Set Up
Setting up the Cipher for use is pretty simple. First connect any external hard drive, flash drive, or external CD, DVD, or Blu Ray drive into the Cipher’s USB port then insert the Cipher into any available USB port on your Mac, or Windows based computer. You’ll know its properly inserted when the light is steady green on the Cipher itself. Trust us it’s hard to miss.
Next pop in the included disc, and run the Cipher Password Utility. Please note that the utility software can be downloaded from Addonics’s website. Click here to go to the Addonics’s Password Utility download section. Ain’t we nice? : ). There is no software needed to actually run the CipherUSB. The utility is only used to set up the password for the Cipher, or to reset the password if needed, as well as update the firmware of the device. The utility will not work unless the Cipher is plugged into your computer.
Once you run the Password Utility you will be shown a prompt like the own shown below.
Enter your desired password, then re-enter the password again then click “Start”. You will then be told to remove the CipherUSB from your computer, then re-insert it back in. You should keep whatever drive you have connected to the CipherUSB, connected to the CipherUSB during this process. The next step however was not mentioned in the instructions.
When we had our external drive hooked up to the Cipher after performing the initial password set up, our drive was not recognized by Windows. We needed to go into Disk Manager, and re-initialize the drive. Many experienced users of drives would figure this out on their own, but some novices may not realize that a re-initialization of the drive is required, and would think their Cipher is not working. We pointed this out to Addonics, and hopefully an updated manual indicating that a re-initialization of the drive is required will be mentioned. After this final step you are good to go in creating data on your drive that will be for your eyes only…well for the eyes of whoever has the CipherUSB in their possession. BTW the CipherUSB can work on multiple drives with just having the password set up once.
