Drive Thunderbolt - External hard drive G-TECHNOLOGY - Free user manual and instructions

Product Type	External Hard Drive
Brand	G-Technology
Model	Drive Thunderbolt
Interface	Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps)
Capacity	Up to 10TB (configurable)
Rotation Speed	7200 RPM
Form Factor	3.5-inch Desktop
Dimensions (L x W x H)	20.0 x 13.0 x 4.5 cm
Weight	1.1 kg
Power Supply	External AC adapter (included)
Operating Temperature	5°C to 35°C
Storage Temperature	-20°C to 60°C
Compatible Operating Systems	macOS 10.12+ and Windows 10+ (reformat may be needed)
Main Functions	High-speed data transfer, backup, media storage, daisy-chaining up to 6 devices
Care and Cleaning	Wipe with a soft dry cloth; avoid liquids and abrasives
Safety	Overvoltage protection, automatic parking of heads
Spare Parts and Repairability	Hard drive is user-replaceable; other parts serviceable by authorized centers
General Information	Includes Thunderbolt cable, power adapter, quick start guide

Frequently Asked Questions - Drive Thunderbolt G-TECHNOLOGY

What is the interface of the G-Technology Drive Thunderbolt?

It uses a Thunderbolt 3 interface, providing transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps.

Is the drive compatible with Windows?

Yes, but it may need to be reformatted from HFS+ (Mac) to NTFS or exFAT for Windows use.

Can I daisy-chain multiple devices?

Yes, it supports daisy-chaining up to 6 Thunderbolt devices.

What is the maximum capacity available?

Capacities up to 10TB are available for this model.

How do I clean the drive?

Use a soft, dry microfiber cloth. Do not use any liquids or abrasive cleaners.

Does it require an external power source?

Yes, it comes with an external AC power adapter.

Is the hard drive user-replaceable?

Yes, the internal drive is designed to be replaceable by the user.

What is the warranty period?

It typically comes with a 3-year limited warranty from G-Technology.

Can I use it with a USB-C port?

Yes, Thunderbolt 3 ports are compatible with USB-C, but speeds will be limited to USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps).

What operating systems are supported?

It works with macOS 10.12 or later and Windows 10 or later (after reformatting).

USER MANUAL Drive Thunderbolt G-TECHNOLOGY

Blue circular logo with a white stylized 'G' and metallic silver border (no text or symbols)

USER MANUAL

G-Technology®

G DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

Exterior view of a silver serverless device with a perforated grille and two circular buttons (no visible text or symbols)

Welcome to G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt

Table of Contents

Safety & General Use

Safety Precautions....4

Backup Your Data 5

About Your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt

Introduction 7

What's in the Box 8

System Requirements....9

Overview of the Drive 9

Using Your Drive on Mac

Easy Installation for Mac 11

Optimize Performance ....11

Use with Time Machine....12

Disconnect the Drive....14

Maintenance for Your Drive

Initialize Drive for Mac ....16

Restore the Drive Icon ....19

Reformat with Partitions....21

Using Your Drive on Windows

Windows Use....26

Cross Platform Use....27

Support & Warranty

Technical Support 31

Limited Warranty 32

Copyright....34

G|DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

Safety & General Use

• Safety Precautions ...... p.4
- Backup Your Data ...... p.5

Safety Precautions

The warranty on G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt may be void as a result of the failure to respect the precautions listed here. If you detect a problem with your drive, please contact our Technical Support department.

Please read our Limited Warranty.

- Servicing: Your drive contains no user-serviceable parts. If it appears to be malfunctioning, have it inspected by a qualified G-Technology Technical Support representative.

- Moisture: Place the device away from moisture or liquids. To reduce the risk of damage, do not expose this drive to rain or moisture. Do not use it in damp or wet conditions. Never place objects containing liquids on the drive as they may spill into its openings.

- Ventilation: Place the device in a vented area. The drive should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat source.

- Temperature: Do not expose this drive to temperatures outside the range of 5°C to 35°C (41°F to 95°F); or to operational humidity beyond 5-80%, non-condensing, or non-operating humidity beyond 10-90%, non-condensing. Avoid placing your drive near a source of heat, or exposing it to sunlight (even through a window), or in an environment that is too cold or humid.

- Physical Damage: Do not place heavy objects on the drive. Never use excessive force on your drive.

Backup Your Data

The disk drive contained in your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt device is a delicate electronic instrument and is susceptible to damage due to excessive physical shock. Under no circumstances will G-Technology be held liable for the recovery or restoration of lost data. Any loss, corruption or destruction of data while using a G-Technology drive is the sole responsibility of the user.

Make two backups

To help prevent the loss of your data, we highly recommend that you keep TWO copies of your data in separate storage locations. Keep one copy on your G-Technology drive. Keep a second copy on your internal hard drive, another G-Technology drive, or a form of removable storage media.

G|DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

About Your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt

• Introduction ...... p.7
  • What's in the Box ...... p.8
• System Requirements ...... p.9
  • Overview of the Drive ...... p.9

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing G-DRIVE® with Thunderbolt™ from G-Technology.®

G-DRIVE hard drives are the ideal storage solutions for content creation professionals who work with data-intensive applications—like audio/video editing, digital photography and music libraries—and need high-speed backup.

Exterior view of a silver wireless router with ventilation grilles and a blue lightning bolt logo (no text or symbols visible)

We designed G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt to be a stylish, high-performance storage solution featuring ultra-fast Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 interfaces in a solid, all-aluminum enclosure.

You'll love how G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt looks and sounds. It features the latest HGST 7200 RPM drive with up to 64MB of cache, encased in a rugged, stylish and recyclable enclosure. And the drive is whisper quiet with an integrated heat-sink, or fanless cooling system, that ensures reliable operation and long life.

G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt is plug-and-play on Mac OS® and ideal for automatically backing up your Mac® using Time Machine. You can also use the drive on a Windows® computer or work cross platform.

What's in the Box

The following items are included in the box:

• G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt hard drive
• (1) Thunderbolt cable
• (1) USB 3.0 cable, (backward-compatible to USB 2.0)
• Universal AC Power Supply
- Quick Start Guide
• 3-Year Limited Warranty

Exterior view of a silver hard drive with ventilation grilles and a blue lightning bolt (no text or symbols visible)

If any items are missing, please contact G-Technology at [e-mail] or call [phone].

System Requirements

G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt supports the following Operating Systems. The drive is set up at the factory for use with Mac OS® systems, and formatted as 'HFS+ with Journaling'.

• Mac® OS 10.7 +
• Windows® 8,7

NOTE: G-DRIVE models larger than 2TB are not supported by Windows XP and older 32-bit operating systems. These OS's are limited to a maximum volume size of 2.2TB.

Overview of the Drive

This diagram shows the helpful features of your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt. There is a Power & Activity LED on the front of the unit and a Heat Sink beneath it. The activity LED will glow when the unit is switched on. It will flash brighter as data is transferred to or from the hard drive.

On the rear of the unit is a Kensington™ security slot, a USB 3.0 port, a Thunderbolt port, a DC Power In and an On/Off Switch.

Front view of a metallic electronic device with ventilation grilles and a blue lightning bolt icon (no text or symbols visible)

Heat Sink Activity LED Kensington

USB 3.0 Port
DC Power Input

G|DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

Using Your Drive on Mac

• Easy Installation for Mac ...... p.11
• Optimize Performance ...... p.11
• Use with Time Machine...... p.12
• Disconnect the Drive ...... p.14

Easy Installation for Mac

G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt attaches to your computer via the Thunderbolt cable or USB 3.0 cable, which is backward-compatible with USB 2.0. Choose the connection appropriate for your system and connect your drive with the matching supplied cable.

Connect the power cord to the unit and plug the other end into a surge protector or wall outlet. Turn on the power switch. The drive will automatically mount on the desktop if you are running Mac OS.

Optimize Performance

For best performance, we recommend connecting your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt via the Thunderbolt port. G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt can be connected to any machine equipped with a Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 port.

Use with Time Machine

G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt works perfectly and easily with Time Machine—the application that ships with your Mac and provides automatic backup for your files. Use the following steps to quickly set up your drive with Time Machine.

1. When you attach your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt for the first time, the Time Machine dialog box should appear automatically. Click the Use as Backup Disk button.

1. If the Time Machine dialog box did not launch, go to the Apple® Menu > System Preferences. Click on the Time Machine icon. The Time Machine Preference panel will open. Click the Select Backup Disk button.

1. In the dialog box that appears, select G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt. Click the Use for Backup button.

1. Make sure the Time Machine switch is set to ON. You can set its options by clicking the Options button. Do this to choose volumes, folders or files you do NOT want to backup.

G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt will now automatically back up your important files with Time Machine. It's that easy!

Disconnecting the Drive

A great feature of G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt is its ability to be connected and disconnected while your computer is running. To prevent failures and/or data loss, it is important to follow the steps below when disconnecting or ‘unmounting’ the drive from your computer.

1. Before powering down and disconnecting your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt, unmount the drive by simply dragging the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt icon to the trash located in the dock.

Keyboard shortcut: Select the drive icon and hit Command+E.

1. It is safe to remove the drive from your system when the drive icon is no longer present on your desktop.

Helpful links

• To use G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt on Windows, go to Windows Use.
- To use G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt on Mac and Windows together, go to Cross Platform Use.

G|DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

Maintenance for Your Drive

• Initialize Drive for Mac ...... p.16
• Restore the Drive Icon ...... p.19
• Reformat with Partitions ...... p.21

Initialize Drive for Mac

G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt was factory-formatted, or 'initialized', for use with Mac OS. You can reinitialize if you would like to quickly erase the contents of the drive. Here are the steps.

1. First, open the Disk Utility program. This application is located on your hard drive under Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. The window shown below will appear. Your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt will be displayed in the left-hand column.
2. Select the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt by clicking its drive icon in the left-side column. Information about the drive will be displayed at the bottom of the window.
3. Select the Erase tab to view the formatting options. By default, the Format pop-up menu is set to the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) option.

1. Choose the Format option that you prefer.

2. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Option: Use this format if you intend to use the drive for Time Machine or to create a separate bootable installation of OS X ^ .
   • Mac OS Extended Option: Use this format for best performance and media storage. To select, click the Format pop-up and its option to Mac OS Extended.

1. Click the Erase button in the lower right corner of the window. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to erase the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt partition.

WARNING: THIS NEXT STEP WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE.

1. Click the Erase button to continue. A progress bar in the lower right corner of the window will show the progress of the disk's reformatting.

1. After the drive is reinitialized, the Time Machine dialog box should automatically appear.

2. Click the Use as Backup Disk button if you want to use the drive with Time Machine. For more about using the drive with Time Machine, go here.

3. Click the Don't Use or Decide Later button if you do not want to use Time Machine at this point.

1. Quit the Disk Utility program. After reinitializing the drive, the custom icon for G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt has been erased. You can optionally restore this icon with the steps on the next page.

Restore the Drive Icon

If the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt icon was erased during the reinitializing process (see the previous section), you can restore the icon by following these easy steps.

NOTE: This process is not required for the operation of G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt. However, it will make your drive's appearance on the computer desktop look cleaner and more accurate.

1. To get the G-Technology icon package, go to g-technology.com/support and navigate to your product. There will be a link to download the icons.
2. Once downloaded, it should automatically open the G-Technology Icons folder as shown below. If not, double-click the Zip file to open. Then double-click the DMG file to open the G-Technology Icons package.
3. Click to select the drive icon for G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt in the package window. Press Command+C to copy the icon. (below)

1. Select the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt icon on your desktop and press Command+I. This opens its Get Info window. (below left)
2. Select the default icon in the Get Info window. (below left)
3. Press Command+V to paste the custom G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt icon into the Get Info window. (below right)

The icon for your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt has been restored and you can close the Get Info window. Your drive is now fully ready for use!

Reformat with Partitions

'Partitioning' a hard drive is the process of dividing a hard drive into separate, discrete sections called 'volumes'. Each volume works like a separate disk. You can create up to 16 different partitions on a hard drive in OS X and each partition can be a different size and format.

With hard drives getting bigger, it is useful to partition your hard drive so sections of its space can be used for different purposes. For instance, segment user data from backup data, set up a multi-boot environment with different Operating Systems or create a dedicated capture scratch disk for programs like Final Cut Pro.

The following steps will guide you through this simple process of partitioning your drive. In this example, we will partition a 4TB G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt connected via USB 3.0. The steps will be identical for your drive, only the name may be different.

1. First, open the Disk Utility program. This application is located on your hard drive under Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. The window below will appear. Your G-Technology drive will be displayed in the left-hand column.

1. Select the FireWire or USB icon—not the G-Technology drive icon—by clicking it in the left-side column.
2. Click on the Partition button in the main window.

1. Select the number of partitions you would like from the Volume Scheme menu.

1. Click on the first partition in the Volume Scheme area. Your partition will be highlighted by a blue bounding box.

• In the Name field, type a name for the partition.

- From the Format menu, choose your desired disk format. If you will use your drive primarily on MacOS, it is recommended to use Mac OS Extended or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). For info about formats, go here.

- In the Size field, type in a size for the partition. Alternately, you can drag the bar in between each partition to quickly change the size.

1. Repeat this process for each partition you have created.

2. Click the Apply button in the lower right corner of the window. A dialog box will appear confirming your choice to partition and erase the G-Technology drive partition.

WARNING: THIS NEXT STEP WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE.

1. Click on the Partition button to continue. A progress bar in the lower right corner of the window will display your disk's reformatting progress.

1. When partitioning is complete, the multiple partitions will be displayed in the left-hand panel of Disk Utility.

1. Quit the Disk Utility program. After reinitializing the drive, the custom icon for the G-Technology drive has been erased. You can optionally restore this icon to each partition with the steps this page.

2. The multiple partitions of the G-Technology drive will be displayed on the desktop. Your drive is now setup with two or more partitions and ready for use.

G|DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

Using Your Drive on Windows

• Windows Use ...... p.26
  • Cross Platform Use ...... p.27

Windows Use

Although your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt has been set up at the factory for use with Mac OS systems, a simple initialization will prepare your drive for use with Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems.

For helpful information on configuring and using your drive with Windows, please visit g-technology.com/windows

Cross Platform Use

You can set up G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt for use on both Windows and Mac system by formatting the drive as 'Fat32'. To do this, use the Disk Utility application and format the drive to MS-DOS (Fat), also known as Fat32.

1. First, open the Disk Utility program. This application is located on your hard drive under Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. The window below will appear. Your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt will be displayed in the left-hand column.
2. Select G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt by clicking on its drive icon in the left-side column. Information about the drive will be displayed at the bottom of the window.
3. Select the Erase tab to view the formatting options. By default, the Format pop-up menu is set to the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) option.

1. Select MS-DOS File System from the Format pop-up menu. This will format to Fat32. NOTE: You may need to rename the drive because Fat32 does not support more than 11 letters in the drive name.

1. Click the Erase button in the lower right corner of the window. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to erase the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt partition.

WARNING: THIS NEXT STEP WILL ERASE ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE.

1. Click the Erase button. A progress bar in the lower right corner of the window will show the progress of the disk's reformatting. Your drive will be formatted to its full capacity as Fat32.

1. Quit the Disk Utility program. You are finished!

2. After reinitializing, the custom icon for the G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt will be erased. No icons are available for Fat32.

With this format, you will be able to read/write on Windows 8, 7 and MacOS machines.

Limitations with Fat32

There are some limitations when using Fat32.

The 'MS-DOS File System' cannot write files over 4 GB. If you are working with files over 4 GB, you may want to choose a software option like MacDrive, www.macdrive.com. MacDrive is Windows software that enables you to mount Mac-formatted drives on your Windows computer.

NOTE: You could format your drive on a Windows machine Fat32. However, Windows currently limits Fat32 partitions to only 32GB in size.

G|DRIVE®

with Thunderbolt™

Support & Warranty

• Technical Support ...... p.31
• Limited Warranty ...... p.32
• Copyright p.33

Technical Support

Thank you again for purchasing G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt—if you have any comments or questions about this manual or the product, please let us know!

At G-Technology, we appreciate and value our customers, and strive to give you the finest quality products, service and support. If you encounter any difficulties while installing or using G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt, please contact G-Technology Technical Support at www.g-technology.com/support.

Helpful information for support

When contacting Technical Support, it's best to be in front of your computer and have the following information available:

• Your G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt serial number (on bottom of unit)
• Operating System and version
  • Computer brand and model
  • List of other devices attached to your computer

Limited Warranty

HGST, a Western Digital Company ("HGST")

Including G-Technology for External Hard Disk Drives

What does this limited warranty cover?

This Limited Warranty applies to new HGST products purchased from an authorized HGST dealer by the original purchaser for normal use and not for resale. HGST warrants that a covered product is free from defects in materials and workmanship, with the exceptions stated below.

How long does limited warranty coverage last?

This limited warranty lasts for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years or 5 years, or a fixed period from date of purchase, depending on when and where it was originally purchased. To determine the warranty specifically for your product, visit g-technology.com. A valid proof of purchase may be required to prove eligibility. If you do not have a valid proof of purchase, the limited warranty period will be measured from the date of sale from HGST to the authorized distributor.

What does this limited warranty not cover?

The limited warranty does not cover damage resulting from commercial use, misuse, accident, modification or alteration to hardware or software, tampering, unsuitable physical or operating environment beyond product specifications, improper maintenance, or failure caused by a product for which HGST is not responsible.

There is no warranty of uninterrupted or error-free operation. There is no warranty for loss of data—you must regularly back up the data stored on your product to a separate storage product. There is no warranty for product with removed or altered identification labels.

HGST DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. HGST is not responsible for returning to you product which is not covered by this limited warranty.

What must you do?

If you are having trouble with a product, before seeking limited warranty service, first follow the troubleshooting procedures that HGST or your reseller provides.

To obtain limited warranty service, you must first obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) and ship-to address by contacting G-Technology at g-technology.com/support. Please follow the instructions found on the website. You must return the covered hard disk drive using approved packaging to our logistics center. You must pay any associated transportation charges, duties and insurance in shipping the drive to our logistics center. You should remove all personal information from the product prior to its return.

What will HGST do?

HGST will replace the drive with a functionally equivalent replacement product, transportation prepaid. HGST may replace your product with a product that was previously used, repaired and tested to meet HGST specifications. You receive tile to the replaced product at delivery to carrier at HGST shipping point. You are responsible for importation of the replaced product, if applicable. HGST will not return the original drive to consumers; therefore, the consumer is responsible for moving data to another media before returning. Data Recovery is not covered under this warranty and is not part of the warranty returns process. HGST warrants that the replaced products are covered for the remainder of the original product warranty or 90 days, whichever is greater.

How is our liability limited?

HGST AND ITS AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AND RESELLERS ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) THIRD-PARTY CLAIMS AGAINST YOU FOR DAMAGES (OTHER THAN BODILY INJURY INCLUDING DEATH AND TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY; 2) LOSS OF, OR DAMAGE TO, YOUR DATA; OR 3) SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OR FOR ANY ECONOMIC CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS OR SAVINGS), EVEN IF INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

How do local laws apply?

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.

CAPACITY DEFINITION AND DISCLAIMER

For G-Technology products 1TB or greater: "One gigabyte (GB) is equal to one billion bytes and one terabyte (TB) equals 1,000 GB (one trillion bytes). Accessible capacity will vary from the stated capacity due to formatting and partitioning of the hard drive, the computer's operating system, and other factors"

For G-Technology products less than 1TB: "One gigabyte (GB) is equal to one billion bytes when referring to hard drive capacity. Accessible capacity will vary depending on the operating environment and formatting."

Copyright

One gigabyte (GB) is equal to one billion bytes when referring to hard drive capacity. Accessible capacity will vary depending on the operating environment and formatting.

Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

G-DRIVE and G-Technology are registered trademarks of G-Technology and its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Apple, Mac, Thunderbolt, MacBook Pro, Time Machine and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and Windows XP are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and/or other countries. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

©2015 G-Technology, a Western Digital Corporation brand. All rights reserved. R4 10/15