Western Digital My Book Essential Edition - Manual (Page 8)

MY BOOK ESSENTIAL EDITION
USER MANUAL
TROUBLESHOOTING – 7
Troubleshooting
If you have problems when installing or using this product, refer to this
troubleshooting section or visit our support Web site at support.wdc.com and search
our knowledge base for more help.
**This WD drive is preformatted as a single FAT32 partition for compatibility with all Mac and Windows operating systems. The FAT32 file
system has a maximum individual file size of 4 GB and cannot create partitions larger than 32 GB in Windows 2000/XP; however,
Windows 2000/XP users can overcome these file size limitations by reformatting the drive to NTFS using the Disk Management utility.
See answer ID 1287 at support.wdc.com and article IDs 314463 and 184006 at support.microsoft.com for further details.
Frequently Asked Questions — USB Information
Q: What is Hi-Speed USB?
A:
Hi-Speed USB is another name for USB 2.0, which provides transfer rates up to 40 times faster than
USB 1.1. Upgrading to USB 2.0 is highly recommended because of the significant reduction in file transfer
time versus USB 1.1.
Q: How do I determine whether or not my system supports USB 2.0?
A:
Refer to your USB card documentation or contact your USB card manufacturer.
Note: If your USB 2.0 controller is built-in to the system motherboard, be sure to install the appropriate
chipset support for your motherboard. Refer to your motherboard or system manual for more information.
Q: What happens when a USB 2.0 device is plugged into a USB 1.1 port or hub?
A:
USB 2.0 is backward-compatible with USB 1.1. When connected to a USB 1.1 port or hub, a USB 2.0
device operates at the USB 1.1 full speed of up to 12 Mbps.
Q: Can USB 1.1 cables be used with USB 2.0 devices?
A:
Although USB 1.1 cables work with USB 2.0 devices, it is recommended that USB 2.0 certified cables be
used with USB 2.0 peripherals and USB 2.0 PCI adapter cards.
Frequently Asked Questions — Installation
Q: Why does the drive not power up?
A:
Be sure the drive is plugged in to a power source.
Q: Why is the drive not recognized under My Computer or on the computer desktop?
A:
If your system has a USB 2.0 PCI adapter card, be sure that its drivers are installed before connecting your
WD USB 2.0 external storage product. The drive is not recognized correctly unless USB 2.0 root hub and
host controller drivers are installed. Contact the adapter card manufacturer for installation procedures.
Q: How do I partition and reformat the drive?
A:
For recommended formats for this device, search our knowlege base for answer ID 207 at support.wdc.com.
Q: Why is the data transfer rate slow?
A:
Your system may be operating at USB 1.1 speeds due to an incorrect driver installation of the USB 2.0
adapter card or a system that does not support USB 2.0.
If your system includes a PCI slot, you can achieve Hi-Speed USB transfer rates by installing a USB 2.0 PCI
adapter card. Contact the card manufacturer for installation procedures and more information.
Note: If an additional external drive is connected to the WD product, USB bandwidth is shared and may affect
performance.
How to Answer ID
„ install, partition, and format the drive in Windows XP 207
„ install, partition, and format the drive in Windows 2000 34
„ format the drive to Mac OS format 287
„ obtain and reinstall the original software included on My Book 1425
„ format the drive to the FAT32 file system** 1364
„ use the drive on a Macintosh and a PC simultaneously 291
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