Question 1

Can this drive lie flat on it's long side (so it is only 1.73" high instead of 6.22" high)? I need to put it under a monitor shelf with only 6" clearance.

Accepted Answer

Dear Ms. Lisa W.

This is only my opinion and should be considered only as such.

If the drive itself was removed in installed in a computer case, it would not make much difference as to the orientation.  However, it being enclosed in a small plastic case, there are several thermal issues to consider (thermals which are beyond the scope of this brief response).  If the drive will be see considerable use, it will be necessary to provide some cooling.  For that reason, I personally would not place the drive unit in a horizontal position.  My use of this drive is only for weekly backups where it will not be running continuously so it may not make much difference as to the orientation.  However, I will still keep it vertical.

Question 2

Does this drive install any drivers on the hard disk...also, I do not want the included software. Is there an option to not install the included software?

Accepted Answer

When you plug the drive in, it just works as a usb hard disk device -- the operating system will provide the drivers - nothing to install.  If you dont want the included software just delete it and dont install it -- perform a full format on the drive to reclaim the space -- one note -- the lights on the front of the drive need software to work, but these do not effect the drive at all - you can just not use them if you dont want them.

Question 3

is this Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 4TB USB3.0 7200RPM PC Compatible?????

Accepted Answer

Yes... if you are concerned about the 4TB capacity being over the 2TB limit...

Seagate has some circuitry in the base of the unit that makes it work on XP 32 bit, for instance...

The only problem is that if you remove the base and hook it up directly as a SATA drive, you will lose all of your DATA...

Windows won't recognize the drive properly without the base...

Question 4

Is it possible to take the drive out of the enclosure and put it in a computer? It seems like the external 4TB drives are cheaper than the internal ones.

Accepted Answer

Yes, that is definitely possible.  This is what I did.  It is a regular SATA drive.  I've done this with a few other brands as well, beware, they make it difficult to open these intentionally.  Some brands even have circuitry in the enclosure that disallows any non-branded drives to work if you plan on re-using the enclosure (Seagate does not, at least for my other drives).  If you have a moderate level of mechanical know-how, taking these apart is not difficult.  Youtube is your friend, search for it and you'll be able to find a demo video of someone doing this.  Keep in mind, it is not as easy as a couple screws, these are held together with internal plastic tabs that you need to pry apart correctly.  If you don't care to re-use the enclosure, makes it easier but you need to be careful not to damage the internal drive in the process.  Suffice it to say, you break it, you bought it.  Shoving a screwdriver into your purchase voids the warranty for sure.

Question 5

how to use it with mac?

Accepted Answer

Works perfectly. Plug it into your Mac's USB port and follow on screen set up directions. Worked great- and Mac always looks for it for "Time Machine" backups. Perfect!

Question 6

I can't get the Seagate Backup Plus 4TB USB 3.0 Hard Drive to be recognized by my computer as a drive. Any suggestions?

Accepted Answer

I have purchased this drive as a backup drive.
I initially had problems with the connection dropping out when connected to the front USB port. 
After connecting the drive to the USB port connected to the motherboard,  I've had no problems with it.
I'm using Windows with no problems. 
If your PC doesn't recognize the drive, attempt the connection with the PC first powered off, plug the drive ' USB cable in and power the drive by plugging it in to the power outlet, then boot the PC.
If the drive still doesn't recognize the D rive, then you'll have to go into your P'S hardware properties configuration  and manually add the drive.

Question 7

Anyone know what drive is currently shipping inside the STCA4000100 enclosure? (anyone crack it open recently?)

Accepted Answer

You don't necessarily need to open the enclosure to find out what drive is inside. There is software like "Hard Disk Sentinel" (my favorite) that will allow you to not only see the hard drive model information, but also other specs about the drive including temperature, health, etc.

Question 8

Does this unit stay turned on and connected to windows 8.1?  I do not want it to disconnect automatically.  I have that issue now with a phantom drive I have.  Our IT department has not been able to find a fix for it.

Accepted Answer

I have had two of these units become corrupt using windows 8.1.
Tried several Microsoft and Seagate "fixes" to prevent the sleep (disconnect) problem, none were successful. In the end both units became inaccessible and were returned after the Segate techs could not get them to respond.  I have had many Seagate internal and external drives, they have all functioned well. I currently have three 2TB Backup Plus drives on the same machines connected through the same usb 3 ports and they are working perfectly. I believe there may be a difficulty with the 4TB external units and Windows 8.1. Possibly the way they are partitioned to achieve the apparent 4TB single partition interacting with the 8.1 power saving feature. In Windows 8.1, to conserve system power, some USB storage devices (external USB hard drives and USB flash drives) enter a low power state (suspended) when they are idle. Apparently crashing these particular drives.

Question 9

have cooling fan?

Accepted Answer

The Seagate website does not list a cooling fan as an included spec.  So no, I do not think there is a cooling fan.

Question 10

What format does it have to be in to play from a USB port on a Blu-Ray player?

Accepted Answer

Check on the manufactures website or in the manual that came with the player under media format .  Most media players should have no problem playing in any format.  My media player has a hard time playing mkv format.

Color	Black
Interface	USB 3.0
Capacity	4TB
RPM	5900 RPM

Form Factor	3.5"
Dimensions	6.22" x 4.88" x 1.73"
Weight	2.38 lbs.

Seagate Backup Plus 4TB USB 3.0 3.5" Desktop Hard Drive STCA4000100 Black

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Item#: N82E16822178111