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General discussion

Confused about which external hard drives are best...

Apr 30, 2006 5:39AM PDT

I have been researching external hard drives and still have no clue as to which will be the most reliable. I have an iMac G5 with OS X 10.3.9. I would like to get an external hard drive, about 250 GB--any price. It will be for storage of images (used primarily in Photoshop CS), documents, and some movie files for Final Cut Pro.

Based on various reviews, I have considered a LaCie d2, Iomega Black Series, or G-tech drive. I am mostly concerned about the drive crashing and losing my files--which sounds like it happens about 25% of the time with LaCies.

I am open to any suggestions. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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External HDDs are a poor place to store the ONLY copy
Apr 30, 2006 8:09AM PDT

of your data ... unless of course you don't care much about it.

VAPCMD

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Agreed. . .
May 3, 2006 1:39PM PDT

HDs are temporary storage at best. I have a slave drive in my PC, and a DVD burner. I have a copy of everything I can't afford to loose on the slave, and about once a month I burn everything to a data DVD. I have three copies.

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External drives
May 7, 2006 2:12AM PDT

Hi. I use external drives a lot. I agree you should not have only one copy of files you value and this applies whatever medium they are stored on. I prefer to use an external drive box rather than the proprietary externals as you can change the hard drive and so use the various hard drives that one accumulates.In this way you can have backups of your backups if that's what you want.
There has been much talk about the vulnerability of disk drives as a means of backup but there is, so far, no storage medium that eventually doesn't die. I find externals particularly useful for backing up clone images as my experience of using earlier versions of Ghost involved a bunch of CDs. Not only did this involve collecting a lot of CDs but often as not the program would fail to write to the sixth or seventh disk making all previous disks unusable
Having a fixed external of two or three hundred Gs doesn't make much sense to me as you have to fill it to justify it's size and this can involve a lot of time and many scattered inserts.If you have a lot of files and pix you may need a large drive to hold backups but being able to put that asside and insert smaller drives gives much more flexibility and accessibility to individual backups. Also this approach puts less milage on any one drive. Hope my ramblings may be of some use to you. Regards Stewart

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But as I see it, the increased hard drive vulnerability
May 7, 2006 5:36AM PDT

is caused by the drive being placed in an external case (with its own electronics), being connected to the PC thru USB (sometimes it's perfect and others NOT), or being portable (susceptible to falling over or being dropped). Even if the drive or the enclosure doesn't fail ... dropping the external HDD or tripping over AC power/USB cable causing the drive hit the deck ... running or not, can easily end it all.

Bottomline ... my first backup ALWAYS goes to a separate INTERNAL HDD. And subsequently those backups ... mainly GHOST images, are ALSO copied to an external HDD. This method has served me very very well for years.

VAPCMD

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Internal HD backups are not withou trisk.
May 7, 2006 11:28AM PDT

If lightning hits the power lines (as distinct from the outhouse) it can make the inside of your computer look like a barbecue pit. Also fire and theft can make everything disappear. Backups in the case are no backups. Alas I speak from experience. Regards Stewart Stewart

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Sorry to hear about your experience
May 8, 2006 1:38PM PDT

It is true there's always some risk with any PC components.

But with regard to internal vs. external hard drives, it's clear to me the risk is much much higher with USB externals vs internals. To wit, just read the many problem posts in the STORAGE and PC HARDWARE forums.

Actually I do have several external HDDs which I use to backup my primary (internal) backup. When the externals aren't in use for backup, they are NOT plugged in. I take the externals to work whenever I don't forget. The other thing I always use and advocate use of a good UPS to protect PC systems.

Wishing you better luck in the future.

VAPCMD

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Please!
May 11, 2006 10:36PM PDT

Lightening strikes? Fire! Theft! My, these are acts of God! If that happens you weren't meant to have a backup. Look for those sales with rebates for 120 or 160 HD's of Seagates, WDs, or Maxtors (whatever) for $30 and buy some USB2 external cases and make your own external HDs. For $45 each I have six of these that I put all kinds of Videos on and burn copies to DVDs. I also have a couple of thousand VHS tapes of TV sports and shows that just fill storage containers in the basement. What a waste! If they are lost or whatever, Que Sera, Sera! What's important now will be vague memories in a year. I have so much stored data, disks and such that I know will never be looked at again. After 30 years of this; going thru Commodores, Amigas, Macs, MsDos, Windows and so many different storage devices it all seems moot!

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yeah, also consider fires and floods.
May 12, 2006 2:55AM PDT

If you're more prone to those disasters, consider.....

1) backing up to a removable storage unit and keeping it at a seperate location whenever you're not currently backing stuff up. I'd imagine this isn't practical to do all the time, but in case of a fire, flood, or other disaster, at least the worst case is you only lose a week or so of your work and not a whole lifetime.

2) Use some online storage solution. Few free ones are any decent from what i hear, but i hear there are low monthly fee ones that work out well. All you need is a fast connection.

3) fire/flood proof safe. They sell these at Staples, so it's not just for med/big businesses. Those are certainly affordable, but keep in mind they're not impregnable. Some just offer high, and not total protection against the elements.

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iMacs Can Only Have One Internal Hard Drive
May 11, 2006 9:53PM PDT

I agree with you guys that internal hard drives are safer but I'm sorry to say that iMacs can only have one internal drive.

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Yup...I said the same about all the Slimline PCs out
May 13, 2006 2:39AM PDT

7-8 years ago. They look great, fit everywhere but ex-pansion wise. . . .you pay dearly. Only after adding the first second or third external do some realize that reduced footprint smaller case isn't always the best choice for a variety of reasons...expansion, cost, heat, repair, cable management, etc.,

VAPCMD

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HDs in enclosures
May 16, 2006 2:08PM PDT

I stayed away from external drives for a number of years before the market started providing inexpensive enclosures. These marvelous units use either FireWire, USB 2 or both and allow you to buy a hard drive for external storage, AND they allow you to rescue data from crashed drives which will no longer boot a computer, but which will still communicate over the IDE bus. Furthermore, if you choose the right formatting (e.g. FAT32) the drive can be used in a multiplatform network environment.

There are problems, and VAPCMD's comment that an external drive isn't a good place for the only copy of data is right on the mark. Both Windows and Mac OS computers can be unreliable in recognizing these drives and it can drive you crazy if yopu need to see a file NOW. You can find yourself frantically working in "maybe if I don't step on a crack" mode, turing off the drive before rebooting the computer, after rebooting, before logging onto your user profile, disconnecting data cables, etc. as you consider the effectiveness of physical threats to a semianimate object. You will eventually get your data back, just not necesarily in the same hour that you start looking for it.

If anyone can provide some tips for making external drives speak when spoken to, I would be eternally grateful.

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Glyph Drives Are The Most Reliable I've Seen
May 11, 2006 9:50PM PDT

I work at the largest independent Mac repair shop in the U.S. (http://www.tekserve.com) so I see a lot of fried external drives and data recoveries. My suggestion would be a Glyph external hard drive (http://www.glyphtech.com). I see tons of LaCie Porsche die, many LaCie d2s die, almost all the crap no name drives die but I've never seen a dead Glyph (of course I'm sure someone has had one die and I just don't know them.)

When looking for an external drive there are a few things I consider. First the warranty length of the drive tells you how long the manufacturer thinks this product should last. Glpyh drives have 3 year warranties which is longest of any the externals I've sold. Second you want to look at the quality of the enclosure. Enclosures with fans tend to last longer because they can disperse the heat that can lead to drive failure. Third you want to look at the quality of the hard drive inside. Even if the enclosure fails you can just swap the hard drive inside to a new one. However, if the drive fails that's when you go into paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for data recovery. Get a reliable brand name internal hard drive like Seagate or Hitachi (maybe Maxtor). Good luck and thank you for thinking about back-up now instead of after it?s too late.

Jazmin
Tekserve, 23rd & 6th Ave, NYC
212.929.3645
''May you have a thousands back-ups and never need one.''

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Best external drive
May 11, 2006 10:34PM PDT

I have been running an 80 G Maxtor, and a 60 G Seagate both for a little over 2 years without any problems. They both get used for a variety of picture and video backups, please a backup of my laptop documents. Both of these have run very well, without notable problems or data loss. Hope this is helpful

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Best External Hard Drives
May 12, 2006 12:05AM PDT

I have been using Que, USB Buslink & Maxtor external drives & internal drives installed by me into hard drive enclosures. I use a good backup program & have been storing all my important personal data on these drives for several years, no problems. I do not keep external drives hooked up to PC when not in use, only when I decide to do a backup, which is approximately every two days. I hope this info helps. I find them very reliable as long as you dont overheat them or drop them.

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KISS method available recently for $160 CDN
May 12, 2006 1:42AM PDT

Hi Duffyea -- I'm using a 250 GB Diamond Digital that connects via USB, disconnected unless I'm actually backing up, and have had no problems. I too spent a lot of time checking out external hard drives after getting tired of endless stacks of CDs and DVDs. I wanted something simple, so decided to avoid automatic backup software. Just wanted a box separate from the computer to keep stuff on. I'm a voiceover artist so have a lot of audio files I don't want to lose. Yeah, the hyped brand name external drives have all the neat bells and whistles, but the way I look at it, that's just more to break. Hope this helps.

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My Externals
May 15, 2006 8:05AM PDT

I use a iOmega USB 60gb for my iMac
and a Lacie Firewire 250gb for my PC.
Both are great so far, no loss yet. The iOmega is 8 years old and the Lacie is 2.
The Lacie started to make a whirring sound weeks after I bought it, so I stood it on it's side rather then laying it down flat and it stopped. LOL That's why I say "so far".

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Computer does not recognize two external hard drives
May 13, 2006 12:47PM PDT

Your comments bring up a a little problem I have. I have two Maxtor external harddrives (80 and 120) for backup. Maxtor says I can use both. Both have usb ports. My computer recognizes only one at a time, when both are connected. Any hints to get the computer to recognize both? Windows XP Home edition.

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Build it yourself
May 12, 2006 12:51AM PDT

2 reasons
Cost
You can usually save yourself a few dollars if you roll your own, and putting one together is really not that complicated.
Warranty
Most prebuilt extrenal drives only come with a one-year warranty, if you buy a Seagate internal drive it has a five-year warranty.

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"HOW TO" build your own external hard drive?
May 12, 2006 4:41AM PDT

If it's fairly easy, maybe you could give us a step-by-step on how we may build our own, inexpensive external hard drives!

thanks for you expertise and time...Happy

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How to
May 12, 2006 6:21AM PDT

MOST IMPORTANT RULE... TAKE YOUR TIME AND read the instructions
1. Open the enclosure... usually 2 screws or clips
2. make the hdd a MASTER (may have to change the jumper settings)
3. plug in the electric plug (has a bunch of color cables)
4. plug in the flat cable and very carefully
5. set the hdd in the case making sure NOT to bend the flat cable to much... align it by the screw holes and screw 4 screws in... may be clips
6. close the enclosure... may have screws or clips
7. put the stand and screw it (if it's the stand up kind).
8. turn on computer... WAIT for FULL bootup
9. plug in the USB plugs to both computer AND enclosure
10. plug the electric cord of the enclosure... turn it on (in case it has an on/off switch)
11. WAIT for computer to SEE the hdd (may take a while)
12. once the computer sees the enclosure... WAIT for the whole proccess to get done... usually 3 or 4 steps... you'll see little bubbles saying that it sees, etc on lower right corner
13. MY COMPUTER (right click) MANAGE... DISK MANAGEMENT... scroll down till you see the external hdd... right click to activate (in case windows didn't see it)... format (if needed like when using an old hdd) and/or partition

Just my 2 cents, hope they're of help

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How to ( forgot a part)
May 12, 2006 6:35AM PDT

IF the computer doesn't see it (PRIOR to going in MY COMPUTER) go into the setup (look closely when your computer just boots up (BEFORE you see the windows screen) for the F key you'll need to press to go into the setup)... wait till it boots and reboot... this time make sure to press the F key right away (if it doesn't work... try again)
Once in the setup... look for disks... scroll down till you find the externaal and turn it ON

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Remember what backups are for
May 12, 2006 2:26AM PDT

I had several systems that I had been rolling all of my data forward for years. This included documents, emails and pictures. My last system had a 250GB drive and a cloned 250GB stored in the case, but no power applied. I would hook it up when I was ready to clone the current system again. It came in handy several times as a bootable drive.

Then, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I figured I would be back home in 72 hours. When the 17th St Canal levee broke, I had just under 7 feet of water in my house. Do you care to guess where my backup hard drive was? Yep, still in the computer at home. I lost 11 years of stuff.

Next time, I will take my backup with me. Before, I was foolish. Now, I am EXPERIENCED!

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sorry to hear that :(
May 12, 2006 2:47AM PDT

Here's hoping the important/critical stuff lost was at the absolute minimum

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Agree Backups are important...
May 12, 2006 4:04PM PDT

Since the original poster has a Mac, you might want to consider a .Mac account.

You can backup your important files online there if they are not too large and you have Broadband.

Especially if you have a theft, fire, tornado, etc. and are not keeping offsite storage. Something to consider as an option....

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remembering back ups
May 13, 2006 1:51AM PDT

Forgive me if I'm missing something here but back up are only good if you can access them.I bought a 1G flash drive and stored all my pictures there since 2001. Next, I made a DVD of pictures and movies with my HP DVD writer and placd it in a security box. Because I'm overprotective, I went to Kodak Gallery and sent all pics there,too. So, if my hard drive or external poops out, I can secure them safely. The reason I made aDVD , too, was if the flash drive was lost or burned out.Included are pics of my valuables and scans of important documents.

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my Maxtor external drive is great
May 12, 2006 4:26AM PDT

My Maxtor "One Touch" (a feature that I don't use) 300 GB USB/Firewire external drive is great; it's connected via a USB 2 port and I can't even see any difference in access time compared to my internal hard drive. Maxtor bundles backup software that I don't like and don't use. I keep all my data in My Documents, then use "copy to" (in My Computer) to copy all the files and folders to the external drive. I also use Windows XP Backup to copy the entire C drive.

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Maxtor is not a reliable choice
May 12, 2006 7:39AM PDT

I never thought I could have such bad luck with a hard drive company, but I have. I'm not sure if myself, and everyone I know, have just bought bad apples from Maxtor but we have had terrible luck with them. I bought a Maxtor drive last summer, and it is already having problems with bad blocks (several hundred... modern drives shouldn't have any... ever) and loosing partitions. Very bad quality. It is a 200 GB diamond max 10 or something like that. My friend bought a similar hard drive, and it literally went up in smoke within two months. A chip burnt up on the bottom side of the drive, and obviously stopped working. It is under warranty, but maxtor won't replace the circuit board, so he can get his 250 gb of data off of it.

I would recommend any hard drive that is not maxtor. I have had Western digital drives last for years, but Seagate is the BEST option, but is normally a little more expensive. It is strange that Seagate owns Maxtor. The best owns the worst.

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You are absolutely right!!! MAXTOR STINKS.
May 13, 2006 3:51AM PDT

My friend bought a brand new IBM pc and the maxtor drive in the machine died in just 6 months. They are so lousy they only come with a one year warranty. Her's was replaced by Maxtor, but who wants that headache to begin with??? AVOID MAXTOR!!

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Maxtor's OK SO Far
May 13, 2006 10:57AM PDT

Everyone seems to have horror stories. I'll only say we have four at work (external one-touches) and I use one at home. The ones at work are at least a couple of years old and in use daily (they back each other up as well as files from two separate servers. So in fairness to Maxtor, I haven't had any problems at all. I'm sure you'll get great stories and not so great from all the major companies.

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eh, you get what you pay for.
May 13, 2006 2:04PM PDT

Not to reuse this expression, but it is true. Staples and other brick and mortar stores tend to have Maxtor over Western Digital or Seagate... if at all for the latters. Not saying Maxtor is crap, but the fact that their warr is only 1 yr and that they're often sold in those venues at mass discounts (e.g. 200GB hd for only $50 after MIR, altho it was the older IDE interface) just shows that one would probably have to expect quality not up to par with other brands. Granted online, better brands are cheaper, but then you're likely to find Maxtor cheaper there.

I had a roomate who bought a new Maxtor HD. Installed it, moved (not copied) many files from his old HD to that one. That new one died in 2 weeks. He got it replaced and it's been working for over a year just fine. It seemed like a freak bad luck incident, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear WD and SG to have that too, albeit less often