Maxtor One Touch Mini III hanging cpu.

This is a sneaky one: After installing the Maxtor Mini III

(external - USB), my pc began to hang forever whenever I tried to

download or send an email from Outlook Express. The Norton email

scan icon would appear motionless. After much searching, I

discovered the process "MAXBACK.." (in Windows Task Manager) was

utilizing 98% of cpu time. I stopped the process and everything

works fine. The drive seemed to work OK and the only time the pc

hanged was in the email process. Of course, everytime I boot up, I

have to stop the Maxback process for my OE to work. Does anyone

know of a fix for this problem? Maxtor tech support was not too

helpful. Appreciate any input!