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Adding an External Hard Drive
Connect an External Drive
Your LinkStation includes a USB port and you can connect an external drive to this port. It will appear as a shared
folder on the LinkStation. Formatted drives are detected automatically. Unformatted drives should be formatted in
Settings.
After a USB drive is recognized, Windows adds "usbdisk X" under the LinkStation in "Network", where "X" is the USB
port where the hard drive is connected.
Notes:
• Hubs are not supported. Connect a single USB drive to the USB port.
• Backup data from Mac OS may include characters that cannot be written to FAT16 or FAT32 drives such as
".DS_Store". For best results, reformat the drive before using it as a backup target.
• You can use the USB device server to connect a USB hub and up to 15 USB devices. However, with USB device
server, the USB devices cannot be used for creating shared folders or act as LinkStation backup destinations.
Compatibility
The following devices are supported by the LinkStation:
• USB storage devices
• Card readers (except for card readers that can recognize two or more memory cards)
• Digital cameras
• USB-connected UPSs
• USB printers
Buffalo external USB drives are recommended.
These devices are not supported:
• DUB and DIU series drives
• Hubs, mice, and keyboards
Connect only one device to a USB port. Some external drives with automatic power-on don't turn on automatically
when connected to the LinkStation. Use their manual switch to turn them on. Be sure to connect only one bus-
powered drive at a time. If there is insufficient bus power for your USB drive, connect its AC adapter. Note that only
the first partition of a connected USB hard drive is mounted. Additional partitions are not recognized.
Dismounting Drives
If the LinkStation is powered on, dismount external drives before unplugging them. You may dismount external
drives with the function button, or any drives from Settings. If the LinkStation is off, then all drives are already
dismounted and may be unplugged safely.
Notes:
• Do not dismount or disconnect an external drive while any drive is being formatted, accessed, or checked for
errors, or while a RAID array is being created or deleted.
• If you unplug your external drives without dismounting them, Settings may still show "usbdisk" in File Sharing
- Folder Setup. Reboot your LinkStation to clear it.
Dismounting with the Function Button
If the LinkStation is on, hold down the function button for 3 seconds. The white LED will go out as all attached USB
drives are dismounted. You may now unplug them safely.
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