Frequently Asked Questions - General Questions

The DRAM cache operates like a buffer in between the controller and the NAND FLASH inside the P Series Integral internal SSD and creates the following benefits:

1. Accelerates the SMALL FILE write speed.

2. Faster updates of the FMT (Flash Management Table), to minimize the frequent write operation into NAND flash.

(SSD) Mini PCIe Flash Modules are manufactured in either a 50mm or 70mm length. The only difference is the length in the dimension of the Mini PCIe PCB board.

At the opposite end of the connectors will be two holes for the screws to fix the Flash Module to the motherboard. Ensure you consult your manual to determine which size Flash Module you require before purchasing - a 50mm module will be too short to fit into a 70mm Mini PCIe bay and a 70mm module will be too large to fit into a 50mm Mini PCIe bay.

eSATA has the fastest data transfer speed, FireWire is second fastest, then USB 2.0.

Choosing the connection in the order above is recommended for optimal performance of your Integral External SSD.

You can use any 2.5 inch SATA/SATA II SSD or Hard Disk drive. Any combination of HDD and SSD is fine, or all HDD or all SSD; all combinations are supported by the Integral 4 Bay Storage Enclosure. Optimal performance and reduced power consumption is seen when using Solid State Drives.

JBOD stands for "Just a Bunch of Disks" or "Just a Bunch of Drives".

In the Integral 4 Bay Multi Drive Storage Enclosure if you were to populate three of the bays with three Hard Disks or SSDs then you would see three seperate volumes appear on the installed machine.

The image below is an example of JBOD in effect on a PC running Windows XP.

Mini PCIe (Mini PCI Express, Mini PCI-E) is a replacement for the older PCIe card format. Most laptop computers built after 2005 are based on Mini PCI Express and can have several Mini PCIe Card slots. The standard size for Mini PCIe flash modules/cards is approximately 1/4 of the full-sized PCIe Card format.

Mini PCIe Flash Modules are generally used in Netbook upgrades. They are often supplied with only a small amount of storage capacity. If your Netbook has a free Mini PCIe slot you can plug in a disk storage upgrade in a matter of minutes.

SATA data connection interface has a speed of up to 150 mbps (megabits per second), whereas with a PATA data connection interface the speed is between 100 mbps to 133 mbps.

Therefore a SATA data connection interface provides the faster data transfer rate.

SATA and PATA are two common electronic connection standards, they apply to the way in which a Solid State Drive (SSD) or Hard Disk Drive (HDD) connects to a computer motherboard and how the data is communicated.

About PATA

Parallel ATA (PATA) is an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) standard for connecting storage devices like SSD or HDD to the computer motherboard.

The image below illustrates a standard PATA cable. They are made up of densely grouped individual data threads glued into a thin, wide ribbon cable.

About SATA

Serial ATA (SATA) replaced Parallel ATA (PATA) as the IDE standard of choice for connecting storage devices like SSD and HDD to the motherboard.

SATA cables are long & thin, one end plugs into a port on the motherboard, labelled SATA, and the other into the back of a SSD or HDD.

The image below illustrates a standard SATA cable with a right-angled male SATA connector, providing a uncomplicated connection to a SATA drive.

A SSD works differently than a typical hard disk drive; firstly it does not use a spinning disk to store its data. Instead, the data is stored on flash memory chips which are proven to be faster, having close to zero access time as it doesn't require a spinning disk to "spin up" (turn faster) before access.

SSDs have no moving parts, rsulting in many benefits over older HDD technology:

• More durable and shock resistant - one heavy drop of a hard drive can damage its write head permanently and cause your computer to stop operating as a result
• Require less power to operate
• Produce less heat and zero noise

Additionally, wear-levelling technology ensures the Integral SSD will outlive a typical HDD.

There is no benefit from defragmenting your SSD. Traditional hard disks fragment data, which reduces storage capacity and in most cases, performance. Fragmentation occurs when allocated space is either insufficient to fill or over allocated and goes to waste. Accessing 64KB of data is quicker than accessing eight 8KB of data on a hard disk, but this is not the case with SSDs; due to their near zero seek times. Fragmented SSD drives do not see a drop in performance. In fact fragmenting SSDs causes unnecessary wear to the device.

Your SSD will work running the existing drivers that are used by your original hard disk, so there is no need to install additional drivers*.

*External SSDs

These devices utilise the drivers offered by the operating system. It is recommended you do a full Operating System update to ensure you have the latest drivers installed on your PC or Mac.

*Internal SSDs

These devices require the BIOS to be able to communicate with the SSD, it is recommended you update your BIOS to the latest version to ensure compatibility.

For mini-PCIe and PCIe modules only:

Please check your BIOS manufacturer for PCI-e SSD compatibility before purchase.

Most SSDs on the market utilize NAND flash memory which can be sub-divided into two categories, SLC and MLC.

• SLC (Single Level Cell) SSDs store only one data bit per NAND flash cell which leads to faster transfer speeds, higher cell endurance and a lower power consumption. The only downside to SLC chips used in SSDs is the manufacturing cost per Megabyte and the total capacity, which is less per NAND cell than MLC. SLCs are intended for the high-end consumer and server market and they have approximately 10 times more endurance compared to MLCs.
• MLC (Multi Level Cell) SSDs store two or more bits per NAND flash cell. Storing more bits per cell achieves a higher capacity and lower manufacturing cost per Megabyte. MLC SSDs are designed for the mainstream consumer market and are much faster compared to standard hard disk drives. MLC SSDs are improving with faster and more efficient technologies and are being adopted into the high-end consumer and server markets.

A Solid State Drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses Solid State memory to store data instead of a revolving magnetic platter used by hard drives (HDD). With no moving parts, SSDs are shock resistant, silent under operation, require less cooling and have no mechanical delays. SSDs are becoming more widespread in their use in computers such as desktops, notebooks and servers. SSDs use much less power, so a notebook PC will have a longer lasting battery. A business using SSDs in a server room environment will benefit from cheaper electricity running costs.

There are different types of SSDs available:

• 2.5inch SATA
• IDE/ATA PATA

If you cannot write files to the Solid State Drive (SSD) under Mac OS X, you need to reformat the drive to Mac OS Extended (HFS+).

See section on “Formatting the Drive for Mac OS X” under the FAQ “How do I reformat my External SSD or change the format type?”

If your computer will not start up when the drive is connected, there may be a hardware conflict with another device such as an existing drive.

• Try powering off the Integral SSD then start up your computer. Power on the drive after the computer finishes starting up.
• You may be able to solve the problem by obtaining updated BIOS from the computer manufacturer. For additional troubleshooting information, please contact us by emailing support@integral-storage.com

For USB connected drives:

• To help avoid this problem, make sure other USB devices are not being used at the same time as the External SSD. Other devices that can affect performance include digital cameras, scanners, printers and other high-speed peripherals that process large amounts of data.
• Connect the Integral External SSD directly to the computer's USB ports and not through a hub or extension cable.

NOTE: The drive will perform slower when connected to a standard USB 1.1 port. The drive will not reach the maximum transfer rate unless it is connected to a USB 2.0 port.

For Firewire and eSATA connected drives:

• Connect the data cable directly to the port on the computer. Do not plug the drive's data cable into a hub or extension cable. If drive performance still seems slow, please contact us by emailing support@integral-storage.com

If the External SSD is formatted FAT32, an individual file that is 4GB or larger cannot be copied due to limitations in the FAT32 file system. If you have a file that is 4GB or larger, try using a compression utility to make the file smaller. If you can compress it to less than 4GB, you will be able to copy it to a FAT32 volume.

If you do not need cross-platform compatibility for the External SSD, you can eliminate the 4GB file size constraint by reformatting the drive to NTFS (for Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000) or HFS+ (for Mac OS X).

See FAQ on “How do I reformat my External SSD or change the format type?”

CAUTION! Formatting a drive will delete all data – Transfer any required data to another drive before formatting

Formatting the drive for Mac OS X

If you will be using the External SSD only with Mac computers, use a Mac OS Extended (HFS+) format. This will eliminate the limitations you may encounter with an NTFS or FAT32 format (click link below for more information on FAT32 limitations). Follow the instructions below for your version of Mac OS X. NOTE: If you want to configure your External SSD to use with Time Machine™, the drive must be formatted Mac OS Extended.

Mac OS X, Version 10.1 through 10.3.9

1. Make sure you have copied any needed files to another location.
2. Select Applications, Select Utilities and select Disk Utility
3. Select the Erase tab.
4. In the left hand column, select the Integral External SSD to be erased.
5. Select the format type you want to use from the Volume Format drop-down menu:
6. For an HFS+ format, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) (recommended) or Mac OS Extended.
7. If you plan to use the drive cross-platform, select MS-DOS File System for FAT32 format. Note the FAT32 limitations below.
8. Click the Erase button.

Mac OS X, Version 10.4 and above

1. Make sure you have copied any needed files to another location.
2. Select Applications, Select Utilities and select Disk Utility
3. In the left hand column, select the Integral External SSD to be erased. Make sure you click on the high level orange drive icon, not the second level volume icon.
4. Select the Partition tab.
5. Change Volume Scheme from Current to 1 Partition.
6. Select the format type from the Format drop-down menu.

• If you plan to use the drive only on your Mac, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) (recommended) or Mac OS Extended.
• If you plan to use the drive cross-platform, select MS-DOS File System for a FAT32 format. Note the FAT32 limitations below.

7.Click on the Options button.
8.Select the type of partition you want to use:

• GUID Partition Table for bootability on an Intel-based Macintosh computer
• Apple Partition Map for bootability on a PowerPC-based Mac
• Master Boot Record if you will use the drive on a PC as well as your Mac. Use this option ONLY if you selected PC-DOS as the format type.

9. WARNING! In most cases, the computer will fail to format the drive as a Mac OS Extended (HFS+) partition using Master Boot Record. For best results, always choose GUID Partition Table (Intel) or Apple Partition Map (PowerPC).
10. Click OK.
11. Click the Partition button

Changing a Mac-formatted drive to FAT32 or NTFS in Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000

1. Connect the Integral External SSD to your computer.
2. Right click on My Computer, select Manage, and click on Disk Management.
3. If the Disk Wizard opens, click next. Select the disk, click next, and then Finish.
4. If the Wizard does not open, locate the drive in the lower list. Look for a disk that does not show a drive letter or file system.
5. Right click on the drive name and select Initialize Disk (Windows XP) or Write Signature (Windows 2000), then OK.
6. The drive will now appear as Unallocated and the bar will be black.
7. Right click on the black bar and select New Partition (Windows XP) or Create Partition (Windows 2000).
8. Right Click on the Unallocated drive and select “New Partition…” to bring up the New Partition Wizard, click Next.
9. Verify that the partition type is Primary Partition and click next.
10. Leave the maximum disk space selected and click next.
11. Assign the next drive letter available and click next.
12. Check the option for Perform a quick format, click next, and then click Finish. The drive will be ready to use when the format completes.

NOTE: The NTFS format is recognized only by Windows Vista/XP/2000. If you plan to use your drive cross-platform, you should format the drive FAT32.

Changing a FAT32-formatted drive to NTFS in Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000

For best performance on Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, change the drive format to NTFS. You can either reformat the drive, or convert the FAT32 format to NTFS using the Windows utility.

NOTE: If the drive is formatted to NTFS, it might appear as a read-only volume when connected to a Mac OS system, or it might not be readable at all, depending on the version of Mac OS X. If you need to change the drive format from NTFS back to FAT32, follow the instructions below for reformatting to FAT32.

Formatting the Drive with NTFS

The following instructions will format the Integral SSD with an NTFS file system. If you want to partition the drive, check Windows help for more information.

1. Right click on My Computer, select Manage, and click on Disk Management.
2. Select the Integral External SSD. Look for the drive letter assigned by Windows.
3. Right click and select “Delete partition” the existing FAT32 partition, click ok.
4. The SSD will now appear as Unallocated and the bar will be black. Right click on the black bar and select New Partition (Windows XP) or Create Partition (Windows 2000).
5. Right Click on the Unallocated drive and select “New Partition…” to bring up the New Partition Wizard, click Next.
6. Verify that the partition type is Primary Partition and click Next.
7. Leave the maximum disk space selected and click Next.
8. Assign the next drive letter available and click Next.
9. Check the option for Perform a quick format, click Next, then click Finish. The drive will be ready to use when the format completes.

Converting FAT32 to NTFS Format

CAUTION! Converting the drive from FAT32 to NTFS may cause data loss if a problem is encountered. You cannot convert an NTFS formatted drive back to a FAT32 format without reformatting, which will erase all existing data on the drive.

1. Close all open programs and files.
2. Click Start and then click Run.
3. Within the Open: box, type CMD and press the Enter key.
4. At the C: prompt, type CONVERT X: /FS: NTFS (where X: is the drive letter assigned to the Integral External SSD.
5. Press the Enter key.

Limitations for a FAT32 volume on a Mac operating system

1. If you want to use a FAT32 format for cross-platform compatibility, please note that you might encounter the following limitations:

• The drive may mount slower.
• Files may copy slower.
• The full capacity of the drive might not be available if the drive is formatted as a single large volume. If the drive does not mount or you do not see the full capacity of the drive, you need to partition the drive into smaller volumes (less than 127GB).

There are two types of Integral External Solid State Drive (SSD). One is pre-formatted for the PC and the other is pre-formatted for Apple Macintosh computers:

PC/Mac FAT32 formatted as standard

Apple HFS+ Formatted as standard

The Quick Start Guide included with your SSD includes the information on the format type used by the drive. Use the instructions below for your operating system if you are not sure which format type your SSD is formatted to.

Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000

• Connect the drive to your computer following the Quick Start Guide instructions included with the drive.
• If the drive is not recognized by Windows, the drive format is likely to be Mac OS Extended. Refer to FAQ “How to reformat my SSD or change the format type”.
• If the drive is recognized and assigned a drive letter, the drive format is either NTFS or FAT32. Continue to the next step.
• Right click on the drive letter for your Integral SSD in “My Computer”.
• Select “Properties” from the right-click menu.
• The format type will be listed next to “File system” on the “General” tab.

Mac OS X

• Connect the drive to your computer following the quick install instructions included with the drive.
• Click on the drive icon on the Mac desktop.
• Select “Get Info” from the File menu.
• The format type will be listed next to “Format” under the “General” section.

IMPORTANT! To avoid losing or corrupting data or causing damage to the Solid State Drive (SSD), please ensure that you save all files and close all folders and applications that are stored on the drive BEFORE disconnecting.

Disconnecting using Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000

• Use the Safely Remove Hardware utility before you disconnect power or any data cables.
• Double click the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the taskbar.
  
   
• Click the “Stop” button and select the correct drive letter and click OK.
• Once the “Safe to Remove” message is displayed you can switch OFF the drive and remove the cables.

Disconnecting using Mac OS

• Drag the SSD icon from the desktop to the Trash icon.
  
  
• Switch OFF the drive and remove the cables.

Important Information:

You can...

• You can connect or disconnect the drive while the computer is on.
• NOTE: Always use the safe removal procedure for your operating system when disconnecting the drive.
• You can optimize drive performance by disconnecting other USB devices when using your Integral External SSD. The performance of all USB devices decreases as additional USB devices are connected.
• You can avoid some system lockups by waiting at least 30 seconds after connecting or disconnecting any USB device to allow the system to re-enumerate the USB bus. Do not connect, disconnect, or use any other USB device during this time.

Do not...

• Do not connect or disconnect any cables while the drive is transferring information to avoid losing data, corrupting data or damage to the Integral External SSD.
• Never use USB extension cables with your SSD.
• Do not connect your SSD through a hub. Always connect directly to the computer.

Step 1:

USB Connection:

• Connect the mini-USB connector on the cable to the back of the drive.
• Connect the other end of the USB cable to the computer's USB A-Type port
• Follow Step 2:

eSATA Connection:

• Connect the eSATA connector on the cable to the back of the drive.
• Connect the other end of the eSATA cable to the computer's eSATA port
• Follow Step 2:

FireWire Connection:

• Connect the FireWire connector on the cable to the back of the drive.
• Connect the other end of the FireWire cable to the computer's FireWire port. This may be marked as the 1394 port.
• Follow Step 2: 

Step 2:

• Check the drive status light. If the status light is dim or blinking for several minutes, connect the USB supplemental power connector to another USB port on the computer.
• NOTE: Only use the power cable supplied with the Integral External SSD. Do NOT use a mains power supply.
• The drive icon will appear in My Computer, Windows Explorer, or A Mac Desktop.
• Your Integral External SSD is ready to use. Save or drag & drop files to the drive as you would to any other drive attached to your computer.

• Try rebooting your computer.
• Check all connections and make sure the power switch on the Integral External Solid State Drive (SSD) is on.
• Make sure the SSD is receiving power by checking to see if the status light on the drive is on. If the light is dim or blinking, connect the USB supplemental power connector to another USB port on the computer.
• Make sure you are only using the cables that came with your Integral External SSD. If you are using a different cable, make sure it meets interface specifications.
• Connect the data cable directly to the port on the computer. Do not plug the drive's data cable into a hub or extension cable.

If the drive icon still does not mount on the desktop, please email support@integral-storage.com for help.