Vantec Dual Bay External HDD Enclosure NexStar MX User Manual - 1. Introduction

Manual is about: Dual 3.5 SATA HDD Enclosure

Summary of Dual Bay External HDD Enclosure NexStar MX

  • Page 2

    Package contents: nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure 1 nexstar mx dual bay hdd enclosure 3 arcsoft totalmedia backup™ software 5 1394a cable 4 usb cable 8 9 user’s manual 7 installation screws 6 enclosure stand 1394b cable 2 power adapter trademarks ms-dos,microsoft, windows nt/2000/me/xp/vis...

  • Page 3: 1. Introduction

    1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 02 2. Features/specifications nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure ...............................................................03 3. System requirements ..............

  • Page 4

    Vantec nexstar mx dual bay external hdd enclosure now in the firewire 800/400 and usb 2.0 interface is a quick and simple way to expand storage capacity to your computer. It comes without the hassle of diving inside the pc and messing with all those wires, cables and connections. It provides maximum...

  • Page 5

    Features/specifications 3 2. Features/specifications: nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure : • supports dual sata i/ii hard drives up to 2.0 tb of storage • usb 2.0 external interface allows you to transfer data up to 480 mbps • firewire 400 (1394a) external interface allows you to transfer dat...

  • Page 6

    Mac powerpc or intel core duo processor & greater.Mac os 9.X & greater. (powerpc processor) / mac os 10.4 & greater.(intel core duo processor) 1. Usb port, firewire 400(1394a) port, or firewire 800 (1394b) port. 2. For usb 2.0 speeds, the system must support usb 2.0 specifications. 3.For firewire 80...

  • Page 7

    Nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure 4. Interface information: interface information 5 hard drive caddy aluminum housing jumper switch sata/power connector.

  • Page 8

    Nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure 5. Installation: installation 6 ( figure 5-a ) 5.1. Installing two hard drives into the nexstar mx dual: (1) release the four screws then pull out the rear panel and tray of the nexstar mx dual ( figure 5-a ) (2) select operation mode by switching jumper. ( ...

  • Page 9

    ( figure 5-d ) installation 7 ( figure 5-c ) (3) slide the first hdd into the drive caddy then insert the hdd into the sata connector. ( figure 5-c ) (4) slide the second hdd into the drive caddy then insert the hdd into the sata connector. ( figure 5-d ) 5) secure the hard drives onto the drive cad...

  • Page 10

    ( figure 5-f ) installation 8 (6) insert the drive caddy back into the aluminum housing. Be sure to align and secure with the provided screws. ( figure 5-f ) (7) plug in the power cable along with the necessary connections to your computer then switch the power button to power on. ( figure 5-g ) ( f...

  • Page 11

    Installation 9 for new hard drives, you will need to initialize and partition your hard drive before it will appear in windows explorer or on your mac desktop. Please refer to your hard drive manufacturer’s documentation or read the “creating a new partition” section of this manual. Note : connectin...

  • Page 12

    Windows 2000/2003/ xp/vista: (1) no drivers are necessary when using windows me/ xp/ 2000/ vista. If the hard drive does not appear under my computer, be sure to partition your hard drive. 6. Driver installation: driver installation 10 nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure mac os 9.0 or later : ...

  • Page 13

    Creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive 11 7. Creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive: note : step1: right-click on “my computer” icon and select the "manage” column. ( figure 7-a ) ( figure 7-a ) warning : doing the following will erase any existing data on the drive. If t...

  • Page 14

    Creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive step2 : select “disk management” and you will see your hard drives show “unallocated”. Sample:750gb & 250gb hard drives. Individual mode : this mode can show each hard disk as individual device. ( figure 7-b ) 12 jbod mode : jbod mode can integrat...

  • Page 15

    Step3: right-click the red-squared block and select "initialize disk”. Take jbod mode for example. (one 750gb hdd & one 250gb hard drives) ( figure 7-e ) step4: press “ok” button to initialize hard drive. ( figure 7-f) step5: the hard drive will show “online”. Right-click the “unallocated” block and...

  • Page 16

    Creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive step6: the “new partition wizard” will appear. Please follow the instruction of the wizard to complete the partition. ( figure 7-h ) step7: when new partition is completed, the hard drive will be recognized as a “new volume”. ( figure 7-i ) step8:...

  • Page 17

    ( figure 7-m ) creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive 15 step1: when you connect the nexstar mx dual to a mac with a new hard drive, the dialog "disk insertion" will appear. Please select "initialize". (a formatted hdd will not display this dialog) (figure 7-k) ( figure 7-k ) ( figure ...

  • Page 18

    ( figure 7-n ) creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive 16 raid 0 mode : raid 0 mode can integrate two different brands of hard drives with different capacity to a larger format hard drive. > two hard drives of the same capacity: the total capacity is the sum of the two hard drives. >two...

  • Page 19

    Creating a new partition / formatting the hard drive 17 ( figure 7-q ) select how you want to use your new volume or click “cancel” if you want to use default settings. ( figure 7-q ).

  • Page 20

    Unequal hard drives equal hard drives volum e a drive a drive b volum e b volum e a volum e b nst-400m x -sr port 0 p ort 1 drive b drive a port 0 p ort 1 raid mode selection 18 individual mode: this mode can show each hard disk as individual device. ( figure 8-a ), ( figure 8-b ) ( figure 8-b ) 8. ...

  • Page 21

    Raid mode selection 19 jbod mode: this mode combines a series of physical hard drives as a single large volume; resulting in a seamless expansion of virtual volumes beyond the physical limitations of singularly connected hard drives. Hard drive a and b are combined into a single virtual volume in th...

  • Page 22

    ( figure 8-e ) jbod mode 1 2 3 raid mode selection 20 raid 0: this mode is a combination of two physical partitions, where the data is striped between them. It presents the best data speed but no data redundancy. Two equal hard drives: the capacity is equal to the sum of both hard drives. Two unequa...

  • Page 23

    Never remove the nexstar mx dual while the hard drive is in use. Doing so may corrupt the data on the hard drive or damage the hard drive, nexstar mx dual, or computer. Disconnecting the nexstar mx dual 21 9. Disconnecting the nexstar mx dual warning : mac os: 1) make sure all operation using the ha...

  • Page 24

    Nexstar mx – dual 3.5” sata hdd enclosure troubleshooting / faq / warranty 22 10. Troubleshooting/ faq/ warranty : a: if your computer is giving you problems with the nexstar mx dual, be sure to connect the usb cable to a rear port, directly off the motherboard or usb pci card. The cables connecting...

  • Page 25

    Warning : the nexstar mx dual comes with a 1 year limited warranty (90 day parts). If your unit should become defective within that time frame, please go to http:// www.Vantecusa.Com for information on how to receive warranty exchange or repair. Cosmetic defects and missing parts are not covered und...

  • Page 26

    Contact 24 11. Contact : copyright © 2008 vantec thermal technologies. All right reserved. All registered trademarks belong to their respective companies. Vantec thermal technologies 43951 boscell rd. Fremont, ca 94538 tel: 510-668-0368 fax: 510-668-0367 website: www.Vantecusa.Com.