LaCie FIREWIRE 800/400 user manual USB Questions & Answers

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LaCie Biggest Quadra

USB Questions & Answers

User Manual

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9. 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 de- vice. Plug it in and its ready.

❖Automatic configuration: Once your device is con- nected, your computer recognizes the device and au- tomatically configures 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 2.0 supports data speeds up to 480 Mb/ s, making it 40 times faster than its predecessor. This in- creased bandwidth translates into higher performance in demanding applications requiring high transfer rates.

What Are The Ideal Uses For USB?

USB is perfect for more traditional connections such as keyboards, mice, joysticks and scanners. These types of devices don’t require fast data transfer rates, and oper- ate very successfully at the slower speeds.

What Are The Ideal Applications For Hi-Speed USB 2.0?

Digital cameras, CD/DVD drives, hard drives and scanners will all benefit from the added bandwidth and performance gains of the new implementation of the

USB standard. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 provides the neces- sary fast data transfer rates that today’s devices require, and combines the earlier specifications so older devices that operated under the original USB standards will still work with Hi-Speed USB 2.0.

Will USB Devices Run Faster When Connected To A Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Bus?

Unfortunately, no. The Hi-Speed USB 2.0 specifica- tion is specifically written to allow developers to design higher speed peripherals that can take advantage of the extra bandwidth. USB devices, though, will still operate at 12Mb/s at full-speed and 1.5Mb/s at low-speed on a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 bus. Even though USB devices won’t run any faster, they can work alongside Hi-Speed USB

2.0devices on the same bus. However, if you plug in a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 device to a USB bus, the speed of the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 device will decrease to 12Mb/s.

What Is A USB Hub?

Technically, you can connect up to 127 devices to a single USB bus. For more than two devices, though, you must make new connections using a peripheral called a “hub.” A hub, which you hook up directly to a USB connector on your computer, usually has 4 or 7 output connections enabling you to connect the same number of peripherals. One of the hub’s main functions is to re- generate signals that lose part of their strength as they are transmitted via the USB cable. By connecting yet another hub to a connector on the existing hub, you can then plug in a new set of peripherals and so on, up to a maximum of 127.

Some hubs have no power supply and others are self-powered. When you choose a hub, opt for the self- powered variety, as they have their own AC adapter. The most powerful hubs provide 0.5A of power to each port.

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Contents Biggest Quadra Table of Contents Maintaining Your LaCie Biggest Quadra FCC Statement CopyrightsTrademarks ChangesGeneral Use Precautions Health and Safety PrecautionsLaCie Biggest Quadra Forward Introduction to the LaCie Biggest Quadra Biggest Quadra FeaturesMac Users About the LaCie Biggest QuadraMinimum System Requirements Windows UsersYour LaCie hard drive package should contain the following Package ContentSpecifications Front View Views of the DriveRear View FireWire 400 and 800 Cables and Connectors Cables and ConnectorsUSB 2.0 Cables Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Cables and ConnectorsUSB Icons Hi-Speed USB 2.0 BenefitsESATA Cables and Connectors ESATA IconsESATA Cables Drive Tray Locks To lock a drive trayTo unlock a drive tray Recommended Uses Characteristics and AdvantagesUnderstanding RAID RAIDHigh Data Transfer Performance RAID 0 +Controller RAID 5 + Hot Spare Setting Setting Up Your LaCie Biggest QuadraExample Setting the RAID LevelRAID 5 + Hot Spare RAIDRAID 0 + To initialize the disks in your array Creating an ArrayInitializing the Disks On nextLaCie Biggest Quadra Setting Up the Biggest Quadra 2.A Managing Volumes over 2TB in WindowsConnecting to a Host Computer 1.A Connecting to the Host Computer via FireWireConnecting to the Host Computer via Hi-Speed USB Connecting to the Host Computer via eSATA YY/MM/DD Hhmm Setting the LCD Display Time & DateInitialize Formatting and Partitioning1.C Mac Users Disk Status and Activity Indicators Using the LaCie Biggest QuadraLCD Display Messages Initialization MessagesLCD Display Message Message Cleared When Rebuild Messages Dx RebuildFan Failure Message LCD Display Message Cleared When Failure and Error MessagesRAID Failure Messages LCD Display Message Cleared When Disk Failure Message LCD Display Message Cleared WhenOverheating Error Message LCD Display Message Cleared When Power On LCD Display Message Message Cleared WhenRAID and Disk Status Messages Disk Information LCD Display Message Message Cleared When RAID and Disk Information MessagesReady LCD Display Message Message Cleared When RAID Level LCD Display Message Message Cleared WhenSerial Number LCD Display Message Message Cleared When Firmware Version LCD Display Message Message Cleared WhenFirmware Updates Maintaining Your LaCie Biggest QuadraRemoving/Replacing a Drive File System Formats Technical InformationUse HFS+ if FATUse Ntfs if Use FAT 32 ifOptimizing Data Transfers Available Storage CapacityFireWire 800 Ports and Performance Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Ports and Performance What Does Ieee 1394 Mean? FireWire Questions & AnswersWhat Are The Benefits Of The FireWire Inter- faces? What Are The Ideal Uses For FireWire?What Do I Do If My Computer Does Not Have a FireWire Port? USB Questions & Answers LaCie Biggest Quadra USB Questions & Answers ESATA Questions & Answers What is eSATA?What are the ideal uses of Serial ATA? Troubleshooting Manual UpdatesProblem Possible Solutions Example Information to Include in Email Correspondence Information Where to Find InformationContacting Customer Support Before You Contact Technical SupportLaCie Technical Support Contacts Warranty Information
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