INSTALLATION
4 – 1
SECTION 4
Handling and Installation
Pre-formatted Drive
This Maxtor hard drive has been formatted at the factory. Do not use a low-level formatting program.
Important Notice
There are a number of system BIOS’s currently in use which do not support hard drives with more than 4095
cylinders (2.1 gigabytes). This section contains information describing the conditions which may identify this
limitation. In order to obtain the full capacity of your Maxtor drive, you will need to follow the recommended
installation instructions.
Hard Drive Handling Precautions
◆ During handling,
NEVER
drop, jar, or bump a drive. Handle the drive by its sides and avoid touching the printed circuit
board assembly (PCBA).
◆ Hard drives are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage. Use proper ESD practices by grounding yourself
and the computer system the hard drive will be installed in.
◆ Allow the hard drive to reach room temperature
BEFORE
installing it in your computer system.
◆
NEVER
switch DC power onto the drive by plugging an electrically live DC source cable into the drive's connector.
NEVER
connect a live connector to the hard drive's IDE interface connector.
Electro-Static Discharge (ESD)
To avoid some of the problems associated with ESD, Maxtor advises that anyone handling a disk drive use a
wrist strap with an attached wire connected to an earth ground. Failure to observe these precautions voids the
product warranty.
Manufacturers frequently experience “unsolved” component/hardware malfunctions often caused by ESD. To
reduce the incidence of ESD-related problems, Maxtor recommends that any electronics manufacturing plans
include a comprehensive ESD program, the basic elements and functions of which are outlined here:
ESD Program Element ESD Program Function
Management Institute and maintain
Chief coordinator Organize and enforce
Multi-department committee Evaluate and improve
Employee training Educate and inform
ESD program supplies typically include: wrist- and foot-worn grounding straps; counter-top and floor antistatic
matting; wrist strap testers; ESD video and training materials. Sources for such supplies include:
Static Control Systems – 3M Charleswater
225-4S, 3M Center 93 Border St.
St. Paul, MN 55144 West Newton, MA 02165-9990
Maxtor also offers a complete video training package, “Care and Handling of Maxtor Disk Drives.”
Contact your Maxtor representative for details.