chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 so is it true they now just plug into the USB, and thats it? or do you also keep it separtely plugged into the wall? what do you guys recommend for a Toshiba laptop? how many GBs do they usually store? I'll prob. want one, like under a 100 bucks too if you know what i mean- i dont want to go crazy here, but im runnin out of room, im down to 45 GBs, i started with 100 i think. Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted January 16, 2008 Author Report Posted January 16, 2008 any specific brand/model info would be good! Quote
mgraham333 Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 Many of the drives around 120 GB - 160 GB are bus-powered (USB 2.0 or firewire). I have personally had good luck with IOMEGA portable drives and Western Digital internal (I have heard good things from others about their external drives). You should be able to find these for $120-$150 at the major retailers. Possible cheaper online. Quote
robviti Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) i just got this baby for a few bucks over $100 and it is s-w-e-e-t! there's a 250gb version for less $. Amazon.com Product Description When it's time to back up and protect your digital content--photos, music, documents, and more--it doesn't get much easier than the Seagate Free Agent Desktop 320GB USB Portable Hard Drive. Simply plug it in to any power source, connect the USB cable to any computer, and you're ready to go. This hip-looking hard drive takes up less room on your desk than an ordinary stapler, giving you more space for your other desktop items, but with the capacity to hold the files you need protected. Access to the items on the drive is password-protected, so you can give permissions to whomever you choose without compromising your personal data. Portable Performance and Security If you're still relying on your personal computer or back-up CDs or DVDs to store your digital content or vital personal or family documents, you're running an unnecessary risk. Your computer can only hold so many files and can crash at any time, leaving you helpless to access your content. DVDs and CDs have a place in archiving, but they get easily scratched and lost. It's too risky to store everything in your computer, and too time-consuming and cumbersome to have a drawer full of CDs or DVDs. The Seagate Free Agent is big enough to store a huge portion of your digital content in a safe and secure environment, but small enough to let you take that content with you wherever you go. In other words, having the Seagate Free Agent is like having your entire computer with you at all times, but in a package that's a small fraction of the space and weight of your computer. The sleek and slim design of this hard drive--only measures 7.5 x 1.6 x 6.4-inches (H x D x W)--and a weight of less than four pounds. The Seagate Free Agent lets you transfer files seamlessly from your computer via its USB 2.0 connection at a brisk transfer rate of up to 480Mb/sec. The drive delivers a spindle speed of 7,200 RPM, giving you the high-speed performance you need to back your data up quickly and safely. The Seagate Free Agent is ready to use out of the box with a PC, but it can be made Mac-ready in a matter of minutes with Mac OS X's Disk Utility. This portable hard drive is already compatible with Windows Vista (as well as Windows XP and Windows 2000), allowing you to backup your content regardless of operating system upgrades. At this compact size, and with this high performance, you now have the ability to take your data with you anywhere you go, so your digital content finally has room to breathe. A five-year warranty is also included, giving you complete peace of mind. Edited January 16, 2008 by jazzshrink Quote
Clunky Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 I've had no problems with my Lacie 250GB external USB hard drive, in use for over 3 years now Quote
John L Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 There are a lot of good options for external hard drives. I have a number of them. The single most important thing to know about external hard drives is that they will eventually wear out and fail, often without warning. Therefore, make sure everything is backed up. If you are not using an external hard drive just to back up your internal hard drive, but to expand its capacity, it makes very good sense to buy 2 of them. Back everything up on the second. Quote
Christiern Posted January 16, 2008 Report Posted January 16, 2008 My main computer (Mac, of course ) has six HDs connected to it, 4 of which are external. Too many? For sure, but that's due to poor planning (failure to foresee future need). Ny latest acquisition is a 500GB Maxtor that is solely used for backup (via Leopard's Time Machine). John's advice is sound, these things will quit on you. It has only happened to me once (a Maxtor) and that turned out to be due to a readily replaced, dead external power unit. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 I have a 250 GB Maxtor, and use it solely for backup. If I'm not actually running things off of it, is it less likely to fail? Quote
clifford_thornton Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 so is it true they now just plug into the USB, and thats it? or do you also keep it separtely plugged into the wall? what do you guys recommend for a Toshiba laptop? how many GBs do they usually store? I'll prob. want one, like under a 100 bucks too if you know what i mean- i dont want to go crazy here, but im runnin out of room, im down to 45 GBs, i started with 100 i think. Hard to get for less than $100, though I think mine was on sale for $84.99 so... How is your Toshiba laptop, chew-chew-chewy-bean-benitez? I had one for about three years that crapped out; I'm on my second goddamn Dell and it's about to go also. Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted January 17, 2008 Author Report Posted January 17, 2008 um, its a toshiba satellite w/ windows vista/// i hope it doesn't 'crap out' as you say....got it in october! Quote
Shawn Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 i just got this baby for a few bucks over $100 and it is s-w-e-e-t! there's a 250gb version for less $. I have this same drive and my XP computer really doesn't like it. I'm constantly getting this "device write failed" error message, when it happens the drive stops responding and the only way to get it working again is to un-install the device and re-install. I have yet to find any fixes that work for this problem. It's evidently something that happens with USB 2.0 (so the problem isn't the drive itself). It's very random, sometimes it will work for weeks without the error...then there are other days where I'm re-installing the drive 10 times in a day. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 It's very random, sometimes it will work for weeks without the error...then there are other days where I'm re-installing the drive 10 times in a day. I HATE machines that are like that! MG Quote
Morganized Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 I purchased the 120GB Maxtor unit a while back. I had some difficulty getting it installled properly...spent a long time on the phone with several different tech support people but finally got it working right. Maxtor is owned/affiliated with Seagate. It has automatic back up software that is nice. Automatically backs up at the same time every day. I guess they all have this feature now? It was less than $100 on special at Fry's. Quote
Noj Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 I have several of the LaCie 250gb externals, and although I haven't had any problems I have heard from reliable sources that these drives often fail. I back up all my files to DVD-R, just to be safe. Quote
Christiern Posted January 17, 2008 Report Posted January 17, 2008 I got my 500GB Maxtor at Fry's for $98, a special offer that was gone the following day. Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Posted January 18, 2008 you guys, you guys, i guess im having trouble w the toshiba laptop burning..... it ERRORS in windows media player burner, and i just downloaded one called BURRRN at that wouldnt copy right either. could it be the computer? has this ever happened to you? any other progams i can download to fix it?? like a different burning software? Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Posted January 18, 2008 thats a good deal Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 18, 2008 Report Posted January 18, 2008 you guys, you guys, i guess im having trouble w the toshiba laptop burning..... it ERRORS in windows media player burner, and i just downloaded one called BURRRN at that wouldnt copy right either. could it be the computer? has this ever happened to you? any other progams i can download to fix it?? like a different burning software? I get that problem, too. Dunno what causes it. It's a fuckin' pain! I HATE machines that don't work the way they should. Sorry I haven't any practical suggestions, but it does help a bit to swear a lot; loudly. MG Quote
mr jazz Posted February 1, 2008 Report Posted February 1, 2008 I've purchased several IOmega EHDs with good results. I'm looking for a deal on the 1TB.. Quote
wordsandsounds Posted February 3, 2008 Report Posted February 3, 2008 i just got this baby for a few bucks over $100 and it is s-w-e-e-t! there's a 250gb version for less $. I have this same drive and my XP computer really doesn't like it. I'm constantly getting this "device write failed" error message, when it happens the drive stops responding and the only way to get it working again is to un-install the device and re-install. I have yet to find any fixes that work for this problem. It's evidently something that happens with USB 2.0 (so the problem isn't the drive itself). It's very random, sometimes it will work for weeks without the error...then there are other days where I'm re-installing the drive 10 times in a day. You too eh? I have had this drive for less than six months and finally threw my hands up last week concerning this drive. Seagate claims no repsonsibility, and if you do a simple search about the Free Agent drives you will find hundreds (no joke) of returns of people with the same issue. After reading trhough a ton of these various forums, reviews, etc there are two solutions... Both uphold that the hd itself is a great disk drive but that there is an issue with the housing. One fix (I am trying tomorrow) is to seperate the bottom and remove the connector for the light (do a simple search for better instructions). The other is to remove the entire drive and place it in a new housing. My two year old 160gig externals from Seagate are awesome but the Freeagent drive has been a disaster.... Quote
Shawn Posted February 3, 2008 Report Posted February 3, 2008 i just got this baby for a few bucks over $100 and it is s-w-e-e-t! there's a 250gb version for less $. I have this same drive and my XP computer really doesn't like it. I'm constantly getting this "device write failed" error message, when it happens the drive stops responding and the only way to get it working again is to un-install the device and re-install. I have yet to find any fixes that work for this problem. It's evidently something that happens with USB 2.0 (so the problem isn't the drive itself). It's very random, sometimes it will work for weeks without the error...then there are other days where I'm re-installing the drive 10 times in a day. You too eh? I have had this drive for less than six months and finally threw my hands up last week concerning this drive. Seagate claims no repsonsibility, and if you do a simple search about the Free Agent drives you will find hundreds (no joke) of returns of people with the same issue. After reading trhough a ton of these various forums, reviews, etc there are two solutions... Both uphold that the hd itself is a great disk drive but that there is an issue with the housing. One fix (I am trying tomorrow) is to seperate the bottom and remove the connector for the light (do a simple search for better instructions). The other is to remove the entire drive and place it in a new housing. My two year old 160gig externals from Seagate are awesome but the Freeagent drive has been a disaster.... Well, it finally died altogether and I ended up sending back to Seagate for a warranty replacement. The new drive is on it's way but I'm not too hopeful about the future of this one. If I could go back in time I would have just bought another internal hard drive and said screw the USB enclosure crap. Of course I suppose I could crack this open and remove the drive.... Quote
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