Storage forum: Too many bad reviews on all external HD's

Almost all the drives arrive READY TO USE (a good thing) but to accomplish this the vendors have to supply the drive in FAT32 format. Now that's not such a bad thing but FAT32 is not tolerant of file system damage that can occur when people unplug the cable, lose power, etc.

The fix is simple. After you get the drive, use your OS's native filesystem (NTFS for newer Windows, others for others.)

There are some dud units out there but I don't find the issue to be that widespread except for one thing. These units are just "hard disks" and prone to all the problems we have inside the computers we have now plus additional issues of drops and the FAT32 issue. So they will be less reliable than an internal.

Since we all maintain backups this shouldn't be a problem. (oops, that's not true!)

Bob

Way to many problems being reported here on Cnet about these. More then likely the USB connection instead of a standard IDE or SATA is causing the problem. Add an internal drive instead or replace your internal drive with a larger one.

buying externals when they really need and should buy internals. I call it the 'Easy Button' for increasing/adding HDD space. It's certainly more trouble to install a hard drive internally but when you weigh that against the problems I see from posters here and elsewhere, the odds seem to be overwhelmingly favor of you having problems with an external over an internal. So the initial convenience and ease of use are soon offset by earlier problems merely accessing your precious data..especially for those whose only copy of their data is on an external hard disk.

For those with laptops and those that really really need 'externals' for transportability ... externals are great.

VAPCMD

I agree with you that it seems like there are a lot of complaints about external hard drives by folks. While I can't claim to understand why this is the case, it is possible (although not probable) that some folks simply make mistakes in how they use them. They may be using backup software with which they aren't familiar and don't learn to properly use.

But I don't think you should let folks negative reviews stop you from purchasing an external backup hard drive. While I'm not making any particular claims, my Iomega has served me well since purchasing it almost one year ago.

I suppose the safest thing to do is purchase from a well-known and reputable manufacturer (like Iomega, Western Digital, Maxtor, etc.)

re: "While I can't claim to understand why this is the case, it is possible (although not probable) that some folks simply make mistakes in how they use them. They may be using backup software with which they aren't familiar and don't learn to properly use."

For the most part it's nothing more than additional points of failure.
USB ports, USB Cables, external enclosure with electronics, AC adapters, AC power cords, etc.,. All of these things plus the portability add to the increased vulnerability of external USB drives ...especially those that are turned on and off, plugged and unplugged, connected and removed ...it's just the nature of external drives.

That said I personally own several external devices all built from separate HDDs of choice and good quality enclosures. I have multiple external hard drives (3.5" and 2.5") and an external CD-DVD. I disconnect and unplug them when not in use and make it a point to never put my only copy of anything on them. Good components, proper use and careful handling reduce at least some of the potential problems using external drives.

VAPCMD

If its the model I'm thinking of, its not so easy to install/replace the internal drive. I've built many external drives for friends and family using the box similar to Antec or another ruggedized one from CompUSA, and they have been very reliable, and fast. As stated earlier, you get a better warranty with the internal drives that you use to build your own external drive box. Of course, that doesn't help much when you lose all your data when a drive fails.

I have three external USB hard drives, two 2.5" and one 3.5" - all home built by putting a regular disk in an enclosure from the local computer store. All drives were PATA. The 2.5 drives (40 GB and 80 GB) were from notebooks I upgraded and the 3.5" was a new Seagate 300 GB. I've had no problem with any of them, these on a PC - I see no reason why a Mac should be any different.

However, friends have run into problems, almost invariably with 3.5" drives. In a couple of cases, the problems arose when the units were moved while powered on. Unlike 2.5" drives that are assumed to be used in a portable device, though moving them while spinning is not recommended, 3.5" drives are designed for desktops and other such (relatively) fixed machines. I suspect that they are much more senitive to being moved while powered on and this may be the cause of some of the problems.

Good practice would suggest that you should place the drive on a firm surface where it is to be used, plug in the USB cable and then switch the power on (note, most 2.5" drives are self powered from the USB port, so plugging the cable in will power them up). Whichever type you are using, when finished, use the system tray icon to stop the drive (or the Mac equivalent - I assume it has one) and wait for confirmation that it is safe to remove the hardware, then turn off the power before you move it. If you don't get the confrmation or the system says it can't be stopped at this time, leave it until you next power off the machine (which you do overnight to save the planet, don't you?!).

This routine has worked for me - your mileage may vary.

These are excerpts from a forum concerning external hard drive problems. 33000+ problems were listed. Please note that the problems listed are in many cases severe and would be difficult of the average user to over come. This is in no way a complete list of possible problems. DEG 1216075:47


drive is not formatted

computer won't even read the thing

I have tried to install the external hard drive on both of the older computers, but they do not recognize it.

problem with an unrecognized USB device
it becomes unaccessible. To be specific I get a blue screen saying: "Disk Write Error: Unable to write to disk in Drive D. Data or files may be lost."

Every couple of hours while playing music it freezes,
it doesn't want to load up.

message saying windows has encountered a problem and needs to close

label the hard drive with a different letter each time it was plugged in

external 120gb HD have become inaccessible

started making clicking sounds

computer just wouldnt boot

slow transfer speed of my USB hard drive

My computer will not recognize the drive

a KERNEL_STACK error

run extremely hot

Error: hard drive not installed




Note: Also note that many of the responses here at Cnet are for conventional internal hard drives placed in external cases and used in this fashion not purchased stand alone external hard drives available at many computer retailers today. There is a difference. DEG 1216075:47

while the computer is retrieving or storing data to it, there should be no problem." ... do you really think that's the only cause for external drive problems ?

Suggest you take a moment to read the multitude of posts here on CNET about problems with 'external hard drives'. I really doubt all these posters are kidding...especially those with the only copy of their data on an external HDD they can no longer access or connect to.

VAPCMD

PS .... I've got multiple several external HDDs too and use them carefully and sparingly without problems. But suffice it to say the vulnerability of external HDDs is inherently greater than internal HDDs...even if you disconnect or unhook properly.

opportunity presents itself..use the eSATA.

The MX-1 comes with all the stuff to make eSATA work if you have SATA ports on the MB ... or add an SATA controller.

VAPCMD

be interested to hear your thoughts on the product. You got a good $$.

At least you got the pick of the fastest SATA HDDs.

VAPCMD

CompUSA is going belly up/closing down/going out of business. I stopped by there tonight everything was 10% off and they had a lot of them. I'm in the mid west prices and details might vary. I liked that store they always close down the places I like, I'm not kidding. This has happened to many times to me to be ignored. ( <<< Think I could have put a few more to's in there) If it weren't for bad shopping luck I'd have no shopping luck at all.........I'll skip the gloom and despair part. God, wasn't that the theme sound from Heehaw? I've been in the mid west TOO long.

Another quick question though. If Newegg lists the drive as OEM, does that mean it doesn't come with the standard 5-year warranty?

for example, this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

and I know it comes standard with a limited 5-year warranty (if you buy it retail). My worry is that since Newegg is selling it as an OEM drive, does that mean the warranty is void?

To be honest, I'm not quite clear on OEM products and how that changes things. I read the user comments and someone was asking the same question but didn't seem to get an answer. Other users list the warranty as a "pro" but I wasn't sure if they knew the item is OEM and not retail-packaged.

Anyhow, I plan on giving Newegg a call tomorrow but I'm not sure they would know it themselves. =/

but sadly in my case I want the external drive to be accessed by both my mac and pc side.

FAT32 seems to be the only way to go in that case. :/