Technical Information
page 20
LaCie d2 U&I AIT Drive
5) To proceed, launch the following command from the Windows Task Bar:
Start > Settings > Control Panel > System
.
If your drive is still not recognized or if you encounter any difficulties, check the type of USB or FireWire controller available
in your computer. You can access it from the Task Bar of Windows. Proceed as follows:
1) Double click on
Start
:
a- Double click on
Settings
b- Double click on
Control Panel
c- Double click on
System
2) Go to Peripheral manager and double click on either USB Bus Controller or IEEE 1394 Bus Controller.
3) The USB or FireWire controller type appears on the second line.
4) Double click on this line and note the information which follows in order to communicate it to LaCie Technical Support:
• Peripheral type
• Manufacturer
• Equipment version
• Peripheral state
Important Note: Windows 98 SE Users:
Microsoft has released an IEEE 1394 Storage Supplement update to
enhance compatibility and help alleviate lock-ups. Check Microsoft’s Web site, support.microsoft.com, for more
information.
5.2 USB 2.0 vs. FireWire
Trying to decide which interface to use, USB 2.0 or FireWire, can be a complicated decision. Your decision should be based
on the following:
Computer With USB 2.0 and FireWire Ports
If your computer is equipped with both USB 2.0 and FireWire ports, drive performance will be relatively similar. The
theoretical transfer rates are 480Mb/s for USB 2.0 and 400Mb/s for FireWire. Realistically, the two are extremely close to
each other in terms of performance and speed (performance is not limited by the USB 2.0 or FireWire bus, but actually by
the AIT drive itself. File and system configuration define the capacity, backup speed and transfer rate. Compression, capacity
and throughput are dependent upon the type of data and system configuration).
The main reason for choosing one over the other should be hinged on the existing devices you are already using. For
instance, if you are already using both of your USB 2.0 ports on your computer, you would use the FireWire port to connect
