LaCie Little Big Disk Table of Contents User Manual page Table of Contents Foreword Health & Safety Precautions 1. Introduction 1.1. What Your LaCie Little Big Disk Can Do 2. Your LaCie Little Big Disk 2.1. Minimum System Requirements 2.2. Package Contents And Views Of The Drive 2.2.1. Package Contents 2.2.2. Rear View Of The Drive 2.3. Cables And Connectors 2.3.1. FireWire connections 2.3.2. USB 2.0 connection 2.3.3. Optional A/C Adaptor Kit 3. Installing Your LaCie Drive 3.1. Connect the Little Big Disk to Your Computer 3.2. Disconnecting Your LaCie Drive 3.3. Switching FireWire and USB Connections...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Table of Contents User Manual page 6. FireWire Questions & Answers 7. USB Questions & Answers 8. Troubleshooting 8.1. Mac Users 8.2. Windows Users 9. Contacting Customer Support 10. Warranty...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Foreward User Manual page interference by one or more of the following measures: • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. • Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. • Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. Modifications to this product not authorized by LaCie could void the FCC & Industry Canada regulations and negate your authority to operate the product. Canada Compliance Statement This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Manufacturer’s Declaration for CE Certification We, LaCie, solemnly declare that this product conforms to the following European standards: Class B EN60950, EN55022, EN50082-1, EN61000-3-2 With reference to the following conditions: 73/23/EEC Low Voltage Directive 89/336/EEC EMC Directive This symbol on the product or on its packaging indicates that this product must not be disposed of with your other household waste. Instead, it is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by handing it over to a designed collection point for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The separate collection and recycling of your waste equipment at the time of disposal will help to conserve natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that protects human health and the environment. For more information about where you can drop off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, your household waste disposal service, or the shop where you purchased the product.
LaCie Little Big Disk Health & Safety Precautions User Manual page Health & Safety Precautions Only qualified persons are authorized to carry out maintenance on this device. • Read this User’s Guide carefully, and follow the correct procedure when setting up the device. • Do not open your hard drive or attempt to disassemble or modify it. Never insert any metallic object into the drive to avoid any risk of electrical shock, fire, short-circuiting or dangerous emissions. Your hard drive contains no user-service- able parts. If it appears to be malfunctioning, have it inspected by a qualified LaCie Technical Support representative. • Never expose your device to rain, or use it near water, or in damp or wet conditions. Never place objects containing liquids on the drive, as they may spill into its openings. Doing so increases the risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting, fire or personal injury. General Use Precautions • Do not expose the hard drive to temperatures outside the range of 5° C to 35° C (41° F to 95° F) in operating mode. Doing so may damage the drive or disfigure its casing. Avoid placing your drive near a source of heat or exposing it to sunlight (even through a window). Inversely, placing your drive in an environment that is too cold or humid may damage the unit. • Always unplug the hard drive from the electrical outlet if there is a risk of lightning or if it will be unused for an extended period of time. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting or fire. • Do not use the hard drive near other electrical appliances such as televisions, radios or speakers. Doing so may cause interference which will adversely affect the operation of the other products. • Do not place the drive near sources of magnetic interference, such as computer displays, televisions or speakers. Magnetic interference can affect the operation and stability of your hard drive. • Do not place heavy objects on top of the drive or use excessive force on it. • Never use excessive force on your drive. If you detect a problem, consult the “Troubleshooting” section in this manual. • Protect your hard drive from excessive exposure to dust during use or storage. Dust can build up inside the device, in- creasing the risk of damage or malfunction.
Macs and PCs; it can be connected via FireWire 800, FireWire, or Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interfaces; and you can customize the format and partitions of your LaCie drive to match your exact needs. LaCie’s Little Big Disk is ideally suited for a wide range of high-end, high-traffic environments, including: • Digital content creation • Professional data exchange • Video on the go This plug and play drive boasts a triple interface, ensuring you can connect the drive everywhere. 1.1. What Your LaCie Little Big Disk Can Do • High-performance storage • Easy plug-and-play installation on PC or Mac • Built-in RAID 0 storage configuration for professional FireWire 800 Extreme performance IMpOrTANT INFO: Any loss, corruption or destruction of data while using a LaCie drive is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no circumstances will LaCie be held liable for the recovery or restoration of this data. To help prevent the loss of your data, LaCie highly recommends that you keep TWO copies of your data; one copy on your external hard drive, for instance, and a second copy either on your internal hard drive, another external hard drive or some other form of removable storage media, such as CD, DVD or Tape. LaCie offers a complete line of CD, DVD and Tape drives, and if you would like more information on backup, please refer to the LaCie white paper on backup...
LaCie Little Big Disk Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 2. Your LaCie Little Big Disk 2.1. Minimum System Requirements Mac Users PC Users FireWire 800 FireWire 800 Hardware Requirements for FireWire 800: Hardware Requirements for FireWire 800: • Pentium III or higher compatible processor, with a • G4 with a FireWire 800/IEEE 1394b interface card FireWire 800/IEEE 1394b interface card System Requirements for FireWire 800: • 128MB RAM or higher • OS 10.x or higher System Requirements for FireWire 800: • Windows 2000 and Windows XP...
M O B I L E H A R D D R I V E STORAGE UTILITIES (Windows and Mac OS compatible) LaCie User’s Manual LaCie ‘1-Click’ Backup Software (Windows XP/2000, Mac OS 10.x) Silverkeeper backup software (Mac OS 9 & 10.x) Silverlining Pro Utilities (Mac OS 9) IMpOrTANT INFO: Please keep your box. In the event that the drive should need to be repaired or serviced, it must...
LaCie Little Big Disk Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 2.2.2. Rear View of the Drive A/C Power Adaptor port - This is where you plug in the A/C Power Adaptor Cable. For more informa- tion, see section 2.3.3. Optional A/C adaptor kit. FireWire 800 Ports (2) - This is where you plug in the FireWire 800 cable furnished with the drive. See section Connections for more 2.3.1. FireWire information. FireWire 400...
LaCie Little Big Disk Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 0 2.3. Cables and Connectors IMpOrTANT INFO: If you choose to interface your LaCie Little Big Disk via a USB 2.0 connection, you will need to connect the power adaptor (see chapter 2.3.3. Optional A/C adaptor kit for more information). FireWire connec- tions provide enough energy to run the drive without the power adaptor. 2.3.1. FireWire FireWire 400, also known as IEEE 1394, is a high-speed serial FireWire Icons input/output technology for connecting peripheral devices to a Theses icons will help you easily identify computer or to each other, and FireWire 800 is the implementation the FireWire interface. They appear on of the new IEEE 1394b standard. FireWire cables, and next to the FireWire port connectors on certain computers. Pushing the speed barrier to new limits, FireWire 800 offers in- creased bandwidth and extended cabling distance between devices. FireWire 800 is ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications, such as audio, video and graphics. Benefits of FireWire 800 include:...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page FireWire Cables There are two categories of FireWire cables on the market: FireWire 800 cables, which feature the 9-to-9-pin, 9-to-6-pin, and 9-to-4-pin cables; and the original FireWire cables which feature the 6-to-6-pin and 6-to-4-pin cables. 9-to-9-pin cable: Connects FireWire 800 devices to FireWire 800 ports. 6-to-6-pin cable: Connects FireWire 400 devices to FireWire 400 ports. 6-to-4-pin cable: Connects FireWire 400 devices to iLink/DV ports.
LaCie Little Big Disk Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 2.3.2. USB USB is a serial input/output technology for connecting peripheral USB Icons devices to a computer or to each other. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 is the These icons will help you easily identify latest implementation of this standard, and it provides the necessary the USB interfaces. They appear on USB bandwidth and data transfer rates to support high-speed devices cables and next to the USB port connectors such as hard drives, CD/DVD drives and digital cameras. on certain computers. Benefits of the USB standard include: USB 2.0 Icon • Backwards compatibility: Hi-Speed USB 2.0 works with the origi- nal USB specifications. • Hot-swappable: no need to shut down or restart your computer USB 1.1 Icon when adding or removing devices.
LaCie Little Big Disk Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 2.3.3. Optional A/C Adaptor Kit If you choose to interface with your LaCie Little Big Disk via a USB 2.0 connection, you must also connect the included A/C adaptor kit, as the Little Big Disk is not USB bus powered. Local power adaptor A/C adaptor IMpOrTANT INFO: FireWire connections do not require this AC adapter connection, as long as your computer includes bus-powered FireWire ports. IMpOrTANT INFO: The use of the AC adapter is recommended when “daisy-chaining” several devices on the same FireWire bus.
Getting your LaCie Little Big Disk installed and connected as simple as connecting an interface cable to the drive and to a computer. There are three interface connectivity options when connecting your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface to your computer: FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and Hi-Speed USB 2.0. The Little Big Disk is plug & play for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Mac OS X. If you’re using one of those operating systems, move ahead to section 3.1. Connect the Little Big Disk to your computer. IMpOrTANT INFO: This LaCie drive is preformatted in HFS+ is immediately compatible with Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS 10.x. For use with Windows, cross-platform use between Mac and Windows and for more information about re- formatting, please see the following sections for more information: 4.1. Formatting and partitioning your LaCie Little Big Disk with triple interface and 5.1. File system formats. Mac OS 9.x users: You must install Silverlining Pro software. For details see the following pages for installation steps. You can not have the FireWire and USB interfaces connected at the same time! If you will be switching between inter- faces, you must also follow the steps in section 3.3. Switching FireWire and USB connections. TEChNICAL NOTE: To connect additional devices, you must be using the same interface, either FireWire or USB, and a hub if you are using USB. Your computer will not recognize the daisy-chained device if the interfaces are mixed,...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Setting Up Your LaCie Drive User Manual page Mac OS 9.x To use your new LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface, first install the necessary driver software. Silverlining Pro Installation 1. Insert the LaCie Storage Utilities CD in your computer’s internal CD/DVD drive. 2. Open the CD icon, double-click the Silverlining Software folder and double-click on the Silverlining Installer (fig. A). 3. The Silverlining Utilities screen appears. Click Continue. 4. The About to Install screen appears. Read the following information and click Continue. 5. The License Agreement screen appears. Click Agree. 6. The Installation screen appears. 7. Leave the installation setting at Easy Install unless you want to custom- ize the installation process.
There are three interface connectivity options when connecting your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface to your com- puter: FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and Hi-Speed USB 2.0. Connect the optional A/C adaptor cable IF you are interfacing with the Little Big Disk via USB 2.0. Connect the interface cable to your drive through the host connector. (FireWire 400, FireWire 800 or USB 2.0). Connect the cable to your computer. After a few seconds, your LaCie Little Big Disk will mount on your computer. USB 2.0 FireWire 800 FireWire 400 TEChNICAL NOTE: To connect additional devices, you must be using the same interface, either FireWire or USB, and a hub if you are using USB. Your computer will not recognize the daisy-chained device if the interfaces are mixed, i.e. a FireWire device attached to a drive that is connected to the computer via the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface. IMpOrTANT INFO: This LaCie drive is preformatted in HFS+. For more information about reformatting, please see the following sections for more information: 4.1. Formatting and partitioning your LaCie Little Big Disk Drive with triple interface and 5.1. File system formats. Windows users will need to reformat the Little Big Disk. Windows Users: It may take a few seconds for your computer to recognize the drive and assign it a letter. Mac Users: It may take a few seconds for the drive to appear on your desktop.
LaCie Little Big Disk Setting Up Your LaCie Drive User Manual page 3.2. Disconnecting Your LaCie Drive FireWire and USB external devices feature “plug & play” connectivity, which means that your drive can be connected and disconnected while the computer is running. To prevent failures, it is important you follow these steps when disconnecting your FireWire or USB peripheral device. CAUTION: Do not disconnect the USB or FireWire cable when the drive is reading or writing. Disconnecting while the drive is operating could cause the loss of data. Make sure that your drive is not reading or writing and that the activity LED is not blinking anymore before disconnecting the USB or FireWire cable. Windows Users From the System Tray (located in the lower right-hand side of your screen), click on the Eject icon (a small green arrow over a hardware image). A message will appear, detailing the devices that the Eject icon controls, i.e. “Safely remove…” Click on this prompt. You will then be given the following message: Safe to remove hardware (or similar). It is now safe to disconnect the device. Mac Users You must unmount the hard drive system before disconnecting it or powering it down. Either: • Drag the hard drive icon to the trash.
LaCie Little Big Disk Setting Up Your LaCie Drive User Manual page 3.3. Switching Between USB And FireWire Connections Hi-Speed USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 are “hot-pluggable,” meaning that you can connect a drive to a USB or FireWire port on your computer even when the computer is running. However, there are important steps to follow for your drive to function properly. When changing from a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connection to a FireWire 400 or FireWire 800 con- nection (and vice versa), follow these steps: 1. Follow the steps in section 3.2. Disconnecting Your LaCie Drive to unmount the drive. 2. Disconnect the USB or FireWire cable. 3. Connect either the USB or FireWire cable. After switching between interfaces, you may need to quit the application that you were using to access the drive and then reboot the program. The drive should then be visible and accessible.
LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 4. Using Your LaCie Drive Formatting a disk consists of the following: the oper- IMpOrTANT INFO: If you will be using this drive be- ating system erases all of the bookkeeping informa- tween Mac and Windows operating environments, you tion on the disk, tests the disk to make sure that all can create two partitions: one 32GB FAT 32 volume, of the sectors are reliable, marks bad sectors (i.e., and one large Mac OS Extended volume. There are cer- those that are scratched) and creates internal address tain limitations to this configuration, though; to achieve tables that it later uses to locate information. the best performance and reliability, it is recommended that you utilize a third-party utility, such as Mediafour’s As you format the drive, you will have the opportu- MacDrive, which allows Windows computers to read nity to divide the hard drive into sections, called par- and write files on a volume formatted for the Mac. titions. A partition is a section of the hard drive’s storage capacity that is created to contain files and data. Once formatted, the actual available storage capacity varies, depending on operating environment, and is generally about 10% less than the non-formatted capacity.
LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 0 4.1. Formatting And Partitioning Your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface Once you have set-up your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface, you can reformat or partition it to suit your needs. The LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface is pre-formatted as a Mac OS Extended volume. CAUTION: Following these steps will erase anything that is on the hard drive. Therefore, if you have information that you want to protect or continue to use, backup this information before performing these steps. 4.1.1. Mac Users • Mac OS 9.x – Install and use LaCie Silverlining Pro, which is included with your drive. • Mac OS 10.x – Use the Apple Disk Utility application, which is native to the operating system. For instructions on installing and using Silverlining Pro, please refer to the Silverlining manual, located on your LaCie Stor- age Utilities CD, in PDF format. Formatting And Partitioning Using Mac OS 10.x 1. Connect the drive to the computer via one of the interface ports.
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LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 7. From the Volume Scheme: button, choose the num- TEChNICAL NOTE: For a more detailed discus- ber of partitions you want to divide the drive into by sion on the various file system formats and parti- clicking on the pull down menu starting with Current tioning, please refer to section 5.1.1. File system (Mac OS 10.x gives you the option of dividing the drive formats. into at most 8 partitions). You can customize the size of the partitions by using the slide bar between the parti- tions in the Volume Scheme: area. 8. In the Volume Information section, create a name TEChNICAL NOTE: Under Mac OS 10.3.x, the for each partition, choose the volume format (Mac OS default format setting is Mac OS Extended (Jour- Extended, Mac OS Standard, MS-DOS File System or naled). Journaling provides a continuous record of UNIX File System) and the volume size. changes to files on the hard drive.
LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 4.1.2. Windows Users CAUTION: Following these steps will erase anything that is on the hard drive. Therefore, if you have information that you want to protect or continue to use, backup this information before performing these steps. • Windows 2000 and XP – Use the Disk Management Utility, which is native to the operating system. Formatting And Partitioning Using Windows 2000 And Windows XP The process of formatting and partitioning a drive on a computer running Windows 2000 or Windows XP consists of two steps: (1) installing a signature on the drive, and (2) partitioning/formatting the drive. These steps will erase anything that is on the disk. 1. Connect the drive to the computer via one of the interface ports. 2. Right-click My Computer and click Manage. 3. From the Computer Management window, select Disk Management (located below the Storage group). 4. If this is the first time the drive is being formatted, Win- dows 2000 will launch the Write Signature Wizard (Write Initialize Wizard in Windows XP). Click Next...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 8. This will bring up the Create partition Wizard. Click Next. 9. Select primary partition. Click Next. 10. Here you must specify partition size. It is recommended that you leave the partition set to the maximum available size, unless you want multiple partitions on the same drive. Click Next. 11. Select Assign drive letter and select the desired letter for the drive. Click Next (fig. C). 12. Select Format this partition… and then select a file system: Fig. C FAT32 FAT32 is a file system that is compatible with Windows TEChNICAL NOTE: For a more detailed 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000 and Windows XP; discussion on the various file system formats and however, it has limitations. In Windows 2000 and Windows partitioning, please refer to section 5.1.2. File XP, you will not be able to create a partition greater than system formats. 32GB.
LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 4.2. Connecting Multiple Devices Both the FireWire and USB interfaces allow for multiple devices to be connected. 4.2.1. FireWire FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 allow for the connection of up to 63 devices on the bus, with a maximum of 16 devices on one branch. FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 devices can be connected on a chain and do not necessarily need a hub. Sim- ply connect the first peripheral to a FireWire 400 or FireWire 800 port on your computer. Connect the second peripheral to the other FireWire 400 or FireWire 800 port on the first drive etc., using the cables provided with your drives. FireWire 800 devices can be chained together with the original FireWire 400 standard (provided the correct cables are used), but transfer rates will be limited to the original FireWire 400 speeds. For reliable performance, LaCie does not rec- ommend daisy-chaining more than 4 FireWire devices one after the other; instead, use several FireWire cards/ports directly from the computer. TEChNICAL NOTE: To daisy-chain devices, you must be using the same interface, either FireWire or USB. Your computer will not recognize the daisy-chained device if the interfaces are mixed, i.e. a FireWire device attached to a drive that is connected to the computer via the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface. Daisy-chain configurations: • FireWire 400 device connected directly to the LaCie Big Disk Extreme with Triple Interface, which is connected to the computer via the FireWire 800 port. • iLink/DV device connected directly to the LaCie Big Disk Extreme with Triple Interface, which is connected to the computer via the FireWire 800 port. • FireWire 800 device connected directly to the LaCie Big Disk Extreme with Triple Interface, which is connected to the computer via the FireWire 800 port.
LaCie Little Big Disk Using Your LaCie Little Big Disk User Manual page 4.2.2. USB Technically, you can connect up to 127 individual USB peripherals at one time. However, you probably will not use more than 6 to 8 peripherals on your USB system. Most computers only have two USB ports, so you would need a hub to connect more than two peripheral drives. The hub regenerates the signals, generally providing between 4 to 7 connections. To add even more drives, connect a new hub to a connector of the original hub, creating a new series of peripherals, etc. But the hub slows down the transfer rate by lengthening the path of the signal. To optimize performance, connect your drive directly to one of the built-in ports in your computer. TEChNICAL NOTE: For more information about USB and improving performance, please sections 5.3. Optimizing Data Transfers and 7. USB questions & answers.
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 5. Tech Tips IMpOrTANT INFO: If you will be sharing the hard drive between Mac and Windows operat- ing environments, you will want to follow these 5.1. File System Formats guidelines: 5.1.1. Mac Users Mac OS 9.x - • Works reliably with FAT 32 partitions less than Mac OS 10.x Users: 32GB The LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface is pre-format- Mac OS X prefers that all partitions be the same ted as a Mac OS Extended volume. You may customize the format, therefore only the first FAT 32 partition is drive by reformatting and/or partitioning the drive with guaranteed to mount.
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page Mac OS Standard (hFS) Mac OS Standard refers to the file system used by Mac OS 8.0 and earlier. Only use this file system if you are creating a volume smaller than 32MB, using a Mac with a 680X0 processor or creating a file structure that will be need to be used by Macs running Mac OS 8.0 or earlier. UNIX File System This is the file system based on UNIX, and is preferable for users developing UNIX-based applications within Mac OS 10.x. Unless you have a specific reason to use the UNIX File System, you should instead format your drive using Mac OS Extend- ed (HFS+), because it provides Mac users with a more familiar operating experience. Mac OS 9.x Users: You will be able to format the drive in one of two formats, HFS (Mac OS Standard) or HFS+ (Mac OS Extended), using Silverlining Pro (for specific instructions, please refer to the Silverlining User’s Manual, in the Silverlining folder). 5.1.2. Windows Users There are basically two file system formats for Windows: FAT 32 and NTFS. The following information will hopefully make choosing one or the other a little easier. FAT 32 FAT is an acronym for File Allocation Table, which dates back to the beginnings of DOS programming. Originally, FAT was only 16 bits, but after the second release of Windows 95 it was upgraded to 32 bits, hence the name FAT 32. In theory, FAT 32 volume sizes can range from less than 1MB all the way to 2TB. It is the native file system of Windows 98 and Windows Me, and is supported by Windows 2000 and XP. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000 and XP, though, volume size is limited to 32GB (by the Windows partition utility, i.e. Disk Manager), and the individual file size is limited to 4GB.
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LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 28 Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS 10.x (see Important Note: in section 5.1.1. File System Formats - Mac Users for more informa- tion). • You will be dual booting with an Operating System other than Windows NT or Windows 2000.
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 5.2. Available Storage Capacity A gigabyte (GB) means 1,000,000,000 bytes. In order to utilize a hard disk drive, it has to be formatted first. Formatting a disk consists of the following: the operating system erases all of the bookkeeping information on the disk, tests the disk to make sure that all of the sectors are reliable, marks bad sectors (i.e., those that are scratched) and creates internal address tables that it later uses to locate information. Once formatted, the actual available storage capacity varies, depending on operating environment, and is generally about 10% less than the non-formatted capacity. 5.3. Optimizing Data Transfers Data transfers are the flow of data that accomplishes TEChNICAL NOTE: For more information on the a task, usually related to moving data from storage to FireWire interfaces, please see: 6. FireWire ques- computer RAM, or between storage devices. With ex- tions & answers ternal drives, such as the LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface, the data is transferred from the drive to the computer via the FireWire or USB interface. The data is Please see 3.3. Connecting multiple devices for fed from the drive through the FireWire port on the drive, more information.
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 0 If you do not have a native FireWire port, LaCie offers FireWire host bus adapter cards, also known as PCI or PC/PCMCIA cards, that have been tested and comply with LaCie drives. Please contact your reseller or LaCie Customer Support for more information. 5.3.1. FireWire 800 Ports And Performance To utilize the newly enhanced FireWire 800 performances, your computer must be equipped with a FireWire 800 host bus adapter card (either sold separately, or integrated by your computer’s manufacturer); these host bus adapter cards include one or more FireWire 800 ports, and you must be running Mac OS 10.2.4 and higher, or Windows 2000 or Windows XP in order to achieve FireWire 800 performance and functionality. If you use FireWire equipped peripherals (either the original FireWire standard or the new FireWire 800), one of the easiest and least expensive ways to improve the performance, reliability and value of your system is by installing additional ports. By adding a FireWire PCI/PC card you can isolate fast and slow devices, create more effective RAID configurations, take full advantage of bus-powered devices and protect and increase the overall value of your system. Not all FireWire devices are created equal; some devices support faster transfer rates than others. For example, DV cam- corders deliver data at the slower 100Mb/s and 200Mb/s rates, while hard drives typically deliver data at the 400Mb/s rates. When the devices are daisy-chained (connected to each other and sharing a single port), the devices may be reduced to the transfer rate of the slowest device. With a separate FireWire PCI card, you can isolate the slow devices to one port, while dedicating another port to your high-speed devices. This principle also has a great effect on the efficiency and performance of RAID 0 striped configurations, where each in- terface can operate at maximum speed without being affected by the other devices on the same bus. Essentially, by adding an additional PCI card, you create another controller for the data. Instead of having four drives connected to one port and daisy-chained, with an additional PCI card you can connect two drives to one port, and two drives on a second port on another controller, improving speed by spreading the data over two controllers instead of one. Also think of an additional FireWire bus as a serious way to protect your expensive computer system. If you happen to work in an environment where you frequently share devices with other computers and users, you can inadvertently “blow” a FireWire port, if, for instance, you have a defective cable, or the connector is forced in upside down. Replacing a FireWire PCI/PC card is far less expensive than repairing or replacing an entire motherboard.
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page Contact your LaCie reseller or LaCie Customer Support for information abut FireWire 800 PCI or PC Cards, or visit our Web www.lacie.com site: 5.3.2. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Ports And Performance To utilize the enhanced Hi-Speed USB 2.0 performance, your computer must be equipped with a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 host bus adapter card (either sold separately, or integrated by your computer’s manufacturer) and the appropriate drivers. These host bus adapter cards, which include one or more USB ports, are shipped with special Hi-Speed USB 2.0 drivers that enable the computer to control the card. These drivers must be installed in order for USB 2.0 devices connected to the port to work at their correct speeds. Computers running Windows 2000 and Windows XP automatically manage Hi-Speed USB 2.0 devices and drivers. Mac OS 9.x does not support Hi-Speed USB 2.0 functionality, and all Hi-Speed USB 2.0 devices will only operate at the original USB specifications. Mac OS 10.2.7 and later supports Hi-Speed USB 2.0, and Mac OS 10.x also supports Hi- Speed USB 2.0, but you will have to purchase a third-party PCI or PC Card and appropriate drivers. Contact your LaCie reseller or LaCie Customer Support for information about Hi-Speed USB 2.0 PCI or PC Cards, or visit www.lacie.com our Web site:...
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 5.4. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 vs. FireWire 400 vs. FireWire 800 Trying to decide which interface to use, Hi-Speed USB 2.0, FireWire 400 or FireWire 800, can be a complicated decision. Your decision should be based on the following: Computer With Hi-Speed USB 2.0, FireWire 400 And FireWire 800 Ports If your computer is equipped with all three interfaces, you have several options to consider. The key decision in this equa- tion is simple: speed. FireWire 800 effectively offers twice the bandwidth of both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire 400. So, if you are running bandwidth-intensive applications, such as digital audio, video or graphics, FireWire 800 is your clear choice. Computer With Hi-Speed USB 2.0 And FireWire 400 Ports If your computer is equipped with both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire ports, drive performance will be relatively similar.
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 6. FireWire Questions & Answers What Does IEEE 1394 Mean? IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) refers to the engineering corps that developed the 1394th stan- dard, defining the high-performance serial input/output (I/O) bus used to connect peripheral devices. There are now two standards: IEEE 1394a, which refers to the original standard adopted in 1995, and IEEE 1394b, which refers to the new standard, adopted in 2002. What Is The Relationship Between IEEE 1394, FireWire, iLink And DV? These four names all refer to the same interface: • IEEE 1394 is the term commonly used in the computer industry. • FireWire is the brand name used by Apple. • iLink is the brand name used by Sony for both consumer electronics and personal computers. • DV is short for “Digital Video,” and is used as the logo for the interface on most video camcorders.
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LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page current transmission is completed. What Are The Ideal Uses For FireWire? FireWire helped fuel a revolution for digital content creators, and was awarded a 2001 Primetime Emmy Engineering Award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for its contribution. Due to its high bandwidth and support of both iso- chronous and asynchronous data delivery, FireWire has found a very successful place in both the computer and consumer electronics industries. Whether connecting game consoles, personal video recorders, home stereo equipment, digital TVs, hard drives, CD/DVD-RW drives, printers, scanners, tape drives or other digital hardware equipment, FireWire is well- suited to handle all these various requirements. With the advent of the new FireWire 800 standard, the revolution created by the original will only grow. For those working with digital video, the new standard will enable new bandwidth-intensive applications, such as multiple-stream, uncom- pressed, standard-definition video. Will FireWire 400 Devices Run Faster When Connected To A FireWire 800 Port? Unfortunately, this is not the case. In order to attain FireWire 800 speeds, both the device and port have to be FireWire 800...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page the FireWire cable must be connected to the FireWire 400 port of the device, and the 9-pin end must be connected to the FireWire 800 port. When FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 devices are mixed, all transfer rates revert to the original FireWire 400 speed. What Do I Do If My Computer Does Not Have A FireWire Port? Most computers manufactured today incorporate at least one FireWire port. If your computer does not have a native port, you can install one by adding a PCI or PCMCIA host bus adapter card. Please contact your computer supply specialist for a specific card that will work with your system. www.lacie.com/technologies For more information about the FireWire interface, please visit:...
LaCie Little Big Disk Tech Tips User Manual page 7. USB Questions & Answers What Are The Benefits Of The USB Interfaces? • Cross-platform: Use your USB peripherals on both Mac and Windows platforms. • “Hot Swappable”: No need to shut down or restart your computer when adding or removing a USB device. Plug it in and its ready. • Automatic configuration: Once your device is connected, your computer recognizes the device and automatically config- ures the necessary software. • Daisy-Chaining: with USB ports on your computer, you can connect up to 127 peripherals using hubs. • Easy Installation: One standardized port and plug combination makes it simple to connect. What Is The Difference Between USB And Hi-Speed USB 2.0? The main difference is speed. The original version of the interface is capable of throughput up to 12Mb/s. Hi-Speed USB...
LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page 8. Troubleshooting 8.1. Mac Users The Problem Questions to Ask Possible Solutions Check section 2.1. Minimum system requirements for more The drive is not Does your computer’s configuration recognized by the meet the minimum system requirements information. computer. for use with this drive? Is the drive’s A/C adaptor connected? Make sure that the power supply is properly connected (see section 2.3.3. Optional A/C Adaptor Kit). Review the installation steps under 3. Installing your LaCie...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page The drive is not Has the drive been formatted? Make sure that the drive has been formatted properly. Please see sections 4.1. Formatting and partitioning your recognized by the computer. LaCie Little Big Disk Drive with triple interface and 5.1. File system formats for more information. Is there a conflict with other device Contact LaCie Technical Support for help. drivers or extensions? A device con- Is the LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Make sure that your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Inter- nected to the Interface connected directly to the host face is connected directly to the computer (see section 3.1. Connect the Little Big Disk to your...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page The drive is not Are you running Mac OS 9.x? Mac OS 9.x does not support the speed and performance running notice- of the FireWire 800 interface. But you can connect a ably faster when FireWire 800 device to a computer running Mac OS 9.x if connected via you connect using either the FireWire 400 6-to-6-pin cable FireWire 800. and the FireWire 400 port on the drive; or connect via the FireWire 800 port using a FireWire 800 9-to-6-pin cable (sold separately). Are you running Mac OS 10.2.3 or Mac OS versions earlier than 10.2.3 do not support the earlier? speed and performance of the FireWire 800 interface. But you can connect a FireWire 800 device to a computer running Mac OS 9.x up to Mac OS 10.2.3 if you connect using either the FireWire 400 6-to-6-pin cable and the FireWire 400 port on the drive; or connect via the FireWire 800 port using a FireWire 800 9-to-6-pin cable (sold separately). Is the drive connected via the FireWire To achieve the high transfer rates of the FireWire 800 800 9-to-9-pin cable to the a FireWire standard, you must have the drive connected, using the 800 port? FireWire 800 9-to-9-pin cable, to a FireWire 800 port on another device or computer. For the best performance and reliability, connect your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface directly to a computer’s FireWire 800 port using...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page 0 Are you operating in Mac OS 10.x? Apple has only recently begun incorporating native Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports in their computers. To achieve Hi-Speed USB 2.0 transfer rates, you will need to add a Hi- Speed USB 2.0 PCI or PC card to your computer. For more information, please see 5.3.2. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports performance. Is the drive connected to a USB port on If your drive is connected to a USB port or hub, this is your computer, or to a USB hub? normal. A Hi-Speed USB 2.0 device can only operate at Hi-Speed USB 2.0 performance levels when it is connected directly to a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port or hub. Otherwise, the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 device will operate at the slower USB transfer rates. For more information, please see sections 5.3.2. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports and performance and 7. USB questions and answers. Is the drive connected to a Hi-Speed Check to see that the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 drivers for both USB 2.0 port on your computer? your host bus adapter and device have been installed cor- rectly. If in doubt, uninstall the drivers and re-install them.
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LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page Unplanned shut- Did you have an improper shutdown, If this happens and you are running Mac OS 10.x, you can down. forced restart or power interruption? utilize Apple’s Disc Utility to check the status of the drive and recover from such an event. Please refer to Apple’s Web site article: Mac OS X: About Using Disc Utility and fsck for File System Management. Mac OS 10.3.x Is the drive formatted as a NTFS If the file cluster size is set at 4KB (which is the default set- “hangs” when you volume? ting under Windows), this may be too small. Reformat the connect a LaCie drive and change the cluster size to 32KB. Little Big Disk with Triple Interface. The drive turns on This is normal. Your drive has an autoswitching power feature, which means that if your drive is and off when you connected to your computer, turning the computer on will automatically turn the drive on. Likewise, turn your comput- turning the computer off will automatically turn the drive off. If you wish to power off the drive while er on and off. it is connected to your computer, first make sure that your computer is not accessing the drive and then follow the steps in section 3.2. Disconnecting your LaCie drive.
Was the drive formatted as a remov- If the drive is configured as a removable disk drive under able disk? Windows Me, the removable setting will need to be re- checked each time that the drive is taken to a new system. To do this, go the Device Manager (Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager) and click on the Drives Settings tab. Does your computer’s operating system Check your computer’s documentation and see sections support the file system? 4.1. Formatting and partitioning your LaCie Little Big Disk with triple interface and 5.1. File system formats for more information. Is there an icon for the drive in My Go into My Computer and look for an icon and drive letter Computer? assigned to the LaCie drive. If the drive does not appear, follow the rest of the Troubleshooting tips to isolate the problem. Does your computer’s configuration Check section 2.1. Minimum system requirements for more meet the minimum system requirements information.
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LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page The drive is not • Disconnect the FireWire cable, wait 10 seconds and then recognized by the reconnect. computer. • Ensure that the FireWire/USB connectors are properly aligned. FireWire/USB cables can only be inserted one way. Make sure that they are correctly oriented. • Check that the FireWire/USB connectors are straight and fully seated int he FireWire/USB ports. • Only use certified FireWire/USB cables, such as the cables provided with your LaCie drive. If you have followed all of these steps and the drive is still not recognized, shut down your computer, wait 3 to 5 minutes, restart your computer and try again. Windows 2000 Users: Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Hardware tab > Device Manager button > USB Controller or IEEE 1394 Controller. Click on the + sign next to the controller icon, and you should see your device listed. Windows XP Users: Go to Start > Control Panel > Per- formance and Maintenance > System > Hardware tab > Device Manager button > USB Controller or IEEE 1394 Controller. Click on the + sign next to the controller icon, and you should see your device listed. If you still can’t see your device, recheck the cables and try the other troubleshooting tips listed here.
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LaCie Little Big Disk Troubleshooting User Manual page The drive is not Are you running Windows 2000 and In order to operate FireWire 800 devices under Windows running notice- have you installed the Windows 2000 2000, the Service Pack 4 update must be installed. This ably faster when Service Pack 4? is a free download offered on Microsoft’s Web site. If not, connected via you will need to use the FireWire 400 interface or use a FireWire 800. FireWire 800 9-to-6-pin cable (sold separately). Is the drive connected via the FireWire To achieve the high transfer rates of the FireWire 800 800 9-to-9-pin cable to the a FireWire standard, you must have the drive connected, using the 800 port? FireWire 800 9-to-9-pin cable, to a FireWire 800 port on another device or computer. For the best performance and reliability, connect your LaCie Little Big Disk with Triple Interface directly to a computer’s FireWire 800 port using the LaCie 9-to-9-pin cable provided with your drive. The drive turns on This is normal. Your drive has an autoswitching power feature, which means that if your drive is and off when you connected to your computer, turning the computer on will automatically turn the drive on. Likewise, turn your comput- turning the computer off will automatically turn the drive off. If you wish to power off the drive while er on and off. it is connected to your computer, first make sure that your computer is not accessing the drive and then follow the steps in section 3.2. Disconnecting your LaCie...
LaCie Little Big Disk Contacting Customer Support User Manual page 9. Contacting Customer Support Before You Contact Technical Support 1) Read the manuals and review the Troubleshooting section. 2) Try to isolate the problem. If possible, make the drive the only external device on the CPU, and make sure that all of the cables are correctly and firmly attached. If you have asked yourself all of the pertinent questions in the troubleshooting checklist, and you still can’t get your LaCie drive to work properly, contact us via the provided Web link. Before contacting us, make sure that you are in front of your computer and that you have the following information on hand: • Your LaCie drive’s serial number • Operating system (Mac OS or Windows) and version • Computer brand and model • Names of CD or DVD drives installed on your computer • Amount of memory installed • Names of any other devices installed on your computer...
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LaCie Little Big Disk Contacting Customer Support User Manual page LaCie Asia, Singapore, and Hong Kong LaCie Australia Contact us at: Contact us at: http://www.lacie.com/asia/contact/ http://www.lacie.com/au/contact/ LaCie Belgium LaCie Canada Contact us at: Contact us at: http://www.lacie.com/be/contact/ (Français) http://www.lacie.com/caen/contact/ (English) http://www.lacie.com/cafr/contact/ (Français) LaCie Denmark LaCie Finland Contact us at: Contact us at: http://www.lacie.com/dk/contact http://www.lacie.com/fi/contact/...
LaCie Little Big Disk Warranty User Manual page 10. Warranty LaCie warrants your drive against any defect in material and workmanship, under normal use, for the period designated on your warranty certificate. In the event this product is found to be defective within the warranty period, LaCie will, at its option, repair or replace the defective drive. This warranty is void if: • The drive was operated/stored in abnormal use or maintenance conditions; • The drive is repaired, modified or altered, unless such repair, modification or alteration is expressly authorized in writing by LaCie; • The drive was subjected to abuse, neglect, lightning strike, electrical fault, improper packaging or accident; • The drive was installed improperly; • The serial number of the drive is defaced or missing; • The broken part is a replacement part such as a pickup tray, etc. • The tamper seal on the drive casing is broken. LaCie and its suppliers accept no liability for any loss of data during the use of this device, or for any of the problems caused as a result. LaCie will not, under any circumstances, be liable for direct, special or consequential damages such as, but not limited to, damage or loss of property or equipment, loss of profits or revenues, cost of replacement goods, or expense or inconve- nience caused by service interruptions. Any loss, corruption or destruction of data while using a LaCie drive is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no circumstances will LaCie be held liable for the recovery or restoration of this data. Under no circumstances will any person be entitled to any sum greater than the purchase price paid for the drive. To obtain warranty service, call LaCie Technical Support. You will be asked to provide your LaCie product’s serial number, and you may be asked to furnish proof of purchase to confirm that the drive is still under warranty. All drives returned to LaCie must be securely packaged in their original box and shipped with postage prepaid. www.lacie.com/register Important Note: Register online for free technical support:...
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