External hard drives
Jul 17, 2007, 1:23 am
#1
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External hard drives
I am starting to travel a lot again, and as there are certainly some battle hardened veterans on this forum, I thought this was the logical place to ask, rather than trawl through a whole lot of PC magazine reviews.
I have searched on the forum, but there doesn't appear to be a thread which quite addresses my question.
A portable external HD appears to be the way to go, and preferably one which powers up through a USB connection.
Reveiws on Amazon.com vary from very satisified users, to absolute disaster stories.
What would the recomendation be from battle hardened veterans for a portable external HD that backed up my company files existing on my laptop if the HD decided that it was going to die as a worse case scenario, and I would buy another laptop or use a substitute if need be. The maximum file size for my total personal files would appear to be 3 - 4 GB, which would be on the margin for a memory stick.
Advice appreciated. I am an oldie, so it shouldn't be too sophisticated.
And as an oldie, a complete devotee of the Internet and its power, and an avid FF in my hey day (and still), this is a marvellous site.
I have searched on the forum, but there doesn't appear to be a thread which quite addresses my question.
A portable external HD appears to be the way to go, and preferably one which powers up through a USB connection.
Reveiws on Amazon.com vary from very satisified users, to absolute disaster stories.
What would the recomendation be from battle hardened veterans for a portable external HD that backed up my company files existing on my laptop if the HD decided that it was going to die as a worse case scenario, and I would buy another laptop or use a substitute if need be. The maximum file size for my total personal files would appear to be 3 - 4 GB, which would be on the margin for a memory stick.
Advice appreciated. I am an oldie, so it shouldn't be too sophisticated.
And as an oldie, a complete devotee of the Internet and its power, and an avid FF in my hey day (and still), this is a marvellous site.
Jul 17, 2007, 7:17 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
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Hard disks today are better engineered than some of the old ones. Thats not to say they're failsafe (in fact because they're more tollerant to bumps, we abuse them more these days).
You say you have 3-4Gb of data - thats good - but remember data does tend to expand, and not shrink.
So its down to Bus Powered Hard disks, or a 8/16Gb Pen Drive (memory stick).
Advantages of Hard disks are that you can store a lot more data. One nasty bounce on the floor, and its game ovr.
Advatngage of a Flash Drive - Faster, smaller. However, they can still be crushed (which is fun to see when your Director crushes one in front of you), and the cost can be silly at higher capacties. (also much more loosable)
Hard disk brands:
LaCie - they do ruggerised hard disks http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/range.htm?id=10036
WD Passport - Slim Harddisks - http://www.westerndigital.com/en/pro...sp?DriveID=317
PenDrives - I recommend the Corsair Flash Voyager Pen drives http://www.corsair.com/products/voyager.aspx - efficient, and i've had not had one pop on me or my users yet.
As always, take care of your equipment, and your equipment will look after itself!
You say you have 3-4Gb of data - thats good - but remember data does tend to expand, and not shrink.
So its down to Bus Powered Hard disks, or a 8/16Gb Pen Drive (memory stick).
Advantages of Hard disks are that you can store a lot more data. One nasty bounce on the floor, and its game ovr.
Advatngage of a Flash Drive - Faster, smaller. However, they can still be crushed (which is fun to see when your Director crushes one in front of you), and the cost can be silly at higher capacties. (also much more loosable)
Hard disk brands:
LaCie - they do ruggerised hard disks http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/range.htm?id=10036
WD Passport - Slim Harddisks - http://www.westerndigital.com/en/pro...sp?DriveID=317
PenDrives - I recommend the Corsair Flash Voyager Pen drives http://www.corsair.com/products/voyager.aspx - efficient, and i've had not had one pop on me or my users yet.
As always, take care of your equipment, and your equipment will look after itself!
Jul 17, 2007, 8:47 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2006
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I have a healthy mistrust for external USB drives, as I've seen tons fail with my clients. I'm not convinced that that drives today are engineered better - faster, more dense maybe, but not more reliable. If you go this route, pick very carefully. On the other hand, I've had both PNY and SanDisk Cruzer flash drives go through the washer and dryer and not loose a byte of stored info. You might also take a look at online backup systems. There are free services that give you space to store data, and there are online backup sites that charge but give you a way to perform differential backups, recording only what has changed on the computer.
Jul 17, 2007, 11:18 am
#4
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Jul 17, 2007, 11:51 am
#5
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I lean toward the USB flash drives while traveling. I used to carry a 100Gb 2.5" external USB hard drive, but it can be iffy powering it over the USB. It would never work on a passive hub and I had problems on some clients laptops.
These days I carry the data from my work machine on DVD(s) with a copy on one or more 4Gb flash drives (seems to be the sweet spot with sticks as cheap as $25 USD). All the data is protected with TrueCrypt just in case one of the sticks is lost/stolen.
These days I carry the data from my work machine on DVD(s) with a copy on one or more 4Gb flash drives (seems to be the sweet spot with sticks as cheap as $25 USD). All the data is protected with TrueCrypt just in case one of the sticks is lost/stolen.
Jul 17, 2007, 12:19 pm
#6
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I carry a 60GB portable harddrive and two 8GB thumbdrives when I travel. The WesternDigital Passport drives are great and if taken care of they will last.
The thumbdrives that are best are the ones that use a rubber seal around them to secure it. This makes them waterproof and rugged. I've washed one of mine before and it came out fine.
Something else I do is a backup to Amazon's S3. I encrypt everything and throw a copy up on S3. It's pretty cheap, costs me around $3 a month.
The thumbdrives that are best are the ones that use a rubber seal around them to secure it. This makes them waterproof and rugged. I've washed one of mine before and it came out fine.
Something else I do is a backup to Amazon's S3. I encrypt everything and throw a copy up on S3. It's pretty cheap, costs me around $3 a month.
Jul 17, 2007, 8:49 pm
#7
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Thumb Drive or Hard Drive - That is the question...
I have a number of 1 GB thumb drives. I have a 160 GB Western Digital USB drive made for laptops. I have a 100 GB Hitachi laptop drive housed in a Manhattan enclosure.
For me, the trade offs are between physical size and storage size.
The thumb drives (flash memory) are physically small. Easy to carry in a pocket. The only ones of mine that have failed are the ones with the tricky encryption software built in (SanDisk). They failed because the encryption software wasn't all that great. As others have noted, you can get quite a lot of storage on them. If you only need 4 GB max, then double that and get an 8 GB version. You will be happy you did.
8 GB isn't all that much. Most of the decently priced USB HD units for laptops hold 40 GB or more. Seems like overkill. These units are physically larger. I have a Sony Vaio PCG-TR3AP which is very tiny (and old). Sony still makes similar models. But I digress. Even with the small size of my laptop and the modest size of the USB hard drives (slightly bigger than a deck of cards), I still have trouble in First class organizing the laptop, USB cable, and USB hard drive on the fold out trays. No room for coffee. Things are even more cramped for people with normal sized laptops. You just don't have that problem with a thumb drive.
For me, the trade offs are between physical size and storage size.
The thumb drives (flash memory) are physically small. Easy to carry in a pocket. The only ones of mine that have failed are the ones with the tricky encryption software built in (SanDisk). They failed because the encryption software wasn't all that great. As others have noted, you can get quite a lot of storage on them. If you only need 4 GB max, then double that and get an 8 GB version. You will be happy you did.
8 GB isn't all that much. Most of the decently priced USB HD units for laptops hold 40 GB or more. Seems like overkill. These units are physically larger. I have a Sony Vaio PCG-TR3AP which is very tiny (and old). Sony still makes similar models. But I digress. Even with the small size of my laptop and the modest size of the USB hard drives (slightly bigger than a deck of cards), I still have trouble in First class organizing the laptop, USB cable, and USB hard drive on the fold out trays. No room for coffee. Things are even more cramped for people with normal sized laptops. You just don't have that problem with a thumb drive.
Jul 17, 2007, 8:59 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 9,223
This sounds good:
http://www.iomega.com/direct/product...=1184727495651
Take files anywhere, in style, with the Iomega® eGo™ Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 - an extremely durable drive which includes patent pending Drop Guard™ feature to withstand the toughest of travel environments. Available in 160GB capacity, it holds up to 640,000 photos, over 2,900 hours of music and 240 hours of video. Plus, the Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive requires no external power supply and includes a free EMC® Retrospect HD backup software license.
Jul 18, 2007, 5:13 am
#10
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Not sure if you guys have heard but Freecom have just launched a 250GB USB HDD.
It's drop resistent from Two Meters...that's quite impressive.
It's drop resistent from Two Meters...that's quite impressive.
Jul 24, 2007, 9:03 am
#12
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I carry a Lexar 1 GB Flash Drive, a SanDisk Cruzer 2 GB drive, and a WD Passport 120 GB external hard drive. Neither one has given me any significant trouble.
Jul 25, 2007, 2:39 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: US/Asia/Russia
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As mentioned above, the WesternDigital Passport family of drives are great for larger portable data needs. I travel with the 120GB version in a small pack all over the world and have never been concerned over the drive's integrity. They now sell a 250GB version - still USB powered.
I also utilize an 8GB SD Card that I leave in the specialized slot in my Vaio notebook... along with a 4GB MemoryStick. Plenty of places to keep things organized and backed up.
I also utilize an 8GB SD Card that I leave in the specialized slot in my Vaio notebook... along with a 4GB MemoryStick. Plenty of places to keep things organized and backed up.
Jul 25, 2007, 7:42 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Jersey City, NJ USA
Posts: 975
I've been using an Apricorn Eazy-Bus 40 for several years. Very light, compact, and idiot-proof. Never malfunctioned. Their current product line is called Aegis:
http://www.apricorn.com/product_deta...e=family&id=23
They have ultra-portables as well if you have a bigger budget.
http://www.apricorn.com/product_deta...e=family&id=23
They have ultra-portables as well if you have a bigger budget.
Jul 26, 2007, 5:40 am
#15
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 120
I had a FireFly 20GB external HDD that was small and light, but died unexpectedly. Fortunately, it wasn't a crisis.
I have a 40GB IBM exernal HDD I bought 5-6 years ago, and the thing is bulletproof. Right now it's on about its 90th foreign trip and has worked flawlessly. I keep it encrypted as it has al my stuff backed up. Downside -- needs two USB cables and isn't as small as others.
Also use a couple 8GB Transcend flash drives. Convenient, but write time is slow when putting 5-6GB on them.
Cheers,
Leo
I have a 40GB IBM exernal HDD I bought 5-6 years ago, and the thing is bulletproof. Right now it's on about its 90th foreign trip and has worked flawlessly. I keep it encrypted as it has al my stuff backed up. Downside -- needs two USB cables and isn't as small as others.
Also use a couple 8GB Transcend flash drives. Convenient, but write time is slow when putting 5-6GB on them.
Cheers,
Leo