UPC: 844767023694
EAN: 4716872103911
What is Vantec enclosures Power Saving Function? [#01142020]
The Power Saving function of our enclosures assists in saving energy and at the same time helps extend the life of your drive.
1) Our enclosures when it is not connected to a working system, will not power ON.
If the storage enclosure is not connected to a computer, what is the point of wasting energy by spinning up the Hard Drive.
NOTE: If a user after installing their hard drive into the enclosure and without connecting to any working system, the enclosure will NOT TURN ON, this is normal by design.
You MUST have the enclosure connected to a WORKING SYSTEM (Powered ON) before turning ON the enclosure to see the drive spin up.
2) The enclosure is designed to follow the Power Saving function of the Operating System.
When it is connected and in usage, the enclosure will follow the Power Saving Setting of the OS to maximize usage and Power Saving.
Meaning when the system sleep, the enclosure will spin down the drive to sleep too. When the system wakes, the enclosure will wake and spin up the drive too.
3) Why is my enclosure NOT following the Power Saving function noted above?
For the enclosure to detect and follow the Power Saving Function listed above, the USB port on your system MUST be configured to do the same. If the USB port (either on the motherboard or an addon card is not configured correctly or do not support these function, it may prevent our enclosure from performing the Power Saving Function correctly.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to write to us at support@vantecusa.com , we will do our best to answer them.
Why is the enclosure not powering UP my drive after installing? [#06062022]
ALL Vantec's enclosures are Green Enclosures, it is designed to save power when not in use.
If it is not connected to a working system, it will not power ON.
Please connect to a system that is working with OS loaded and running. Once it is connected to your working system and powered ON, it will spin up the drive and your system will acknowledge a USB storage connected.
Note: if you install a NEW hard drive for the first time, please use the OS tool to prep (initialize, partition and format) your new drive, you just need to do this once.
Is Vantec USB Enclosures/Docks compatible with Windows 11/10 operating system? [#33401]
Yes, all our USB Enclosures and Docks are compatible with Windows 11/10 Operating System. Just plug into any USB port on your Windows 11/10 system and it should function just like your older OS. You do not need to update any firmware or drivers. It is plug and play.
Common Questions for NST-358SU3-BK [#05202022]
How to prepare a New Storage, Hard Drive, or SSD for use with a system? [#33406]
There are two set of instruction. One for Windows OS and another for OS X. Please use the right set of instruction for your System.
>>>>>> 1) Preparing a new hard drive for use with Windows 7/8/10 OS <<<<<<
NOTE: If you have important data on this drive, DO NOT go any further, please backup your data before you continue. These steps will erase ALL your data on the drive.
For Windows 7, hold the Windows logo key on your keyboard and press “R” (Winkey+R). This will launch the Run the utility. Type “diskmgmt.msc” inside the text box and press Enter. This will open the Windows Disk Management utility. This is where you can format, create, and delete hard drive partitions.
For Windows 8/8.1/10, hold the Windows logo key on your keyboard and press “X” (Winkey+X). This will launch a popup window and select disk management.
Usually, the Initialize Disk Wizard will appear automatically when you open Disk Management. If you have more than one blank drive that needs to be initialized it will list them. Make sure that there is a check in the box of the drive that needs to be initialized, select check MBR if your hard drive is smaller than 2TB, if it is greater than 2TB, please check GPT and then left-click on the Ok button. If the wizard does show up, go to step 5. If the wizard does not show up, please see the note and additional images directly below.
Critical: If your hard drive is greater than 2TB in capacity, you need to use check GPT(GUID Partition Table), if it is smaller, select MBR.
Note: If you do not see the Initialize Disk wizard, manually start the initialization. The drive that needs to be initialized should have a little circle with a red arrow pointing down like in the image below.
When you find it. Right-click on the red arrow and choose Initialize Disk.
There are two mode of initializing a new drive using MBR or GPT. If your hard drive is greater than 2TB, you need to use check GPT, if it is smaller, select MBR.
The drive is now initialized. The disk should have a black bar and say that it is Unallocated. You should now be able to create a partition and format the hard drive.
Now right click the unallocated space and click create a New Simple Volume shown below:
Follow the on screen wizard by clicking Next
Specify your volume size, if you are not sure use the default, and now click Next
Assign a drive letter to the drive, if you are not sure use the default and click Next
Format the partition and name the volume, if you are not sure use the default
Now click Finish and it will start formatting the drive to get it ready for use.
Once the formatting is done, your system will report the presense of a new drive with an assigned drive letter. You can begin using the storage.
>>>>>> 2) Preparing a new hard drive for use with Apple OS X <<<<<<
What is the Maximum Capacity Hard Drive can I install into the enclosure or Dock and Power Requirement of the drive? [#33402]
It can vary depending on the age and type of the Enclosures.
Please READ these Limitation:
1) For 2.5" SATA drive, Maximum Capacity alone is not the only thing you have to check, the other important criteria are the thickness of the drive. If your 2.5" enclosure will only fit a drive with the thickness (or height) of 7mm drive, trying to put a 9.5mm thickness drive into the enclosure will not fit.
2) The power requirement of the drive is also very important. Most drives are designed for installing into the systems with unlimited power. If you purchase a big capacity drive with power requirements that exceed the power your USB port can provide, it will not function. This is the fault of your USB port lack of power and your power hungry drive, not the enclosure issue. The enclosure uses minimum power. Your Drive plus the enclosure MUST not exceed the power capability of your USB port.
3) Support AF or 512e drives only, do not support 4Kn drives.
Please READ these Limitation:
1) The power requirement of the drive is also very important. Most drives are designed to draw less than 13 watts per drive. The enclosure uses minimum power and the ac adapter that comes with the enclosure are designed for most standard power requirement of the drives. If you purchase drives that draw too much power (greater than 13 watts) and exceed the specifications of the enclosure ac adapter, it will not function correctly. Please check the label on the drive for the power specifications. If your drives exceeded the limitation, you may have to purchase a bigger ac adapter for your needs, please contact Vantec Support for sizing the ac adapter for your needs and to purchase optional bigger ac adapter.
2) Support AF or 512e drives only, do not support 4Kn drives.
It can vary depending on the age and type of interface of the Dock.
Docks are designed for 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives, for current shipping docks, 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD, the capacity ranges from 100GB to 4TB, and for 3.5" SATA drive, it is 500GB to 16TB. For older Docks purchased before 2015, it may only support 2TB or less. Please write to support@vantecusa.com for further help or questions.
Please READ these Limitation:
1) The power requirement of the drive is also very important. Most drives are designed to draw less than 13 watts per drive. The dock uses minimum power and the ac adapter that comes with the dock are designed for most standard power requirement of the drives. If you purchase drives that draw too much power (greater than 13 watts) and exceed the specifications of the dock ac adapter, it will not function correctly. Please check the label on the drive for the power specifications. If your drives exceeded the limitation, you may have to purchase a bigger ac adapter for your needs, please contact Vantec Support for sizing the ac adapter for your needs and to purchase optional bigger ac adapter.
2) Support AF or 512e drives only, do not support 4Kn drives.
Windows or OS X cannot see my connected USB storage device, why? [#33405]
There are many reasons why a USB storage device will not show correctly on your System.
Here are some reason and possible solution:
1) The hard drive that you install into the USB storage is new and was not prepare to use with this System.
Solution: Use system disk tool to prepare the drive for use by initializing, partition and then formatting the drive. Once that is done, the System OS will detect the drive correctly. For help with preparing a new hard drive for use, please refer to the FAQ on "Preparing a New Hard Drive for use".
2) Your system does not have the proper drivers and requires updates.
Solution: Safely eject the USB device and Run Windows Update to ensure all drivers are up to data, before connecting USB device again.
3) The System is not seeing the USB enclosure.
Solution#1 (for self-powered enclosure): Shutdown and power OFF system, power OFF USB enclosure, disconnect the USB enclosure, turn system power back ON, log back into your system, wait for system to fully loaded all drivers, connect back the USB enclosure directly into the USB port on the computer, avoid connecting thru a hub, and finally power ON the USB enclosure.
Soultion#2 (for bus powered enclosure): Power OFF the system, disconnect the USB enclosure, power back ON system, log back into your system, wait for system to fully loaded all drivers, and now connect back the USB enclosure directly into the USB 3.0 port on the computer, avoid connecting thru a hub.
4) Under power condition and the drive is not spinning up.
Solution: If you are connected to a USB 2.0 port and the drive in the USB enclosure is not spinning up, it may be an under-powered condition. This can be cause by the drive in the enclosure drawing too much power and the one USB port is not sufficient to power the drive. Please connect to a USB 3.0 port that can provide more power to the drive in the enclosure.
5) Do not have USB 3.0 port, under power condition and the drive is not spinning.
Solution: Use a USB Y cable. If you are using a USB 2.0 enclosure, we provided a USB cable with an extra power connector (the Y) to supplement the power requirement of the device. By connecting both (Main and Supplement) USB connectors to the system, it should provide enough power for most devices to work correctly with your system. If the power requirement for the device (hard drive + enclosure) is within the specification of just one USB port, you just need to connect only the main connector.
6) System still cannot see the drive.
Solution: If the system cannot see the drive, you may want to try another computer to see if the problem is related to this computer.
7) USB DEVICE CANNOT SEE IN OS X
Solution: Try Force boot into safe mode and it will reset the USB.
Shutdown system, wait 10 seconds and restart. Right away hold down shift and will boot into safe mode.
Where can I download Drivers for your USB Storage product? [#33409]
USB Enclosures:
All our USB enclosures do not need any drivers. It is plug and play. All our USB enclosures uses the USB client drivers that are already built in to the OS (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, OS X 10.6 or newer). As long as your computer USB Host controller drivers is install correctly and is working, when you connect our enclosures to your computer, the OS will sense the USB storage and load the correct drivers automatically for you.
USB Adapters:
USB adapter does not need any drivers. It is plug and play. It uses the USB client drivers that are already built in to the OS (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, OS X 10.6 or newer). As long as your computer USB Host controller drivers is install correctly and is working, when you connect the drive to this adapter to your computer, the OS will sense the USB storage and load the correct drivers automatically for you.
USB Docks:
All our USB docks do not need any drivers. It is plug and play. All our USB docks use the USB client drivers that are already built in to the OS (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, OS X 10.6 or newer). As long as your computer USB Host controller drivers is install correctly and is working, when you connect our docks to your computer, the OS will sense the USB storage and load the correct drivers automatically for you.
About Warranty, Repair process (RMA), RMA closed status, and Register product [#33410]
All our standard products comes with 1 year warranty. Some special products may have longer warranty, please check the product page for more information.
If you have questions about our product, please contact our support team for assistance. You can reach them via the contact form located in Menu "About Us", select the Region and select "Product Support". They are very helpful and can answer and assist with our products.
Here are the steps for warranty repair. You can use this link below or you can contact RMA our website main page, select Support pull down menu and pick RMA Center. In the RMA Center page select Warranty Service, "End User" to begin.
https://www.vantecusa.com/rma.php
1) Submit the online RMA request above.
2) Wait for the RMA to be approved. You will get notification of the approval via email. (Check your spam folder if it did not show within 2 hours.)
3) Follow the instruction in the RMA email. Pack well and send back the defective unit. (You pay for shipping to us)
4) We wait for the unit to arrive.
5) Once here, we replace the unit and send replacement unit back to you. (We pay for shipping to you)
6) RMA case close.
You do not need to register the product. For warranty purpose we require the invoice or proof of purchase.
You can do the following:
If you purchase it from a store and have the physical receipt, take a clear picture of the receipt, email to yourself and save it in your email warranty folder (create one if you do not have one).
If you purchase it online, you can save the invoice email to your email warranty folder.
If you purchase online, the online store may have your purchase history that may help.
With this you will have a central place for all your receipts.
All products warranty is for one year, if you do not need them any more after a year clear that email.
What is Prop 65 and the warning on Vantec products packaging? [#02012020]
What is Proposition 65?
Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. These chemicals can be in the products that Californians purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or that are released into the environment. By requiring that this information be provided, Proposition 65 enables Californians to make informed decisions about their exposures to these chemicals.
Why the Prop 65 warning label?
Warnings are based on a compile list of chemicals published by the State of California (over 800 and growing) which may pose an increased risk of cancer and/or reproductive harm if exposed to minimum levels, also known as Safe Harbor levels are exceeded. These warnings are widespread within California and can be found across many industries including food and beverage sales, clothing sales, furniture sales, automotive repair, electronics, etc.
Should I be concerned about the safety of your products?
Although you should always be aware and take notice of any product warning, a Prop 65 warning does not mean that a product is unsafe. The State of California’s website states, “A Prop 65 warning does not necessarily mean that a product violates any product-safety standards or requirements.”
For more information please refer to this link: https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/
Need support outside of USA/Canada region [#33419]
We have 2 support sites, one in the USA/Canada region that support the USA/Canada region and another based in Taiwan that supports the Global site that covers all other countries. The product mix sold by this two region are different, you will get better support from the global site. You can also reach them directly at support-global@vantecusa.com address in future email.