Installation:
As with most USB drives, the Armor A30 was very easy to install. Those running Windows can simply plug the drive into any available USB 2.0 or 3.0 port on their computer. If the computer is already turned on, plug and play will automatically detect the drive.
If installed correctly, the Armor A30 should show up in the Device Manager. Under Windows 8.1, the drive is identified as a "PHD 3.0 Silicon-Power USB Device".
The Armor A30 comes formatted with FAT32, giving the 2TB model about 1.81TB of usable space. If you plan to store files larger than 4GB in size, you'll want to convert or reformat the drive with NTFS.
Software:
While the Armor A30 doesn't ship with it, the drive is compatible with Silicon Power's SP Widget software. Available as a free download, SP Widget for Windows 8 provides six major backup and security functions for use with Silicon Power's portable hard drives and USB flash drives.
SP Widget's browser interface is pretty straightforward. Along with a meter that shows how full a drive is, there are a handful of icons along the right hand side of the screen. From here you can launch functions that will backup your files, folders and browser favorites. You can also encrypt your files to prevent other people from accessing them.
 |
 |
SP Widget also has the ability to classify your files by format and transfer them to a portable storage device. Along with that, you can login to your Dropbox account and upload them to the cloud.
 |
 |
The last major feature of SP Widget is Norton Internet Security. The version available for download through the browser is only a 60 day trial. However, Silicon Power has cut a deal with Symantec, which lets users extend their subscription at a discounted rate.
