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Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the U3 smart drive?
The U3 smart drive is a new standard that transforms USB Flash Drives from simple storage drives into USB smart drives, capable of carrying a wide range of software programs and settings. You can easily install the set of U3 programs you need on your U3 smart drive, and run them from any Windows computer by merely inserting your U3 smart drive into the USB port of the computer.
2) What is the U3 Launchpad?
The U3 Launchpad is the Start menu of your U3 smart drive. The U3 Launchpad allows you to run, add or remove programs on your U3 smart drive, manage drive settings and preferences and perform other functions. All U3 programs that you have installed on the U3 smart drive are accessed via the U3 Launchpad. The U3 Launchpad can also be configured to run certain applications automatically when the U3 smart drive is inserted into a computer.
3) Why install applications onto a U3 smart drive rather than onto a computer?
Once applications are installed on the hard drive of a desktop or laptop computer, they become non-portable and locked onto that machine. By saving your applications on your U3 smart drive, you have the choice to use them on any PC (Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and higher, Windows 2003 Server) wherever is most convenient. By storing applications and files on a U3 smart drive, you avoid installation of a program onto your computer that may only be used a few times. In addition, when applications are installed on a U3 smart drive, system files are only loaded when the applications run, not at the time the computer starts up, thus reducing compatibility issues, improving system stability, and increasing overall performance. You can also avoid carrying your laptop and instead conduct your work on any PC.
4) What are the system requirements needed to run the U3 Launchpad?
The minimum entry-level computer hardware requirements for the U3 Launchpad are:
- CPU: Pentium III
- Memory: 128MB RAM
- Low-end Graphic Accelerator Card
The U3 Launchpad is supported on the following operating systems:
- Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and later
- Windows XP (all editions and service packs)
- Windows Server 2003
Note: The U3 smart drive behaves like any normal USB Flash Drive on unsupported operating systems.
5) Can I use my U3 smart drive on unsupported operating systems?
As long as your drive is not password protected, you can use your U3 smart drive in the same way as any other USB flash drive on unsupported operating systems. If the U3 smart drive is password protected, you will need to use it only on supported OSs.
6) Can I change the language used in the U3 Launchpad Main Window?
Yes. The U3 Launchpad supports the following languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese. You can change the default language for the U3 Launchpad from the "Status and Settings" window (in the language section).
7) Can I save files on my U3 smart drive?
Yes. Your U3 smart drive can be used in the same way as any hard drive. This includes drag and drop, creating files, renaming files, deleting files, etc.
8) Why did I get two new drives when I plugged in my U3 smart drive?
Your U3 smart drive contains two virtual drives: a CD drive and a removable drive. The CD drive contains the U3 Launchpad program and is automatically run when the drive is inserted into the computer (as long as the Auto-run disk capability is enabled on the computer). The CD drive is read only. The removable drive contains the bundled applications that were defined by your U3 smart drive manufacturer. In addition, it contains enough space for you to keep your personal data on the drive.
9) How much space does the U3 Launchpad consume?
The U3 Launchpad consumes a maximum of 5MB of your total U3 smart drive capacity.
10) Why can't I save files on my U3 smart drive?
You are probably trying to save files to the CD drive of your U3 smart drive, which is read only. Files can be easily saved on the removable drive of your U3 smart drive.
11) How do I run the U3 Launchpad on my U3 smart drive?
In order to run U3 Launchpad, insert the U3 smart drive into a USB port on your computer. A splash screen will be displayed. The U3 icon will be displayed in the Windows system tray as well as in a bubble indicating that U3 Launchpad is running and ready to use. Click the U3 icon in the Windows system tray to display the U3 Launchpad Main window.
Note: The U3 Launchpad is designed to behave like a typical Windows menu. This means that after selecting an action from the U3 Launchpad, the U3 Launchpad Main window closes.
12) How do I run applications on my U3 smart drive?
U3 programs installed on your U3 smart drive can only be run through the U3 Launchpad. Insert your U3 smart drive into one of the USB ports on your computer and start the U3 Launchpad by clicking on the U3 icon on the task bar. The U3 Launchpad Main window will be displayed. Select the required U3 program from the list of programs displayed on the left side of the U3 Launchpad Main window. Click the program name or its icon to start the program.
13) How can I add new applications to my U3 smart drive?
You can install as many new U3 programs on your U3 smart drive as its capacity allows. There are two methods of installing new programs:
- Downloading applications from an application directory - An application directory is either the U3 website or a partner application directory. Simply by clicking "Add Programs" and then by selecting from the pop-up menu "U3 Download Central" or "Partner Application Directory", U3 Download Central is displayed. Browse and select the required program and then click "Download". The Add Program Wizard is displayed and will guide you through the installation. When the installation is complete, the "Done!" tab is displayed.
- Installing programs from a file - Verify that the U3 package (with a .u3p extension) is accessible from the computer. Simply click "Add Programs" and then from the pop-up menu, select "Install from my computer". An Open dialog box is displayed. Browse and select the required file and click "Open". The Add Program Wizard is displayed and will guide you through the installation. When the installation is complete, the "Done!" tab is displayed.
The newly installed program is added to the end list of installed programs on the U3 Launchpad Main window and may not be immediately visible. If this happens, click the "More Programs" button to view the full list of programs.
14) How can I manage or remove the programs installed on my U3 smart drive?
From the U3 Launchpad, click "Manage U3 Programs" to display a program window. Use the navigation buttons on the left side of the window to reposition a program in the list of installed programs.
When you select a program from the list of programs on the left side of the window, the following details are displayed for the selected program:
- Description of the program
- Date that the program was last run
- Size of the program file
- Program version number
- Program vendor name (may be linked to the vendor's website)
You can select or clear the "Start on Insertion" checkbox if you want/do not want the selected program to run automatically when your U3 smart drive is inserted into the computer. You can click "Remove Program" to remove the program from the U3 smart drive.
15) What security is available for U3 smart drives? What if I lose mine?
U3 smart drives come with built-in password protection and authentication to ensure your data and applications cannot be accessed by another user. Additional security features, such as data encryption, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and network access software are also available as bundled options on some U3 smart drives, or as add-on solutions available from U3's online software store.
16) Why should I use the U3 Launchpad Security extension (U Safe)?
The U3 Launchpad Security extension enables you to password-protect your U3 smart drive. After enabling password protection you can only access your U3 smart drive by entering the correct password when logging in. When you define the password you can also, if required, enter a password hint, which can be used to assist you in the event that you forget your password. This password hint should be cryptic enough to give you an indication of what the password is, and should not make the password obvious to anyone else.
17) What happens if I forget my password?
The U3 Launchpad is configured to allow a certain number of failed login attempts before it locks access to the data on the U3 smart drive. Once your drive is locked, the only remedy is to erase the data (and installed applications) on your U3 smart drive and either create a new password or disable password protection.
18) Is there a limit to the number of login attempts?
Yes. Each U3 smart drive comes with a pre-defined number of login attempts. When you have only 5 attempts remaining, you will receive a warning message to prevent you losing your data unnecessarily.
19) Will I lose my data if I choose to remove password protection from my U3 smart drive?
No. You can remove password protection from your U3 smart drive if it is no longer required. Once you have removed password protection, the data on your drive is freely available to anyone who has possession of the U3 smart drive.
20) Will I lose my data if I choose to change my password on my U3 smart drive?
No. You can change your U3 smart drive password at any time without losing your data. Simply open the "Status and Settings" window on the U3 Launchpad, go to the Security folder and click the "Change My Password" button.
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