Removable Media Storage FAQs

Removable Media Storage - Installation and Use

Q: How do I use my RDX removable hard disk drive on a Windows system?

The RDX USB and SATA drives work on Windows systems without any additional driver installation. It is necessary to install the RDX removable media storage host software if you want the eject button to work properly.

USB:
Simply plug the USB drive into any available USB port (preferably a USB 2.0 port for full performance). The Windows system automatically detects the removable media storage drive and assigns a drive letter to the device.

SATA:
See the Quick Start Installation section of the RDX User's Guide for details about installing the SATA device in your system. See the list of SATA chipsets that RDX is compatible with.

Q: How do I use my RDX removable hard disk drive on a Linux system?

As long as your kernel is new enough you should not need to modify drivers or kernel to use RDX SATA or USB drives.

You can use the command
cat /proc/scsi/scsi
to list all scsi devices. Your RDX media storage drive should be displayed in this list.

A few useful Linux commands are listed below. Refer to the man pages for each command for more information.

• Use the mount command to mount the RDX removable hard disk drive.
• The fdisk -l command is useful for listing which devices are available for mounting.
• Use the umount command to un-mount a removable disk cartridge for removal
• Use the eject command with the device or partition handle to eject the cartridge.

When using a default formatted (NTFS) cartridge you will likely need to reformat to EXT3 for use with Linux. Please refer to the instructions here for more information.

Q: How do I use my RDX removable hard disk drive on a Mac OSX system?

The RDX USB drive will work on Mac OSX systems without any additional driver installation. Simply plug the media storage drive USB into an available USB port. The RDX USB should be able to be accessed through the "Disk Utility" application after plugging in and powering up. (Under the "Finder" application, select Applications->Utilities->Disk Utility.)

If using a default (NTFS) formatted cartridge, you will need to reformat for MAC OS Extended (HFS+.) Specific instructions for Mac Formatting may be found here.

Q: How do I create a transportable data backup of my system?

The following backup applications are compatible with the RDX device and provide a full backup feature set.

View compatible backup software

Q: How do I manually eject an RDX removable disk cartridge?

NOTE: Do not emergency eject a RDX cartridge while the cartridge activity indicator is flashing.

If the removable disk cartridge does not eject using either the eject button or the right-click eject methods then use the following emergency eject hole method to recover the removable disk cartridge:

1. If using the RDX removable storage drive, turn off your computer. If using the RDX removable storage drive, unplug the power cable.
2. Insert a large straightened paper clip (or similar object) into the Emergency Eject Hole (see the figure above.) Do not insert the object in the hole at an angle. Keep the object straight and apply some force to eject the cartridge.
3. When the removable disk cartridge has been ejected by the unit, grasp the exposed sides of the cartridge and pull the cartridge straight out.
4. Re-start your computer to reset the RDX unit. If using the RDX External device, re-plug in the power cable for the unit and then re-start your computer.

Q: How do I format an RDX removable hard disk drive cartridge?

Removable hard disk drive cartridge formatting steps vary based on the operating system used. Links to formatting instructions based on OS are listed below.

• Windows OS
• Linux OS OS
• Mac OS X

Q: How do I create a bootable RDX removable disk cartridge?

If your system BIOS supports it, you can create a bootable installation of Linux on your RDX USB media storage drive. For more information, please see the "Booting Linux From RDX" whitepaper.

For information about booting to a Windows OS, please click here.

Q: How do I change the RDX drive letter?

To change the Drive letter used by your RDX media storage drive in Windows XP or 2003 follow the instructions below.

1. Right-click on the "My Computer" icon and select "Manage."
2. Expand the "Storage" tab and select "Disk Management."
   
   
   
   
3. Right click on the RDX drive letter and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths"
   
   
   
   
4. Click on "Change" and assign a new drive letter from the drop-down box. Make sure no other device or network share is using the new drive letter.

Q: How do I install RDX host software?

Follow the instructions for installation from the RDX User's guide. For links to download the RDX Users guide from support websites, please click here.

For a generic RDX Users guide installation quick reference, please see the RDX Users Guide.

Q: How do I enable write protection on my RDX removable disk cartridge?

The write protect switch is the red tab on the top edge of the removable disk cartridge. To set the write protect tab, eject the cartridge and slide the red tab to the leftmost position. The removable disk cartridge will now be write-protected.

To remove the write protect, slide the red tab to the rightmost position. The cartridge will now allow write access.

Q: How do I download and view the users guide for my RDX removable hard disk drive?

The users guide for your RDX product should be downloaded from RDX partner support sites.
View links to RDX partner sites.

For a generic RDX removable hard disk drive Users guide installation quick reference, please see the RDX Users Guide.

Media Storage Drive — Common Questions

Q: What SATA chipsets are the RDX media storage drives compatible with?

View the RDX compatibility Guide »

Q: What operating systems are compatible with my RDX drive?

The RDX removable media storage device has successfully completed all necessary testing to be included in the Windows Server Catalog for the Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 x64, Windows XP, and Windows XP x64 families. Additional extensive testing included, but was not limited to:

• Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
• Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 or later
• Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later

The following Linux distributions have been tested extensively; however many other Linux distributions will support the RDX removable media technology. More information about Linux support

View the RDX compatibility Guide »

Q: How do I format an RDX removable disk cartridge in Windows?

Note: Formatting your cartridge NTFS is not typically required. Cartridges are shipped pre-formatted with NTFS. Deleting all files on the disk will be a sufficient method for re-initializing a cartridge in most cases.

Two possible cartridge formatting methods exist for Microsoft Windows XP or 2003 installations. The most straightforward method for formatting cartridges in an RDX SATA device is through the right-click format menu. After highlighting the device drive letter in Windows Explorer, right-click and select "Format." The Format menu may be used to format a cartridge NTFS only.

The right-click format menu does not work properly with RDX USB devices due to restrictions on removable storage media devices optimized for quick removal. To format the RDX USB device you will need to use the Disk Management utility. To access the disk management utility, right click on the "My Computer" icon on the desktop and select "Manage." Expand the "Storage" tree and select "Disk Management." Right-click on the RDX USB drive letter and select "Format" from the menu. This method will allow NTFS formatting of an RDX USB or SATA cartridge.



FAT32 formatting in Windows may be accomplished with the use of third-party applications.

For more information about selecting a file system for your RDX removable hard disk cartridge, please see the whitepaper "RDX File Systems and OS Compatibility" here.

Q: What file system formats can I use on my RDX cartridge?

The RDX removable storage drive and cartridge will support any file system format supported by the host system. The RDX removable hard disk cartridge is shipped pre-formatted with NTFS. NTFS is typically the best choice for Windows operating systems. Linux systems will typically use ext3 formatted cartridges. Mac systems typically use HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) formatting.

For more information about formatting cartridges and file system support by operating system, please refer to the whitepaper "RDX File Systems and OS Compatibility" here.

Q: Can I put labels on my RDX cartridge?

There is room for a user label on the front of the removable hard disk cartridge. Do not place labels on the surfaces that contact the device bay as the cartridge is inserted.

Q: Where can I get the RDX utility software?

Please download the latest RDX Utility software from the support sites for RDX partners. A list of links to RDX partner support sites may be found here.

Q: Where can I download & view the User's Guide for my RDX removable hard disk drive?

The users guide for your RDX removable media storage product should be downloaded from RDX partner support sites. Links to RDX partner sites are available here.

For a generic RDX Users guide installation quick reference, please see the RDX Users Guide.

Q: How do I partition and format my removable disk cartridge for use on a Linux System?

Linux FAT32 and EXT2/3 file system formatting support is natively built into the kernel with commands mkdosfs and mke2fs. Linux commands parted or fdisk may be used to partition a cartridge before formatting. GUI based partitioning and formatting tools are available for Linux but vary by distribution. Please check your distributions documentation for more information.

The following steps are an overview of partitioning and formatting an NTFS or other file system cartridge as an EXT or FAT32 volume suitable for use in Linux. Use the "m" command and/or the man page for fdisk if you need additional help.

• Type fdisk -l and look at the output of this command to determine the device handle (/dev/sdx) for your installed cartridge.
• Type fdisk /dev/sdx where x was found with the previous step to start fdisk.
• Use "o" to remove any partitions on the disk.
• Use "n" to create a new partition
• 1. Create a primary partition with "p"
  2. Use "1" for the first partition.
  3. Use the default first cylinder value
  4. Use the default end cylinder value to create a single partition for the entire disk.
• Use "w" to write the partition setup to disk and exit.

After partitioning, the next step is to format the partition with EXT3 or FAT32. Substitute the device handle found from the first step above in place of /dev/sdx

• mkdosfs /dev/sdx1 - formats the cartridge with FAT32
• mke2fs /dev/sdx1 - formats the cartridge with EXT2
• mke2fs -j /dev/sdx1 - formats the cartridge with EXT3

Linux ntfs formatting may also be accomplished with the mkntfs command. See the linux-ntfs project at http://www.linux-ntfs.org/ for more information.

Q: How do I partition and format my removable disk cartridge for use on Mac OSX system?

Mac provides a "Disk Utilty" application which can be used to reformat an NTFS or other file system formatted cartridge for use with Mac.

• Using the "Finder" application, select Applications->Utilities->Disk Utility.
• Select the RDX device on the left side of the screen. Be sure to select the device and not the partition (shown below the device.) See the screenshot below for an example.
• Click on the "Erase" tab in the top center of the screen
• • Mac OS Extended is the default format. The "MS-DOS File System" selection in the "Volume Format" drop-down menu box will format the cartridge FAT32.

• Press the "Erase" button in the center of the screen to erase and re-format the disk with the selected format. Follow the instructions on screen to complete the format and erase operation.

Note:
In some cases, an NTFS formatted cartridge cannot be re-formatted using the Mac "Disk Utility" application after the RDX USB drive has been connected to the system. The "Volume Format" drop-down menu box may appear grayed out and unable to be accessed.
To resolve this issue:

• Press the "Eject" button on the top pane of the Disk Utility application to eject the cartridge
• Re-insert the cartridge. The “Volume Format” drop-down box should now be accessible

For more information about selecting a file system for your RDX cartridge, please see the whitepaper "RDX File Systems and OS Compatibility" here.

Q: How do I setup automount on Linux to allow use of the eject button?

By default, the eject button will not work on a Linux system when the RDX cartridge removable disk is mounted. This is because the Linux OS prevents media removal whenever a file system is mounted.

The automount daemon may be used in Linux to automatically mount and un-mount a volume after periods of inactivity. A good automount tutorial exists at http://freespace.sourceforge.net/guidod/howto/autofs.html

A basics automount setup is detailed below:

1. Make a copy of /etc/auto.misc called /etc/auto.rdx
2. Add a line to /etc/auto.master similar to the one shown below
   usbrdx    -fstype=auto,rw,sync     :/dev/sdb1
3. Where
   • usbrdx is the mount point for the RDX device
   • -fstype is an option to autofs (refer to man autofs)
   • /dev/sdb1 is the partition handle for your RDX device
4. Add a line to /etc/auto.rdx similar to the one shown below
   /mnt /etc/auto.rdx --timeout=3
5. Where
   • /mnt is the root mount point for the RDX devices
   • /etc/auto.rdx is the file created above
   • --timeout=3 is an option passed to the autofs daemon

The configuration shown above will automount your RDX device when the /mnt/usbrdx mount point is accessed. After leaving the /mnt/usbrdx mount point for more than 3 seconds, the RDX device will automatically unmount, allowing eject to occur.

Note that some backup applications do not work correctly with automount as they expect media to be mounted before a backup can begin. Consult your backup application documentation for specific requirements.

For more information about configuring automount refer to the "man autofs" pages for your distribution.

For more information about selecting a file system for your RDX cartridge, please see the whitepaper "RDX File Systems and OS Compatibility" here.

Q: Can I boot a Linux OS from an RDX cartridge removable disk?

You may be able to boot your Linux distribution from an RDX USB cartridge if the installer supports booting from USB removable disk devices and your system BIOS supports boot to USB devices. Support is available natively with the Fedora 6 installer. Fedora 5 can be made bootable with some workarounds.

System BIOS typically does not support boot to SATA ATAPI devices. For this reason boot from the SATA RDX device is not typically supported.

For instructions on setting up a bootable Linux USB RDX cartridge please see the "Booting Linux from RDX" whitepaper here.

Q: Can I boot a Windows OS from an RDX cartridge removable disk?

Microsoft Windows OS do not allow boot from removable storage media. Please refer to Microsoft's article at:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/usb-boot.mspx#ERB

Current versions of Windows should not be installed to USB hard disk drives because Windows does not support USB hard disk drives as the primary boot device.

For instructions on setting up a bootable Linux USB RDX cartridge please see the "Booting Linux from RDX" whitepaper here.

Q: Which Linux kernel versions support RDX SATA and RDX USB?

Linux support for RDX USB or RDX SATA devices depends on kernel support of respective device types.

• The RDX USB device requires Mass Storage support, and support for USB 2.0 is recommended for maximum performance. Support for these features was available starting with Linux kernel 2.4.22. All Linux 2.6 kernels should support USB Mass Storage and USB 2.0.
• The RDX SATA device requires support for SATA ATAPI devices. SATA ATAPI support is available and enabled by default on distributions based on kernels 2.6.16 and later.

When using an older kernel revision, check with your Linux distribution for USB Mass Storage or SATA ATAPI kernel patches.

Q: Why does Windows Explorer show "Removable Drive" instead of RDX next to the RDX removable storage drive letter?

The Windows Explorer application shows the cartridge volume label next to the drive letter used by the RDX removable hard disk drive. When no cartridge is present, the device class is shown as "Removable Drive."

To set a new volume label on your RDX cartridge, right click on the volume label in Windows Explorer and select "Properties." Type a new name in the box on the "General" tab of the properties dialog.

Q: Where can I get support for my RDX media storage drive?

Quick links to RDX partner support sites are listed below:

Tandberg:
General: http://www.tandberg.com/tandberg_7.html
RDX: http://www.rdxquikstor.com/

Imation:
General: http://www.imation.com/support/index.html
RDX: Coming Soon

Removable Hard Disk Drive — Troubleshooting

Q: Windows - Media storage drive eject button does not work periodically on RDX USB device

First, ensure that the RDX eject service is running on your machine. See the instructions above.

If the service is installed and running, there are some cases when the Windows OS does not notify the RDX Eject service of the presence of the RDX removable hard disk drive in the system. Selecting the device in Windows Explorer fixes this problem. Note that you must wait at least 10 seconds after selecting the device before the eject will occur.

Q: Windows - Eject button does not work after "Safely Removing" RDX USB device

Unfortunately the RDX device cannot allow eject after safely removing hardware due to limitations in the Microsoft Windows OS. This limitation exists because the hardware cannot distinguish this case from cases where data loss may be possible if the cartridge were removed.

To eject the cartridge after safely removing, unplug and re-plug power to the USB device. Then wait several seconds and press the eject button.

Alternatively, un-plug and re-plug the USB cable and press the eject button.

Q: Windows - Eject button does not work after unplugging USB Cable from RDX USB device

Unfortunately the RDX device cannot allow eject after unplugging the USB cable due to limitations in the Microsoft Windows OS. This limitation exists because the hardware cannot distinguish this case from cases where data loss may be possible if the cartridge were removed.

To eject the cartridge after unplugging the USB cable, unplug and re-plug power to the USB device. Then wait several seconds and press the eject button.

Alternatively, re-plug the USB cable and press the eject button.

Q: Windows – RDX Utility doesn’t work from a non-administrator account

RDX Utility requires an administrator account to function properly. Running RDX Utility from an account with limited permissions will result in missing data fields within the RDX utility display. Please log into an Administrator account to run RDX Utility.

Q: Windows – Right-click eject does not work on non-administrator account

The right-click eject method in Windows Explorer will not allow cartridge eject on a non-administrator account if the RDX Utility software has not been installed. To fix the problem, install the RDX utility software from an Administrator account. For more information, click here.

Q: Linux - tar spanning backup not working

For spanning removable disk cartridges use the tar -M -L size option (where size is the cartridge capacity in kilobytes) when creating multiple-volume backups. For more information refer to the main page for tar.

Q: Linux – Eject command is not working on multi-partition removable disk cartridge.

Depending on distribution, the eject command may not properly handle un-mount if multiple partitions are present on a removable hard disk drive. Each mounted partition must be un-mounted manually or the eject command will fail.

Use the umount command to un-mount each partition handle. Then use the eject command to eject the cartridge.

Q: Removable hard disk drive eject button not working (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X)

On a Windows system, the eject button will only work when no other software is accessing the RDX removable media storage device. Close any open program which may be accessing the device.

Please ensure that the RDX Utility software has been installed. See the Installation Guide for instructions on installing the RDX Utility software. Make sure you have administrator privileges when installing RDX software.

Part of the RDX Utility installation will install an eject service which will allow button eject in a Windows system. To check if this service is running, open a command prompt (Start->Run->cmd) and type net stat at the command prompt. You should see the service RDXmon in the service list. If RDXmon is not shown, you need to re-install RDX Utility software, ensuring your computer has administrator rights and you have the latest version of the RDX Utility. Click Here for instructions on obtaining the latest version of RDX Utility software.

On a Linux system, the eject button will only function when the cartridge is not mounted. To eject a mounted cartridge, use the eject command at the command line with the RDX device handle.

The eject button does not function on a Mac system. Use the built-in Mac OS X eject controls to eject the cartridge.

In some cases, operating systems may leave the RDX USB drive in a locked state even after powering down the system. If this occurs, remove power to the RDX USB media storage drive momentarily, then re-apply power, wait several seconds and press the eject button to eject the cartridge removable disk.

Q: RDX USB has slow performance

Older operating systems and PC platforms may not support USB 2.0. Transfer rates on USB 1.1 systems will be much slower than on USB 2.0 systems. USB 1.1 is approximately 20 times slower than quoted RDX USB transfer rates. USB 2.0 PCI expansion cards are very inexpensive and readily available. In most cases, users will want to upgrade their OS and/or hardware to support USB 2.0 to take advantage of increased transfer rates.

Even if your system does include USB 2.0 support, placing the device behind a USB 1.1 hub will force the device into USB 1.1 mode. Often hubs built into keyboards or monitors are USB 1.1 compliant only. For best results, connect the device directly to the host system. If a hub is desired, ensure that the hub supports USB 2.0 (high speed) connections.

To tell whether your device is using EHCI (USB 2.0) on a Windows system, use Device Manager to order devices by connection (View->Devices By Connection.) Expand the tree to show all USB Host Controllers. Verify that the RDX media storage drive shows up under the Enhanced Host Controller (not a Universal or Open Host Controller.) On a Linux system, use the command "cat /proc/bus/usb/devices" to list information about connected USB devices. The Spd= field should show 480 (480 Mbps) for the RDX device.

For best performance, remove any unnecessary USB devices from the system (especially devices requiring large data throughput such as video cameras) or place these on a different USB root hub or add-in card.

For a more thourogh discussion of Performance related issues, please refer to the whitepaper "RDX Performance"

Q: RDX SATA has slow performance

For maximum performance, the SATA RDX removable hard disk drive should be configured for DMA transfers instead of PIO. Windows XP and Windows 2003 systems with a SATA motherboard chipset that does not use AHCI mode may not use DMA as the default transfer rate. This could result in a 50% or more decrease in performance. To diagnose/correct this issue, view devices by connection in the Device Manager window (View->Devices by Connection.) Look for the RDX device (usually under the Primary IDE Controller.) Right click on the IDE controller and select properties. You should see a Properties page which looks like the figure below.



If the "Transfer Mode" box instead lists "PIO Only," use the drop-down box to select "DMA if Available" and reboot the system.

A second method for diagnosing this issue is with RDX Utility. The "Transfer Mode:" field in the Status tab will show the DMA or PIO Transfer mode setting for the RDX SATA device. This field is only available when a motherboard (Intel) Chipset is connected to the RDX SATA and configured for IDE (non-AHCI) mode. An alternative method for correcting the transfer mode setting when in this mode is to run the RDX Utility installer. The installer will automatically set the transfer rate to DMA for the port on which the SATA RDX media storage drive is connected.



For a more thorough discussion of Performance related issues, please refer to the whitepaper "RDX Performance"

Q: RDX removable hard disk cartridge activity LED is Steady Amber or Flashing Amber

An amber cartridge LED most likely indicates one of the following conditions:

• The cartridge is not compatible with the RDX unit.
• The cartridge has been damaged.
• The cartridge has not been fully inserted.

For more information about the cartridge error, please install the RDX Utility host software.

For information about installing the RDX Utilty software, please click here

For information about cartridge error status, please refer to the latest version of RDX Users guide available from RDX Partners here.

Q: RDX media storage drive LED is Steady Amber

The RDX media storage drive (Power) button LED is typically on steady amber for one of the following reasons:

• The unit cannot eject the cartridge due to an obstruction.
• The firmware update process failed and needs to be run again.
• The internal electronics are damaged or malfunctioning.

For more information about the error please use the RDX Utility software to diagnose the problem. For information on installing RDX Utility host software please click here.

For information about manually ejecting a cartridge, please click here.

Q: RDX removable hard disk drive LED flashes Amber after pressing the eject button

If the power indicator is blinking amber after you press the eject button, the Host computer is accessing the media. The RDX removable media storage unit will eject the removable disk cartridge after the Host access completes. If the cartridge does not eject after the Host computer access completes, you may not be running the correct unit software. For instructions on installing unit software, please click here.

If the removable disk cartridge still does not eject, use Windows Explorer to eject the cartridge. In Windows^® Explorer, right-click on the drive letter for the RDX unit (i.e. F:), and select Eject.

On a Linux system, the cartridge may be mounted. Use the eject command to eject the cartridge.

For more information about using the eject button, please click here.

Q: Error message "the disk is write protected" while doing backup or file copy

Please ensure the write protect switch is not set to the protect state. For information about setting cartridge write protects, please click here.

Make sure permissions on the file folder are setup to allow read/write access. For information about setting file folder permissions please see your system administrator.

Q: RDX removable storage drive is not recognized

When using a SATA device, please ensure the device is detected by the BIOS. Many BIOS leave SATA ports off by default. Ensure power and SATA cables are securely connected.

When using an RDX USB device, verify that the power indicator (button LED) is on. Verify that the USB cable is securely plugged in.

Q: BIOS Warning Messages Occur when RDX is Installed in the System

Some system BIOS may not support SATA ATAPI devices correctly. Please check your system manufacturers website for the latest version BIOS.

Q: Windows Small Business Server 2003 Backup Configuration Wizard, when RDX drive is selected as a target for backup location, see below error message on the screen and you can not continue

See Microsoft KB article 925097
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/925097 This is a known Microsoft issue this OS does not support Removable Hard Drives as a backup target with the SBS backup wizard only. Workaround is a registry change listed in the KB or to use NT Backup also included in this OS.

Q. Windows Server 2003 NT Backup Spanning after the first cartridge fills up there is error message shown below on the screen, and does not prompt to insert next cartridge

See Microsoft KB article 932059
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/839591 This is a known Microsoft issue and there’s a hotfix patch available by request in the KB article.

Q. Windows Vista possible data loss if you right click eject the RDX cartridge while the RDX drive is busy.

See Microsoft KB article 940508
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/940508 This is a known Microsoft issue and there’s a hotfix patch available by request in the KB article.