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Frequently Asked Questions


How do I care for my EMTEC Flash Drive?
Can I use my Flash drive in a non-powered USB hub or keyboard USB port on my Mac?
Is my Flash Drive backwards compatible with USB 1.1?
How do I copy or transfer files to my USB Flash Drive?
How can I transfer a 4GB or larger file to my USB Flash Drive?
Why isn't my USB Flash Drive detected by my PC?
Why isn't my USB Flash Drive detected by my Mac?
Why is the capacity of my Flash Drive less than the capacity listed?


How do I care for my EMTEC Flash Drive?
Take appropriate precautions with your drive, just as you would any piece of computer-related equipment. Avoid dropping the drive, getting it wet, shaking it, or storing it in extreme hot or cold conditions. Methods of carrying the drive, for example on a key chain, are not covered under warranty. In the event the flash drive becomes wet, allow it to dry in a cool, dry place before attempting to use it again. Water or other liquids may cause the drive to short circuit.

Can I use my Flash Drive in a non-powered USB hub or Keyboard USB port on my Mac?
No. The current power draw at idle state is about 95 mA (milliamps) for a 2GB drive. The current power draw during read/write is about 145 mA. The keyboard hub, like most un-powered USB hubs, provides up to 100mA and does not provide enough electrical draw for a flash drive. Typically all flash drives work well with an internal or a powered hub that supplies 500 mA.

Is my Flash Drive backwards compatible with USB 1.1?
Yes. All EMTEC flash drives are backwards compatible with USB 1.1.

How do I copy or transfer files to my USB Flash Drive?
Copying to or from a USB device is the same as copying to or from any standard disk device.
1. Click on your desired file to select it.
2. On your keyboard, hold down the Ctrl key and press C (Command+C for Mac users).
3. Navigate to the desired folder destination.
4. Hold down the Ctrl key and press V (Command+V for Mac users).

NOTE: You can select multiple files by holding down the Ctrl while left clicking on the desired files. Or you can select all files by holding down Ctrl and pressing A.

How can I transfer a 4GB or larger file to my USB Flash Drive?
If an error occurs while attempting to copy a 4GB or larger file to your flash drive, it is due to FAT32 limitations. Files larger than 4GB cannot be stored on FAT32 volume. Formatting the flash drive as NTFS will resolve this issue.

STEP 1 - Optimize the flash drive for performance
1. Plug in the device to the PC.
2. Double-click My Computer.
3. Right-click on the flash drive, then select Properties.
4. Click the Hardware tab.
5. Select the USB Device disk drive, then click Properties.
6. Click the Policies tab.
7. Select Optimize for performance, then click OK.

STEP 2 - Format the flash drive
1. Double-click My Computer.
2. Right-click on the flash drive, then select Format.
3. In the File system list, click NTFS.
4. Click Start.
5. Click OK to start formatting.

WARNING:
- Always remember to backup your data first. Formatting will delete all the data on your device.
- Formatting the device as NTFS will make it unable to be written to on a Mac computer. Most Mac computers can read NTFS, but not write.
- NTFS is a journaled file system; this creates more read/write activities. Therefore, it will decrease life expectancy of your device.
- Once the device is formatted as NTFS, you MUST use "Safely Remove Hardware" to eject the drive.


Why isn't my USB Flash Drive detected by my PC?
1) Verify minimum operating systems supported by EMTEC flash drives: Windows XP SP2, 2000 SP4, Vista and 7.
2) Try other USB ports if the light on the flash drive does NOT illuminate when plugged in.
3) Check status of the Flash Drive under Device Manager. To do this:
    Check under Device Manager
          a. Right-click My Computer, and select Manage.
          b. Click Device Manager on the left pane. The flash drive might show up under several places under Device Manager such as:
               1. Disk Drives
               2. DVD/CD-ROM drives
               3. Universal Serial Bus controls as USB Mass Storage.
     If there is a yellow exclamation point (!) or question mark (?) beside the device, try to refresh the drivers.
5) Refresh the drivers:
          a. Right-click on the entry with the error mark, select Uninstall.
          b. On the top menu, click Action then select Scan for hardware changes.
6) Verify if the flash drive is detected
          a. Double-click My Computer.
          b. Look for the flash drive under devices with removable storage.
7) There might be a conflict in drive letters. See resolving drive letter conflicts.
8) Plug the flash drive into another PC with a similar setup (same operating system) to verify if the flash drive works on other PCs.
If the flash drive works on other PCs, then there is an issue with the current PC where the flash drive is being plugged in.
9) If you are running Windows Vista, apply the hotfix from Microsoft.

Why isn't my USB flash drive detected by my Mac?
Mac OS 9.0 and above does NOT require special drivers to detect USB flash drives. The USB flash drives will NOT be detected if the USB Mass Storage driver was modified or deleted. Remove all USB devices from the system, download the USB driver from Apple's website, then install it. Also try to plug the USB flash drive directly into the Mac computer, instead of plugging it to USB port on the keyboard.
Why is the capacity of my Flash Drive less than the capacity listed?
For flash drives, 1 megabyte = 1 million bytes; 1 gigabyte = 1 billion bytes. Actual useable capacity may vary. Some of the listed capacity may be used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. This is standard across the flash drive industry.
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