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====== LA-PRIVATE Frequently Asked Questions ======

LA-PRIVATE is a secure volume that takes advantage of strong Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256 to keep your most important data safe. The LaCie Private-Public application allows you to easily create and manage a LA-PRIVATE volume (See [[create|]]). Please see our list of frequently asked questions below for further information on LA-PRIVATE.

++++ Q: Does LaCie Private/Public work on a Macintosh computer? |
A: Yes. LaCie Private/Public is supported on Macintosh computers with: \\ 
  * The most recent versions of Mac OS X 10.7 and higher. 
  * An Intel processor 
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++++ Q: LaCie Private/Public will not let me create a LA-PRIVATE volume larger than 4 GB. Why? |
A: There may be more than one reason that you cannot create a LA-PRIVATE volume larger than 4 GB. Two possible explanations:
  * Your LaCie storage device is almost full. LaCie Private-Public is protecting the data stored on your partition from being erased by limiting the size of LA-PRIVATE. 
  * You formatted the partition as FAT 32. Due to system format limitations, LA-PRIVATE cannot exceed 4 GB on a FAT 32 partition. You must reformat the partition as NTFS (Windows) or HFS+ (Mac) in order to create a larger LA-PRIVATE volume. Please note that formatting a storage device will delete all of its data. Follow the steps below to create a new LA-PRIVATE volume:
    - **Copy all data stored on the LaCie storage partition(s) as well as the existing LA-PRIVATE volume before reformatting your storage device**. You can copy the data to a temporary location such as your internal hard drive or another storage device. Please make certain to copy your LaCie User Manual and software utilities as well. You will use LaCie Private-Public to recreate the new LA-PRIVATE volume.
    - See [[en:static:formatting:standard|Optional Formatting and Partitioning]] for further information on formatting your storage device as NTFS or HFS+. You may name the new NTFS or HFS+ partition LACIE for ease of reference but it is not mandatory.
    - Once the format is complete, copy LaCie Private-Public to your new NTFS or HFS+ partition. **Please use caution when launching Private-Public.** Running the program from My Computer/Computer or the Mac desktop will create an encrypted partition on your internal hard drive.
    - See [[create|]] for instructions on creating a new LA-PRIVATE volume.
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++++ Q: I can only create a LA-PRIVATE volume with 1, 10, or 100 unit increments. For example, 5 GB, 50 GB, or 500 GB. I want to create a LA-PRIVATE volume that is 5.5 GB, 50.5 GB, or 550 GB. Is it possible? |
A: Yes. See [[create|]]. Please note the details regarding the pulldown menu for MB/GB on a Mac.
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++++ Q: Where do I go to access the LA-PRIVATE volume? |
A: You must launch LaCie Private-Public to enter the password. See [[mount|]].
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++++ Q: How do I lock the LA-PRIVATE volume from unauthorized access? |
A: See [[unmount|]].
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++++ Q: Can I change the LA-PRIVATE password? |
A: Yes. See [[password|]].
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++++ Q: What happens if the LA-PRIVATE password is lost or forgotten? |
A: To protect your security, the LA-PRIVATE password is heavily protected and not available for others to recover. This also applies to an authorized user who has lost or forgotten his LA-PRIVATE password. Unfortunately, the data on LA-PRIVATE is not available to anyone, including LaCie, without the password. **Please note that LaCie is not responsible for any data that has been lost due to a forgotten LA-PRIVATE password.** Consider using a password that is easy for you to remember but close to impossible for unauthorized users to guess.
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++++ Q: Do I have to be an administrator to use LaCie Private-Public and to open LA-PRIVATE? |
A: You must have administrative rights to your computer in order to run LaCie Private-Public and to access the LA-PRIVATE volume.
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++++ Q: Why can't I open LaCie Private-Public when TrueCrypt software is also installed? |
A: Both types of software use the same engine. Uninstall TrueCrypt before installing LaCie Private-Public.
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