Troubleshooting for PC Users

The power will not go on when I turn on the DrivePod.
A: Make sure your power adapter is correctly plugged into the back of the DrivePod. Refer to the User's Guide for details.

When I leave my computer idle for a while and come back, my DrivePod 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 reoccurring, go into your Power Settings/Energy Saver and set it to where it never goes into Sleep mode.

My DrivePod seems to get hot when it's powered on; is this dangerous?
A: When in operation, the DrivePod will feel quite warm to the touch. There is nothing wrong with the DrivePod; this is normal.

My DrivePod's power button does not light up as shown on the box.
A: It was never intentionally made to light up. It was just an effect used on the box. However, so many customers have mentioned how much they like the affect that future releases of DrivePod will in fact have a power button that lights up blue.

The DrivePod gives me 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 DrivePod. The other possibility is that the interface board on the DrivePod has malfunctioned and would need to be sent in for warranty service.

My computer does not recognize the DrivePod.
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 DrivePod 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 DrivePod. Right-click on the right-hand box; in the pop-up menu select Delete Partition. Once you do this, it will say “Online" & "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 DrivePod; 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 DrivePod.

When I try to format my DrivePod on Windows 2000/XP I get the message: “Could not complete format."
A: This problem can occur if you are using an expansion card to connect the DrivePod. Plug the DrivePod into a data port on your computer and try the format again. You may also come across this error if you are using Windows 2000 or XP and you try to format the DrivePod using the FAT 32 file system. If reformatting the DrivePod and you do not need Mac compatibility, Windows 2000/XP users should use the NTFS files system.

After I connected the DrivePod 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: Windows 2000 and XP users will get this alert message if you plugged the DrivePod into a USB port that only support USB 1.x. This is fine, except your DrivePod will operate USB 1.x speeds (up to 12 Mbps).

My USB 2.0 DrivePod 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.x the DrivePod will operate at USB 1.x speeds (up to 12 Mbps). The DrivePod will auto-sense the speed of your USB port and adjust between USB 1.x 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 cannot read the Harddisk Speed Tools CD on my Windows based computer
A: The Hard Disk Speed Tools is a utility CD for the Macintosh 9.x and lower operating systems. It gives the Macintosh users the utilities not included in the operating system. Windows already has these utilities built into the OS.

The DrivePod is not showing up on My Computer or Explorer.
A: For Windows 2000/XP
a. Right Click on My Computer
b. Go to Manage..
c. Go to storage – disk management
·  A wizard should appear if the drive has never been connected to your machine. Follow the direction, selecting the drive not checked.
·  If the wizard does not appear, Right click on Disk X (X being the drive that is unknown), select “Write Signature..” or “Initialize..”. Click OK.
d. Right click on the unallocated disk
e. Select Create Partion
1)      A wizard will appear
2)      Click next
3)      Select Primary Partion
4)      Select size of the partion (use the default value to use all of the drive)
5)      Specify drive letter (it is recommended to use the default)
6)      To format use:
·  NTFS – if for use on Windows 2000 only. This is the only option if the drive is larger than 32 GB. Windows FAQ
·  FAT32 – if for use on both Windows 98/ME and Windows 2000/XP if the drive is less than 32 GB. Windows FAQ
7)      Click finish
f. When finished formatting (100%) exit the utility

For Win 98/ME
Set the drive as removable

For Mac OS
a.      Cycle through the power-Need to turn the device on before connecting to or tuning on the computer. On IMAC-DVSE need to remove Firewire cable on shut down.
1)      Turn device off
2)      Disconnect the Firewire cable from the device
3)      Turn the device on
4)      Wait 5-15 seconds
5)      Plug Firewire cable into the device
b.      Need to have updated Firewire support. On OS 9.1 and higher this is already installed.
Mac OS 9.0 to 9.0.4-Firewire support 2.5
Download FireWire_2.5.smi.bin

I can't transfer files larger than 2 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 DrivePod using the NTFS file system. Refer to the User's Guide for instructions.

Troubleshooting for Mac users

The power will not go on when I turn on the DrivePod.
A: Make sure your power adapter is correctly plugged into the back of the DrivePod. Refer to the User's Guide for details.

When I leave my computer idle for a while and come back, my DrivePod 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 Energy Saver preferences and set it to never go into Sleep mode.

My DrivePod seems to get hot when it's powered on; is this dangerous?
A: When in operation, the DrivePod will feel quite warm to the touch. There is nothing wrong with the DrivePod; this is normal.

My DrivePod's power button does not light up as shown on the box.
A: It was never intentionally made to light up. It was just an effect used on the box. However, so many customers have mentioned how much they like the affect that future releases of DrivePod will in fact have a power button that lights up blue.

My computer does not recognize the DrivePod.
A: First, check to make sure that all of your connections are secure. Then check if your DrivePod is listed in the Apple System Profiler. If the driver listed is “USB Authoring Support” or “Toast USB Support”, disable this Extension(s) in the Extensions Manager. These Extensions can cause a conflict with the DrivePod.

Do I need to install the USB 2.0 Installation CD?
A: No, the DrivePod uses the built-in Mac USB Mass Storage Support software, which includes the necessary system extensions. However, to use the DrivePod you must have USB Mass Storage Support version 1.3.5 or later. You can download the latest update at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=60394. Please note: Mac OS 9 does not support USB 2.0, so if using Mac OS 9, the DrivePod will operate at USB 1.x speeds.

My USB 2.0 DrivePod 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.x the DrivePod will operate at USB 1.x speeds (up to 12 Mbps). The DrivePod will auto-sense the speed of your USB port and adjust between USB 1.x 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.

When I connected the DrivePod to my computer and turned it on, I got the following alert message: “Please insert disk ‘untitled’.”
A: If you get this alert message, your Mac is not recognizing your DrivePod, and the mouse cursor may actually freeze on screen. If this happens, hold down the Apple/Control key and press the Period “.” key. You should regain control of your mouse. Restart your computer and rebuild the Desktop. (Refer to the manual that came with your Mac for instructions on how to rebuild the Desktop. It is good practice to periodically rebuilt the Desktop anyway.) After your Mac reboots, the DrivePod should mount normally and you should not have this problem again.

I set up my DrivePod on Mac OS 9 and it was working fine. Then when I upgraded to Mac OS X my computer asked me to re-initialize the DrivePod.
A: If this message appears, you have no choice but to re-initialize the DrivePod in order to use it on Mac OS X. You will need to copy the data stored on your External Hard DrivePod to another hard drive or other storage device before upgrading to Mac OS X. After the upgrade is complete, re-initialize the DrivePod on Mac OS X, and then copy the data back to it.

Why does my DrivePod ask me to initialize it when I plug it into OS 9?
A: Sometimes on Mac OS 9 you may need to initialize the DrivePod the first time you connect it to your computer. Follow 24the instructions in this manual to format the DrivePod.

Why is my DrivePod asking me to format it? It was already formatted and it contains data.
A: The file system might have become corrupted, in which case it needs to be repaired. Use disk utility software, such as Norton Utilities, to repair the disk. Periodic testing of a hard drive is recommended to keep it in go

Mac OS 9.2: MS-DOS Disk Does Not Appear on Desktop
A: A local MS-DOS (FAT32) volume, whether a whole disk or a partition, will not appear in the Finder ("mount") if it is larger than 128 GB.

Symptom
The MS-DOS volume does not appear on the desktop or in a Finder window.
In the log file /var/log/system.log, there is a line containing "mountmsdosfs(): disk too big, sorry".

Products affected
Mac OS X 9.2 through 10.2.8
local MS-DOS format volumes

Note: "Local" volumes are those that are directly connected to your computer, including hard drives that connect via ATA, SCSI, USB, and FireWire. This issue does not affect remote volumes, such as "shares" on a Microsoft Windows server.

Solution
If your computer has a hard drive that is larger than 128 GB and that must be used locally in MS-DOS format, partition it so that no individual partition is larger than 128 GB. You could also share the disk from another computer and connect to it from your Macintosh.

I can't transfer files larger than 2 GB?
A: This is a limitation of the FAT 32 file system. If you plan to use the DrivePod on a Mac OS only, and you do not need Windows compatibility you may want to consider re-formatting the DrivePod using a Mac OS Extended file system. Refer to the User's Guide for instructions.