SwapManager FAQ's

I paid for the software but didn’t get a serial number. How do I get one?

Still need help? Email us at support@mobilexperts.com and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Which operating systems are supported?

Windows 95, 98, 98se, Me, 2000, and XP.

Why can’t I swap drive C:?

If you swapped out drive C: the computer would stop running! There would be no Windows operating system to run the computer.

SwapManager recognizes the drive I installed, but it shows up as the slave and there is no master. Why?

During a "Swap In" SwapManager checks all the drives in the system and attaches all that it finds. If, for example, there is only one drive on the secondary IDE channel, SwapManager will install it according to the jumper setting on the drive. If the drive is set to slave, then SwapManager will install the drive as a slave. If there are two drives connected to one cable, one (and only one) drive is set to master and one (and only one) is set to slave. It is not important which is the master and which is the slave. The key point is that there can be only one master and only slave on the same cable. If two drives on the same cable are set to master, or both are set to slave, then neither Windows nor SwapManager will recognize them and neither will be able to make the drives available to the system.

I installed a drive and the SwapManager software, but I don’t see the new drive in SwapManager. What’s wrong?

Did you click the "Swap In" or "Rescan" icon to let SwapManager know there is a new drive? On startup SwapManager will automatically check all attached drives, but if you have just inserted a new drive then you must let SwapManager register it by clicking on the "Swap In" or "Rescan" button. On the hardware side, there could be any number of issues. First, check the hardware installation section and be certain that the hardware is properly installed. Cables should be checked to see that they are not backwards. Remember, if there are two drives on one cable then one must be the master and one must be the slave. (How to tell? If you have two drives on the secondary IDE channel, here is an easy way to determine if the problem is a master/slave setting conflict: remove the mobile rack tray and boot the computer with only the non-mobile rack drive. SwapManager will tell you the master/slave setting of the drive when it registers it. Now check the setting on the drive in the mobile rack tray. If it is the same as the drive just located by SwapManager, then change it.) Make certain that the tray is inserted fully into the rack. It will "click" into place when it is properly installed. The tray must be locked in place. It will not work if it is just clicked into place. Locking in place applies power to the drive. No power, no work.

SwapManager shows only a secondary slave drive and no master.

If only one drive is attached to the secondary IDE channel, SwapManager will register it as it is located. If it is set to master then SwapManager will correctly identify it as master. Likewise, it the drive is set to slave, then SwapManager will correctly register it as a slave. There is no problem having a slave with no master.

Can I have two mobile racks and swap two drives?

Absolutely! Just be sure you do not have master/slave conflicts as stated above.

I am certain that the drive is set correctly and the software is properly installed, but I never see an icon for the new drive. Why?

The drive must have time to power up before you click Swap In (Rescan). If not, it will not find the new drive. It’s very similar to CD-ROM drives when you try to read from them before they have initialized the disk.

Try the following steps:

Wait for the access light to go out on the drive (make sure it’s not being used).
Disable power to the drive
Click Swap Out
Insert your new drive
Enable power to the drive
WAIT for the drive access light to go out. The drive needs time to power up. It can take 10-15 seconds for this to happen.
Click “Swap All In” or “Rescan”

If the new drive is not registering then there is probably a hardware problem. Please review the help topic below titled "It just doesn’t work!"

I want to share a hard drive among several computers and have installed the mobile rack in all of them. Some computers recognize the drive and others don’t. Any ideas?

Some versions of Windows 95 do not support FAT32. If the hard drive is formatted to FAT32 (typical with Windows 98 and later) but the operating system does not support FAT32, then it will not be able to read the FAT32 drive. One solution is to use a FAT16 drive if you need to share it with older Windows 95 systems. All versions of Windows 95 and later can read FAT16 drives. Similarly, Windows 2000 and XP can read drives formatted with NTFS, but previous versions of Windows cannot read NTFS.

I have Windows NT. Can I use SwapManager?

No. At the present time SwapManager does not support Windows NT. We do support the following: Windows 95, 98, 98se, Me, 2000, and XP.

I am attaching a hard drive larger than 8GB but the system won’t let me exceed 8GB. Why?

Some older computers have a hard drive capacity limitation of 8GB. This is due to the BIOS on the motherboard and does not relate to the mobile rack or SwapManager. Contact the motherboard manufacturer for a BIOS upgrade.

It just doesn’t work!

Take a break, then come back and leisurely read the hardware and software installation sections above. We know it’s frustrating when things don’t work the first time. But the truth is that most problems can be solved by slowly reading the pages contained on this web site and checking (and re-checking) the installation. The most common problems we encounter are:

Ø Cables connected backwards

Ø If a drive has open files or has sharing turned on, you cannot swap it out.

Ø The tray is not fully inserted. Most trays just push into place until they "click" to the proper position, but some use the handle for "soft" insertion. In this case, lift the handle then slide the tray in as far as it will go. Don’t press too hard; it shouldn’t require much pressure. Then lower the handle to snap it into place.

Ø The tray must be locked in place to work. Use the keylock or slide switch, depending on your version of mobile rack.

Ø Drive setting mismatch. Remember, on one cable you can have only one master and one slave. A single drive on a cable will generally not present a problem. If there are two drives on the secondary cable and neither drive is recognized by SwapManager, then most likely they are both set to master or both set to slave.

The drive is not going away when I swap out.

Make sure that the "share" property is turned off. Also close any open files.

I can’t see the drives attached to my add-in controller or RAID card.

There are so many different types of add-in and RAID controllers that it is impossible to support them all. That’s why you can try the software first to see if yours works.

This software is really cool! What else do you have?

Keep checking our web site! www.mobilexperts.com. We have lots of cool things!

I tried the free software and decided to purchase it. The transaction failed. What can I do?

Email details of the transaction to us at support@mobilexperts.com and we will gladly help you.

I paid for the software but didn’t get a serial number.

If you are purchasing with one computer and will use the software on a different computer, then you must do the following.

Run the software on the target computer.
At the first screen, press the ENTER KEY button, then email the hardware ID to us at support@mobilexperts.com. We'll get you a code.

I bought the software then installed it on another machine and it says it is trial software.

A license is good for one computer. You can install it on any number of computers but it will revert to trial mode until a license is purchased.

It doesn’t work. Could SwapManager have damaged something?

SwapManager does not create any files your drives other than the unzipped software during installation. It operates only in memory, so when you exit the application, nothing is left behind in memory..