If the enclosure is not showing up in your My Computer, please make sure that the hard drive in the enclosure is correctly connected and power is going to the unit. If all this is done and you still do not see the enclosure, you might want to make sure the hard drive is formatted and initialized in disk management under system management.

To be able to read more than 2tb in one single partition, a 64bit OS is usually required for this action. 32bit OS system has a 2tb limitation and will not be able to read any partition over 2tb. For more information please refer to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773268.aspx

Due to the recent change in drivers for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Host, a firmware update may be necessary for the following devices to function properly.

Applicable Storage Devices:

• NexStar CX Superspeed (NST-310S3)
• NexStar 3 SuperSpeed 2.5" (NST-280S3)
• NexStar SuperSpeed Hard Drive Dock (NST-D300S3)

  Chipset: JMS539 - Firmware Installation Tool - Download Here.

• NexStar SuperSpeed Dual Bay Hard Drive Dock (NST-D400S3)

  Chipset: JMS551 - Firmware Installation Tool - Download Here.

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NST-310S3, NST-280S3-BK, and NST-D300S3

1. Connect the enclosure or dock to a USB 2.0 port.

2. Open or Extract the downloaded file and Run JMS539FwUpdateTool_v03.

3. Click 'Yes' to proceed. The Update Tool will automatically initialize and update your device.

4. Once the update is complete, safely remove and power off or eject the device.

5. Connect to a USB port and check the firmware version by running the JMS539FwUpdateTool_v03.exe again.

6. Firmware update complete.

NST-D400S3

1. Connect the enclosure or dock to a USB 2.0 port.

2. Open or Extract the downloaded file and Run JMS551FwUpdateTool_v01.exe.

3. Click 'Yes' to proceed. The Update Tool will automatically initialize and update your device.

4. Once the update is complete, safely remove and power off or eject the device.

5. Connect to a USB port and check the firmware version by running the JMS551FwUpdateTool_v01.exe again.

6. Firmware update complete.

No, the NexStar External 3.5" Enclosure cannot be used as a boot device with a computer using Mac OS.

Sometimes, especially with aluminum cases, case fans can vibrate, causing a buzzing noise. This can be due to flaws on the aluminum case or the case fan itself (the fan is unable to sit flush on the case). To stop the vibration, and subsequently the buzzing noise, use the Vantec Vibration Dampener Kit. The Vibration Dampener is a silica gel that surrounds the edges of the fan, thereby absorbing the vibration. The Vibration Dampener Kit is available for 60mm, 80mm, 92mm, and 120mm fans, as well as for power supplies.

Use the Disk Utility tool and follow the on-screen prompts. A brand new hard drive will first have to be initialized, partitioned, and formatted. If the hard drive in the NexStar HDD Enclosure (NST-250U2, NST-350U2, NST-350UF) will not mount on your Mac system, format the drive with a FAT32 or NTFS partition first through a PC system. Once formatted, connect the NexStar Enclosure to your Mac and run the Disk Utility tool. You should now be able to format the drive into a Mac partition and mount the drive.

(ATA, AT Attachment or "Integrated Drive Electronics", IDE) A disk drive interface standard based on the IBM PC ISA 16-bit bus but also used on other personal computers. The ATA specification deals with the power and data signal interfaces between the motherboard and the integrated disk controller and drive. The ATA "bus" only supports two devices - master and slave.

ATA drives may in fact use any physical interface the manufacturer desires, so long as an embedded translator is included with the proper ATA interface. ATA "controllers" are actually direct connections to the ISA bus.

Originally called IDE, the ATA interface was invented by Compaq around 1986, and was developed with the help of Western Digital, Imprimis, and then-upstart Conner Peripherals. Efforts to standardise the interface started in 1988; the first draft appeared in March 1989, and a finished version was sent to ANSI group X3T10 (who named it "Advanced Technology Attachment" (ATA)) for ratification in November 1990.

X3T10 later extended ATA to Advanced Technology Attachment Interface with Extensions (ATA-2), followed by ATA-3 and ATA-4.


*Source: www.dictionary.com

If the LED on your NST-360U2 has stopped working, request an RMA within the RMA Center and specify \"360 LED Replacement\" as the problem. Use the \"Will fax\" option but you will not need to fax anything for approval. When you receive your RMA number, send just the metal housing to us. Do not include the circuit board, the cables, or anything else that came with your enclosure. We will replace/repair the LED and send it back to you. The enclosure will still function without the housing.

You can initialize your internal hard drive using a program called Drive Setup which is on the software install CD that came with your computer. WARNING: Initializing a drive erases all information on the drive. Before initializing your drive, backup all of your data.

1. Start up your computer from the software install CD.
2. Locate the Utilities folder on the software install CD and double-click it to open the folder.
3. Double-click the Drive Setup icon to open the program.
4. In the list of drives, select the drive you want to initialize.
5. Click Initialize.

To format your hard drive with Mac OS Extended format, a method of formatting hard drives that allows for more efficient use of hard drive storage space, follow the steps below:

1. Click Custom Setup.
2. Select the desired partitioning scheme.
3. Open the Type pop-up menu in the Volume Info area and choose Mac OS Extended Format.
4. Resize the volumes if desired.
5. When ready, click OK.
6. Click Initialize.

If initialization fails, do the following:

1. Choose Initialization Options from the Functions menu.
2. Click the checkbox next to "Low level format", then click OK. Choosing this option adds significant time to the initialization process.

::Updated October 12th, 2004::

Yes. The NexStar 2.5" Hard Drive enclosure can function as a boot device, assuming your computer supports booting off a USB device.

To use the NexStar as a boot device, make sure you have a bootable partition on the drive and an OS installed. If you do not, boot off your Windows CD and install an OS onto the drive. Windows' installer will be able to provide a drive letter for the USB drive.

Please note, due to certain hardware and software limitations of Windows versions based on the NT system (Windows NT/2000/XP), it is not possible to boot Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP off a USB drive. This is partially caused by Windows reinitializing the USB bus during the boot up, essentially disconnecting the USB device and causing Windows to crash. Windows 98/ME are the only versions that will support booting off USB.