For more information, including brochures, demos, and spec sheets, visit the USB Micro Hard
Drive product page.
If you have additional questions or comments, please contact our Technical Support.
The synching process will start again the next time you attach the drive to your computer.
In Windows systems:
- Hit Control/Alt/Delete keys simultaneously
- Click the Task Manager button from the Windows Security dialog box, then choose the Processes tab
- Find Imation Security Manager and choose the End Process button
- Left click on your Start button, Go to Programs (All Programs in XP)
- Choose Imation Security Manager and launch the program
- Go to Applications
- Choose Utilities
- Choose Activity Monitor
- Find Imation Security Manager, and end the process
- Go to Applications
- Open the Imation folder and go to folder Software Sync
- Launch the application Imation Security Manager
To restore a saved version of a file onto a computer that is not running ISM, you will need to attach the Imation Micro Hard Drive
and allow the operating system to load the drivers and create a drive letter in Windows, or to create an icon for Mac systems.
For Windows Explorer:
- Access the copy of ISM on the Micro Hard Drive
- Select Windows
- Select Restore*
- Select English
- Select Restore.exe
- Log into the system
For Mac systems:
- Access the copy of ISM on the Micro Hard Drive
- Select Macintosh
- Select Restore*
- Select the Restore icon
- Log into the system
Please note that the files as they exist on the Imation Micro Hard Drive will be encrypted. By logging in and restoring the file, you will decrypt the file.
You can restore a synchronized file from the Imation Micro Hard Drive to your host computer using one of the following methods:
From Windows Explorer:
Locate the file to be restored from the Imation Micro Hard Drive. All synchronized files are located in a folder named Sync; right-click on this file. A Restore menu option will be available in the menu options. Click the Restore menu option to restore this file back onto your computer's hard disk drive.
From the Synchronized Files - Drive Name tab in the GUI:
(applies to both Windows and Macintosh)
Click on this tab and locate the file you want to restore.
Click the Restore Files button. A Restore file window will pop up. This window shows where the selected file will be restored.
Select a version of the file to restore. The most recent version displays at the top of the list; highlight the version you wish to restore. ISM will support up to five saved versions. If the Save button is selected, the file will be restored to the path shown in the window. If the Save As button is selected, a Save As dialog box will appear.
Select the target folder you wish to restore the file to, and name the file. The selected version of the file will be restored to the selected folder and file name.
If the most recent version of the synchronized file is selected for restoring, the restored file is automatically marked for synchronization. If you select an unsynchronized file for restoration, and its latest version is selected, the restored file is automatically marked for synchronization, and the file on the Imation Micro Hard Drive will be removed from the unsynchronized file list.
A complete folder from the Imation Micro Hard Drive can be restored to your computer. This is possible only from the Synchronized Files - Drive Name and Unsynchronized Files - Drive Name tabs in the Imation Security Manager Sync List window. Select the folder to restore and click the Restore button. An information window will display the folder being restored and the path to its destination on the host computer.
Your Imation Micro Hard Drive will have a preloaded copy of the Imation Security Manager (ISM) software, which is the file synchronization software. However, we recommend that you download the latest version from Imation website, which includes new features. Go to: www.imation.com/microharddrive.
Windows Users:
Unzip the software, locate the Windows folder, then install by double-clicking the setup.exe file.
Macintosh Users:
Unzip the folders and double-click the ISM meta package.
In either instance you must restart your computer to use the ISM software. After installation and restart, ISM runs automatically and is loaded into the Windows system tray as an icon. When the device is not connected to your computer, the icon will look like this.
The Icon has a set of menu options which can be accessed by right-clicking on the icon in Windows, or control-click for Macintosh.
There are three methods for synchronizing files.
From Windows Explorer: Using Explorer, right-click on your mouse and then select the files or folders to be synchronized (control-click for Mac).
Within the standard, context-sensitive menu options provided by the operating system, a Synchronize menu option is added by ISM. To mark your selection for synchronization, click the Synchronize menu option.- From the Add Files and Folders menu option: This menu option can be accessed from the Windows System Tray Icon Menu.
- From the Add button on the Sync List view: The add button can be accessed from the Synchronized Files - Computer tab in the ISM Sync List window. When the Add Files and Folders menu option or the Add button on the ISM Sync List window is used, the standard file open dialog box will come up. Select files or folders to synchronize from this dialog box, and click the Add button.
The selection you made using any of the above methods will be added to the list of files marked for synchronization. You will receive a visual indication of this process in the form of a lock icon overlaying your files or folders, which looks like this.
When a folder is selected for synchronization, all files and sub-folders in the selected folder will be marked for synchronization. New files you create in this folder will also be automatically marked for synchronization.
If you mark any or all of the files and folders in a folder for synchronization, the folder will show a darker lock icon like this.
If an authenticated drive is connected to your computer, the process of synchronizing these files will start immediately.
From Windows Explorer: Using Explorer, select the files or folders to be removed from the synchronization list. Then right-click (control-click) with the mouse.
Along with the standard context sensitive menu options provided by the operating system, an UnSynchronize menu option is added by Imation Security Manager (ISM). To UnSynchronize the selection, click this menu option.
If some of these files and folders are already marked for synchronization, and some are not, you will get Synchronize as well as UnSynchronize menu options. In this case either option can be selected.- From the ISM Sync List window, deselect the checkbox next to the file or folder in the Synchronized Files - Computer tab to remove from the synchronization process. When folder is removed from synchronization, all files and sub-folders within the selected folder are removed from synchronization. If an Imation Micro Hard Drive is connected to the computer and is authenticated, the process of removing these files from synchronization will start immediately, and corresponding synchronized files on the drive will be marked as unsynchronized.
The Synchronized Files - Computer tab shows files and folders currently marked for synchronization.
The Synchronized Files - Drive tab shows files that are currently synchronized to an authenticated (logged in) drive.
The Unsynchronized Files - Drive tab shows files that are currently unsynchronized on an authenticated drive.
Select the appropriate tab from the user interface shown above. The drive views do not show physical files on the drive, but their mapped counterparts on the host computer from which they were synchronized.
- To expand or collapse the folder click on the toggle icon next to a folder
- To get information about a file or folder, click on the information icon next to the file:
- In case of synchronized files on your computer, the information for a file looks like this:

- For a folder, it looks like this:

Note: Unsynchronized files are never deleted unless the user selects the Delete button. Unsynchronized files on the drive can be deleted by selecting the desired file and clicking the Delete button. Files which have been unsynchronized for more than thirty days are considered to be expired and are show up as green. It is possible to extend the expiration date of a file by selecting it and clicking on the Extend button.
At times you may want to attach your Imation Micro Hard Drive to different computers in order to share files. To stop your drive from coping files to or from a host computer, check Don't Synchronize This Time when the log in dialog box first appears.
No you don't. When you plug in the Imation Micro Hard Drive, the login dialog box will appear. Instead of logging in, simply close the dialog box and use the free space available on the drive.
No, synchronization is not necessary. There are two ways to avoid synchronizing the files:
- Don't log in to the Imation Security Manager
- Check "Don't synchronize this time" on the login dialog box, and you can move files without waiting for the synchronizing process to conclude
Within My Computer the drive will appear as a Removable Drive in Windows 2000, and as the Local Disk in Windows XP, with the drive letter designation being the first available drive letter in your folder index after drive C.
In Windows XP, if you have mapped shared or network drives to beginning letters (i.e., F, G, H), the operating system may fail to assign a drive letter for the Micro Hard Drive. It is best to map all network drives to later drive letters (i.e., O, M, or N).
To see if the operating system is seeing the drive but attempting to assign it to a drive letter already in use, perform the following steps.
- Click on your Control Panel
- Find the Administrative Tools icon and double click
- Double click on Computer Management
- Double click on Disk Management
- Disk 0 is always the hard drive; so the Micro Hard Drive should appear as Disk 1 or Disk 2 depending on how many hard drives you have, and the assigned drive letter will be visible here*
- If you have to change the drive letter, right click on the appropriate Disk and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths
- Click on the Change button
- Assign a free Drive Letter and click OK
The new drive letter will be assigned and will be seen as the new letter until you reboot the computer or remove the Micro Hard Drive from the port.
*Note: In the Drive Management program any external drives such as a USB Flash drive will been seen in the upper right window, but won't be seen as a logical drive in the lower right window.
We strongly recommend that you use the Unplug or Eject Hardware feature (green arrow icon in tool tray) found in Windows systems ME through Windows XP, or drag the icon to the trash in all Macintosh operating systems. This action may help prevent data loss, as it clears any data that has yet to transfer into the device. It can also help prevent any inadvertent damage to the drive.
The drive is working when the drive light, located near the latch toggle, is on. The light will be solid blue when the drive is inactive but attached to the USB port, and will blink when information is transferring to or from the device.

