LaCie Bigger Disk Extreme User Manual

Also see for Bigger Disk Extreme: Quick start guide User manual

LaCie Bigger Disk Extreme User Manual Manual pdf 45 page image

5. Tech Tipspage 45LaCie Bigger Disk Extreme with Triple InterfaceUser’s Manual5.2. Available Storage CapacityA gigabyte (GB) means 1,000,000,000 bytes. In order to utilize a hard disk drive, it has to be formatted first. Formatting adisk consists of the following: the operating system erases all of the bookkeeping information on the disk, tests the disk tomake sure that all of the sectors are reliable, marks bad sectors (i.e., those that are scratched) and creates internal addresstables that it later uses to locate information. Once formatted, the actual available storage capacity varies, depending onoperating environment, and is generally about 10% less than the non-formatted capacity.5.3. Optimizing Data TransfersData transfers are the flow of data that accomplishes a task, usually related tomoving data from storage to computer RAM, or between storage devices. Withexternal drives, such as the LaCie Bigger Disk Extreme with Triple Interface, thedata is transferred from the drive to the computer via the FireWire or USBinterface. The data is fed from the drive through the FireWire port on the drive,and passes to the computer through the FireWire host-bus adapter interface.Computer manufacturer’s implementation of the FireWire host-bus adapterinterfaces vary widely. For computers running Windows 2000 and later, theFireWire interface, which is referred to as either IEEE 1394 or iLink on PCs*, isless common as a native host-bus adapter. Nearly all recent Apple computershave native FireWire interface ports.The FireWire interfaces specify certain requirements, filed under the OHCI(Open Host Controller Interface) standards. All LaCie drives comply to OHCIstandards and have been rigorously tested on computers that have host busadapters that also comply to OHCI standards. Unfortunately, not allmanufacturers respect these guidelines, and anomalies may arise with computersthat have host bus adapters that do not conform to OHCI standards.For the best performance, connect your LaCie Bigger Disk Extreme with Triple Interface directly to a native FireWire port onyour computer, and avoid daisy-chaining*. During data transfers, it’s best to wait before launching other applications that willbe using the same port.If you do not have a native FireWire port, LaCie offers FireWire host bust adapter cards, also known as PCI or PC/PCMCIAcards, that have been tested and comply with LaCie drives. Please contact your reseller or LaCie Customer Support for moreinformation.*Tech Note: For moreinformation on the FireWireinterfaces, please see:6.FireWire Questions & AnswersTech Note: Please see3.3.Connecting Multiple Devicesfor more information.Tech Note: Another importantfactor in file transfer speeds ishow the drive has beenformatted. For more informationin choosing the correct filesystem fomat, please see section5.1 File System Formats.