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Storage: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy
Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy
by co2h2o - 11/15/08 10:56 PMI've had a Seagate FreeAgent Desktop 500gb hard drive for 1yr+. It looked to good to be true with its small footprint, loads of space and ease of use. Well, it was too good to be true. It shows up as an available drive less than 1% of the time. Frighteningly the last 8 years of my photographs are stored here.
CNET's editor reviews for the FreeAgent are good, so I'm a little scared to trust what they say. I've read all over the web how terrible this drive is.
I want something that's reliable and can be used as an active external drive so I can access photos, etc. that are too large for my computer. Secondly I'd like it to also function as a backup drive for my computer, which is a Dell Inspiron 8600.
- What solutions can you recommend for this novice?
- If I'm using it for backup of my computer, shouldn't I also have additional backup of my photos? CDs don't hold much data, so what are the other options?
- Is it true that external storage is generally not reliable? What gives? What are average people supposed to do w/their stuff?
- Is a USB connection not ideal for something like this? If so, what are the other options? Wondering if I have enough ports on my laptop & docking station.
I'm hoping some of you techies can help me out here with this basic, but important dilemma.
No trust!
by R. Proffitt
- 11/16/08 6:35 AM
In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2o
-> A possible fix is to connect the drive to the desktops rear USB ports since front ports are known to be unreliable.
Hard disks are temporary storage. If you don't backup to other places and media then you may find out why people write so much about backup.
Let's start with -> There is no trustworthy storage unit out there.
I'm going to include the DROBO in that wide ranging statement.
With that out of the way we use many such units at the office. Many are just hard disks bought on sale and then some USB case to hold them.
Bob
Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy
by jimbrandt2000 - 11/19/08 11:04 AM In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2oI have had a external drive that is NAS based. The box I purchased is a Promise NAS4300N. It supports Windows, MAC, Linux, etc... It is not as portable as a simple external drive, but if redundancy and safety of the data is important, here you go.....
http://www.promise.com/product/product_detail_eng.asp?segment=undefined&product_id=177
The great thing about this box is that I have had it over a year with no problems, and it has 1GE ethernet for direct access, and support for a printer server, UPS backup interface, etc.
Here is how I use it:
I put 4 1TB drives in it (You can get smaller or larger drives) and set the device for RAID 10 (Mirrored, striped, redundant). Promise now has support for four(4) 1.5TB drives (Total space=6TB Raid 0, or 3TB raid 10). You can have as little as 1 drive in there, but to get the redundant capability, you need RAID 1 or better.
After setting up the unit, I plug it into a APS Power backup unit model 1500 with USB interface cable to the Device, and I plug my USB printer into another port. I now have a device that is on a UPS and will shut down if the UPS goes below 10% battery, printer support, redundant data that will recover if a drive fails, and a screamer on performance.
Performance: I measured 150Megabit over a hard-wired, 100MB over wireless-N and I can play movies to my laptop from the network device if I use my linksys N-Series card that talks to a linksys N-Series Wireless router. FYI: On my son's gaming computer, he can connect the DVI directly into the HDMI on the HD TV and play the movies directly there just by clicking on a movie file that is digitally transferred to this large NAS device. (instant picture and movie management from your PC)
Future Products:
Promise is coming out with another SOHO 2x speed improvement, same price in March. 4 drives, same software, faster CPU with more memory.
Where to buy:
Best 1TB and 1.5TB disk drive price is at http://www.tigerdirect.com $150 for a 1.5TB drive, $90 for 1TB. I recommend the Hitachi Deskstor for 1TB and Seagate 7200RPM 1.5TB for higher capacity. You can buy the Promise NAS unit at FRYS. I would buy ALL the same drive types.
FYI: I also bought a second NAS unit, put 2 1TB drives in that and copy the master NAS data to this backup drive and put the backup unit in a fire safe. If I loose my pictures, movies, etc, I would be VERY upset!!!
simpletech
by djps55 - 11/21/08 6:57 PM In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2oi use simple tech and have had no real problems to date(6 years)they update drivers as new things become available,i have had to restore items back to computer and always restored just like i backed-up.also simpletech will not back-up or restore corrupted files.
IOMEGA
by rbsjrx - 11/21/08 7:03 PM In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2oI can recommend almost anything from IOMEGA. I currently have a Firewire external 120GB drive plus a 1TB network server, both from IOMEGA and have been quite happy with them. They were reasonably priced and have proven to be perfectly reliable, which is all I could ask. The 1TB NAS unit came with software to support backing up under both Windows and Linux, which is critical for me in a network server. In the past, I've used USB external drives from IOMEGA as well, and was equally pleased with them.
Buy an internal hard drive
by Dango517 - 11/21/08 8:52 PM In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2onot an external. I told you so.
External hard drives
by LarryJD - 11/22/08 8:51 AM In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2oI have 2 Western Digital My Book Essentials with 500 GBs and 2 with 1 TBs each. Aside from having to reformat the 1 TB units from FAT 32 to NTCS, I have been very pleased with their performance. Reformatting assistance was available at Western Digital's website. Try one; prices have dropped recently. I even dropped one of them about three feet and it still works. Good luck with your search!Larry :~)
External Power Supplies are Notoriously Unreliable
by TheSalemCat - 11/22/08 2:41 PM In reply to: Need a new external hard drive - no idea what to buy by co2h2oBe advised that External Power Supplies are notoriously unreliable.
I've used External HD's by Antec, Mad Dog, ADS, Western Digital: The Power Bricks all failed eventually. They are expensive or impossible to replace. On the other hand, failures of the actual Hard Drives inside these units are no worse than any other HD's - save for the fact they may be dropped and mishandled more than HD's mounted into actual Computers.
TIPS:
1: Plug the Power Brick into the Wall Outlet ONLY when Backing-Up to the External HD. This will extend the limited life of the Power Brick.
2: Consider taking an older Computer, installing a large HD into it, and Backing Up to it over a Network. The Computer's Power Supply will last far longer than any Power Brick. You will have to take care that the O/S and BIOS of this Computer can handle the form (PATA or SATA) and size of this Backup Drive. Older O/S's may not recognize the full capacity of larger Drives.
Remain Calm
by TheSalemCat - 11/22/08 2:51 PM In reply to: External Power Supplies are Notoriously Unreliable by TheSalemCatAs explained before, if your External Hard Drive suddenly becomes impossible to access, DON'T FREAK OUT.
If you start Re-Initializing the HD, Formatting it, etc., you will lose your Data. Remember any sudden failure is likely either caused by cables coming loose, or by a dying Power Supply.
If you can't come up with a replacement PS, open the case, remove the HD, and try it inside your Computer. It is probably ok.
Wall warts
by rbsjrx - 11/23/08 1:03 AM In reply to: External Power Supplies are Notoriously Unreliable by TheSalemCata/k/a External power supplies...
Granted, they do tend to be one of the least reliable components, but they're not particularly expensive and hardly impossible to replace. I keep a spare multi-voltage model from Radio Shack which comes with multiple interchangeable tips/plugs. With it, I can replace any wall wart from 3-12VDC and up to 1000mA. IIRC, it cost me around $20.
Power Bricks with Proprietary Plugs
by TheSalemCat - 11/23/08 7:53 AM In reply to: Wall warts by rbsjrxMany of these External Power Supplies come with oddball multi-pin plugs that fit only their brand of Hard Drive Enclosure.
A month ago I called Western Digital to inquire about a replacement. After being on hold for over twenty minutes the Support Person on the other end, who spoke very poor English, told me the Power Supplies would not be available for SIX WEEKS - if then. He told me to call back. He also did not know the price. And I'm betting S&H would be closer to $10 than $5.
I would not be a bit surprised if a Replacement ended up costing more than $30 to my door, only to last another 10 months before failing again.
Sure you can buy a Radio Shack Generic, break out the Soldering Iron, cut some Heat Shrink, do some splicing and make a replacement. But not everyone is capable of that feat.
But you're right; that is the only practical solution if a person wants to make use of Enclosures with dead PS's.
It's sad than the manufacturers make the Enclosures so nice, and then include PS's that are so crummy.
Wall warts/power bricks
by rbsjrx - 11/23/08 8:23 AM In reply to: Power Bricks with Proprietary Plugs by TheSalemCat"Many of these External Power Supplies come with oddball multi-pin plugs that fit only their brand of Hard Drive Enclosure."
So far, I've never owned an external hard drive that didn't have a power connector that's not available for my Radio Shack universal power adapter. Off the shelf, it came with (IIRC) 4 of the most common different size/types of connector, both male and female. Another half-dozen or so connectors are available as accessories and I have most of them. Which way you attach the connector determines which contact is positive and which is negative. The voltage is changed by a slide switch on the wall wart case.
I don't doubt that it's possible to find devices with truly proprietary power connectors, but I always look at the devices before I buy them - either in a store or in a picture on a web site. By now, I;ve seen all the standard types and would avoid any that are truly non-standard.
The only devices I have or have seen that have truly proprietary have been those from big bucks manufacturers who can afford the NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering) costs to manufacture such a beast. Most settle for some standard connector. Some of these may seem oddball but they're still standard parts from some vendor's catalog. The typically Chinese manufacturers already have invested the resources to come up with the molds to manufacture the connector/wire assemblies. This is a volatile market and no one short of a laptop manufacturer can afford the NRE costs of non-standard connectors. As I said, every externally powered device I've ever owned or seen has used a standard connector - either a molded-on plug or some USB variant.
This is a very common Unit, with an Oddball Connector
by TheSalemCat - 11/23/08 9:00 AM In reply to: Wall warts/power bricks by rbsjrxThese units are sold by Antec, Mad Dog, Vantec, and probably about a dozen others. Upper Left is +12V, Upper Right +5V, lower pins both are Ground.
http://www.amazon.com/Antec-MX-100-Aluminum-Enclosure-Drive/dp/B000XQDTRW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1227458846&sr=1-2
I also have a couple of ADS Enclosures, with 5-Pin Sockets. Sadly they do not identify the Voltages.
I forget what connection my WD uses; it's at work. My Maxtor One-Touch has a standard, tubular connector; I'll assume it is 12V.
I've got a couple of others kicking around in the attic. It's too cold to check those out today.
OK
by rbsjrx - 11/23/08 9:22 AM In reply to: This is a very common Unit, with an Oddball Connector by TheSalemCatThose are oddball, but not because of the connector (which is a DIN variant - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_connector), but because it's a dual voltage connector. This gets back to my previous caution against buying anything with a connector you don't recognize.
The issue with the Antec unit is that it's not an external hard drive, but an external hard drive enclosure. As such, it has to supply all the voltages a HDD needs (5VDC and 12VDC) while being as inexpensive as possible. If you were to buy a non-DIY external drive, it would typically have a single voltage connector if it isn't powered by USB or Firewire. Also, since enclosures are designed to be cheap and attractive (did I mention cheap?), their wall warts are concomitantly cheap.
Building an external hard drive is just as easy as building a complete computer, but is, in my experience, hard to justify. YOU may save a few bucks and wind up with an inferior unit. That's true even if you use all new components. The picture is even bleaker if you use a used HDD from your spare parts. Under the proper circumstances, I have no qualms about building computers, but building external hard drives is something I'd avoid, simply because of the potential quality pitfalls.
We can disagree
by TheSalemCat - 11/23/08 9:56 AM In reply to: OK by rbsjrxMy Western Digital was purchased as a complete pre-assembled External Hard Drive; the Power Supply lasted just 10 months. And as I have related, the folks at WD don't expect to have Replacements In Stock for six weeks or longer. Not good.
My Antec MX-1 is a $60 unit with no Hard Drive included. The PS failed after 5 months, but Antec was very prompt in replacing it.
Assembling a Hard Drive into an Enclosure is a very easy procedure; at least I think so. And I like knowing exactly what HD is going into my Enclosure. Sometimes the HD included in a pre-built External HD is lacking in Cache Memory, or RPM. Not that these make a whole lot of difference using USB 2.0. But with eSATA it's a whole different story.
My definition of a Standard Connector is not whether an Engineer can contact Allied Electronics or Newark and buy it off the shelf, but rather if it is possible to buy a Replacement Power Supply all assembled with the proper plug from Amazon or Radio Shack.
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