Hard drives dont need instructions. Connect it to your computer. Go to where you would format the drive ( like disk utility for the MAC ). Format it for the proper file system ( HFS,UFS,MS-DOS, NTFS...) That's it. Eject it always before you disconnect it, and treat it gentle like a baby. In the thousands of these that I've sold and repaired, they never came with instructions, just a cd with drivers for windows.

I could point you to this, because no matter who makes the drive, it's the same product, some are just made better, and some last longer. I would just stay away from plastic. rives spin anywhere from 4200-10,000 RPMs. That can generatesome heat even after 5 minutes.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Take-Care-Of-Your-Computer-Hard-Drive-To-Prevent-A-Crash&id=350165

http://www.maxtor.com/en/index.html

Don't be fooled by slick looking hard drives. Your're gonna put some import stuff on that thing. If it fails due to poor quality like the infamous Lacie D2, that slick case means nothing when your drive is clicking its last death and being asked to pay 10 times the cost of that drive for starters to possibly recover it. I prefer seagate drives and wiebetech enclosures. Heavy duty, no non sense hardware, and I treat these things like they owe me.

FYI, seagate (the only American HD manufacturer and the best on the planet ) bought out Maxtor 2 yrs ago.