G-Technology G-DRIVE Q User manual

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G-DRIVE Q Product Guide
G-DRIVE Q
Installation Guide
G-Technology Inc.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
P/N GDQ120307 RevA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
4. WHAT’S IN THE BOX
5. G-DRIVE Q OVERVIEW
6. INSTALLING G-DRIVE Q
6.1 Attaching the FireWire Cable and Power to G-DRIVE Q
6.2 Connecting G-DRIVE Q to your Computer
7. INITIALIZING G-DRIVE Q
7.1 Mac OSX (10.4)
7.2 Windows 2000/XP
7.3 Cross Platform use
8. UNMOUNTING/DISCONNECTING G-DRIVE Q
9. OPTIMIZING DATA TRANSFER RATES
10. TECHNICAL SUPPORT
11. LIMITED WARRANTY

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1. INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing G-DRIVE Q from G-Technology, Inc.
(G-Tech)! G-DRIVE Q quad-interface external hard drives
offer the ultimate in flexibility by providing FireWire 400,
FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and eSATA ports all in a single unit.
G-DRIVE Q is the perfect high-performance solution for
storage intensive applications including audio/video editing,
digital photography, MP3 libraries and high-speed data back
up. The system features a fan-less cooling system and the
latest technology 7200 RPM SATA II hard drive with up to 32
MB of cache.
2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
The disk drive contained in your G-DRIVE Q is a delicate
electronic instrument and is susceptible to damage due to
excessive physical shock. Place the unit in a vented area away
from moisture or liquids. Please handle the unit with care. Do
not open the case. Doing so will void the warranty. If the
product is returned with damage caused by improper
handling, the warranty will be void and liability will rest with
the user.
3. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
FireWire 800 equipped computer (9-pin connection)
•Mac OS X 10.2.4 or higher
•Windows 2000 or Windows XP
FireWire 400 equipped computer (4-pin or 6-pin connection)
•Mac OS 9.x or OS X
•Windows 2000 or Windows XP
USB equipped computer
•Mac OS 9.x or OS X
•Windows 2000 or Windows XP
eSATA equipped computer (add-inn adapter)
•Mac OS X 10.2.4 or higher
•Windows 2000 or Windows XP
4. WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Take a moment to ensure that the following items are
included in the box. If anything is missing, please call G-Tech
at [phone]. Please keep the shipping container and
packing materials. In the unlikely event that you need to
return G-DRIVE Q to us for any reason, you must use the
G-Tech shipping container. If the product is returned
damaged caused by improper packaging, the warranty will be
void and liability will rest with the user.
• G-DRIVE Q storage system
• Installation CD-ROM
• FireWire 400 (6-pin to 6-pin) cable
• FireWire 800 (9-pin to 9-pin) cable
• USB 2.0 cable
• eSATA cable
• External universal power supply

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5. G-DRIVE Q OVERVIEW
Attention Mac OS X Users
G-DRIVE Q is set up at the factory for use with Mac
OS X systems. If you are running Mac OS X,
G-DRIVE Q will mount on the OS X desktop right
out of the box. If it becomes necessary to re-format
G-DRIVE Q for Mac OS X, see section 7.1.
Attention Windows Users
G-DRIVE Q must be formatted for the Windows
Operating System before use on a PC. Please see
section 7.2 for more information.
Attention Cross Platform Users
G-DRIVE Q can be used on both MAC and PC
systems by formatting the drive “FAT32.”
There are some limitations when using FAT
32, see section 7.3 for details. Alternatively you can install
software on the Windows machine such as “MacDrive” which
will allow you to mount MAC formatted drives on your PC.
Power and Activity LED
On/Off
Switch
Power
Connector

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6. INSTALLING G-DRIVE Q
G-DRIVE Q attaches to your computer via USB 2.0, FireWire
400, FireWire 800 or eSATA. Choose the connection
appropriate for your system and connect G-DRIVE Q with
the supplied cable.
Connect the supplied power cord to the Power Supply “brick”
and plug the other end in to a surge protector or wall outlet.
7. INITIALIZING G-DRIVE Q
G-DRIVE mini is set up at the factory for use with Mac OS X
systems. If you are running Mac OS X, G-DRIVE mini will
mount on the OS X desktop right out of the box. If it becomes
necessary to re-format G-DRIVE mini, follow the instructions
below.
•For Mac OS X installations, proceed to Section 7.1
•For Windows 2000/XP installations, proceed to Section 7.2
•For Cross-Platform use see section 7.3
7.1 Mac OS X (10.4)
G-DRIVE Q is initialized at the factory as a single Mac OS X
volume. Power on G-DRIVE, wait 10 seconds, then power
on your Mac. G-DRIVE Q will mount on the desktop as
shown below.
If it becomes necessary to re-initialize G-DRIVE Q for Mac
OS X, follow the instructions below.
1. Open the Apple Disk Utility. The Apple Disk Utility is in
the Utilities Folder located in the Applications Folder on
the Macintosh HD. A dialog box like the following will
appear. G-DRIVE Q will be displayed in the left-hand
column as shown.
2. Select G-DRIVE Q by clicking on the entry in the left-
hand column as shown below. Information about G-DRIVE
Q will be displayed at the bottom.

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3. Select the Partition tab to view the partition options as
shown below.
4. Set the Volume Scheme: to 1 Partition.
Enter a Volume Name: under Volume Information
(in this example G-DRIVE) and set Format: to
Mac OS Extended as shown below.
Note: Alternatively, G-DRIVE Q can be set up in multiple volumes by
selecting the desired number of partitions from the Volume Scheme pull-
down menu.
5. Click on the <Partition> button. The dialog box shown
below will appear. Click on the <Partition> button to
continue.
6. When partitioning is complete, G-DRIVE Q will be
displayed in the left-hand panel as shown below.

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7. Exit the Apple Disk Utility.
8. G-DRIVE Q is now mounted on the desktop as shown
below.
G-DRIVE Q is now set up for use!!
NOTE: You can find the custom G-DRIVE Q
icon on the Product CD or online at
www.g-technology.com/support/
7.2 Windows 2000/XP
1. Power on G-DRIVE, wait 10 seconds, then power on your
computer.
2. Open the Disk Management utility by right-clicking on
the My Computer icon on the desktop and selecting
“Manage” from the drop down menu as shown below.
3. The Computer Management console will appear as shown
below. Click on “Disk Management” in the left-hand panel.
G-DRIVE Q is identified as Disk 1 in this example.

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Right click on Disk 1 and select Initialize Disk from the
pull-down menu as shown. The window shown on the next
page will appear.
4. Click on the <OK> button to continue.
5. The following window will appear. G-DRIVE Q (Disk 1) is
now identified as Basic and Online.
6. Right-click on the Disk 1 “Unallocated” bar entry and
select New Partition… from the pull-down menu as shown
below.
7. The window shown below will appear. Click on the
<Next> button to continue.

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8. The following window will appear. Click on the <Next>
button to continue.
9. The window shown below will appear. Click on the
<Next> button to continue. This will create one large
volume using all of the available space on G-DRIVE.
Note: Multiple partitions can be created on G-DRIVE Q. Consult your
Windows documentation for instructions on setting up multiple partitions.
10. Windows will automatically assign a drive letter (in this
example E:). Accept this assignment and click on the
<Next> button to continue.
11. Enter a Volume Label: (in this example, G-DRIVE),
check the Perform a quick format box and click on the
<Next> button to continue.