Difficulty with the Firewire Module
I have both USB 2.0 and Firewire on my computer, and since the Firewire interface is underused, decided to swap the modules.
I found, today (first day out of the box) that this drive, with this interface, is VERY unsteady. It didn't start up at first--and was so dead that I thought something was amiss with my computer's interface...then, suddenly, with no apparent reason, it started up, the computer recognized it, and all looked normal.
Then, I gently lifted the drive to move it, slightly, and it went dark again. Unplugging and re-plugging the fire-wire cable a few times and a few prayers seemed to get it going again, although, again, it seems very, very shaky and delicate.
I'm not sure if I have a defective drive, and I haven't tried it on the USB interface to see if that's a bit sturdier.
Frankly, I think Seagate wastes paper: there's a little leaflet in the box, and instead of being cute by printing empty pages that say "this won't take long" and other promotional hype, they would have done well to print some orderly instructions telling people what to expect...for example, I didn't know that the drive illuminates to show it is on...I didn't know if there was something to press...I didn't know how tightly the screw that affixes the interface modules should be tightened (perhaps that's the problem), and I didn't know what "normal operation" should look like.
Unfortunately, it's the weekend, and they only have tech support phones manned when customers are at work themselves, and cannot call, so I'll have to wait until Monday to find out if I have a defective unit which should be returned, or if this shaky interface is normal--in which case I shall return it for a refund, since it won't suit me to have such a delicate drive that can't stand up to being shifted accidentally without turning off and disconnecting.
The base seems to get rather hot, too...which has me a bit concerned that it's a defective unit too...again, there's not a word on this subject to be found in the accompanying leaflet or online.
If it can stay connected tonight, I shall try a full back-up onto it and see how that goes.
Meanwhile, my enthusiasm is cooled, considerably...it is, contrary to the promise of their leaflet, taking longer than I anticipated!
