How to format a disk

This option allows you to:

• Name the hard disk.
• Name a logical volume on the hard disk.
• Format the disk for use on the media vault.

To access the Disk Settings screen:

1. Double-click the HP Media Vault icon on your desktop.
2. Click Customize your HP Media Vault’s settings.
3. If the Welcome Screen appears, click Configure Device.
4. Click the Disk Settings tab.

To format a hard disk:

1. Select a hard disk by clicking the Select a Disk drop-down list.
2. Click Format Disk.

• Formatting disk drives erases all the disk’s contents, including boot records, partition tables, logical volumes, and all Shared Folders and their sub-folders and files. Format disks only when you know that it is safe to proceed.
• Do not format a new disk if you want to concatenate (also known as JBOD) the hard disk’s capacity with an existing volume. For more information on disk concatenation, see Understanding disk mirrors concatenated disks and Create a mirror.

Name the hard disk and volume:

1. Enter the hard disk’s name in the New Disk Name box.
2. Enter the volume’s name in the New Volume Name box.

Select one of the following format types:

• Disk is dedicated for permanent use on this device. Format for best performance (Reiser). This option will format the disk into a proprietary Linux file system (a modified form of ReiserFS). Formatting the disk using this file system does not allow the disk to be disconnected from the media vault and used on another computer—even a Linux computer. See Understanding file systems for formatting hard disks.
• Disk may be disconnected from NAS and connected to a computer. Format for maximum portability (FAT32). This option will format the disk using the FAT32 file system. Formatting the disk using this file system will allow you to disconnect the hard drive from the media vault and use it on another computer. See Understanding file systems for formatting hard disks.
• Click Accept or Cancel. If you click Cancel, your changes will not be accepted.