FAQ External Hard Drives

Can the ioSafe Solo be locked to something or bolted down to guard against theft?

Yes. The ioSafe Solo is designed to be bolted to the floor or used with a cable and padlock to provide security against theft and in severe storms such as Hurricanes and Tornados as shown.
Bolt down Cable lock

What software works with the ioSafe Solo?

Any backup software that can recognize and will backup to a USB attached hard drive should work with the ioSafe Solo.

Converting the ioSafe Solo to a NAS

Although the ioSafe Solo is a USB only device, several of our users have successfully used the following for converting the ioSafe Solo to a Network attached Storage ( NAS ) interface:

1. http://www.linksysbycisco.com/ANZ/en/home Linksys WRT610N is the best bet for Windows systems as it will read and write to an NTFS or FAT32 formatted drive.We recommend this for Windows networks.

2. http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/ The Apple Airport Extreme can work for HFS+ or FAT32 formatted drives. We recommend this for Apple networks. You might need to download the latest firmware.

Where are the external hard drive reviews written for the ioSafe Solo as it compares to other external hard drives from Seagate® and Western Digital® My Book®?

Go to Google® and perform a search for "external hard drive reviews ioSafe Solo" or "compare external hard drives ioSafe Solo" and look for any reviews with the ioSafe Solo vs other external hard drives.

How does the ioSafe® Solo compare against other external hard drives from Seagate® or Western Digital®?

ioSafe Solo works with the USB connection in PCs and Macs in a similar manner as any other external hard drive. The ioSafe Solo is rated to protect data in fires (up to 840° C for 1/2 hour per ASTM E119) and from flood water damage (up to 10' submersion, 72 hours in salt water or fresh water).

Windows 2003 Server doesn't reliably connect with my ioSafe Solo

This is a known issue with the ioSafe Solo. There are some versions of the Windows 2003 Server and hardware combination that may or may not work with the ioSafe Solo. We're working on updating the ioSafe hardware compatibility list to include Windows 2003 but currently is it not fully supported. As a work around, try using a Windows XP machine connected to the ioSafe Solo. In Windows, it is possible to share the ioSafe Solo drive across the network to other users including the server. Unfortunately, we cannot provide support on troubleshooting network shares due to the wide variety of network installations and firewalls. Here are some links to help you:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308582

http://www.jakeludington.com/windows_xp/20060113_sharing_a_hard_drive.html

My Mac can't format my ioSafe Solo. I get a 'Disk erase failed' error

A solution in the following forums have worked for other ioSafe Solo users. It suggests that when you erase the hard disk drive, you should select the "MacOS Extended (journaled)" volume format.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/switcher-hangout/21672-how-format-ntfs-hard-disk-mac-format.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMd0E2MVbw0

Read more...

Is the Solo available in a RAID configuration?

No, it is not available in RAID configuration, however the ioSafe Solo rugged hard drive can be attached to standard storage arrays with an external USB port and used as a backup target -- easily adding fireproof and waterproof protection to your priceless digital data backup.

Mac OS X 10.5: Time Machine stops backing up to external disk

Symptoms:

After about 10 GB or more of data is backed up to an ioSafe Solo external hard disk drive, Time Machine may stop backing up. This may happen the first time Time Machine backs up your files.

Products Affected:

Mac OS X 10.5, Time Machine

Resolution:

Some hard disks ship with a Master Boot Record (MBR) partition type. For these disks, you will need to change the partition type by erasing the disk, so that it is supported by Time Machine:

Important: Erasing a disk deletes all files on it. Make sure that you have or make a separate backup copy of important files, in another location, first.

Will Time Machine on the Mac work with the ioSafe Solo?

Yes. Properly formatted, the ioSafe Solo will work with Time Machine or any other backup software that is compatible with USB external hard disk drives.

Is the ioSafe Solo compatible with the Apple Airport Extreme?

Compatibility with the Apple Airport Extreme is not supported. Several users have reported mixed results by combining the Apple Airport Extreme with the ioSafe Solo. We are working on resolving the issue but cannot guarantee compatibility at this time. Try updating the Airport Extreme firmware to 7.4.1 as this has worked with some users to enable compatibility.

Why not use FAT32 for all drives for PC & Mac compatibility?

FAT32 has a file size limitation of 3GB maximum. If all your files are smaller than 3GB, then you could use this format. As hi-definition video files and compressed backup files get larger, the 3GB limitation may prove to be problematic for you with ioSafe Solo. There are a number of other technical issues with FAT32 format but this is the primary objection.

Can you use this external hard drive with a Mac?

Yes, the ioSafe Solo USB desktop drive can be used with any USB 2.0 enabled Apple computer or laptop running Mac OS 8.3 or higher. While the Solo comes with the standard NTFS formatting, it can easily be formatted for FAT 32 (for both PC and Mac compatibility) or HFS+ for Mac only compatibility.

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