LaCie iamaKey User manual

LACIE IAMAKEY: USER MANUAL
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1 LaCie User Manual

INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing a LaCie Key. Your USB 2.0 Key is designed with both practicality and fun in mind.
Featuring a generous storage capacity in a small package, you can easily carry your data to and from any
computer. Additionally, LaCie Keys are shaped like standard keys, making them small enough for your pocket or
your keychain. No matter where you go, your LaCie Key is always ready to exchange files. The LaCie Key is:
Easy to use - Plug & Play
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Compatible with all modern computers - Hi-Speed USB 2.0
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Secure, with AES 256 encryption - Protect all or part of your data using LaCie Private-Public (Advanced
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Encryption Standard 256)
Compact - fits on any keychain
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Water- and scratch-resistant - Gold SIP technology connector
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LACIE IAMAKEY
iamaKey
This User Manual will guide you through the easy installation of your LaCie Key. You can also follow the simple
steps to creating a secure, password-protected volume.
If you encounter problems, please confirm that all the installation steps have been followed and consult Getting
Help.
PACKAGE CONTENTS
The LaCie iamaKey includes:
The User Manual
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LaCie Private-Public encryption application
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Wuala Online.url (Internet link to Wuala Secure Online Storage)
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Important Info: Please save your packaging. In the event that the Key should need to be repaired or
serviced, it must be returned in its original packaging.
LaCie User Manual 2

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Computer with a USB 2.0 port
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Windows: Latest version of Windows XP, Vista, or 7
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Mac: Latest version of OS X 10.5 or 10.6 (Mac Intel only for LaCie Private-Public software)
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Minimum free disk space: 600MB recommended
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High-speed Internet for online storage
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Technical note: Since LaCie USB 2.0 Keys are USB 2.0 portable storage devices, transfer rates will be
affected by the USB interface on your computer. You can plug the a USB 2.0 Key into a USB 3.0 port but
transfer rates are limited to USB 2.0 speeds. You can also plug a USB 2.0 Key into a USB 1.1 port. Please
note that transfer rates will be limited to USB 1.1 speeds.
3 LaCie User Manual

INTERFACE
HI-SPEED USB 2.0 INTERFACE
Since its release in 2000, USB 2.0 has provided the necessary bandwidth to support electronic and computer
peripheral devices, including hard drives, CD/DVD drives, and digital cameras. Data transfer rates can reach up
to 480 Megabits per second (Mb/s).
The USB 2.0 standard requires native USB 2.0 cables and connectors to achieve Hi-Speed transfer rates.
USB 2.0 Key, Flash Drive,
or Cable Interface End
PLUGGING A USB 2.0 DEVICE INTO USB 3.0 OR USB 1.1 INTERFACES
Your LaCie USB 2.0 Key is meant for use with a USB 2.0 interface. However, USB 2.0 keys are also compatible
with other USB serial interfaces:
USB 3.0 Port. You may plug a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.0 port to access or copy data. However, file transfer
rates will not exceed USB 2.0 speeds.
USB 1.1 Port. You may plug a USB 2.0 device into a USB 1.1 port to access or copy data. However, file transfer
rates are limited to USB 1.1 speeds (up to 12 Mb/s).
LaCie User Manual 4

CONNECTING YOUR LACIE IAMAKEY TO A COMPUTER
LaCie USB 2.0 Keys are easy plug & play storage devices. Locate the USB 2.0 port on your computer and attach
the LaCie iamaKey. Your operating system should recognize the Key's LA-PUBLIC partition immediately.
iamaKey USB 2.0 Connection
By default, the LaCie Key is formatted as one full partition. You will have the option to format a second,
password-protected volume called “LA-PRIVATE”. The LA-PRIVATE volume will include AES 256 encryption. See
Creating and Using the Secure LA-PRIVATE Volume for further details.
WINDOWS USERS
The LA-PUBLIC partition will appear in My Computer (Windows XP)/Computer (Windows Vista/7). To begin saving
data to the LaCie Key, you may copy and paste or drag and drop files to LA-PUBLIC.
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MAC
The LA-PUBLIC partition should appear on the desktop. To begin saving data to the LaCie Key, you may copy
and paste or drag and drop files to LA-PUBLIC.
Important Info: Your LaCie USB 2.0 Key is shipped as one partition called LA-PUBLIC. Using the LaCie
Private-Public encryption application, you may create an encrypted volume called LA-PRIVATE. The
LA-PRIVATE volume is password-protected. You may also choose to partition the LA-PUBLIC further to make
space for individual users or for organization. See the section on formatting drives for further information on
using your operating system's disk utility with the LaCie Key.
UNMOUNTING THE LACIE KEY SAFELY
When you wish to remove the LaCie Key from a computer, please do so according to the requirements of your
operating system. Both Windows and Mac offer simple methods of ejecting storage peripherals without the risk
of losing data or interrupting the system operation. See Unmounting the LaCie Key for further information.
LaCie User Manual 6

UNMOUNTING THE LACIE KEY
USB, FireWire, and eSATA external devices feature “plug & play” connectivity, which means that your storage
device can be connected and disconnected while the computer is running. To prevent failures, however, it is
important to follow these steps when disconnecting your LaCie storage device.
WINDOWS XP USERS
From the System Tray (located in the lower right-hand side of your screen), click the Eject icon (a small green
arrow over a hardware image). A message will appear, listing the devices the Eject icon controls (it should say,
“Safely remove…”). Click on the LaCie storage device in this prompt.
This message will appear: “Safe to Remove Hardware” (or similar). It is now safe to disconnect the device.
WINDOWS VISTA & WINDOWS 7 USERS
From the System Tray (located in the lower right-hand side of your screen) click on the plug icon (note the white
check mark inside a green circle).
A message will appear, detailing the devices that may be safely unmounted.
Select Eject for the device you wish to unmount. A message will appear notifying you that it is safe to remove
the device.
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MAC USERS
Drag the storage device icon to the trash. (The icon pictured below is a generic USB device icon. Your storage
device may be represented by an icon that looks like the device itself.)
When the icon disappears from the desktop, the storage device can be disconnected.
LaCie User Manual 8

CREATING AND USING THE SECURE LA-PRIVATE
VOLUME
Note: You may have questions following the creation of your secure LA-PRIVATE volume. Please see
LA-PRIVATE Frequently Asked Questions for additional information on using and managing LA-PRIVATE.
Follow the directions below to install and run the included LaCie Private-Public application. LaCie Private-Public
allows you to create a password-protected volume on your LaCie disk called LA-PRIVATE. Once created,
LA-PRIVATE will use AES 256 encryption to keep your most important files safe.
MAC USERS - INSTALL MACFUSE BEFORE CREATING LA-PRIVATE
Note: Windows users may skip this section.
LaCie Private-Public requires MacFUSE to run on your Macintosh computer. If MacFUSE is already installed on
your computer, please make certain that you are running the most recent version.
If MacFUSE is not installed on your computer, LaCie Private-Public will prompt you to install it before creating the
encrypted LA-PRIVATE volume.
Insert the LaCie storage device into the compatible interface port on your computer. The LA-PUBLIC partition1.
will appear on your desktop.
Click twice on the LA-PUBLIC icon on the desktop or open it using the Finder.2.
9 LaCie User Manual

If your computer does not have MacFUSE, a window will prompt you to install it. Click Download MacFuse3.
Follow the MacFUSE links to download the .dmg file.4.
LaCie User Manual 10

Once downloaded, click twice on the MacFUSE.pkg file.5.
Follow the MacFUSE installer to completion. LaCie recommends accepting the licensing terms in order to6.
finish the MacFUSE installation. MacFUSE must be installed to create the LA-PRIVATE volume.
11 LaCie User Manual

Go to the next section to create the LA-PRIVATE volume. 7.
LaCie User Manual 12

CREATE THE LA-PRIVATE VOLUME
All users
Please read the following recommendations before creating LA-PRIVATE:
Passwords. You will be prompted to create a password for the LA-PRIVATE volume. Since short passwords are
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easy to crack, LaCie recommends a minimum of 12 characters. Stronger passwords also include a combination
of letters, numbers, and symbols. Accented letters or symbols are not supported. Please consider writing your
password on paper and keeping it in a safe place. Data stored on the LA-PRIVATE volume cannot be recovered
if the password is lost or forgotten.
Time to create LA-PRIVATE. The estimated time to create the LA-PRIVATE volume is one minute per Gigabyte
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(GB). For example, 1 GB = 1 minute, 50 GB = 50 minutes, and 500 GB = 8 hours.
FAT 32 size limitation. Due to format limitations, LA-PRIVATE cannot exceed 4 GB if LA-PUBLIC is a FAT 32
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volume. To create a LA-PRIVATE volume greater than 4 GB, LA-PUBLIC must be formatted as NTFS (Windows)
or HFS+ (Mac).
Data stored on LA-PUBLIC. Consider the size of the LA-PRIVATE volume carefully, especially if you have already
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stored data on the LA-PUBLIC partition. Creating the LA-PRIVATE volume will not delete media on the
LA-PUBLIC partition as long as there is adequate space. For example, you have copied 20 GB of data onto 32
GB of storage. When creating LA-PRIVATE, you can only use the storage that remains (i.e. less than 12 GB).
Disable sleep mode on your computer. In most instances, LaCie Private-Public will pause when your computer
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goes into sleep mode. To avoid delays, LaCie highly recommends that you disable sleep mode on your
computer before launching LaCie Private-Public to create LA-PRIVATE.
Do not shut down your computer while LaCie Private-Public is creating LA-PRIVATE.
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Administration rights. You must have administration rights to your computer to access LA-PRIVATE.
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13 LaCie User Manual

Follow the steps below to create LA-PRIVATE:
Insert the LaCie storage device into the compatible interface port on your computer. The LA-PUBLIC1.
partition will appear in My Computer/Computer (Windows) or on your desktop (Mac).
Click twice on the LA-PUBLIC icon in My Computer/Computer (Windows) or on the desktop (Mac).2.
LaCie User Manual 14

Click twice on the LaCie Private-Public application.3.
Windows: You may receive a prompt asking if you wish to run LaCie Private-Public. Please confirm that you4.
would like to continue.
15 LaCie User Manual

The first window will ask you to enter a size for the LA-PRIVATE volume. Please note that you can use the5.
pulldown menu to select the LA-PRIVATE capacity in MB (Megabytes) or GB (Gigabytes). As a guide, 1000
MB = 1 GB. Choosing GB will allow for sizes such as 1 GB, 10 GB, 50 GB, etc. It is not possible to enter 1.5
GB, 10.5 GB or 50.5 GB. Instead, use MB for capacity to select 1500 MB, 10500 MB or 50500 MB.
LA-PRIVATE cannot exceed 4 GB if LA-PUBLIC is formatted FAT 32. Please enter the size of the LA-PRIVATE
volume.
LaCie User Manual 16

Click Next>.6.
Enter and confirm your password. Selecting the check box for Display password will allow you to see the7.
characters in the password field.
17 LaCie User Manual

Click Next>.8.
Click Format to create the LA-PRIVATE volume with AES 256 encryption.9.
The format could take a few minutes to many hours. Estimate the time by assuming one minute per one10.
gigabyte. Please do not turn off your computer during the format.
LaCie User Manual 18

Once the format is complete, LA-PRIVATE will mount automatically in My Computer/Computer (Windows)11.
or in the Finder (Mac). It is now ready to store your most important data.
19 LaCie User Manual

MOUNTING THE LA-PRIVATE VOLUME
LA-PRIVATE may be locked to protect data from being accessed by unauthorized users. Follow the steps below
to unlock and mount the LA-PRIVATE volume.
Important Info: You must create LA-PRIVATE before attempting to mount the volume.
Insert the LaCie storage device into the compatible interface port on your computer. The LA-PUBLIC partition1.
will appear in My Computer/Computer (Windows) or on your desktop (Mac).
Click twice on the LA-PUBLIC icon in My Computer/Computer (Windows) or on the desktop (Mac).2.
Click twice on the LaCie Private-Public application.3.
LaCie Private-Public will recognize that you have created a LA-PRIVATE volume. (If you have not created4.
LA-PRIVATE, the application will guide through the process. See the steps above.) Enter your password in the
empty field. Please note that your password is case sensitive.
To see the characters that you are typing, select the check box for Display password. Click OK.5.
LaCie User Manual 20