FreeAgent Drive/Seagate Manager - Frequently Asked Questions

These questions are broken up into categories.  Simply click on the question to be taken down to the answer.

Before you buy / Presales
What are the Minimum System Requirements For FreeAgent drives? 
What cables (interfaces) do the FreeAgent for Windows drives support? 
Do all FreeAgent Go drives come bundled with a Docking Station? 
What kind of partition (file system) do FreeAgent drives have, right out of the box?
What software comes with FreeAgent drives? 
Which FreeAgent drive would best suit my needs?

The Seagate Manager software and installation 
What is the Seagate Manager? 
Does the FreeAgent drive require special software or a driver? 
Where is Seagate Manager software located? 
Where is the User Guide located?
What are the key features of the Seagate Manager?
Can Seagate Manager recognize both Maxtor and Seagate External Drives?
What do I do in the event that I lose my Seagate Manager software?
Can the Mac solutions still be used without a FireWire 800 port?

Seagate Backup and its capabilities 
What does the Simple Backup Plan back up?
What will the Seagate Manager Simple Backup feature back up?
What won't the Seagate Manager's Backup feature back up? 
What are the maximum capacity points for the FreeAgent drives? 

Seagate Sync and its capabilities 
What will the Seagate Manager's Sync feature do? 
Can I use Sync to synchronize data between Windows XP and Windows Vista computers? 
What won't the Seagate Manager's Sync feature synchronize?

Other questions on using the FreeAgent drive 
Can I use my FreeAgent | Desk/FreeAgent Go for Mac with Time Machine? 
Does the FreeAgent Desk, Desk for Mac, or XTreme drive have a power switch?
How do I simply copy files and folders to my FreeAgent drive? 
How do I use my FreeAgent drive?
Can I use my FreeAgent on both my Windows and Macintosh Systems?

FreeAgent encryption and security 
What type of encryption does Seagate Folder Encryption use? 
What is Seagate Encryption's Travel Mode?

Other considerations 
How is the FreeAgent drive initially formatted?
Where can I get troubleshooting information for a FreeAgent drive?
Why is the FreeAgent | Go for Mac physically bigger than the FreeAgent | Go?

What are the Minimum System Requirements for FreeAgent drives?

FreeAgent drive Minimum System Requirements

What cables (interfaces) do the FreeAgent for Windows drives support?

 You can only use one (1) interface at a time.  For example, do not connect a FireWire and USB cable to a computer at the same time.

Do all FreeAgent Go drives come bundled with a Docking Station?

No. Only FreeAgent Go for Macintosh drives come with a Docking Station. Windows-based, FreeAgent Go drives do not come bundled with a Docking Station; it is sold separately as an accessory.

What kind of partition (file system) do FreeAgent drives have, right out of the box?

• FreeAgent Xtreme/Desk/Go (Windows) - NTFS
• FreeAgent Desk for Mac/Go for Mac (Mac OS) -HFS + (Mac OS X Extended)

What software comes with FreeAgent drives?

Seagate Manager comes with most FreeAgent drives. The following table shows which drives come with the Seagate Manager Application:

The FreeAgent drives designed for Mac do not include software, because they are designed to work with Apple Time Machine or basic file storage.

Where is Seagate Manager software located?

Seagate Manager is pre-loaded on the FreeAgent Xtreme/Desk/Go drives for Windows. Upon initial connection, an AutoPlay window opens on your Windows Desktop, giving you the option to Install Seagate Manager. 
 

Where is the User Guide located?

The Guide is located on the drive. You can also click here to download it from our website. With your FreeAgent drive connected to your computer, open it by double-clicking it. Double-click on the Guides folder, then the Users Manual folder, and then the folder that corresponds with your language (e.g., English). In this folder, you will find an electronic copy of the User Guide for your product.
This guide requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.

What are the key features of the Seagate Manager?

• Settings - Provides tools to do the following:
  • Check the overall health or your FreeAgent drive with Diagnostics.
  • Adjust drive spindown times with Power Management.
  • Turn off/on the drive LEDs with Adjust Drive Lights.
  • Check for Download and Install Software Updates as they become available. (Internet connection is required.)
• Backup - Lets you create Simple or Custom Backup Plans that will backup selected data from your Windows computer to your FreeAgent drive when configured.
• Sync - Create Simple or Custom Sync Sets that will synchronize data between your Windows computer to your FreeAgent drive. 
• Security - Use 256-AES Software Encryption to create an folder that can be used to store sensitive data only accessible with a password that you provide.

Can Seagate Manager recognize both Maxtor and Seagate external drives?

Yes - the Seagate Manager can detect most Seagate and Maxtor-brand external drives.

Does the FreeAgent Desk, Desk for Mac, or XTreme drive have a power switch?

Please see Document ID: 207691 for information on this issue.

What do I do in the event that I lose my Seagate Manager software?

You can always download the Seagate Manager software in the event that it is lost or deleted.

By default, what does the Simple Backup Plan back up?

The Backup feature, by default, will back up the following:

• Windows XP - contents of current user's My Documents folder
• Windows Vista - contents of current user's Personal folder

What won't the Seagate Manager's Backup feature back up?

The Backup feature will not back up the following:

• Your operating system
• Any files/folders that contain both hidden/system attributes or that are locked by the operating system
• Your email (when not selected in a Custom Backup and when the email client is open)
• Files/folders located on networked drives/shares/volumes
• Files within a parent folder if the parent folder is not selected (e.g. files in the My Documents folder will not be backed up if the My Documents folder is deselected)
• Your programs

What will the Seagate Manager's Sync feature do?

With Sync, files can be synchronized between two or more computers, allowing customers to have the most up-to-date files

Can I use Sync to synchronize data between Windows XP and Windows Vista computers?

No. Due to the differences between Windows XP and Windows Vista default folder structures, data cannot be synchronized between these operating systems.

What won't the Seagate Manager's Sync feature synchronize?

The Sync feature will not synchronize the following:

• Your operating system
• Any files/folders that contain both hidden/system attributes or that are locked by the operating system
• Your email (when not selected in a Custom Backup and when the email client is open)
• Files/folders located on networked drives/shares/volumes
• Files within a parent folder if the parent folder is not selected (e.g. files in the My Documents folder will not be backed up if the My Documents folder is deselected)
• Your programs

Can I use my FreeAgent | Desk/FreeAgent Go for Mac with Apple Time Machine?

Absolutely. Please refer to Apple's Support Website for more information about the setup, use, and troubleshooting of Time Machine.

How do I simply copy files and folders to my FreeAgent Drive?

Copying data to your FreeAgent drive can be done through various methods found in your operating system. Refer to Document ID: 206419 for more information on an easy way to get started, without any special software.

Can I use my FreeAgent on both my Windows and Macintosh Systems?

With great care, yes and no.  See Document ID: 191171 for more information.  You must make compatible partitions and you must keep a backup at all times; due to the incompatibilities between Windows and Macintosh partition file systems, moving a drive between a Mac and a Windows computer frequently results in a corrupted partition, which means you have to erase and reformat your drive. 
FreeAgent Go for Mac is not supported in Windows at all. 

How do I use my FreeAgent Drive?

Seagate provides several useful sources of information.

• Document ID: 206419 - How to use an external drive without any special software
• Use the Seagate Knowledge Base to search for answers to your questions

Where can I get troubleshooting information for a FreeAgent drive?

Please see the wide range of information available on our external hard drive troubleshooters.
 

Which FreeAgent drive would best suit my needs?
Before buying a FreeAgent drive, look at some of the following features to see which product will meet your needs.

Seagate FreeAgent | Desk

• Home users using Windows operating systems
• USB 2.0 interface
• Backup software
• Sync software
• Software folder encryption
• Cost and simplicity

Seagate FreeAgent | XTreme

• Micro businesses (< 20 computers) using Windows operating systems
• FireWire 400 / eSATA / USB 2.0 interfaces
• Seagate Manager software suite

Seagate FreeAgent | Go

• Mobile professionals using Windows operating systems
• USB 2.0 interface (powered through USB bus)
• Seagate Manager software suite

Seagate FreeAgent | Go for Mac

• Mobile professionals using MacOS
• FireWire 800 / FireWire 400 / USB 2.0 interface (powered through the interface)
• Preformatted for use with TimeMachine

Seagate FreeAgent | Desk for Mac

• Home / micro business using MacOS
• FireWire 800 / FireWire 400 / USB 2.0 interface
• Preformatted for use with TimeMachine

What are the maximum capacity points for the FreeAgent drives?

• Seagate FreeAgent Go - 640 GB
• Seagate FreeAgent Desk - 2 TB
• Seagate FreeAgent XTreme - 2 TB

What is the Seagate Manager?

The Seagate Manager is the backup software provided on Seagate FreeAgent Family Drives. The following table identifies Seagate Manager features available in a Windows environment.

Seagate Manager Features

• Scheduled Backup
• Backup/Restore of User Files/Folders
• Seagate Auto Software Update
• Adjust Power Management
• Drive Diagnostics
• SyncSeagate Folder Encryption

The FreeAgent drives designed for Mac do not include software, because they are designed to work with Apple Time Machine or basic file storage.

Does the FreeAgent drive require special software or a driver?

No. The drive can work with the drivers built into Windows Vista and XP without any software. You are not required to use Seagate Manager to be able to save data to your FreeAgent drive.

The versions of the FreeAgent designed to work in Mac environment are ready to use with MacOS 10.4.9 or higher with no additional drivers or software. See Document ID: 201413 for more information.

Can the Mac solutions still be used without a FireWire 800 port?
Yes, the FreeAgent | Desk for Mac and FreeAgent | Go for Mac both include FireWire 400 cables and USB cables for systems that don't have support for FireWire 800.  However, the Dock on the FreeAgent Go for Mac is FireWire 800 only.

What will the Seagate Manager Simple Backup feature backup?
Seagate Manager Backup is designed to backup user data files such as documents, music, photos, and videos. See Document ID: 205711 for information on its default backup settings.

What type of encryption does Seagate Folder Encryption use?
Seagate Folder Encryption uses the 256-AES encryption method.

What is Seagate Folder Encryption Travel Mode?
Travel Mode is a feature that allows you move your FreeAgent drive to other systems that do not have the Seagate Manager installed, decrypt the encrypted folder (provided you have the password), and access its contents.

How is the FreeAgent drive initially formatted?
The FreeAgent Go, Desk, and XTreme drives come initially formatted with the NTFS file system and are ready for use with Windows XP/Vista computers.
The FreeAgent | Go for Mac and FreeAgent | Desk for Mac come formatted as MacOS Extended Journaled (HFS+) and is ready for use with MacOS 10.4.9 or higher.

Why is the FreeAgent | Go for Mac physically bigger than the FreeAgent | Go?
Due to the FireWire 800 port, the case needs to be a little bigger to accommodate the size of the interface.