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G SPEED Q

High-Speed, RAID Protected Storage System

PRODUCT MANUAL

g-technology.com

Summary of Contents for G SPEED Q

Page 1: ...G SPEED Q High Speed RAID Protected Storage System PRODUCT MANUAL g technology com ...

Page 2: ...ng Your Drive Easy Installation for Mac 11 Optimize Performance 11 Disconnect the Drive 12 Warning LED Alarms 12 Windows Use 13 Using RAID Modes Supported RAID Modes 15 The Configurator Utility 16 Configure the RAID Mode 16 Maintenance for your Drive Initialize Drive for Mac 21 Restore the Drive Icon 24 Reformat with Partitions 26 Replace a Failed Drive Module 30 Support Warranty Technical Support...

Page 3: ...G SPEED Q Safety General Use Safety Precautions p 4 Backup Your Data p 5 ...

Page 4: ...m moisture or liquids To reduce the risk of damage do not expose this drive to rain or moisture Do not use it in damp or wet conditions Never place objects containing liquids on the drive as they may spill into its openings Ventilation Place the device in a vented area The drive should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat source Temperature Do not expose this drive to temperatures outsi...

Page 5: ...chnology drive is the sole responsibility of the user Make Two Backups To help prevent the loss of your data we highly recommend that you keep TWO copies of your data in separate storage locations When in RAID 5 Protected mode G SPEED Q will safeguard your data from hard drive failure However if any file system corruption occurs the data contained on G SPEED Q may be affected For critical data it ...

Page 6: ...G SPEED Q About Your G SPEED Q Introduction p 7 What s in the Box p 8 System Requirements p 8 Overview of the Drive p 9 ...

Page 7: ...oto editing G SPEED Q offers outstanding performance high storage capacity and optional fail safe operation at a low cost per gigabyte Unlike single drive systems if a hard drive failure occurs your data is still safe and accessible G SPEED Q also features HGST Enterprise class hard drives for the best in performance and reliability With its built in RAID controller the G SPEED Q is not tied to a ...

Page 8: ...de If any items are missing please contact G Technology at support g technology com System Requirements G SPEED Q supports the folllowing Operating Systems The drive is set up at the fac tory for use with Mac OS X systems and formatted as HFS with Journaling Mac OS 10 6 Windows 8 7 Vista and XP 64 bit via reformat NOTE G SPEED Q is NOT compatible with Windows XP and older 32 bit operating systems ...

Page 9: ...inum enclosure with a heavy duty power supply and a quiet cooling fan to ensure long life and reliable operation G SPEED Q s quad interface features a high speed USB 3 0 3Gbit eSATA and FireWire 800 This allows for universal connectivity and industry leading performance All cables are included IMPORTANT G SPEED Q has been set up at the factory in RAID 5 Protected mode To change to RAID 0 Performan...

Page 10: ...G SPEED Q Using Your Drive Easy Installation for Mac p 11 Optimize Performance p 11 Disconnect the Drive p 12 Warning LED Alarms p 12 Windows Use p 13 ...

Page 11: ...tching supplied cable Connect the power cord to the unit and plug the other end into a surge protector or wall outlet Turn on the power switch After about 45 seconds the drive will automatically mount on the desktop if you are running Mac OS X Optimize Performance G SPEED Q can be connected to any Mac or Windows machine equipped with USB eSATA or FireWire port For best performance G SPEED Q should...

Page 12: ...d how in Replace a Failed Drive Module NOTE Although there is a switch for the Audible Alarm on the rear of the unit it is not functional G SPEED Q only supports visual alarms led Disconnect the Drive A great feature of G SPEED Q is its ability to connect and disconnect while your com puter is running To prevent failures and or data loss it is important to follow the steps below when disconnecting...

Page 13: ...ion will prepare your drive for use with Windows Vista and Windows 7 systems G SPEED Q is not supported by Windows XP or other 32 bit operating systems These OS s are limited to a maximum volume size to 2 2TB For helpful information on configuring and using your drive with Windows please visit www g technology com windows windows ...

Page 14: ...G SPEED Q Using RAID Modes Supported RAID Modes p 15 The Configurator Utility p 16 Configure the RAID Mode p 16 ...

Page 15: ...vel If you need to change the RAID level of G SPEED Q then follow the steps in Configure the RAID Mode RAID 5 Protected G SPEED Q ships in RAID 5 mode RAID 5 is great for protection and security of data however its storage capacity is reduced This makes it ideal for sensitive data rather than large amounts In RAID 5 your G SPEED Q will be at 75 of its total capacity RAID 0 Performance RAID 0 offer...

Page 16: ...CD it is important that you copy it by Option dragging to your Applications folder prior to running Configurator will not work if you drag it to the Applications Folder and then launch Configure the RAID Mode It is easy to configure the RAID mode with the following steps NOTE Changing the RAID level will erase all data on the drive Be sure all the material you want to save is backed up to a separa...

Page 17: ...earch may take a few minutes 3 Once the utility finds your G SPEED Q the following window will appear Select the RAID 5 Protected or RAID 0 Performance radio button Then click the Configure button to continue 4 Two Warning windows will appear letting you know that the following step will erase all of your data Click the OK Yes buttons to continue ...

Page 18: ...on is in progress NOTE After the configuration is complete a system dialog box will warn that a device was not removed properly Don t worry about this message just click OK 6 Configurator will indicate that the RAID configuration is complete Click the Exit button to close the utility ...

Page 19: ...cation A Disk Insertion dialog box should appear Click the Initialize button to launch Disk Utility If the Disk Insertion dialog does not appear go to Application Utilities and open the Disk Utility program Once Disk Utility is open you are ready to initialize and partition G SPEED Q for use with Mac Read those steps in Initialize Drive for Mac ...

Page 20: ...G SPEED Q Maintenance for your Drive Initialize Drive for Mac p 21 Restore the Drive Icon p 24 Reformat with Partitions p 26 Replace a Failed Drive Module p 30 ...

Page 21: ...open the Disk Utility program This application is located on your hard drive un der Applications Utilities Disk Utility The window below will appear Your G SPEED Q will be displayed in the left hand column 2 Select the G SPEED Q by clicking its drive icon in the left side column Information about the drive willl be displayed at the bottom of the window 3 Select the Erase tab to view the formatting...

Page 22: ...ve for Time Machine or to create a separate bootable installation of OS X Mac OS Extended Use this format for best performance and media storage To se lect click the Format pop up and its option to Mac OS Extended 5 Click the Erase button in the lower right corner of the window A dialog box will ap pear asking if you want to erase the G SPEED Q partition ...

Page 23: ... After the drive is reinitialized you should automatically see the Time Machine dialog box Click the Use as Backup Disk button if you want to use the drive with Time Machine Click the Don t Use or Decide Later button if you do not want to use Time Machine at this point 8 Quit the Disk Utility program After reinitializing the drive the custom icon for G SPEED Q has been erased You can optionally re...

Page 24: ...ever it will make your drive s appearance on the computer desktop look nicer and more accurate 1 To get the G Technology icon package go to www g technology com support and navigate to your product There will be a link to download the icons 2 Once downloaded double click the Zip file to open Next double click the DMG file to open the G Technology Icons package 3 Click to select the drive icon for ...

Page 25: ...s opens its Get Info window below left 5 Select the default icon in the Get Info window below left 6 Press Command V to paste the G SPEED Q custom icon into the Get Info window below right The icon for your G SPEED Q has been restored and you can close the Get Info window Your drive is now fully ready for use ...

Page 26: ...ferent purposes For instance segment user data from backup data set up a multi boot environment with different Operating Systems or cre ate a dedicated capture scratch disk for programs like Final Cut Pro The following steps will guide you through this simple process of partitioning your drive In this example we will partition a 500 GB G DRIVE mini connected via FireWire The steps will be identica...

Page 27: ...USB icon not the G Technology drive icon by clicking it in the left side column 3 Click on the Partition button in the main window 4 Select the number of partitions you would like from the Volume Scheme menu Below we have selected 2 Partitions to create two partitions ...

Page 28: ...X it is recommended to use Mac OS Extended or Mac OS Ex tended Journaled For info about formats go here In the Size field type in a size for the partition Alternately you can drag the bar in between each partition to quickly change the size 6 Repeat this process for each partition you have created 7 Click the Apply button in the lower right corner of the window A dialog box will ap pear asking if ...

Page 29: ...tiple partitions will be displayed in the left hand panel of Disk Utility 10 Quit the Disk Utility program After reinitializing the drive the custom icon for the G Technology drive has been erased You can optionally restore this icon to each parti tion with the steps on this page 11 The multiple partitions of the G Technology drive will be displayed on the desktop Your drive is now setup with two ...

Page 30: ...ead more in Sup ported RAID Modes Follow the steps below to identify and replace a failed drive 1 With the unit powered up locate the malfunctioning drive by visually inspecting the drive modules If an amber LED is lit for a drive that drive has failed 2 Remove the failed drive by inserting the provided key into the lock hole and gently sliding the drive module out of the enclo sure Be careful abo...

Page 31: ...rs per TB 6 Once the rebuild is complete G SPEED Q is back to normal and protecting your valu able data once again Helpful tips You can continue using G SPEED Q even while the drive volume is being rebuilt How ever it willl run at a slower data rate It is good practice to keep at least one spare drive module on hand in case of a disk failure This way you can rebuild your array in hours rather than...

Page 32: ...G SPEED Q Support Warranty Technical Support p 33 Limited Warranty p 34 Copyright p 36 ...

Page 33: ... and support If you encounter any difficulties while installing or using G SPEED Q please contact G Technology Technical Support at g technology com support Helpful information for support When contacting Technical Support it s best to be in front of your computer and have the following information available Your G SPEED Q serial number on bottom of unit Operating System and version Computer brand...

Page 34: ...ill be measured from the date of sale from HGST to the authorized distributor What does this limited warranty not cover The limited warranty does not cover damage resulting from commercial use misuse accident modification or alteration to hardware or software tampering unsuitable physical or operat ing environment beyond product specifications improper maintenance or failure caused by a product fo...

Page 35: ... to carrier at HGST shipping point You are responsible for importation of the replaced product if applicable HGST will not return the original drive to consumers therefore the consumer is responsible for moving data to another media before returning Data Recovery is not covered under this warranty and is not part of the warranty returns process HGST warrants that the replaced products are covered ...

Page 36: ...ible capacity will vary depending on the operat ing environment and formatting Copyright One gigabyte GB is equal to one billion bytes when referring to hard drive capacity Accessible capacity will vary depending on the operating environment and formatting Design by G Technology in California G SPEED and G Technology are trademarks of HGST a Western Digital company Apple Mac MacBook Pro FireWire T...

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