Q: Do I have to format my Drive prior to using it?
A: No. All AcomData Drives are pre-formatted at the factory with the FAT32 file system, making them plug and play for most supported platforms.

Q: Can I format the Drive for use on multiple operating systems?
A: AcomData External Hard Drives come pre-formatted from the factory with the FAT 32 file system. This allows you to use the Drive on all supported Windows and Mac operating systems. For full instructions on how to re-format your Drive, including for use on multiple operating systems, refer to your User's Guide.

Q: What type of computer do I need in order to use an AcomData Hard Drive/Enclosure?
A: AcomData products are compatible with most Windows PCs and Macintosh computers. For Windows PCs you will need a computer with a minimum 233 MHz Pentium (or equivalent processor, such as Celeron, AMD etc.), running Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista or 7. For Macintosh you will need a Power Macintosh running Mac OS 9.x or OS 10.x.

Q: Can I use the drive/enclosure on two computers at the same time?
A: No. A hard drive can only 'talk' to one computer at a time.

Q: Can I format a hard drive for use on multiple operating systems?
A: It is possible to format a hard drive for use on both Mac and PC platforms. Full instructions are in the User's Guide.

Q: Can I make an external hard drive bootable?
A: It is possible to use an external drive as a startup disk (boot volume) on Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. Follow the instructions in your Mac OS manual for the proper installation of the Mac OS. If you wish to use your drive as a boot volume, make sure you install the Mac OS on the drive before saving any data to the drive. On Windows operating systems it is not possible to use an external hard drive as a boot volume.

Q: Do the Acomdata Hard Drive Enclosures support 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA) for hard drive capacities over 137GB? If so, what is the maximum capacity drive I can use?
A: Yes, all of our enclosures support 48-bit LBA. The capacity limit of 48-bit LBA is 144 petabytes (144,000,000 gigabytes), certainly more than enough for today's hard drives.

Q: Can I use a hard drive as an intermediary to copy an operating system from one computer to another?
A: You cannot transfer an installed operating system to another computer or hard drive simply by copying the operating system files. In order to install an operating system, you'll need to follow the manufacturer's installation procedure. If you wish to transfer the contents of one boot volume (drive) to another, you will first need to properly install the operating system on the target drive. You can then use an external drive to copy over your files (except the operating system).

Q: What is the difference between FAT32 and NTFS?
A: FAT32 is an older and more compatible file system but it has certain limitations, such as file size (maximum 4 GB). NTFS is more secure and has fewer limitations. The NTFS file system can only be used on Windows 2000 and XP. If you plan to use your drive on Windows 2000 and/or XP only, you may want to consider re-formatting the drive using the NTFS files system. If you plan to use the drive on a Mac OS only, and you do not need Windows compatibility, you may want to consider re-formatting the drive using a Mac OS Extended file system. Refer to the User's Guide for instructions.

Q: Do I need drivers for my AcomData product?
A: For USB 2.0 on Windows 98SE, you will need to install the USB 2.0 driver found on the supplied USB 2.0 Installation CD. If you need a Windows 98SE driver you can contact Tech Support via email or phone.

Q: Can I connect an AcomData Drive to a USB card or hub?
A: Yes, but the card or hub might not be fully compatible with your Acomdata Drive. If your Drive does not load up correctly in the card or hub, please try connecting it to a built-in USB port on your computer. If the drive works correctly then the card or hub most likely isn? compatible with your Acomdata Drive.

Q: Why doesn't my Acomdata product have a fan?
A: Efficient dissipation of heat generated by a hard drive's internal components is important for reliability and long life. Our products have been engineered to be so efficient at dissipating internal heat that it does not need a fan. Aside from consuming less electricity, the added benefit is virtually silent operation.

Q: I've heard that the usable storage capacity of hard drives is actually lower than the capacity stated by the manufacturer. For example, a hard drive with a stated capacity of 500 GB actually shows up as about 465 GB on Windows or Mac. Is this true? And if so, why?
A: The capacity of a hard drive will appear slightly less in Windows and Mac operating systems than the capacity stated by the hard drive's manufacturer. This is not only the case for AcomData drives but is typical in the data storage industry. The difference is mostly due to the way Windows and Mac operating systems typically measure data storage, as compared to the method used by hard drive manufacturers.

Hard drive manufacturers have always used the decimal (base 10) number system to measure the storage capacities of hard drives. In the decimal system 1GB = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000 KB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Windows and Mac operating systems use the binary (base 2) method, where 1GB = 1,024 MB = 1,048,576 KB = 1,073,741,824 bytes. Example: A hard drive with a capacity of 120 GB (decimal) will show up on Windows and Mac with a capacity of say 111.8 GB (binary). The actual number of bytes is 120,044,335,923, which is just over 120 GB (decimal).

Hard drive manufacturers use the decimal method because it is the number system we are all familiar with in our daily lives. Using the decimal method is simpler and less confusing to the average consumer than the binary method for converting kilobytes to megabytes to gigabytes and so on. Manufacturers of operating systems do not need to concern themselves with this issue, so they typically use the more traditional binary method. But as long as the drive displays the correct number of bytes (approximately), you are getting the drive? full stated capacity. The reason the actual number is approximate is because operating systems reserve a small amount of disk space for their own purposes; the actual amount can vary from operating system to operating system.

Q: Does AcomData provide data recovery services?
A: AcomData does not provide data recovery services. You will need to send the drive to an authorized data recovery company.

The power will not go on when I turn on the drive.
A: Make sure all of your power connections (internal and external) are secure.

I got a "Device cannot start. Code (10)?
A: This is a power issue. Check to make sure you are using the correct power adapter supplied with your unit. The other possibility is that the PCB (printed circuit board) has malfunctioned and you will need to send in the product for warranty service.

My computer does not recognize the drive.
A: Make sure all of your connections are secure. If you have an add-on card, make sure it is working properly and/or update the driver. Also, make sure you have all the latest updates for your Windows operating system.

I do not see my drive listed in the My Computer window, but it does appear in the Device Manager list.
A: Solution: Right-click on My Computer. Select Manage in the pop-up menu. In the Computer Management window, select Storage, then select Disk Management. In the Disk Management window, you should see a list of available storage devices. Look for the Disk that has a capacity closest to your drive. Right-click on the right-hand box; in the pop-up menu select Delete Partition. Once you do this, it will say ?nline" & "Unallocated? Right-click on the box and select Create New Partition in the pop-up menu. When the Partition Wizard appears, select Primary Partition and click on Next. You will see a default value for the drive; click Next. You will then see a drive letter (you can change this drive letter if you wish); click Next. You will then be asked to format the drive.

Q: When I try to format my Drive on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 I get the message: ?ould not complete format."
A: Sometimes Windows thinks the drive is still in use even though it? not being used.  You?l need to force the drive to format to correct the problem it? giving you.

Right click on the "My computer" icon (or ?omputer?icon in Vista) and select "Manage".  Once the "Computer Management" window opens, select "Disk Management" on the left hand side (inside the Storage tab).

It will open up on the right hand side and you will want to focus on the bottom half window.  You should see a Disk 0 (which is most likely your internal C drive), and also a Disk 1 (or 2, 3, 4, etc - depending on how many drives or media devices you have attached or built-in to your computer).

Your Acomdata drive will show the approximate size (for example: 298 GB - not 320 GB or 465 GB ?not 500).  Right click anywhere below the "Healthy" field with the blue bar; there should be an option for "Delete Partition".  It will give you a warning stating that it will delete all data on the drive.  Assuming you are ok with this, click "OK".  The blue bar should turn black and say "Unallocated".

At this point you'll want to right click in the same area and select "Create/New Partition" (or ?ew Simple Volume?on Vista).  Once the wizard opens up go ahead and click "Next" all the way across the board (click "Next" 5 times) and then click ?inish?at the end (keeping all the settings at the defaults will format it specifically for your computer).  It will start formatting your external drive after this.  Depending on the capacity of your drive, it could take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour.  You will see a % sign at the bottom right corner of the window shortly.

Once it's finished you can access the drive inside "My Computer" (or ?omputer?on Vista) and it should be formatted and ready to use.

After I connected the drive to my PC, I got the following alert message: HI-SPEED USB Device Plugged into non-HI-SPEED USB Hub.?What does this mean?
A: This alert message comes up if you plugged the drive into a USB port that only support USB 1.1. This is fine, except your drive will operate USB 1.1 speeds (up to 12 Mbps).  If you know that your computer has a 2.0 port and are still getting this message, than the USB interface on the drive has most likely failed and it would need to be replaced.

When I leave my computer idle for a while and come back, my drive won't work properly.
A: The most likely cause is that your computer is going into "Sleep?mode. The immediate solution is to restart your computer. To prevent this problem from reccurring, go into your Power Settings/Energy Saver and set it to never go into Sleep mode.

My USB 2.0 drive seems to be operating slower than 480 Mbps.
A: First, In order to reach USB 2.0 speed, you must have a computer or host adapter card that suppports USB 2.0. If the connection only supports USB 1.1 the drive will operate at USB 1.1 speeds (up to 12 Mbps). The drive will auto-sense the speed of your USB port and adjust between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 speed.

Second, 480 Mbps is the maximum speed that USB 2.0 devices can reach. Since USB relies on your computer's CPU to facilitate data transfers, actual data transfer rates will vary depending on a number of factors, including available CPU resources.

I can't transfer files larger than 4 GB?
A: This is a limitation of the FAT 32 file system. If you are using an operating system other than Windows 98 or ME, you may want to consider re-formatting the drive using the NTFS file system. Refer to the User's Guide for instructions.

Q: I’m getting an Error code -50 when transferring data to my Acomdata drive.  What is the problem?

A: Error code -50 happens if you’re trying to copy a file with a long name or invalid characters (for example: !@#$).  Your Acomdata drive is pre-formatted with the FAT-32 format in the factory.  Unfortunately FAT-32 takes the characteristics of a PC computer when it comes to file names.  You will either need to reformat the drive Mac OS Extended through the “Disk Utility” on your Mac computer or rename the file(s) that it’s having trouble on.

Q: I’m unable to format my drive Mac OS Extended Journaled correctly on OS 10.5.x.  How can I format it?

A: Open up the Disk Utility and highlight your Acomdata drive on the left hand side and click on the "Partition" tab to the right.  Click on the dropdown menu where it says "Volume Scheme" and select "1 Partition".  Click on the "Options" button below and then click on the "Apple Partition Map" option and click "OK".

Now you´ll want to click "Apply" and then click "Partition" to start the formatting process.

If you’re unsure which Drive is your Acomdata drive, please drag the Drives icon into the Trashcan to safely remove it – once removed from your computer look and see which Drive disappears from the Disk Utility window.