Can I install hard drives that already have data or formatting HDD before installing into this unit is a must? Thanks
289965
You sure can, there is no need to format the drives before installing. I bought this to take my two drives from an old desktop that had died, each that had plenty of data, and had it up and running with my new laptop in no time at all with full access to all of the old data. I've now used this with both Windows XP and Windows 8 without any issues, and have since swapped in a new drive from another old desktop.
289966
I had 500 GB of pictures and movies in an old computer and I just took out the hard drives and install them in this unit. It worked. No loss of speed or quality and windows recognizes both hard drives.
62528
I think my drive was formatted with ntfs but I can't remember for sure. I have received drives both formatted and blank. Drives I have received with back up software already installed have, for the most part, been formatted with ntfs.
659195
Mine did not need any reformat. I put 2 drives on it snd they worked without any reformating.
1678882
No. The drive comes with mounting screws. Most replacement drives do not come with power or data cables. The power would come from the power supply and so the power cable is already in the computer. If this is going in an older unit, you may need a 4 pin to sata power adapter.
1093358
Hello Customer, I own this device and have had no trouble using it and installing the hard disk drives(s). The first thing that you may want to be sure to know is which type of hard drive you are trying to install. This device will only accept SATA drives. Drives with a wide, 40 pin data connector and a white 4 pin power connector will not work This type of drive is called an IDE and it can be converted into a USB drive by installing it into a case with a wide flat, gray and black connector, data cable and a white, 4 pin power connector. The connectors that are used on a SATA drive are black for the power and a skinny, orange cable with a black connector for SATA. Please note, this device will only accept SATA drives. During the process of installing the SATA drives into this device, place the drive in the top or bottom slot, face up and slide it in to place. You will know when the drive is fully engaged into the connectors when the screw holes on the drive lineup with the holes on the frame that will hold the drives in place. Please note,the drives will only connect properly if inserted into the tray in the right way. Once the drive or drives are installed and screwed down into the frame, insert the frame back into the case and insert the screws to hold the case together. Next, connect the USB cable to the case and connect the power cord and plug the power cord into a working outlet. With the device connected, power up the device and allow a few minutes for the computer to recognize it. If running Windows 7, Vista, 8 or 8.1, and even XP, no special software is needed for this device in order for it to work. After powering on the device, give it a few minutes for the system to recognize it and once recognized, a window will appear showing the drive letter and the drive information. You are ready to drag and drop files and folders onto the new storage drive. Good luck and have fun.
2198665
It does not come with a hard drive. It only has the installation bay for one up to 2TB.
1777604
yes you can do a clean install or use samsung data transfer software and copy old drive to new. there is also other software to copy the whole drive such as acronis or paragon. good luck !!
1995473
Hi D. Petitpas,I was wondering if anyone would ever reply to my post. I didn't know that these drives were shipped pre-formated and I don't think that it is listed in it's description here on Amazon. Thank you so very much for setting me straight!
62531
the HDD is brand new in sealed bag,. not sure what file system is formatted with. but you can format it with any file system.
327896
Nope, add what you want. Don't know about inserting already used (data on board) drives. I've always placed 'new' / clean drives in. There isn't a requirement to fill all slots. I have (3) 1TB drives in my 5N.
378106
Yes you can. I have couple of 1tb from Seagate, couple of 2 tb from both Seagate and western digital and a 5 tb from segate. All worked fine with existing data no issues except the 5tb as I had to change the file allocation type to be recognized.
1029925
I installed Windows Vista on this drive, and did not have to separately format it. I just followed the instructions to install Windows, and the installation wizard did the rest. Whether or not the install application formatted the drive before actually doing the install of Windows, I don't know, and it didn't concern me one way or the other.
1621438
None. It is only a shell with 4 bays to instal whatever HDD you want. We recommend you use the same HDD manufacturer, model and size. We typically instal four (4) HDD's of 4TB each, for a total of 16TB HDD capacity. Go to www.qnap.com, click on the model and then choose Compatibility and they will list all compatible HDD's you can instal to make up the system.
1381004
The best way I can answer your question is to provide this link to Kingston. I did not have any problems with install or moving the data to the new drive.Here is the link:http://www.kingston.com/us/ssd/v?ktc_campaign=US_SSD&gclid;=CjgKEAjwkpacBRCNlprWw-u-nBwSJACwHiw-5vJeySawQH5VVAJ-KktgFa8qBmE-9nNEPP1oqsYekvD_BwEJust copy it and paste it in your address bar.
1211444
No, use your manufacture drive tool , third party software or simply reformat existing drive
472728
The unit that I received did have the 1TB drive installed. It booted great. The interface was nice to work with and very functional. I used it for one of my customers who does not have a lot of technical skills and just needs it "too work". Hope that answers your question.
228612
You have to buy the hard drives separately. If you want to have anything but a paperweight.