What is the MiniDrive?
The MiniDrive is an adapter for microSD cards which lets them fit seamlessly inside a MacBook. MicroSD cards are small devices with relatively large storage capacities. Combined with a MiniDrive they become the simplest & most person-friendly storage solution for a MacBook
What do I get with my MiniDrive?
All MiniDrives ship with a free 2GB microSD card and a Nifty Tool (to make removing your MiniDrive a breeze). If that’s not enough for your needs upgrading is simply a matter of getting your hands on a bigger microSD card. We sell the largest currently-available size – 128GB – on this website if that’s what you’re after.
How fast is the MiniDrive?
The MiniDrive itself takes a back-seat when it comes to data transfer. The two principle factors affecting speed are:
The microSD card you’re using with the MiniDrive. Most modern microSD cards have read/write speeds of up to 90MB/s (and that’s getting faster each year).
Your MacBook’s SD card reader. For pre-2012 MacBooks you can expect a maximum read speed of 60MB/s, while later models ramped that up to a blistering 6.4GB/s.
How do I set up Time Machine to back up onto my MiniDrive?
5 steps, 1 minute:
Plug the Nifty MiniDrive – with microSD card inserted – into your MacBook.
Open Time Machine (in Systems Preferences on your Mac).
Click the "select disk" / "select backup disk" button.
In the popup dialogue box, click on the SD card icon and then click "use disk”.
If Time Machine asks to reformat the disk, select yes, but beware as this will delete any data you currently have on your microSD card.
Note: If you want to back up part of your computer, rather than the whole of it on your MiniDrive, you can exclude folders from the back-up by pressing the "Options..." button in the bottom right hand corner of the Time Machine dialogue box from step 2 above
How can I put my iTunes library onto the MiniDrive?
13 steps, 3 minutes:
Plug the Nifty MiniDrive into your MacBook.
Open iTunes and from the menu choose “Preferences".
In the following window, click the "Advanced" button.
Tick the "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" checkbox (if it isn’t already).
Click the "Change" button in the iTunes Media folder location pane
Navigate to your MiniDrive in the Change Media Folder Location window which appears.
In the New Folder window enter the name of "iTunes Media” and click “Create”.
Click “Choose” in the Change Media Folder Location window.
Click “OK” in the Advanced window.
From the File menu, choose Library and then “Organize Library” if you’re using iTunes 9 (or later). If you're using iTunes 7 or iTunes 8 for Mac, choose File > Library and then “Consolidate Library”.
In the Organize Library (or Consolidate Library) window, select “Consolidate files” and click “OK”. Important: This action copies all of your music and media files to the new location. There must be enough space on the MiniDrive available to copy all of your music and media files.
After the folder has been copied, locate your original iTunes Media folder, and drag it to the Trash. Important: Don't remove the iTunes Library files that may be in the same location as the iTunes Media folder
Quit and then re-open iTunes.
Note: If you receive the alert "The folder containing "iTunes Library cannot be found, and is required", please choose or create a new iTunes library, you most likely deleted the iTunes Library files in step 12. If so move them out of the Trash and back to where they were.
How do I change the Desktop SD icon to a MiniDrive Icon?
6 steps, 3 minutes.
Download the icon you want to use from our website (at www.theniftyminidrive.com/downloads).
On your desktop, right/secondary click on the icon you want to change.
From the options list select "Get Info”.
Check that the padlock at the bottom right hand corner of the dialogue box is in the open position. If it isn't, click on it and enter your username and password to unlock.
Open the folder containing the downloaded icon (which will most likely be your Downloads folder)
From there drag your preferred MiniDrive icon so that it covers the image you wish to replace in the top left hand corner of the dialogue box (from step 4) and let go. Voila.
Note: It sometimes requires a re-boot for the change to be reflected everywhere in your computer.
Does the MiniDrive come in more colors?
While we can’t rule out the odd festive promotion we currently have no plans to extend the colour range beyond silver and red. They are, however, truly top-notch shades of silver and red.
How big is the MiniDrive's storage capacity?
The additional storage capacity you receive with a MiniDrive depends entirely on the microSD you use with it. The bigger the microSD card, the bigger the storage boost.
Will the MiniDrive affect my computer's battery life?
The short answer: Yes, but not by much.
The longer answer: Yes, a little, but how much largely depends on the microSD card. Current microSD cards across different brands and sizes span a range of wattages, ranging from 66–360 milliwatts. For the average MacBook Air with a 50 watt/hour battery and a 7-hour battery life you can expect a loss of around 4 minutes with the more efficient microSD cards and anywhere up to 19 minutes for the more wasteful models.
How do I put my Dropbox onto the MiniDrive?
6 steps, 2 minutes:
Plug the Nifty MiniDrive – with microSD card inserted – into your MacBook.
Click on the Dropbox icon on your top menu bar.
Click on the gear icon and select "Preferences..." from the menu.
Click the "Advanced" tab.
Move the Dropbox folder location by selecting the MiniDrive from the drop-down menu labelled "Dropbox location”.
Let Dropbox move your folder and its contents to its new location.
Note: your folder will still be named Dropbox. Dropbox will not sync your Dropbox folder if it has been manually renamed or moved through your operating system. If Dropbox loses track of your Dropbox folder, it will attempt to re-sync the folder in its entirety using its last known location.
How do I get the MiniDrive to appear on my Desktop?
4 steps, 1 minute:
In the Finder, choose “Preferences” from the Finder menu.
Click the “General” icon on the toolbar.
Select "External disks" in the "Show these items on the desktop" section.
Close the Finder Preferences window.
What is the biggest microSD card I can use with the MiniDrive?
The MiniDrive is designed to work with any microSD card up to a theoretical limit of 2TB (2000GB). While storage sizes are increasing by leaps and bounds the current maximum size of retail microSD cards is 128GB.
