Frequently Asked Questions

For help setting up and using your LaCie hard drive, review the frequently asked questions below. For additional support resources, go to LaCie customer support.

All users

Problem: My file transfers are too slow.

Thunderbolt 3/USB

Q: Are both ends of the cable firmly attached?
A: Review troubleshooting tips for cable connections below:

• Check both ends of the cable and make sure they are fully seated in their respective ports.
• Try safely ejecting LaCie 1big Dock from your computer and then disconnect the cable. Wait 10 seconds and then reconnect LaCie 1big Dock to the computer.

Q: Are there other Thunderbolt 3 or USB devices connected to the same port or hub?
A: Disconnect other devices and see if the drive's performance improves.

Thunderbolt 3

Q: Is the device connected to a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port on your computer or hub?
A: Connect 1big Dock to a USB-C port on your computer that supports Thunderbolt 3 devices. The lightning bolt icon that represents Thunderbolt 3 support should appear next to the USB-C port.

Q: Does your computer or operating system support Thunderbolt 3?
A: Consult your computer and operating system documentation for Thunderbolt 3 compatibility information.

Write cache (Windows only)

Q: Is write caching enabled?
A: Write caching is used to improve performance by using the volatile memory (RAM) to collect write commands sent to a storage device. See How to improve performance of an external drive in Windows.

Problem: I have a USB-C hard drive that I want to add to the Thunderbolt 3 daisy chain. 

Q: Can I attach my USB-C hard drive to a Thunderbolt 3 daisy chain?
A: Yes. Make certain to add the USB-C hard drive to the end of a Thunderbolt 3 daisy chain since USB devices do not include a second port to continue the chain. Please note that USB-C devices do not become Thunderbolt 3 devices when added to a Thunderbolt 3 daisy chain. The USB-C device can only provide performance within its potential. For example, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 hard drive added to the end of a Thunderbolt 3 daisy chain can reach up to 5Gb/s while a USB 3.1 Gen 2 hard drive can reach up to 10Gb/s.

Problem: I must password protect and/or encrypt my hard drive.

Q: Can I password protect my hard drive?
A: Yes, it is possible to protect the hard drive or individual folders and files with a password. There are many third-party solutions for password protection. However, LaCie cannot guarantee them since we do not test third-party applications.

Some versions of Windows have a built-in utility called Bitlocker that can protect hard drives with a password. For more information about Bitlocker, consult Microsoft's support documentation.

Q: Can I encrypt my hard drive?
A: Yes, the hard drive can be encrypted. There are many third-party solutions for encryption. However, LaCie cannot guarantee them since we do not test third-party applications.

Some versions of Windows have a built-in utility called Bitlocker that can encrypt hard drives. For more information about Bitlocker, consult Microsoft's support documentation

Problem: I'm receiving file transfer error messages.

Q: Did you get an "Error -50" message while copying to a FAT32 volume?
A: When copying files or folders from a computer to a FAT32 volume, certain characters in the names cannot be copied. These characters include, but are not limited to: ? < > / \ :

Check your files and folders to ensure that these characters are not in the names.

If this is a recurring problem or you cannot find files with incompatible characters, consider reformatting the drive to NTFS (Windows users) or HFS+ (Mac users). See Optional Formatting and Partitioning.

Mac

Problem: The drive icon does not appear on my desktop.

Q: Is your Finder configured to hide hard drives on the desktop?
A: Go to Finder and then check Preferences > General tab > Show these items on the desktop. Confirm that Hard Disks is selected.

Q: Is your drive mounting in the operating system?
A: Open Disk Utility at Go > Utilities > Disk Utility. If the drive is listed in the left-hand column, check your Finder preferences to see why it is not displayed on the desktop (review the question above).

Q: Does your computer's configuration meet the minimum system requirements for use with this drive?
A: Refer to the product packaging for the list of supported operating systems.

Q: Did you follow the correct installation steps for your operating system?
A: Review the installation steps in Getting Started.

Windows

Problem: The drive icon doesn't appear in Computer.

Q: Is the drive listed in Device Manager?
A: All drives appear in at least one place in Device Manager.

Go to Search and enter Device Manager to launch it. Look in the Disk Drives section and, if necessary, click the plus sign to view the full list of devices. If you're uncertain that your drive is listed, safely unplug it and then reconnect it. The entry that changes is your LaCie hard drive.

Q: Is your drive listed next to an unusual icon?
A: Windows Device Manager usually provides information about failures with peripherals. While the Device Manager can assist with troubleshooting most problems, it may not display the exact cause or provide a precise solution.

An unusual icon next to the hard drive can reveal a problem. For example, an exclamation point, question mark, or X instead of the normal icon based on the type of device could indicate a problem. Right click on the icon and then choose Properties. The General tab provides a potential reason why the device is not working as expected.