We recommended that you use at least 20X CF card in our device, as the data is transferred at a very high rate (up to 4.75MB/s) and the older type CF card (1X = 150k) simply just do not have the bandwidth, However we had tested with many CF cards (Lexar 4X) without any problem whatsoever

When you have the PD7X connected to your PC for any kind of activities with MicroDrive, it is advisable to have the AC power supply connected.

Our CompactDrive are fully compatible with plug-and-play feature on Mac and PC. We have extensively tested CompactDrive PD7X with Mac OS 9.0 ~ 10.3 and it works perfectly. However, we received a few e-mails reporting that PD7X not being detected on iMac. Most likely this is because your PD7X was loaded with the old firmware wgere some bug exist. All CompactDrives we ship out now have the latest firmware installed. However, if you purchased the CompactDrive when the old firmware was installed, please follow the following procedure:

1. Download the file, and run it to install. This will create two shortcuts on your desktop: 'PDX_FP1 Ver41010' and 'Upgrade for MacOS'.
2. Connect your CompactDrive PD7X to AC adapter;
3. Connect your CompactDrive to PC via the USB cable;
4. Switch to CARD position;
5. Run 'Upgrade for MacOS' and click 'detect'. It will tell the computer to detect your CompactDrive. If the program can not detect your PD7X, try to turn off the device, switch to CARD position and click DETECT button again.
6. Once your CompactDrive is detected successfully, you should be able to see your current HDD function version. If it is V911, then you just need to click Upgrade "HDD" button and perform the upgrade.
7. If your current firmware is V908 or earlier, you have to run 'PDX_FP1 Ver41010' to upgrade the entire firmware. This operation is at risk and therefore not recommended.
8. Restart the unit.

If this does not help, please send the screen shot to us.

A few users reported that their CompactDrive PD7X does not read Memory Stick PRO. It is most likely that they are using different brand of Memory Stick PRO other than the ones from SONY. CompactDrive PD7X can read SONY MemoryStick Pro only. The other brand (including SanDisk) of Memory Stick Pro will not be recognized.

Some PSD users have concerns about the voltage issues with PD7X.

A voltage regulator was not included as the operating voltages of 4 pieces of AA batteries exist between the operating voltage of the hard disk.

According to Hitachi's OEM specification, laptop hard drive operates under voltage between 4.5V ~ 6V. It is unlikely that 4 X AA batteries will provide voltages outside this range.

In the scenario that voltage is not within the given range, HDD will perform an emergency unload. The Hitachi OEM specifications states that the hard disk can perform at least 20,000 emergency unloads before it may fail. Unless the user is trying to damage the drive intentionally, this hardly happens 20,000 times in a long period of time, not even close.

In order to alley the fears of some consumers, a new firmware has been developed and is now available for users to download. With this firmware, the device will automatically shut down when voltage goes outside a certain range. Users can set this range themselves so they have the control of when the device should stop working. This version of firmware has been pre-loaded on all PD7X we ship out, so users do not have to install the firmware again.

Some consumers are concerning whether it is safe to use PD7X without regulated voltage. We hereby advise that it is very safe to back up your valuable images with PD7X. After selling thousands of units we have not received one single complaint about corrupted hard drive as a result of voltage issues.