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For help setting up and using your LaCie hard drive, review the frequently asked questions below. For additional support resources, go to LaCie customer support.
Go to Finder and then check Preferences > General tab > Show these items on the desktop. Confirm that Hard Disks is selected.
Open Disk Utility at Go > Utilities > Disk Utility. If the hard drive is listed in the left-hand column, check your Finder preferences to see why it is not displayed on the desktop (review the question above).
For detailed information on supported operating systems, please see the following knowledge base article.
Review the installation steps in Getting Connected.
All drives appear in at least one place in Device Manager.
Type Device Manager in Search to launch it. Look in the Disk Drives section and, if necessary, click the Plus (+) icon to view the full list of devices. If you’re uncertain that your drive is listed, safely unplug it and then reconnect it. The entry that changes is your LaCie hard drive.
Windows Device Manager usually provides information about failures with peripherals. While the Device Manager can assist with troubleshooting most problems, it may not display the exact cause or provide a precise solution.
An unusual icon next to the hard drive can reveal a problem. For example, instead of the normal icon based on the type of device, it has an exclamation point, question mark or an X. Right click this icon and then choose Properties. The General tab provides a potential reason why the device is not working as expected.
Review troubleshooting tips for cable connections below:
If your hard drive is connected to a Hi-Speed 2.0 port or hub, the inferior performance is normal. LaCie Rugged RAID Pro performance will improve when it is connected to a USB 3.1 port or a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port. Otherwise, the device operates at slower USB transfer rates.
Disconnect other USB devices and see if the hard drive’s performance improves.
Ignore this message since the drive remounts on the desktop despite the pop-up. LaCie drives conserve power by spinning down when you set your computer to sleep mode. When the computer awakes from sleep mode, the drive may not have enough time to spin up, causing the pop-up to appear.
When copying files or folders from a computer to a FAT32 volume, certain characters in the names cannot be copied. These characters include, but are not limited to: ? < > / \ :
Check your files and folders to ensure that these characters are not in the names.
If this is a recurring problem or you cannot find files with incompatible characters, consider reformatting the drive to NTFS (Windows users) or HFS+ (Mac users). See Optional Formatting and Partitioning.
Yes, the hard drive can be connected to a USB hub. If you use a hub and encounter detection problems, slower than normal transfer rates, random disconnection from your computer or other unusual issues, try connecting the hard drive directly to the computer’s USB port.
Some USB hubs are less than efficient with power management, which can be problematic for connected devices. In such a case, you may have to use LaCie Rugged RAID Pro’s included power supply or consider substituting a powered USB hub with its own power cable.
Please note that USB 2.0 hubs limit your hard drive’s transfer rates to USB 2.0 speeds.
Yes, provided it is certified according to USB standards. However, LaCie recommends using the cable shipped with your hard drive for the best results. If you use a longer cable and experience problems with detection, transfer rates or disconnection, use the original cable included with your hard drive.
Yes, the cable end that plugs into the computer (USB Type A) is compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Make certain to use the included cable with the correct USB Type A connector. However, the transfer rates are much slower with USB 2.0.