CONNECTING THE
DRIVE
- 9
WD DUAL-OPTION EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE
USER MANUAL
6. A new hard drive icon will appear in the My Computer window for PC users or on your
desktop for Mac users. Your drive is preformatted as a single FAT32 partition and is now
ready to use. Proceed to "Setting Up the Backup Software" on page 10.
Formatting the Drive
The WD Dual-option USB external hard drive is preformatted as a single FAT32 partition for
compatibility with all Windows operating systems. The FAT32 file system has a maximum
file transfer of 4 GB and cannot create partitions larger than 32GB. Windows XP and 2000
users can overcome these file size limitations by reformatting the drive to the NTFS file
system using the Disk Management utility. Windows 98 and Me do not support NTFS. For
further instructions, refer to your operating system manual or visit
support.wdc.com
and
download the WD knowledge base article ID# 1053 for Windows 2000 or ID# 1021 for
Windows XP.
Using Safe Shutdown
™
Safe Shutdown is a WD-exclusive feature that ensures that all your data has been safely
transferred before shutting down the drive. If the drive is idle or has not been used for 10
minutes, the drive will spin down to save energy while keeping the case cool.
1. To shut down the unit, press the power button once. You will hear the drive power down
and the power light will turn off. If there are active windows open, a dialog box will
appear prompting you to either continue or cancel shutdown.
2. The drive has now been properly shut down, and you can safely disconnect the unit. You
do not have to follow the procedures from “Disconnecting the Unit” on page 18.
Note:
The unit can be "forced" to shut down by pressing the power button for 4 seconds.
WD Button Manager
The WD Button Manager application manages the dual-option backup functionality. The
icon in the system tray (typically located on the bottom right-hand corner of your desktop
screen) turns blue. When the unit is powered off or disconnected from your system, the icon
will disappear. When the unit is having problems communicating with the backup software,
the icon will turn red.
WARNING:
Close all active applications before shutting down the drive to prevent data loss.
New hard drive icon
WD Button Manager
system tray icon
