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04/13/2006 06:38:57 AM · #1 |
Greetings all:
I'm looking to buy a USB external hard drive (windows XP) and was wondering if anyone here had any recommendations or warnings for me.
Thanks in advance,
JP
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04/13/2006 06:45:26 AM · #2 |
I recently bought a LaCie HDD. I haven't had any problems with it at all. It's fast, and so far, reliable... It's also 110-220v, so I can use it pretty much anywhere... And it looks cool. =]
Message edited by author 2006-04-13 11:39:26. |
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04/13/2006 04:33:31 PM · #3 |
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04/13/2006 04:34:35 PM · #4 |
| Here's a warning: Don't put all your photos on an external drive with the intention of burning them to DVD. The drive will crash and then you'll lose all your photos. Or, uh, so I heard. |
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04/13/2006 04:40:18 PM · #5 |
i also have a lacie works out great, works for either pc or mac, I use it more on my mac though, works perfectly had it for a while now too.
check these out Lacie Hard Drives
very good fast external hard drives
just for some info still u should backup on cd's or dvd's you never know when one will go
Message edited by author 2006-04-13 16:41:15.
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04/13/2006 05:12:40 PM · #6 |
I have 4 external LaCie hard drives, all of them are compatible with USB 1,2 and FW 400, 800.
they have all worked perfectly since I plugged them in the first time.
I did buy McAlley box for HDD and put a new 200GB disk in the box.. the disk got fried, then I put a second disk in the box and it got fried to (thought it was the disk the first time)
then I took the McAlley box to the store, they put the 3rd disk in and fried that to, then they got a new box, put one of the fried disk in it and fried the box ;)
NEVER buy McAlley boxes ;)
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04/13/2006 05:16:05 PM · #7 |
lacie 250gb saved my puny existence from being even more puny
there are two best parts.
1. the best part is, i no longer have to wince every time i save a psd file! there's plenny of room!
2. the best part is my laptop becomes my desktop every time i leave the house! i can take all my photos, music, writings, etc., wherever i go!
booyah!
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04/13/2006 05:17:55 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by DanSig:
NEVER buy McAlley boxes ;) |
I have had a McAlley box for over a year now, and it still works just fine... *knocks on wood* |
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04/13/2006 05:20:12 PM · #9 |
I've got an acomdata 250gb. All fine so far. *touch wood*
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04/13/2006 05:24:41 PM · #10 |
I have a Western Digital 80GB 7200rpm Special Edition internal drive in an external enclosure with USB2. It's been running almost constantly for the past year and a half without any troubles whatsoever. Cost me less than half of what those Lacie drives are going for. Go to NewEgg.com and shop around. I would highly reccomment Western Digital though.
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04/13/2006 05:46:38 PM · #11 |
I got this one and happy with it. Got it here for $137
//www.buy.com/prod/Iomega_Silver_Series_250GB_USB_2_0_Hard_Drive_33215/q/loc/16076/10399719.html
Keep an eye on the link as price jumps up and down constantly.
Nick
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04/13/2006 06:21:51 PM · #12 |
I bought two 200GB drives and two cases for a total of about $200. I back up to alternate drives so if one fails I'm still haven't lost my backup. It's looking sensible for archival storage these days, but always have two copies! (I currently have two stacks of DVD-R's for archival storage)
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04/13/2006 06:28:02 PM · #13 |
Icy Box (FireWire/USB2) with *insert size of drive* Western Digital or Seagate 8MB Cache and ur laughing :)
steer clear of Fujitsu drives have the worst failure rate of any drive.. |
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04/13/2006 06:50:57 PM · #14 |
I have had a 250G made by Western Digital. Works great.
Recently bought a Seagate 400 G which failed within the 1st week.
Draw your own conclusions. |
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04/13/2006 07:06:04 PM · #15 |
| Maxtor external USB/Firewire drive has worked well for me. As for Fujitsu drives, I have had 2 15K SCSI Fujitsu MAM drives running well for over 5 years. |
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04/13/2006 07:14:30 PM · #16 |
Building your own hard drive/casing combination is much cheaper than an already boxed one (ie LaCie etc). I have several I have made up myself. I was also told to try and stay at 250GB or less. Apparently it starts getting too crowded and troublesome the higher you go. I guess there's more to lose if things go awry.
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04/13/2006 08:18:49 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by pineapple:
As for Fujitsu drives, I have had 2 15K SCSI Fujitsu MAM drives running well for over 5 years. |
SCSI isn't even in the same ballpark as PTA/SATA drives.. |
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04/13/2006 08:42:24 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by tryals15:
I recently bought a LaCie HDD. I haven't had any problems with it at all. It's fast, and so far, reliable... It's also 110-220v, so I can use it pretty much anywhere... And it looks cool. =] |
I got the same one a few months ago and have has zero problems. Most of the bad reviews repot heat build up (not fan - which is why they are so quiet) but I don't run mine all the time. If you do intend to run full time, then I suggest an enclosure with some cooling plan. |
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04/13/2006 08:49:14 PM · #19 |
Stand Alone
I would suggest you buy one of these.
I have the 40GB but if you buy the bigger one you can use it as a regular hard drive and if you ever need it for photos out in the field it is there. Also a 7 in 1 card reader.
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04/13/2006 08:51:05 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by mk:
Here's a warning: Don't put all your photos on an external drive with the intention of burning them to DVD. The drive will crash and then you'll lose all your photos. Or, uh, so I heard. |
Yeah, I um, "heard" about that too.
Seriously, heed every warning you've ever heard about backing up. I lost about 6 months of photos, including my son's first birthday, when my external HDD crashed. |
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04/13/2006 10:36:26 PM · #21 |
| definately double back up everything! |
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04/13/2006 11:55:25 PM · #22 |
Thanks to all that replied. You've deffinetly given me a lot to think about.
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04/14/2006 08:04:10 AM · #23 |
I have four hard drives that plug into the wall - and 2 Lacie drives that are portable and go with my laptop. It is definitely a good idea to "mirror" your backups on hard drives - so that if one fails you will still have copies of your work. I had one of the original pair fail within the first six months - but I was backed up on the second one so I did not lose anything.
At a workshop I went to to with Darryl Gulen - he only uses hard drives for his backups (I'm pretty sure he also mirrors) Tim Grey also uses hard drives and recommends the mirroring.
I am trying to keep my best photos on my mirrored hard drives, but I also still have backups on DVD's. But once again - I burn 2 DVD's on two different brand media and I each set differently. One I store in notebooks with plastic sleeves for easy access. The other set I store on the original spindles.
Because my husband is a programmer, we are serious about backups. So far I have not lost any photos due to hardware failure. |
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04/14/2006 08:41:06 AM · #24 |
are you looking strictly for extra space? Backup? portability?
I have an old version of this Kanguru drive and love it. It is rechargable and takes all camera cards so when in the field you can just dump and go (pictures that is). They even make ones that burn to cd. Then hook it back to your computer and you have a portable hard drive. Mine doesn't have a picture display but still love it.
Message edited by author 2006-04-14 08:41:28.
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04/14/2006 12:20:56 PM · #25 |
Adding more to the double backup/archive copy remarks. Always keep one copy at a different location. You can never tell when a thief might take your system or fire/flood/... might strike.
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