Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
Ant wrote:
>>> Awesome. http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/def...px?edc=1238243
>>> has this enclosure. I might try this. This only does SATA and does it
>>> do both 2.5 and 3.5" sizes? I don't see it in the specifications.
>>
>> Click the little Specs tab by the Overview tab. It says Form Factor 3.5".
>
> Ah, I didn't know what form factor 3.5" meant both 2.5" and 3.5"
> compatible.
I don't think there is such an animal. But you could use a 2.5" SATA
drive mounted in converter rails to fit 3.5" bays.
Maybe I missed it, but why use a 2.5"? They run cool and you could get a
small pocketable enclosure.
Another thing is you can check at newegg for items you're interested in
at CDW, to see the user opinions. I search the review pages for "hot"
"cool" "quiet" "loud". You can sort by user rating.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
Ant <ANTant@zimage.com> wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Ant <ANTant@zimage.com> wrote
>>> I forgot to mention that sizes can be various. Just list them all.
>>> And these drives need to work outside of Windows
>>> like those bootable imaging DVDs, Norton Ghost, etc.
>> Not clear what you mean by that. You cant boot many of them at all.
> I meant with bootable DVDs with BartPE (running Windows XP and Vista
> base OS -- think of Ultimate Boot CD for Windows), Linux (if needed), etc.
Presumably you mean you want those to be able to see the external drive.
> I do a lot of imaging and restoring of Ghost images on my PCs for testings.
Acronis True Image supports external drives fine.
>>>> I am in a need to get another external portal HDD for mostly
>>>> backups. It can be a name brand bundled one or enclosure + HDD.
>>>> However, it has to be from cdw.com since my boss and employer said
>>>> so (dumb, I know -- I guess it is the contracts or discounts?).
>>>> Anyways, I need a big HDD that will carry lots of BIG files
>>>> (usually GB sized) and will be used in mostly Windows XP, Vista,
>>>> and future Windows. Firewire is an option, but not required. I
>>>> definitely need a fast USB 2 connection (these machines are over
>>>> three years old and will get new machines eventually). I do NOT
>>>> need those fancy software, encryption, etc. I just need storage to
>>>> switch between many different Windows machines (mostly Dell). I
>>>> don't care about colors and sizes either since they will be on the
>>>> floor or desk). AC power is fine if needed. The portable drive
>>>> needs to be stay cool (hated Maxtor OneTouch that got super hot
>>>> even in AC environments and many broke down in the past from
>>>> others' and my experiences). So, please kindly list which ones
>>>> (enclosures, HDD brands, and bundled ones) are the best to get. In
>>>> the past, I told StarTech was good. Is this still true today?
>>>> Thank you in advance.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
On Aug 5, 8:04*am, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote
>
> > Rod Speed wrote
> >> Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote
> >>> I forgot to mention that sizes can be various. Just list them all.
> >>> And these drives need to work outside of Windows
> >>> like those bootable imaging DVDs, Norton Ghost, etc.
> >> Not clear what you mean by that. You cant boot many of them at all.
> > I meant with bootable DVDs with BartPE (running Windows XP and Vista
> > base OS -- think of Ultimate Boot CD for Windows), Linux (if needed), etc.
>
> Presumably you mean you want those to be able to see the external drive.
>
> > I do a lot of imaging and restoring of Ghost images on my PCs for testings.
>
> Acronis True Image supports external drives fine.
>
>
>
> >>>> I am in a need to get another external portal HDD for mostly
> >>>> backups. It can be a name brand bundled one or enclosure + HDD.
> >>>> However, it has to be from cdw.com since my boss and employer said
> >>>> so (dumb, I know -- I guess it is the contracts or discounts?).
> >>>> Anyways, I need a big HDD that will carry lots of BIG files
> >>>> (usually GB sized) and will be used in mostly Windows XP, Vista,
> >>>> and future Windows. Firewire is an option, but not required. I
> >>>> definitely need a fast USB 2 connection (these machines are over
> >>>> three years old and will get new machines eventually). I do NOT
> >>>> need those fancy software, encryption, etc. I just need storage to
> >>>> switch between many different Windows machines (mostly Dell). I
> >>>> don't care about colors and sizes either since they will be on the
> >>>> floor or desk). AC power is fine if needed. The portable drive
> >>>> needs to be stay cool (hated Maxtor OneTouch that got super hot
> >>>> even in AC environments and many broke down in the past from
> >>>> others' and my experiences). So, please kindly list which ones
> >>>> (enclosures, HDD brands, and bundled ones) are the best to get. In
> >>>> the past, I told StarTech was good. Is this still true today?
> >>>> Thank you in advance. - Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Buy 2, of different makes, so you have a backup. No drive is totally
reliable.
There have been reports that some high capacity Seagate drives had
problems, but that may be hstory now.
500GB seems the best value at the moment
Look for a drive with some cooling
Ask 10 people for advice, and you will probably get 12 different
answers.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
Ed Light wrote:
>> Ah, I didn't know what form factor 3.5" meant both 2.5" and 3.5"
>> compatible.
>
> I don't think there is such an animal. But you could use a 2.5" SATA
> drive mounted in converter rails to fit 3.5" bays.
Unless the drive doesn't get wired in but buts up against the back where
pins are imbedded.
--
Ed Light
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
On 8/5/2008 12:01 AM PT, Rod Speed typed:
>>>>>> I am in a need to get another external portal HDD for mostly backups. It can be a name brand bundled one or
>>>>>> enclosure + HDD. However, it
>>>>>> has to be from cdw.com since my boss and employer said so (dumb,
>>>>>> I know -- I guess it is the contracts or discounts?).
>
>>>>>> Anyways, I need a big HDD that will carry lots of BIG files (usually GB sized)
>
>>>>> You dont say what total size you need.
>
>>>> Um, smallest to biggest on cdw.com. I will narrow down once I have enough on my list.
>
>>> Presumably you mean that the smallest are big enough, in which case the 2.5" drives are fine.
>
>>>>>> and will be used in mostly Windows XP, Vista, and future Windows.
>>>>>> Firewire is an option, but not required. I definitely need a
>>>>>> fast USB 2 connection (these machines are over three years old and
>>>>>> will get new machines eventually). I do NOT need those fancy
>>>>>> software, encryption, etc. I just need storage to switch between
>>>>>> many different Windows machines (mostly Dell). I don't care about colors
>>>>>> and sizes either since they will be on the floor or desk). AC power is fine if needed. The portable drive needs to
>>>>>> be stay cool (hated
>>>>>> Maxtor OneTouch that got super hot even in AC environments and
>>>>>> many broke down in the past from others' and my experiences).
>
>>>>> One approach is to get one that uses a 2.5" drive. Those run
>>>>> much cooler than 3.5" drives but do have less total capacity.
>
>>>>>> So, please kindly list which ones (enclosures, HDD brands,
>>>>>> and bundled ones) are the best to get. In the past, I told
>>>>>> StarTech was good. Is this still true today?
>
>>>> Aren't 2.5" slower?
>
>>> Yes, but if you are using USB2 drives, thats the main limit on speed.
>
>> Ah OK, what about ESATA, firewire, etc. options?
>
> eSATA has a lot of advantages.
Maybe I should get it (if available in the enclosure) in case I need it.
Do I have to buy adapters if I want to use old PATA/IDE which a few
machines still use? I know a few use old SATA as well.
>> Not that I need them but they are nice to have.
>
> Yep, particularly eSATA. Firewire is ending up as rather a deadend now.
Bummer. I recall they are very fast (hardware based) compared to USB.
>> I don't think I will ever need to use the HDD in the PCs, but you never know.
>
> Thats one reason to avoid eSATA if they are older systems that dont have SATA drive support.
Yeah, but I need to think of future PCs too.
--
"Bother," said Winnie the Pooh, as the ants devoured him.
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.home.dhs.org (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Remove ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
On 8/5/2008 3:20 AM PT, Ed Light typed:
>>> Ah, I didn't know what form factor 3.5" meant both 2.5" and 3.5"
>>> compatible.
>>
>> I don't think there is such an animal. But you could use a 2.5" SATA
>> drive mounted in converter rails to fit 3.5" bays.
>
> Unless the drive doesn't get wired in but buts up against the back where
> pins are imbedded.
Are there photographs of these in HDD enclosures? How difficult is it to
hook up and disconnect?
--
"Oh, good morning, my little worker ants! That's just a figure of
speech; I would NEVER compare you to insects. At least not after that
sensitivity training seminar those maggots at the network forced me to
attend!" --Kay, Murphy Brown
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.home.dhs.org (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Remove ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
On 8/5/2008 12:04 AM PT, Rod Speed typed:
>>>> I forgot to mention that sizes can be various. Just list them all.
>
>>>> And these drives need to work outside of Windows
>>>> like those bootable imaging DVDs, Norton Ghost, etc.
>
>>> Not clear what you mean by that. You cant boot many of them at all.
>
>> I meant with bootable DVDs with BartPE (running Windows XP and Vista
>> base OS -- think of Ultimate Boot CD for Windows), Linux (if needed), etc.
>
> Presumably you mean you want those to be able to see the external drive.
Correct.
>> I do a lot of imaging and restoring of Ghost images on my PCs for testings.
>
> Acronis True Image supports external drives fine.
Cool, but others and I don't use that there.
>>>>> I am in a need to get another external portal HDD for mostly
>>>>> backups. It can be a name brand bundled one or enclosure + HDD.
>>>>> However, it has to be from cdw.com since my boss and employer said
>>>>> so (dumb, I know -- I guess it is the contracts or discounts?).
>>>>> Anyways, I need a big HDD that will carry lots of BIG files
>>>>> (usually GB sized) and will be used in mostly Windows XP, Vista,
>>>>> and future Windows. Firewire is an option, but not required. I
>>>>> definitely need a fast USB 2 connection (these machines are over
>>>>> three years old and will get new machines eventually). I do NOT
>>>>> need those fancy software, encryption, etc. I just need storage to
>>>>> switch between many different Windows machines (mostly Dell). I
>>>>> don't care about colors and sizes either since they will be on the
>>>>> floor or desk). AC power is fine if needed. The portable drive
>>>>> needs to be stay cool (hated Maxtor OneTouch that got super hot
>>>>> even in AC environments and many broke down in the past from
>>>>> others' and my experiences). So, please kindly list which ones
>>>>> (enclosures, HDD brands, and bundled ones) are the best to get. In
>>>>> the past, I told StarTech was good. Is this still true today?
>>>>> Thank you in advance.
--
"I have to sit up with a sick ant." --unknown
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.home.dhs.org (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Remove ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.
> On Aug 5, 8:04 am, "Rod Speed" <rod.speed....@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote
>>
>>> Rod Speed wrote
>>>> Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote
>>>>> I forgot to mention that sizes can be various. Just list them all.
>>>>> And these drives need to work outside of Windows
>>>>> like those bootable imaging DVDs, Norton Ghost, etc.
>>>> Not clear what you mean by that. You cant boot many of them at all.
>>> I meant with bootable DVDs with BartPE (running Windows XP and Vista
>>> base OS -- think of Ultimate Boot CD for Windows), Linux (if needed), etc.
>> Presumably you mean you want those to be able to see the external drive.
>>
>>> I do a lot of imaging and restoring of Ghost images on my PCs for testings.
>> Acronis True Image supports external drives fine.
>>
>>
>>
>>>>>> I am in a need to get another external portal HDD for mostly
>>>>>> backups. It can be a name brand bundled one or enclosure + HDD.
>>>>>> However, it has to be from cdw.com since my boss and employer said
>>>>>> so (dumb, I know -- I guess it is the contracts or discounts?).
>>>>>> Anyways, I need a big HDD that will carry lots of BIG files
>>>>>> (usually GB sized) and will be used in mostly Windows XP, Vista,
>>>>>> and future Windows. Firewire is an option, but not required. I
>>>>>> definitely need a fast USB 2 connection (these machines are over
>>>>>> three years old and will get new machines eventually). I do NOT
>>>>>> need those fancy software, encryption, etc. I just need storage to
>>>>>> switch between many different Windows machines (mostly Dell). I
>>>>>> don't care about colors and sizes either since they will be on the
>>>>>> floor or desk). AC power is fine if needed. The portable drive
>>>>>> needs to be stay cool (hated Maxtor OneTouch that got super hot
>>>>>> even in AC environments and many broke down in the past from
>>>>>> others' and my experiences). So, please kindly list which ones
>>>>>> (enclosures, HDD brands, and bundled ones) are the best to get. In
>>>>>> the past, I told StarTech was good. Is this still true today?
>>>>>> Thank you in advance. - Hide quoted text -
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Buy 2, of different makes, so you have a backup. No drive is totally
> reliable.
My bosses won't let me. Just need to pick the best one. Years ago, I
was told Seagate are still the best due to its five years warranty. Is
this still true today?
> There have been reports that some high capacity Seagate drives had
> problems, but that may be hstory now.
Like what problem? How can I tell if I am buying the "fixed" models?
> 500GB seems the best value at the moment
OK. I will keep that in mind if the cost is approved by bosses.
> Look for a drive with some cooling
What do you think of the APC one that was mentioned in this thread earlier?
> Ask 10 people for advice, and you will probably get 12 different
> answers.
True but at least there are restricted (cdw.com only).
--
At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants
said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts
crush you (under foot) without knowing it." --Surah 27. The Ant, The
Ants, line 18
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.home.dhs.org (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Remove ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
On Aug 5, 3:39*pm, Ant <ANT...@zimage.com> wrote:
> On 8/5/2008 2:21 AM PT, mscotgr...@aol.com typed:
>
>>
> My bosses won't let me. Just need to pick the best one. Years ago, I
> was told Seagate are still the best due to its five years warranty. Is
> this still true today?
>
>
Warranty gets your hardware back - but not your data.
Some drives can be fixed, some cannot.
Multiple drives is the only safe option if your data has more value of
more than the cost of a drive
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days?
Ant <ANTant@zimage.com> wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>>>>>>> I am in a need to get another external portal HDD for mostly
>>>>>>> backups. It can be a name brand bundled one or enclosure + HDD.
>>>>>>> However, it has to be from cdw.com since my boss and employer said so (dumb, I know -- I guess it is the
>>>>>>> contracts or discounts?).
>>>>>>> Anyways, I need a big HDD that will carry lots of BIG files (usually GB sized)
>>>>>> You dont say what total size you need.
>>>>> Um, smallest to biggest on cdw.com. I will narrow down once I have enough on my list.
>>>> Presumably you mean that the smallest are big enough, in which case the 2.5" drives are fine.
>>>>>>> and will be used in mostly Windows XP, Vista, and future Windows. Firewire is an option, but not required. I
>>>>>>> definitely need a fast USB 2 connection (these machines are over three years old and will get new machines
>>>>>>> eventually). I do NOT need those fancy
>>>>>>> software, encryption, etc. I just need storage to switch between
>>>>>>> many different Windows machines (mostly Dell). I don't care about colors and sizes either since they will be on
>>>>>>> the floor or desk). AC
>>>>>>> power is fine if needed. The portable drive needs to be stay cool (hated Maxtor OneTouch that got super hot even
>>>>>>> in AC environments and
>>>>>>> many broke down in the past from others' and my experiences).
>>>>>> One approach is to get one that uses a 2.5" drive. Those run
>>>>>> much cooler than 3.5" drives but do have less total capacity.
>>>>>>> So, please kindly list which ones (enclosures, HDD brands,
>>>>>>> and bundled ones) are the best to get. In the past, I told
>>>>>>> StarTech was good. Is this still true today?
>>>>> Aren't 2.5" slower?
>>>> Yes, but if you are using USB2 drives, thats the main limit on speed.
>>> Ah OK, what about ESATA, firewire, etc. options?
>> eSATA has a lot of advantages.
> Maybe I should get it (if available in the enclosure) in case I need it.
It does have some downsides on using it internally in dinosaurs tho.
But does have a lot more future.
> Do I have to buy adapters if I want to use old PATA/IDE which a few machines still use?
Not really feasible to go that route.
> I know a few use old SATA as well.
They'll be fine.
>>> Not that I need them but they are nice to have.
>> Yep, particularly eSATA. Firewire is ending up as rather a deadend now.
> Bummer. I recall they are very fast (hardware based) compared to USB.
No, just bit faster. eSATA is noticeably faster than USB2 and has other real advantages
like being able to boot from the drive and see the SMART data for the drive too.
>>> I don't think I will ever need to use the HDD in the PCs, but you never know.
>> Thats one reason to avoid eSATA if they are older systems that dont have SATA drive support.
> Yeah, but I need to think of future PCs too.
Yeah, and in some ways thats more important than the dinosaurs.
It would be mad to cripple your future by buying PATA drives now.
Re: Which external portable HDD to get these days? 
Linear Mode
