am looking to get an external HD and wondered what sort do you use and software for back up porpoises
pros and cons of your choice would be helpful too.
know I'll gt one some day :whistle: ;D
I've got several external, USB HDs, Baz, from Seagate, WD, Pika One, Archos, Gericom and LaCie. There's not a lot to choose between them, actual HDs come from Seagate, WD, Samsung, Hitachi and Maxtor. Of the bunch, I'd probably favour the Samsung slightly, however most manufacturers don't tell you what drive is in the enclosure. You could, of course, buy an enclosure and drive, and construct the unit yourself.
I plan to add an e-SATA drive to my collection sometime, as the added speed will be an obvious bonus, but persuading Sue I need yet another external drive might be a problem.
For software, I use Microsoft SyncToy:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx
SyncBack (free)
http://www.2brightsparks.com/downloads.html#freeware
Karen's Replicator:
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp
Not forgetting TI, Rik! I have a freecom unit, with WD drive and never had a problem with it.
I've got two maxtor drives, and am thinking about getting a third 8)
thanks guys. will take a look at them. What model Samsung is it Rik.
are they all pretty easy to use, mainly just for back up. What sort of speed would be good. Any good or bad points to be on the look out for
It's on a different machine, Baz, so I can't tell you offhand, sorry.
I've had a few external hard drives in the past, Baz, and have recently got myself a Western Digital My Book Home Edition. IMHO, these are the best external drives out there; it's USB 2.0, Firewire, and eSATA; it switches on and off with your PC automatically, and has a power saving feature where the drive spins down after 10 minutes of inactivity. More information here (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=357). :thumb:
Freecom here Baz, I just switch it on as required, it just works. ;)
That's fine, In, as long as you remember. I don't. ;)
Quote from: Inactive on Apr 23, 2008, 23:45:49
Freecom here Baz, I just switch it on as required, it just works. ;)
Same here, In. ;)
Quote from: Sebby on Apr 23, 2008, 23:49:28
That's fine, In, as long as you remember. I don't. ;)
;D :whistle: :zip:
:rofl:
Seriously, though, I had a LaCie drive for years and I hardly used it. I had automatic backups scheduled, but I'd always forget to switch it on. With my new WD, if my computer is on, the backup drive is on, and so backups are taking place regularly. Works for me. :thumb:
I've got a Toshiba 160Gb 7200 rpm External drive, it works quite well and cost about £90 from Costco. That was about 9 months ago now and you'll probably find twice the capacity at half the cost now.
I have a 120GB Maxtor USB drive, used for TI and other backups. I only connect it when required and it works well with Vista's driver although it's getting on a bit now. ;D
When not in use I keep it in another room just for extra security.
I have a lacie which has worked well for years, but I need to repace it with a new usb as TI does not see firewire, till then I'm using the internal 500Gb SATA II seagate storage drive, I think I'll go for another Lacie drive, the "my books" are good but too big for me space is important and the Lacie's are small, I'm going for the 750gb one here (http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=11062) they are triple interface so they have e-sata as well :)
Quote from: Killhippie on Apr 24, 2008, 10:29:43
but I need to repace it with a new usb as TI does not see firewire, till then I'm using
Erm..er ...What is/are " TI " Gary?
Acronis True Image at a guess, In.
:doh:
Quote from: Inactive on Apr 24, 2008, 10:49:33
Erm..er ...What is/are " TI " Gary?
or tough in-laws ;D
Quote from: Killhippie on Apr 24, 2008, 11:01:18
or tough in-laws ;D
They would need Firewire, it would shift them faster... ;)
Quote from: Inactive on Apr 24, 2008, 11:03:21
They would need Firewire, it would shift them faster... ;)
:rofl: think "firepower" for mine, In
:flamethrower: :flamethrower: :thumb:
Is firewire faster than USB then?
and I guess for eSATA you will need an adapter for the mobo if it doesnt have a connection
anyone got/used these http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128603
Firewire is slower than USB on paper, faster in practice, Baz, depending on which version you get, it comes in 400, 800 and 1600Mbps variants. As it's based on SCSI, it's very efficient. I'm not sure whether you can buy adaptors for e-SATA, the ones I've seen have all been built into the mobo, but you can add an adaptor:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=676567
Amazon seem to be having a sale on HD's
ooo im going there now, thanks :D
keep forgetting about Amazon for stuff like that
Quote from: Rik on Apr 24, 2008, 19:18:02
Firewire is slower than USB on paper, faster in practice, Baz, depending on which version you get, it comes in 400, 800 and 1600Mbps variants. As it's based on SCSI, it's very efficient. I'm not sure whether you can buy adaptors for e-SATA, the ones I've seen have all been built into the mobo, but you can add an adaptor:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=676567
Just something to mention... When I ordered my WD external hard drive (USB 2.0, Firewire, and eSATA) I intended to use eSATA for obvious reasons, and had ordered an eSATA plate for my computer as well as the necessary cable. I just happened to be browsing the WD website when I saw that some of the features weren't available if using eSATA (the auto on/off and drive capacity indicator). I suspect that these are just limitations of the interface.
For me, that was enough to forget about eSATA altogether, but I still went with the more expensive WD model with the choice of connections in case I change my mind in the future. :)