Please
click on the questions below that best fits your situation for the answers or
scroll down the page.
This
page can be downloaded in PDF format here
Q: My hard drive and case gets hot
when left on for extended periods. Why is this?
Q: What operating systems can I use my
CAS-3U with?
Q: I have just purchased a new CASE-3U and installed a new hard drive
in it. When it is plugged in to the computer it is not shown in the “My
Computer” Window.
A: New
Hard drives are sold in an unformatted state. Before they can be used, they
need to be portioned and format in the correct file system for your computer.
Right click on the
“My Computer” Icon and select “manage” from the popup menu. The “Computer
Management” console will now open. On the left panel of the window select
“Storage” and then “Disk Management.” A view of all attached drives will be
shown in the right hand panel of the window.
The
New hard drive will be shown showing the size and the fact that the drive is
unallocated. Right Click on the word Unknown and choose initialise disk.
Check
the new disk and click OK.
Right
click on the unallocated partition and select “New Partition…” (XP) or “Create
Partition”
(W2K) from the popup menu.
The “Create
Partition” Wizard will appear. Please read each step carefully. The information
displayed will help you decide how to set the hard drive partition(s) up to
best suit your needs.
From
the Welcome window, click next.
Select
“Primary Partition” Default) and click next.
The
Partition size will default to actual size of the drive. Click next.
You can
change the partition size here and create a second or even more partitions on a
single drive. This is only for advanced computer users and should be used with
caution.
Assign a drive letter
the system will use when the drive is connected. This will default to the next
free drive letter not currently used by the system. You may use any unused
drive letter. Please confirm that this assigned drive letter does not conflict
with any network, logical or physical drives in the system.
Click
next.
Formatting
the partition: This window will default to the following…..
- File system: NTFS Leave as
default
- Allocation unit size: Default.
Leave as default.
- Volume label: new volume Change
as required.
Click next. A summary
page will open. Please check that all the settings are correct. You can go back
and make changes if required. If the settings are correct, click FINISH.
Formatting will now commence. This may take a while. The time will vary
depending on the size of the hard drive.
When
the formatting is complete, the drive will be shown in the “Computer
Management” window and should be shown as “healthy.”
Close the computer
management console and open the “My Computer” Window. The new hard drive should
now be ready to use.
For Windows 98 users
please refer to the following document for instructions of how to set up your
drive.
http://www.laserco.com.au/downloads/pdfs/Trouble%20shooting%20guide%20for%20external%20chassis.pdf
Q: I’m trying to install a CASE-3U under
Windows Vista and it is failing. Vista goes through the motions of trying to
find and driver but fails saying “Couldn’t find driver for you device.” It’s
looking for a USB to ATA/ATAPI Bridge driver. Are there Vista compatible
drivers available?
A: The problem may be with the Driver database
in the Vista PC. If during the instillation process of your computer the native
chipset drivers were installed and not updated with the manufactures drivers,
it is possible that the case is not being correctly detected. Please visit the
motherboard manufactures website and download and install the latest Vista
compatible chipset drivers. In most cases this resolves the problem.
Q: My hard drive and case gets hot when left on for extended periods.
Why is this?
A: There is no power management in external USB
cases and the hard drive is constantly spinning while it is connected to an active
USB port. The Hard drive does not spin
down the same way that hard drives inside your computer does. External cases
should only be left on as they are needed. This will help prolong the life of
the hard drive. Please refrain from moving the case after you have disconnected
it from the computer for a minute or so to allow the platters to “spin down”
and stop.
Q: I can use my external hard drive on a computer running windows
XP/2000 but when I connect it to a Windows 98 computer I cannot find the external
drive. Why not?
A: It is possible that the hard drive installed
in the case has been formatted in the NTFS files system. Operating systems
prior to Windows 2000 cannot read NTFS and will not be accessible. If you
require the drive to be used on systems prior to Windows 2000 it is recommended
that the drive be formatted in the FAT32 file system. Please see question 1 for
more information.
Q: I have just fitted a new 250GB hard drive in the case but it will
only format the drive to 130GB. What is going on?
A: Windows XP prior to service pack one was not
capable or formatting hard drives above 130GB capacity. Please install Service
Pack 2 on your computer. This will resolve the problem.
Q: My external case will not work on my Laptop computer. The power
light comes on but nothing happens. I can use other USB devices without any
problems. What is wrong?
A: The CASE-3U must be power by the external AC
adaptor and cannot be powered by the USB port on a computer. Ensure that the
Power supply is plugged in, connected to the case and the case is turned on.
Q: When
I turn my case on the hard drive makes a whining noise or it starts clicking. What
is happening?
A: The whining noise can be indicative of the
hard drive motor beginning to fail. In some case drivers can go on for some
time before finally giving up the ghost. In other case failure is just around
the corner. In either case it is a good idea to back up your data and
considering getting a new drive. If you drive is making a clicking sound there
are 2 possibilities.
1.
The
Dive is dying. The sound you hear is the write/read heads flicking across the
platters. If the drive is old it should be replaced as soon as possible as it may
not start again. If possible remove the drive from the case and test plugged
directly into the computer. If the clicking continues the drive is dying. If
the drive behaves normally, see point 2.
2.
The
power to the case may not be correct. The CASE PSU (power supply unit) may be
faulty and not supply enough current to the hard drive. If the case is under
warranty, please contact the place of purchase for help.
Q: What
operating systems can I use my CAS-3U with?
A: The CASE-3U will work natively under Windows 2000(SP1
and later), Windows XP (all versions) and Windows Vista (All versions). It will
also work with MAC OX 10 or later and some latter versions of Linux. While some
testing has been done we are not able to support the instillation of the case
on MAC or Linux systems. Hardware faults are supported.