NewerTech miniStack Guide

Assembly Manual &
User Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEWERTECH MINISTACK TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1
1.1 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
1.1.1 Apple® Mac® Requirements
1.1.2 PC Requirements
1.2 PACKAGE CONTENTS
1.3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL
1.4 FRONT VIEW
1.4.1 Front Features
1.5 REAR VIEW
1.5.1 Rear Features
1.5.2 Connectivity Notes
2. DEVICE SETUP................................................................................................................ 4
2.1 ASSEMBLY
2.2 QUICK START
3. SUPPORT RESOURCES.............................................................................................. 8
2.1 FORMATTING
2.2 UNMOUNTING DRIVES
2.3 TROUBLESHOOTING
2.4 ABOUT DATA BACKUP
2.5 ONLINE RESOURCES
2.6 CONTACTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT

INTRODUCTIONNEWERTECH MINISTACK
1.2 PACKAGE CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1
NOTES:
• eSATA cable not included.
• Some units come with assembly screws that are not pictured.
1.3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL
Firmware, images, and descriptions may vary slightly between this manual and the unit
shipped. Functions and features may change depending on the firmware version. Please
visit the product web page for the most recent specifications.
1.1.1 Mac® Requirements
• eSATA: OS X® 10.3 or later
• FireWire®: OS X 10.2 or later
• USB 3.0 (backwards compatible to
USB 2.0): OS X 10.6 or later
1.1.2 PC Requirements
• eSATA: Windows® XP or later
• FireWire: Windows XP or later
• USB 3.0 (backwards compatible to USB 2.0):
Windows XP or later
1.1 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
NewerTech
miniStack® Power supply
FireWire 800
(1394b) cable
USB 3.0
(A to Standard-B) cable

INTRODUCTIONNEWERTECH MINISTACK
1.4.1 Front Features
• Power LED — The miniStack has a single LED at the front. The LED will illuminate
when the miniStack is powered on and also blinks when there is drive activity.
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1.5 REAR VIEW
1.4 FRONT VIEW
Power LED
1 2 3 46
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1.5.1 Rear Features
1. On/o switch — Turn the miniStack on and off using this switch.
2.Power input — Connect the included power supply here.
3. USB 3.0 port — Connect this port to your computer using the included USB 3.0
(A to Standard-B) cable.
4. eSATA port — If you want to use the miniStack over eSATA, connect this port to
your computer using an eSATA cable (not included). This eSATA port operates at
SATA 2.0 (3.0Gb/sec.) speeds.
5. FireWire 800 (1394b) ports — Connect one FireWire 800 port to your computer
with the included FireWire 800 cable to use the hard drive in the miniStack over
FireWire 800. Use the other FireWire 800 port to connect additional devices.
6. Security slot — Attach a security tether here.

INTRODUCTION
NEWERTECH MINISTACK
1.5.2 Connectivity Notes
• The miniStack can connect using any of the three interface types (USB 3.0, eSATA,
FireWire 800). It is recommended that you only connect the interface cable that you
wish to use. If multiple cables are connected, the miniStack will connect using the
fastest available interface.
• If there is no data connection present, the drive will not spin up.
• To connect additional FireWire devices through the miniStack, you must connect the
miniStack to your computer using the FireWire interface.
• For the safe removal of your drive and to assure that no data is lost, always eject or
unmount the drive from your operating system before powering off.
• In order for the computer to access volumes larger than 2TB, the operating system
needs to support large volumes (e.g., Windows Vista or OS X 10.4 and above).
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DEVICE SETUPNEWERTECH MINISTACK 4
DEVICE SETUP
2.1 QUICK START
If you purchased the NewerTech miniStack as an empty enclosure, proceed to Section
2.2 below. If the miniStack you purchased includes a hard drive, the NewerTech NuDrive
formatting utility has been installed. Follow the steps below to use the NuDrive utility to
format your drives for Mac (OS X 10.4 and later) or Windows (XP and later). If you do not wish
to use NuDrive to format your miniStack, you can use the formatting utility of your choice
instead. See Section 3.1 of this manual for more formatting options.
1. Connect the drive to your computer using one of the included data cables or an eSATA
cable that you supply, then turn on the drive. If you prefer to use a different formatting
utility, do so at this time (skipping the rest of these instructions).
2. Your drive will show up as a “Newer Setup.” Open the drive to view its contents.
3. Launch the “NuDrive” application.
4. Follow the simple on-screen instructions to complete the formatting process.
5. Once the formatting is finished, the drive is ready to use.
2.2 ASSEMBLY
NOTICE: The following assembly instructions are written for users who purchased the
miniStack as an empty enclosure. The instructions show how to open the enclosure in order
to install a drive. If you purchased the miniStack with a drive already installed, opening the
miniStack before the expiration of the original warranty WILL VOID THE WARRANTY.
If you wish to remove or replace a drive after the expiration of the original warranty, you may
do so at that time. For warranty information, please visit
https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/warranty/nwt-1-year-warranty.cfm
1. Remove the NewerTech miniStack from the box. Notice there is a clear protective plastic
sheet attached to the top of the enclosure. Leave this sheet intact for now.

NEWERTECH MINISTACK DEVICE SETUP
5
2. Turn the miniStack over, placing the top on a soft work surface, such as a towel. Remove
the four Phillips screws at the corners of the miniStack (circled below).
3. Turn the miniStack over again, placing the bottom on the work surface. Lift the top cover
off of the miniStack, exposing the internal chassis. Untape the plastic bag with assembly
screws from the inner chassis (circled below).

NEWERTECH MINISTACK DEVICE SETUP
6
4. There are three rubber-coated, plastic tabs on the chassis (circled in red), as well as a fourth
plastic tab with a circular nub protruding from its center (circled in yellow) — these are
designed to hold the drive in place.
Place your drive onto the chassis, label side up with the ports facing to the right. Make sure
the drive is resting against the three red tabs, then press down gently on the drive until the
fourth tab clicks into place. Fasten the drive to the tabs opposite the circuit board using two
of the included screws from the packet.
5. Turn the enclosure so that the drive’s ports are facing you. Insert the SATA and power
cables into the hard drive. They are keyed to only go in one direction. When you’re finished
place the top cover back onto the miniStack.

NEWERTECH MINISTACK DEVICE SETUP
7
6. Turn the enclosure over again, setting the top onto the work surface. Use the remaining
two Phillips screws from the packet to fasten the bottom of the chassis (circled in yellow)
to the hard drive. Then, refasten the four Phillips screws (circled in red) that you removed in
Step 2, to secure the cover to the chassis.
7. Turn the miniStack over so the top is facing up, then peel off the protective plastic coating
shown in Step 1. This completes the assembly process.

NEWERTECH MINISTACK SUPPORT RESOURCES
3.1 FORMATTING
For tips on how to use the NuDrive formatting utility for OS X and Windows, please use the
link below. If you prefer to manually format your drive with the OS X Disk Utility or with the
built-in Windows formatting tools, there are links for that as well.
www.newertech.com/support#storage
(Scroll to the bottom of the storage section to find links for NuDrive and each OS.)
3.2 UNMOUNTING DRIVES
To properly unmount any connected drives from your computer, you need to follow a few
simple steps.
OS X:
There are two main methods to unmount disks with OS X systems. Either drag the icon
for the disk you wish to unmount to the trash can, or right-click the disk icon on the
desktop, then click “Eject”.
Windows:
1. Go to the System Tray (located in the lower right corner of your screen). Click on the
“Eject” icon (a small green arrow over a hardware image).
2. A message will appear, detailing the devices that the “Eject” icon controls, i.e., “Safely
remove...” Click on this prompt.
3. You will then be given the following message. “Safe to Remove Hardware”. It is now
safe to disconnect the miniStack from the computer.
3.3 TROUBLESHOOTING
Begin your troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to the miniStack
and to a power source. If the power cable is connected to a power strip, make sure that the
power switch on the strip is turned on.
Then, simply verify that both ends of your cables are properly plugged into the computer
and the miniStack. If the miniStack is still not working properly, try connecting to another
interface (USB, FireWire, or eSATA) and see if the device works properly. You can also connect
the miniStack to a different computer.
If problems persist, see Section 3.6 for assistance contacting technical support.
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SUPPORT RESOURCES