OWC Mercury Elite Pro User Guide

: June 8, 2024
: OWC

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
DEVICE SETUP
- QUICK START
- ASSEMBLY
SUPPORT RESOURCES
FCC Statement
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

OWC Mercury Elite Pro User Guide

INTRODUCTION

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Apple Mac Requirements

eSATA: OS X 10.3 or later
FireWire: OS X 10.3 or later USB 3.1 Gen 1 (backwards compatible to USB 2.0): OS X 10.6 or later.

PC Requirements
eSATA: Windows® XP or later
FireWire: Windows XP or later USB 3.1 Gen 1 (backwards compatible to USB 2.0): Windows XP or later

Supported Hard Drives

Any 3.5” SATA hard drive

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Package Contents

ABOUT THIS MANUAL

The images and descriptions may vary slightly between this manual and the unit shipped. Functions and features may change depending on the firmware version. Please visit the product web page for the most recent product specifications.

REAR VIEW

Product Overview

Connection
Plug the power supply into a power outlet and then into the Mercury Elite Pro. Next, connect the USB 3.1 Gen 1, FireWire 800, or eSATA cable into the drive and the corresponding port on your computer.

USAGE NOTES

If you connect the Mercury Elite Pro to its power source and turn the unit on without connecting it to a computer, the drive will temporarily spin up and then spin back down when a data connection is not detected.
Only one interface (FireWire 800, USB 3.1 Gen 1, or eSATA) at a time can be used.
For the safe removal of your drive and to ensure that no data is lost, always unmount the drive from your operating system before powering off the Mercury Elite Pro.
In order for the computer to access volumes larger than 2TB, the operating system needs to support large volumes (e.g., Windows Vista or OS X 10.4 and above).

LED INDICATOR

The Mercury Elite Pro has a blue LED at the front of the enclosure. The LED emits a slow pulsing light when the unit is sleeping or powered on with no data connection. The LED flashes during hard drive activity (read/write).

DEVICE SETUP

QUICK START

To format this drive for Mac OS X (OS 10.4 and later) or Windows (XP and later), follow the steps below. If you installed your own drive, please use the formatting method you are most familiar with or check Section 3.1 for a link to OWC’s online formatting tips.

Plug in the power supply then connect the Mercury Elite Pro to your computer using the proper cable. If you prefer to use a different formatting utility, do so at this time and skip the rest of these instructions.
Your drive will show up as “OWC SETUP”. Open your drive to view its contents.
Double-click the OWC Drive Guide application.
Follow the simple on-screen instructions to complete the formatting process.
Once the formatting is finished the drive is ready to use.

ASSEMBLY

NOTICE: The following assembly instructions are written for users who purchased the Mercury Elite Pro as an empty enclosure. The instructions show how to open the Mercury Elite Pro in order to install a drive. If you purchased the Mercury Elite Pro with a drive already installed, opening the Mercury Elite Pro before the expiration of the original warranty will VOID the warranty. If you wish to remove or replace a drive after the expiration of the original warranty, you may do so at that time.

Remove the Mercury Elite Pro from the retail box and the protective plastic bag. Set the Mercury Elite Pro on its side and look at the bottom of the enclosure. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws, circled below in red.
Once the two screws are removed, slide the inner chassis out the front of the outer case, as shown below. Start by pushing on the back of the inner chassis, then when you are able to grip the front grill of the inner chassis, pull it out the rest of the way.
When removed from the outer case, the inner chassis will appear as shown below. Remove the packet of screws and use them as directed later in the assembly instructions.
To install the hard drive, slide it into the black SATA connector inside the Mercury Elite Pro. You may need to move the blue and black LED cables to the side in order to make room for the hard drive. Make sure the drive is firmly seated before proceeding.
Using the four screws from the packet you removed from the inner chassis, fasten the hard drive to the inner chassis. There are two screw holes on each side of the inner chassis, circled below in red.
Slide the inner chassis back into the outer case, as shown below.
Once the front grill of the inner chassis sits flush with the edge of the outer case, turn the Mercury Elite Pro on its side. Use the two smaller screws you removed in Step 1, and refasten the outer case to the inner chassis.

SUPPORT RESOURCES

FORMATTING

For formatting information, including instructions on how to format your OWC Mercury Elite Pro for Mac or Windows, go to: www.owcdigital.com/format

UNMOUNTING DRIVES

To properly unmount any connected drive from your computer, try the options below.

OS X:

There are several methods to unmount disks with OS X systems. You can drag the icon for the disk you wish to unmount to the trash can, or right-click the disk icon on the desktop, then click “Eject”. You can also eject the disk in the sidebar of a Finder window, or by selecting the drive icon on the Desktop then pressing Command-E.

Windows:

Go to the System Tray (located in the lower right corner of your screen). Click on the “Eject” icon (a small green arrow over a hardware image).
A message will appear, detailing the devices that the “Eject” icon controls, i.e., “Safely remove…” Click on this prompt.
You will then see a message that says, “Safe to Remove Hardware.” It is now safe to disconnect the Mercury Elite Pro from the computer.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Begin your troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to the Mercury Elite Pro and to a power source. If the power cable is connected to a power strip, make sure that the power switch on the strip is turned on.

Then, simply verify that both ends of your cables are properly plugged into the computer and the Mercury Elite Pro. If the Mercury Elite Pro is still not working properly, try connecting to another interface such as the USB connection and see if the device works properly. You can also connect the Mercury Elite Pro to a different computer.

If problems persist, see Section 3.6 to contact OWC technical support.

ABOUT DATA BACKUP

To ensure that your files are protected and to prevent data loss, we strongly suggest that you keep two copies of your data: one copy on your OWC Mercury Elite Pro and a second copy on your internal drive or another storage medium, such as an optical backup, or on a second external storage unit. Any data loss or corruption while using the Mercury Elite Pro is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no circumstances may OWC, its parent, partners, affiliates, officers, employees, or agents be held liable for loss of the use of data including compensation of any kind or recovery of the data.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Data Migration:
For a step-by-step walkthrough of our recommended method for migrating your data from an old drive to a new one, go to: www.owcdigital.com/support/data- transfer

FAQs:
Access our online collection of frequently asked questions for this and other products at: www.owcdigital.com/support/faq

CONTACTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Contact us by phone at:
866-692-7100 (North America only)
+1 815-338-4751 (International)

Live chat is available during business hours:
www.owcdigital.com/support
Email support is available at:
www.owcdigital.com/support

Changes:
The material in this document is for information purposes only and subject to change without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy, OWC, its parent, partners, affiliates, officers, employees, and agents assume no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the information contained herein. OWC reserves the right to make changes or revisions in the product design or the product manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any person of such revisions and changes.

FCC Statement

Warning! Modifications not authorized by the manufacturer may void the user’s authority to operate this device.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference with radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference with radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

Health And Safety Precautions:

Use proper anti-static precautions while performing the installation of your hard drives into this drive enclosure. Failure to do so can cause damage to your drive mechanisms and/or the hard drive enclosure.
Read this user guide carefully and follow the correct procedures when setting up the device.
Do not attempt to disassemble or modify the device. To avoid any risk of electrical shock, fire, short-circuiting or dangerous emissions, never insert any metallic object into the device. If it appears to be malfunctioning, contact OWC technical support.
Never expose your device to rain, or use it near water or in damp or wet conditions. Never place objects containing liquids on the drive, as they may spill into its openings. Doing so increases the risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting, fire or personal injury.

General Use Precautions:

To avoid damage, do not expose the device to temperatures outside the range of 5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F).
Always unplug the device from the electrical outlet if there is a risk of lightning or if it will be unused for an extended period of time. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting or fire.
Do not use the device near other electrical appliances such as televisions, radios or speakers. Doing so may cause interference which will adversely affect the operation of the other products.
Do not place the device near sources of magnetic interference, such as computer displays, televisions or speakers. Magnetic interference can affect the operation and stability of hard drives.
Do not place heavy objects on top of the device.
Protect your device from excessive exposure to dust during use or storage. Dust can build up inside the device, increasing the risk of damage or malfunction.
Do not block any ventilation openings on the device. These help to keep the device cool during operation. Blocking the ventilation openings may cause damage to the device and cause an increased risk of short-circuiting or fire.
For up-to-date product and warranty information, please visit the product web page.

Copyrights and Trademarks:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of OWC.

OWC is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and/or in Canada. The OWC logo is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation. Apple, FireWire, Mac, and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.

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