You can set a password for your Maxtor OneTouch II drive through the Maxtor OneTouch Settings software. Once, you set the password, you should be prompted to unlock the drive only if it is powered on and connected to the system. You will also be prompted to enter a password anytime you:

• Start or restart your computer.
• Turn off the drive and turn it back on.

How to unlock the Maxtor OneTouch drive:

If your drive is locked but you do not get a prompt to unlock the drive when re-connecting or upon restart, follow these steps:

1. Open My Computer, right-click on Maxtor Locked Drive and click on Unlock Drive.

   
   Note: This icon is the Maxtor Unlock utility - this is not the Maxtor OneTouch II drive.

2. This should give you a prompt to enter your password. Enter your password and click Apply.

   

3. Once you enter the correct password, open My Computer and verify the drive is detected under Hard Disk Drives.

   

If you have forgotten your password, you can attempt to re-enter it or to recover it, by answering a question that you setup originally when you created your password. You are allowed 5 attempts before you must turn off your drive and turn it back on to try again, at which point you can try an additional 5 times. If you are not able to recover your password, the only other way to unlock the drive is to erase all of its contents.

To Erase the Drive
If all attempts to recover your password fail and you need to erase your drive, follow these steps:

Go to Start > All Programs > Maxtor > OneTouch > Maxtor OneTouch

1. Click Security Settings.
2. Click Erase Drive.
3. Click Confirm.
4. Click Yes.

How to troubleshoot "Unlock" issues with the Maxtor OneTouch II drive.

If you do not get the prompt to enter a password after clicking "Unlock", it means that either the drive is not locked, is not detected, or it may have a corrupted partition. Here is the procedure to resolve this problem:

1. Verify that the drive is detected in Device Manager (for Windows 2000/XP versions):
   1. Right-click on My Computer and go to Manage.
   2. On the left side, click on Device Manager (under System Tools).
   3. The "Maxtor OneTouch II Disk" should be listed under the Disk Drives category.
      
      

      If the drive is NOT DETECTED in Disk Drives, it means that the drive is not physically detected. Check the power and interface cable connections, and verify the drive is spinning with a power light.
      If it is spinning but is still not detected after checking connections; power-cycle the drive.
      To power-cycle the drive:

      • While your computer is running, unplug the FireWire/USB cable (either from the computer or the drive), and then turn off the drive.
      • Wait ten seconds and then turn the power switch back on the drive.
      • Wait another ten seconds and then reconnect the FireWire/USB. See if the drive appears in Device Manager under Disk Drives.
      If the drive is still not detected, try another interface cable or a different USB/FireWire port on the computer and the drive.
      -Or-
      If the drive is DETECTED; proceed to the next step.
2. Verify that the drive is detected in Disk Management (for Windows 2000/XP):
   

   

   1. If the drive is detected on the top as a volume and shows a drive letter (with a File System), then the drive is not locked and should be listed in My Computer. If it is still not detected, verify that you do not have a drive letter conflict with a network drive. You can change the drive letter or path to an unused drive letter to see if that may be preventing the Maxtor OneTouch drive from detecting in My Computer.
      
   2. If the drive is detected ONLY on the second-half as a disk as Unallocated (it may also show as Unknown):
      
      This indicates that the drive needs to be formatted, has a non-Windows file system or that the file system has been corrupted.
       
   3. If the drive is NOT detected, on the top as a volume or on the second-half as a disk, it indicates that the drive needs to be power-cycled, the drivers needs to be re-installed, or that the drive is defective. Try each one individually. If the drive is still not seen under Disk Management after trying the above, it's advisable that the drive is tested on another computer.

      Note: If you had the drive LOCKED from another system, you must first connect the drive to that system, or install the software in the current system, and "disable the security" through the Maxtor OneTouch Settings > Security Settings.

• How to use Disk Management to set up a Hard Drive (partitioning and formatting).
• How to turn on or turn off the 1394 or USB External Storage unit to ensure it is recognized in a PC system.
• Installation Guides for OneTouch II external drives.