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Setup Guide

For the initial setup, it's important to prepare a hard drive that can be used as system drive. This should be a blank drive, because all existing data gets erased during the formatting process. In this guide, step 1 and 3 only have to be done once during the initial setup.

Step 1 - HDD Installation

For the system drive, we recommend using an internal hard drive. This should be a blank drive, because all existing data gets erased during the formatting process. Depending on the hardware, you can install either portable 2.5“ hard drives or 3.5” desktop drives.

For more detailed instructions about how to install the hard drive, please select your model below:

Step 2 - Login

The easiest way to locate your device on the network and login is through the MyAkitio web portal.

  1. Open your web browser (e.g. IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome).
  2. Your default home server name is the MAC address of your network drive. You can find this number on a sticker either on the retail packaging or the device itself.
  3. Select your language (1), enter the name of your home server (2) and click search (3).
  4. Login to your account. The default user name and password for the administrator is admin. For security reasons, we strongly recommend changing the password after the first login.
If you are unable to login through the web portal, login to your network router and lookup the IP address of your network drive in the DHCP log. Copy the IP address and paste it into the URL field of your web browser. This opens the login page directly on the local network without going through the web portal.
If you get the error Device Offline, enter the IP address of your network drive directly into the URL field of your web browser to open the login page instead. To further troubleshoot this error, make sure that your network router allows incoming traffic to your network drive. See Portal Server and Network Setup for more information about how to setup remote access and also see our FAQ about the error Device Offline.

Step 3 - HDD Setup

Before you can properly use the device, a drive has to be setup as system drive. This includes creating a SWAP partition and a partition to store your digital media files that is mounted as HOME.

  1. If you have not already done so, login as administrator (admin).
  2. In the toolbar, click on the disk manager.
  3. Select Auto and click OK. This will automatically create the necessary partitions and format the drive(s).
  4. Click Auto to setup and format the drive(s).
The automatic setup wizard Auto only supports internal hard drives. If you want to use an external USB drive as your system drive, you need to use the Expert mode and manually create the partitions. See our FAQ for more detailed instructions about how to setup an external USB drive as the main drive.

Step 4 - Uploading Files

Once the system drive has been setup, you can start uploading your digital media files to the network drive. The HOME directory with its predefined folders for documents, music, photos and videos is for your private files. The PUBLIC directory is for files that are shared among the users that have access to this device (by default, this is only the administrator).

  1. On the desktop, click on MyCloud to open the file explorer window.
  2. Depending on the files types you want to upload, select one of the predefined folders (e.g. Documents, Music, Photos, Videos).
  3. In the menu bar, click Upload.
  4. Select one of the available upload methods. If in doubt, select the traditional form upload. This will work on most browsers but you will have to upload the files one at the time. Instead, if you are running one of the more recent browsers, select Upload by HTML5, which allows you to drag and drop multiple files directly into the upload window.
  5. Upload your media files.
Uploading files via web interface is only one of many different ways you can upload your files. On the home network, the easiest and fastest method is to mount the network drive via SMB. See File Management > Samba for PC users and File Management > Samba for Mac users. For mobile devices, download and install the free MyCloud App, which is available for iOS and Android.
To read more about the available methods that you can use to manage your files, see File Management > Overview.

Step 5 - Streaming Files

Once you have uploaded your digital media files, you can setup the media server and the music server to stream your music and videos on the home network.

UPnP-AV Media Server

The media server streams your files to other UPnP-AV and DLNA compliant clients (e.g. PS3, Xbox360, Windows Media Player, etc.). To find DLNA compliant media devices that can play your media files on the network drive, look for the “DLNA Certified” logo or use the Product Search on the official DLNA website.

  1. In the toolbar, click on Preferences.
  2. Select Media Server.
  3. Make sure the service is enabled and running.
  4. Click Add to select the folder(s) where your media files are stored. If needed, you can add multiple folders. The media server will scan for all the compatible media files in those directories and then stream them to the other UPnP-AV compliant devices on your home network.
  5. Click Apply to save the settings.

iTunes Music Server

The iTunes music server streams music files that are located on the network drive to iTunes users on the home network. Simply install iTunes on your PC or Mac and use it to playback the music files on your network drive.

  1. In the toolbar, click on Preferences.
  2. Select iTunes.
  3. Make sure the service is enabled and running.
  4. Click Browse to select the folder where your music files are stored.
  5. Click Apply to save the settings.

For more information, see Preferences > iTunes and File Management > iTunes.

Step 6 - Sharing Files

There are several ways you can share files with your family and friends but before you start, it's easiest to give them a user account on the network drive.

  1. In the toolbar, click on Preferences.
  2. Select Accounts.
  3. Click New.
  4. Enter a username.
  5. Enter a password and confirm it.
  6. Click Save to create the new account.

Each user gets its own HOME directory for private files and has access to the PUBLIC directory to share files among the different users.
For more information about user accounts, see Preferences > Accounts.

Public Directory

Files that are stored in the PUBLIC directory are accessible to all users (read & write). Simply copy a file to the PUBLIC folder and the next time another user logs in, they can view it. It doesn't matter if the user logs in via web interface or mounts the network drive on the home network.

Sharing a Folder

If you want to share files with other users but restrict access, as an example only to certain users or give them only read access, you can use the context menu in the web interface.

  1. On the desktop, click on MyCloud to open the file explorer window.
  2. Right-click on the folder you want to share to open the context menu.
  3. Select Share and click Group.
  4. Enable the option Share this folder and select the users you want to share the folder with.
  5. Click Apply to save the settings.
  6. Click Refresh and the folder icon shows a hand to indicate that this folder is currently shared.
If your friends do not have a user account, you can still share your files by selecting either Email or Publish instead of Group. This will create a public link, that you can then send to your friends. Clicking on it will open the album and display the files you have shared.
For more information about file sharing, please see File Management > File Sharing.
A shared folder is only accessible via web interface. If you mount the drive via SMB or access it through FTP, the shared folders are not available.

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