Spectra MacCollect — Drive Setup

User guide for provisioning a collection drive

SETUP APP v0.1.10  ·  macOS

What this tool does

Spectra MacCollect — Drive Setup prepares a USB drive so it can be used as a Spectra MacCollect collection drive. In one pass it:

• Partitions the drive into two volumes: an APFS volume named MacCollect (holds the app and license) and an ExFAT volume named EVIDENCE (receives collected evidence).
• Reads the drive's hardware identity — Serial Number, Vendor ID, and Product ID — directly from the device and writes it to DRIVE_SERIAL_FOR_LICENSE.txt so Spectra FIC can issue a drive-bound license.
• Optionally installs SpectraMacCollect.app and adds a license.key.

Before you begin

SCREEN 1Select the target drive

The app lists only external, removable disks. Internal drives are never shown, so you cannot select your startup disk by accident.

1. Plug in the USB drive you want to provision.
2. Click the drive in the External Drives list. Confirm the name, device node (e.g. /dev/disk7) and size match your drive.
3. If your drive isn't listed, click Rescan.
4. Click Next.

SCREEN 2Drive identity (for a drive-bound license)

The app reads the drive's hardware identity straight from the device tree and shows it here. These values are what bind a full license to this specific drive.

1. Review the Serial Number, Vendor ID, and Product ID.
2. Click Save serial file… to save DRIVE_SERIAL_FOR_LICENSE.txt, then email it to Spectra FIC to receive your full (drive-bound) license.
3. Click Next to continue, or Skip if you'll use a trial key (a trial key runs on any drive and needs no serial).

If the screen says the drive is not eligible for a drive-bound license, the enclosure didn't publish all three identifiers. You can still provision the drive and run it with a trial key, or use a different USB enclosure.

SCREEN 3Confirm — this erases the drive

A safety screen that summarizes exactly what will happen and requires you to confirm before any data is destroyed.

1. Read the red banner and verify the drive name, device node, and size are correct.
2. Review the Planned Layout: MacCollect (APFS, 25 GB, app) and EVIDENCE (ExFAT, the remainder).
3. Optionally click Choose… to install SpectraMacCollect.app during provisioning. Leave it blank to provision the drive only.
4. Type the disk identifier shown (e.g. disk7) into the confirmation box to enable the erase button.
5. Click Erase & provision. (Use Dry run (preview) first to see the steps without changing the disk.)

SCREEN 4Provisioning & result

The tool runs each step and streams a live log. When it finishes, the header shows the result.

1. Watch the log as the drive is unmounted, partitioned, and sealed. Do not unplug the drive.
2. On success you'll see PHASE: COMPLETE and a green check.
3. Click Next: add license to continue, or Provision another drive to start over.

If a volume on the drive is in use, a “The drive is busy” dialog appears. Choose Force eject & retry, or close anything using the drive (Finder, an attached disk image) and retry.

SCREEN 5Add a license (optional)

If you already have a license.key (trial or full), you can copy it onto the drive now.

1. Click Choose… and select your license.key file.
2. Click Add license to drive — it's saved to the MacCollect partition as license.key.
3. Click Done. If you don't have a key yet, click Skip; you can copy it onto the MacCollect partition whenever it arrives.

Drive identity & licensing

A full (drive-bound) license is tied to one specific drive using its Serial Number, Vendor ID, and Product ID. To get one, send the DRIVE_SERIAL_FOR_LICENSE.txt file (saved on Screen 2 or written automatically during provisioning) to Spectra FIC.

Troubleshooting

The drive isn't in the list

Make sure it's plugged in and mounted, then click Rescan. Only external, removable disks appear. A drive connected through a hub or a sleeping dock may need to be reconnected.

“The drive is busy” when provisioning

Something is using a volume on the drive — often Finder or an attached disk image. Choose Force eject & retry, or close what's using it and try again.

The serial didn't read / shows “not eligible”

Some inexpensive enclosures don't publish a USB serial. Provision the drive and use a trial key, or move the disk into an enclosure that reports a Serial Number, Vendor ID, and Product ID.

Gatekeeper warns when opening the app

The app is signed and notarized. If macOS still blocks it on first launch, right-click the app and choose Open, then confirm.