Vantec NexStar 3 User manual

www.vantecusa.com
USER MANUAL

Table of Contents
1
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... pg. 2
2. Specifications/Features
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure ............................................................................... pg. 3
3. System Requirements .................................................................................................................... pg. 4
4. Parts Layout
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure ................................................................................. pg. 5
5. Installation
NexStar 3 External 3.5”HDD Enclosure
5.1. Hardware Installation .................................................................................................... pg. 6
5.2. Driver Installation ............................................................................................................ pg. 8
6. Disconnecting the NexStar 3
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure ................................................................................ pg. 10
7. Creating A New Partition .............................................................................................................. pg. 11
8. Troubleshooting/FAQ
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure .............................................................................. pg. 14
9. Warranty ............................................................................................................................................. pg. 16
10. Contact ............................................................................................................................................. pg. 16

Introduction
2
1. Introduction:
Form and functionality collide with style in the NexStar 3 External Hard Drive Enclosure
from Vantec. With its mirror finish, sleek curves and bold colors, the Vantec NexStar 3
stands out from the crowd. The sturdy drive cage protects your hard drive while the
aluminum case effectively draws away the heat,protecting your drive from overheating.
The NexStar 3 utilizes USB 2.0,offering speeds up to 480Mbps, Firewire providing speeds
of up to 400Mbps, or SATA with speeds of up to 3Gbps.* The NexStar 3 is the ideal way
to store your personal data in an enclosure that matches your style!
NST-360UFS-BK

Specifications/Features
3
2. Specifications/Features:
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure:
Specifications:
• Interface: SATA to USB 2.0 / eSATA / Firewire
• Dimension: 206mm x 123mm x 33mm
Features:
• Aluminum casing cools down your hard drive
• Transfer Rates Up to 12Mbps With USB 1.1
• Transfer Rates Up to 480Mbps With USB 2.0
• Transfer Rates Up to 3GBPS With eSATA
• Transfer Rates Up to 400Mbps With Firewire
• Hot-swappable: Plug and play without rebooting!
• Attractive blue LED indicates power/HDD activity

Parts Layout
5
4. Parts Layout:
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure:
LED Cable
Aluminum Housing
Hard Drive Caddy
SATA/Power Cable

Installation
6
5. Installation:
NexStar 3 External 3.5” HDD Enclosure:
5.1. Hardware Installation:
Preparing the hard drive:
1) Set the hard drive jumpers to MASTER or SINGLE DRIVE ONLY. Please refer to
the documentation included with your hard drive for information on how to
accomplish this.
Preparing the NexStar 3:
1) Remove the side of the NexStar 3 with the power and USB connection ports.
If it has previously been screwed in place, remove the screws first.
2) Carefully slide out the side approximately 3 inches.
3) Unplug the red and white cable for the LED.
4) Slide out the rest of the side.
Installing the hard drive in the NexStar 3:
1) Connect the SATA cable and power cable to the hard drive as pictured below.

Installation
7
2) Align the hard drive mounting holes with the holes on the back of the drive
caddy. See picture below.
3) Secure the hard drive onto the drive caddy with the screws provided.
4) Insert the drive caddy back into the aluminum housing. Be sure to
reconnect the LED cable before closing the unit. When reinserting the caddy,
also be sure to align the top of the caddy with the guides on the housing.

Creating a New Partition
12
Mac OS X 10.x.x:
Initializing a Hard Drive:
If you are using a new hard drive, you may need to initialize it first. You can initial-
ize your internal hard drive using a program called Drive Setup, which is on the
Mac OS CD that came with your computer.
1. Start up your computer from the Mac OS CD.
2. Locate the Utilities folder on the Mac OS CD and double-click it to open the
folder.
3. Double-click the Drive Setup icon to open the program.
4. In the list of drives, select the drive you want to initialize.
5. Click Initialize.
To format your hard drive with Mac OS Extended format, a method of formatting
hard drives that allows for more efficient use of hard drive storage space, follow
the steps below:
1. Click Custom Setup.
2. Select the desired partitioning scheme.
3. Open the Type pop-up menu in the Volume Info area and choose Mac OS
Extended Format.
4. Resize the volumes if desired.
5. When ready, click OK.
6. Click Initialize.
If initialization fails, do the following:
1. Choose Initialization Options from the Functions menu.
2. Click the checkbox next to "Low level format", then click OK. Choosing this
option adds significant time to the initialization process.

Creating a New Partition
13
Mac OS X 10.x.x:
Formatting a Hard Drive:
1. Start the Disk Utility tool (under Applications)
2. Select the new hard drive you are trying to install
3. Click on the“Erase”tab
4. Choose a volume format and assign a name to the new drive.
5. Click on Erase.
6. Once complete, your new hard drive should be mounted on your desktop.
Note: If the hard drive will not mount on your system, format the drive with a FAT32 or NTFS
partition first through a PC system. Once formatted, connect the NexStar Enclosure to your Mac and
run the Disk Utility tool again. You should now be able to format the drive into a Mac partition and
mount the drive

Warranty/Contact
16
9.Warranty:
The NexStar 3 comes with a 1 year limited warranty (90 day parts). If your unit should
become defective within that time frame, please go to http://www.vantecusa.com for
information on how to receive warranty exchange or repair. Cosmetic defects and
missing parts are not covered under this warranty.Please check the contents of the unit
to make sure you received all parts. Also, check for any cosmetic flaws. If any parts are
missing or if there are cosmetic defects, please contact the retailer from which you
purchased the unit immediately and ask for a replacement.
10. Contact:
Vantec Thermal Technologies
43951 Boscell Rd.
Fremont, CA 94538
tel: [phone]
fax: [phone]
website: www.vantecusa.com
Copyright© 2007 Vantec Thermal Technologies. All Right Reserved.
All Registered Trademarks Belong To Their Respective Companies.