling the Turbo USB 2.0 driver
1. Connect the Freecom ToughDrive Custom to your PC.
2. Run “Start.exe” from your ToughDrive Custom and go to Software Installation ->
Freecom Turbo USB 2.0.
3. The Freecom Turbo USB 2.0 Wizard will open.
4. Check the drive and click on “Configure” to enable the Turbo USB2.0 driver for the
Freecom ToughDrive Custom.
Disabling the Turbo USB 2.0 driver
5. Connect the Freecom ToughDrive Custom to your PC.
6. Run “Start.exe” from your ToughDrive Custom and go to Software Installation ->
Freecom Turbo USB 2.0.
7. TheFreecomTurboUSB2.0Wizardwillopen.Uncheckthedriveandclickon“Configure”
to disable the Freecom Turbo USB 2.0 driver for the Freecom ToughDrive Custom.