Lacie Rugged Hard Disk User Manual - Page 23

4. Using Your LaCie Drive 4.1.2. Windows Users • Windows 2000 and XP - Use the Disk Management Utility, which is native to the operating system. Formatting And Partitioning Using Windows 2000 And Windows XP The process of formatting and partitioning a drive on a computer running Windows 2000 or Windows XP consists of two steps: (1) installing a signature on the drive, and (2) partitioning/formatting the drive. These steps will erase anything that is on the disk. 1) Connect the drive to the computer via one of the interface ports. Warning: Following these steps will erase anything that is on the hard drive. Therefore, if you have information that you want to protect or continue to use, backup this information before performing these steps. 2) Right-click My Computer and click Manage. 3) From the Computer Management window, select Disk Management (located below the Storage group). 4) If this is the first time the drive is being formatted, Windows 2000 will launch the Write Signature Wizard (Write Initialize Wizard in Windows XP). Click Next. 5) Windows will list the new drive(s) attached. If you are formatting a single drive, only one drive should be visible. Select the checkbox next to the drive and click Next. Important Note: Check the "quick format" box. 6) Click Finish to exit the Wizard. 7) Now, with the disk management window open, a new drive will be visible. Right-click on the available space and select Create Partition... 8) This will bring up the Create Partition Wizard. Click Next. 9) Select Primary Partition. Click Next. user manual | page 23