External hard drives
11-13-2004, 08:37 AM
#1
External hard drives
A week or so back I was posting some SATA hard drive questions.
My current Seagate hard drive is 80 GB, and I have about 50 GB open, pretty good still.
But as I use my TV tuner card more, and add stuff, you know how a hard drive fills up.
I was all set to add a SATA drive or two in my case.
This was for back up purpose, and adding more apps.
However, since my needs for more space are really for backup, I have been looking at external drives as of late.
Seagate has a really nice one out now sized at 160 GB, and is USB 2, 1, and Firewire compatible.
They make bigger ones too, but the 160 is a good size for me.
There is an excellent review of it at Club Overclocker.
I have gobs of files that are used to reinstall stuff after formatting, and updating game patches, ect.
Does it make more sense to go with a drive like this rather than adding another internal one?
Plus my current 300 watt power supply will have to go sometime, as the current goodies inside my case sometimes overtax it, and the PC will reboot for no reason when doing something.
I had read in a magazine this is a direct result of an underpowered power supply.
I will upgrade to a 500 watt one down the road.
If I add another internal drive, it would tax my current PS even more.
Anyone using an external hard drive, and are you happy with it?
The Seagate one is 7200 RPMs, and also has an 8 MB cache, pretty fast.
EDIT:
One more review.
http://www.legionhardware.com/html/doc.php?id=292
They say this is the same SATA 160 GB hard drive that Seagate sells.
I thought a SATA drive had to be hooked up via the SATA connectors on the mother board.
My current Seagate hard drive is 80 GB, and I have about 50 GB open, pretty good still.
But as I use my TV tuner card more, and add stuff, you know how a hard drive fills up.
I was all set to add a SATA drive or two in my case.
This was for back up purpose, and adding more apps.
However, since my needs for more space are really for backup, I have been looking at external drives as of late.
Seagate has a really nice one out now sized at 160 GB, and is USB 2, 1, and Firewire compatible.
They make bigger ones too, but the 160 is a good size for me.
There is an excellent review of it at Club Overclocker.
I have gobs of files that are used to reinstall stuff after formatting, and updating game patches, ect.
Does it make more sense to go with a drive like this rather than adding another internal one?
Plus my current 300 watt power supply will have to go sometime, as the current goodies inside my case sometimes overtax it, and the PC will reboot for no reason when doing something.
I had read in a magazine this is a direct result of an underpowered power supply.
I will upgrade to a 500 watt one down the road.
If I add another internal drive, it would tax my current PS even more.
Anyone using an external hard drive, and are you happy with it?
The Seagate one is 7200 RPMs, and also has an 8 MB cache, pretty fast.
EDIT:
One more review.
http://www.legionhardware.com/html/doc.php?id=292
They say this is the same SATA 160 GB hard drive that Seagate sells.
I thought a SATA drive had to be hooked up via the SATA connectors on the mother board.
The hard drive used in the Seagate external enclosure uses two 80GB platters offering a total storage capacity of 160GB. The hard drive features a spindle speed of 7200RPM and an 8MB cache. In short, this is the 160GB Seagate Serial ATA HDD in an external enclosure. Given the excellent performance and durability of this hard drive, you can expect the same high standards from this 160GB external drive. Durability is something Seagate seem to pride themselves on and this has certainly helped keep them competitive over the years.
11-13-2004, 11:50 AM
#2
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I have and always have used external drives. Specifically, all of my setups have all of my data on external drives. The internal drives are only used for the OS, Applications (at least the ones that must be installed on the same drive as the OS), and as backups. I do this for a few reasons:
(1) In an emergency, I can grab just my external drive(s) and be out of the house in a couple seconds. The hardware is easy to replace, the data isn't. Unhooking all of the cables from the computers and taking them would take a lot more time. A portable computer would serve a similar purpose on this point.
(2) If my computers break down or the internal drive dies, I can swap it out and be back up and running a lot quicker. The location where my data is kept hasn't changed. Just pop in a new drive, re-install the OS and applications, and it's good to go.
(3) I never, never, NEVER keep data on the same drive as the OS and applications. Since I am going to keep them on a different drive, and since the OS almost always needs to be on an interna drive (at least on PCs), an external drive is the best choice for the data.
(4) Since the only thing I have on the internal drive is the OS and applications, I can use something like Ghost or V2iProtector to take snapshots of the internal drive. That makes restoring the OS and applications even easier.
(5) And since I want to isolate the OS and applications, I will partition the internal drive into a space no larger than 40GB for that purpose. The rest of the internal drive is usually used for backup or scratch space (holding stuff that I wouldn't cry over if it got deleted). Your mileage may vary. The 40GB really never goes over 10GB, but I like to have a lot of buffer.
Regarding the external interface. If using USB, use at least USB 2. USB 1 is DOG SLOW. If using USB 2, try to have the hard disk be the only thing connected. Go out of your way not to connect slow devices (keyboards, mice, etc.) to the same bus as the external drive. Go even farther out of your way not to connect USB 1 devices to a USB 2 bus. You can get a USB 2 card to completely isolate the hard drive on its own bus. Firewire's cool. Personally, I use that. If these aren't fast enough, you can go with SCSI interfaces and drives, but at a price. If SCSI isn't fast enough, you can go even faster and spend even more money.
(1) In an emergency, I can grab just my external drive(s) and be out of the house in a couple seconds. The hardware is easy to replace, the data isn't. Unhooking all of the cables from the computers and taking them would take a lot more time. A portable computer would serve a similar purpose on this point.
(2) If my computers break down or the internal drive dies, I can swap it out and be back up and running a lot quicker. The location where my data is kept hasn't changed. Just pop in a new drive, re-install the OS and applications, and it's good to go.
(3) I never, never, NEVER keep data on the same drive as the OS and applications. Since I am going to keep them on a different drive, and since the OS almost always needs to be on an interna drive (at least on PCs), an external drive is the best choice for the data.
(4) Since the only thing I have on the internal drive is the OS and applications, I can use something like Ghost or V2iProtector to take snapshots of the internal drive. That makes restoring the OS and applications even easier.
(5) And since I want to isolate the OS and applications, I will partition the internal drive into a space no larger than 40GB for that purpose. The rest of the internal drive is usually used for backup or scratch space (holding stuff that I wouldn't cry over if it got deleted). Your mileage may vary. The 40GB really never goes over 10GB, but I like to have a lot of buffer.
Regarding the external interface. If using USB, use at least USB 2. USB 1 is DOG SLOW. If using USB 2, try to have the hard disk be the only thing connected. Go out of your way not to connect slow devices (keyboards, mice, etc.) to the same bus as the external drive. Go even farther out of your way not to connect USB 1 devices to a USB 2 bus. You can get a USB 2 card to completely isolate the hard drive on its own bus. Firewire's cool. Personally, I use that. If these aren't fast enough, you can go with SCSI interfaces and drives, but at a price. If SCSI isn't fast enough, you can go even faster and spend even more money.
11-13-2004, 11:59 AM
#3
Good points there, lots of info.
I do have a Logitech M700 mouse hooked up to my USB 2 port on the back.
No Firewire on this rig, but down the road I plan on putting in a Firewire PCI card, since the drive is even faster in data transfer with it over USB 2.
Yes, the whole purpose of this drive would be for backup, and moving data off of my current C drive which houses game patches, drivers, MP3s, movies, ect.
I do have a Logitech M700 mouse hooked up to my USB 2 port on the back.
No Firewire on this rig, but down the road I plan on putting in a Firewire PCI card, since the drive is even faster in data transfer with it over USB 2.
Yes, the whole purpose of this drive would be for backup, and moving data off of my current C drive which houses game patches, drivers, MP3s, movies, ect.
11-13-2004, 01:45 PM
#4
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I bought my firewire card with cable new for $30 Cad. They are dirt cheap now. This was at a small computer store, for some reason future shop and other big retailers are still charging around $80 Cad over here.
11-13-2004, 09:11 PM
#5
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I loved my Maxtor external until it bombed out on me the other day. Should be under warranty still, so hopefully I'll get it replaced soon. Its a good thing I have a backup of my music 
11-14-2004, 07:59 AM
#6
A few tips
I have been using Mr. Googleman to find more reviews on this Seagate drive.
A few reviewers do not like the included Bounceback software for backups.
One said to DL a free app called SyncBack.
Also this drive comes formatted in FAT32, so XP users will want it formatted to the NTFS file system.
A few reviewers do not like the included Bounceback software for backups.
One said to DL a free app called SyncBack.
Great Drive. Forget the software
I purchased the drive for backups and general data storage. On a Windows XP both Fire Wire and USB work great. Fire Wire is only a bit faster than USB but when doing background backups the Fire Wire card is much better as its not as CPU intensive as USB.
The on off switch is great as I don't have to power the drive when not needed. Make sure you turn off the auto play. The drive is as quiet as most drives I have used and doesn't even get warm.
The one button backup only works with the included Bounceback express software so forget using the button with other packages.
As far as the Bouncback software goes. Don't even install it. It is cut down version of the real product and most features don't work. I found that it would include most of the data in subsequent backups so it was not that fast. Seagate made a real mistake with this software. This is why I gave the drive 4 stars instead of 5.
I found a freeware backup package on the net called SyncBack that works much better.
Bottom line great drive but loose the software.
Note:
I installed SyncBack into the bounceback dir and renamed the main program to BBBbackup.exe. Now when I push the button on the drive my SyncBack software loads up.
I purchased the drive for backups and general data storage. On a Windows XP both Fire Wire and USB work great. Fire Wire is only a bit faster than USB but when doing background backups the Fire Wire card is much better as its not as CPU intensive as USB.
The on off switch is great as I don't have to power the drive when not needed. Make sure you turn off the auto play. The drive is as quiet as most drives I have used and doesn't even get warm.
The one button backup only works with the included Bounceback express software so forget using the button with other packages.
As far as the Bouncback software goes. Don't even install it. It is cut down version of the real product and most features don't work. I found that it would include most of the data in subsequent backups so it was not that fast. Seagate made a real mistake with this software. This is why I gave the drive 4 stars instead of 5.
I found a freeware backup package on the net called SyncBack that works much better.
Bottom line great drive but loose the software.
Note:
I installed SyncBack into the bounceback dir and renamed the main program to BBBbackup.exe. Now when I push the button on the drive my SyncBack software loads up.
Very satisfied with this drive
This is my first Seagate product, but I don't think it'll be my last. I was shopping for an external hard drive primarily for backup purposes, but also just thought that it would be a handy gadget to have. I've had good luck with Maxtor in the past, but the Seagate just looked like a better deal, and I'd heard that the Maxtor externals can get a little hot. The Ximeta Netdisk is a cool concept, being a NAS device (accessed over the network rather than by USB/Firewire), but it requires drivers which I don't like, and the software has a few gotchas.
The Seagate drive comes nicely packaged with a stand to set it on it's side, USB AND Firewire cables, and a CD with BounceBack Express backup software. The only slight complaint I have is that the drive comes with very little documentation, just a few pages on how to plug it in basically. But honestly, if you're running Win XP or 2000, all you do is turn it on and plug it in and it's ready to use. So how much documentation do you need?
The drive comes preformatted with the FAT32 file system, so if you're running XP or 2000 you should delete this partition and reformat to NTFS. You can do this either via the MS Management Console or using Seagate's own DiscWizard software that's on the CD. Be aware that formatting a drive this size can take over an hour.
This is my first Seagate product, but I don't think it'll be my last. I was shopping for an external hard drive primarily for backup purposes, but also just thought that it would be a handy gadget to have. I've had good luck with Maxtor in the past, but the Seagate just looked like a better deal, and I'd heard that the Maxtor externals can get a little hot. The Ximeta Netdisk is a cool concept, being a NAS device (accessed over the network rather than by USB/Firewire), but it requires drivers which I don't like, and the software has a few gotchas.
The Seagate drive comes nicely packaged with a stand to set it on it's side, USB AND Firewire cables, and a CD with BounceBack Express backup software. The only slight complaint I have is that the drive comes with very little documentation, just a few pages on how to plug it in basically. But honestly, if you're running Win XP or 2000, all you do is turn it on and plug it in and it's ready to use. So how much documentation do you need?
The drive comes preformatted with the FAT32 file system, so if you're running XP or 2000 you should delete this partition and reformat to NTFS. You can do this either via the MS Management Console or using Seagate's own DiscWizard software that's on the CD. Be aware that formatting a drive this size can take over an hour.
11-14-2004, 08:07 AM
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Originally Posted by data
I loved my Maxtor external until it bombed out on me the other day. Should be under warranty still, so hopefully I'll get it replaced soon. Its a good thing I have a backup of my music
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11-14-2004, 09:27 AM
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If you never plan on disconnected it you might as well get an internal. If its storing very sensitve info and you want to keep it offline get an external. I like to cram as much as possible into my case, but thats just me, I have 3 drives, 2 80's and a 40, I run the OS and all win progs off the 40, and one of the 80's is for storage of things I dont want to lose but never use, including hacked progs and personal pics etc etc. The other 80 I use for storing movies, and goofy stuff I download, stuff I want to keep but if I were to lose I wouldnt be too upset.
But if you like gadgets and toys get the external, that seagate looks pretty cool....
But if you like gadgets and toys get the external, that seagate looks pretty cool....
11-14-2004, 09:39 AM
#10
I still plan on adding a SATA or another ATA in the case down the road, after a power supply upgrade.
Yeah, I have a Word doc on the PC now that I have head for years that has ALL my passwords to forums and websites where you buy stuff, and more.
It will be nice moving it to the external one which will be powered off until needed.
But the coolest thing about it is to use it for backing up.
Many forget to do this, and when my PC crashed in September, I did not have a full backup on my networked PC in the other room.
I was only able to recover stuff by loading Win XP (via tip here in my crash post) into a new folder on this PC, and then accessing it and moving my files via the network to my old PC and DVDs.
Backing up via DVDs is a pain though, as I have many more gigs than a DVD will hold.
Simply hitting the button on the front of this Seagate will back up the whole PC, and even make it bootable, so in the event of a system crash, I could go into the BIOS and choose to boot from the external one.
Yeah, I have a Word doc on the PC now that I have head for years that has ALL my passwords to forums and websites where you buy stuff, and more.
It will be nice moving it to the external one which will be powered off until needed.
But the coolest thing about it is to use it for backing up.
Many forget to do this, and when my PC crashed in September, I did not have a full backup on my networked PC in the other room.
I was only able to recover stuff by loading Win XP (via tip here in my crash post) into a new folder on this PC, and then accessing it and moving my files via the network to my old PC and DVDs.
Backing up via DVDs is a pain though, as I have many more gigs than a DVD will hold.
Simply hitting the button on the front of this Seagate will back up the whole PC, and even make it bootable, so in the event of a system crash, I could go into the BIOS and choose to boot from the external one.
11-14-2004, 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Corey
I still plan on adding a SATA or another ATA in the case down the road, after a power supply upgrade.
Yeah, I have a Word doc on the PC now that I have head for years that has ALL my passwords to forums and websites where you buy stuff, and more.
It will be nice moving it to the external one which will be powered off until needed.
But the coolest thing about it is to use it for backing up.
Many forget to do this, and when my PC crashed in September, I did not have a full backup on my networked PC in the other room.
I was only able to recover stuff by loading Win XP (via tip here in my crash post) into a new folder on this PC, and then accessing it and moving my files via the network to my old PC and DVDs.
Backing up via DVDs is a pain though, as I have many more gigs than a DVD will hold.
Simply hitting the button on the front of this Seagate will back up the whole PC, and even make it bootable, so in the event of a system crash, I could go into the BIOS and choose to boot from the external one.
Yeah, I have a Word doc on the PC now that I have head for years that has ALL my passwords to forums and websites where you buy stuff, and more.
It will be nice moving it to the external one which will be powered off until needed.
But the coolest thing about it is to use it for backing up.
Many forget to do this, and when my PC crashed in September, I did not have a full backup on my networked PC in the other room.
I was only able to recover stuff by loading Win XP (via tip here in my crash post) into a new folder on this PC, and then accessing it and moving my files via the network to my old PC and DVDs.
Backing up via DVDs is a pain though, as I have many more gigs than a DVD will hold.
Simply hitting the button on the front of this Seagate will back up the whole PC, and even make it bootable, so in the event of a system crash, I could go into the BIOS and choose to boot from the external one.
11-14-2004, 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by calrockx
uh oh, not good to hear. i have a maxtor external hard drive too, and for just the same reason - to back up my music. do you know if you did anything wrong...or did it just die out on you?
Nope nothing appeared to be wrong with the drive. All I did was try to access it and it stated the drive was not available anymore...LOL. Also the light on the front of the drive flashes really fast. Its a Maxtor one touch or something like that.
11-14-2004, 07:40 PM
#13
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Definitely go FireWire. The new FireWire interface is rated at 800mbps I believe. Blazing fast.
I have an external DVD burner for my laptop, which is connected with a 400mbps firewire. It's so much faster than the one inside the laptop.
PLUS, with FireWire, if you want to get another drive like it for whatever reason (or anything else that uses firewire), you can daisy chain them together, and the PC will see them as 2 seperate drives.
I have an external DVD burner for my laptop, which is connected with a 400mbps firewire. It's so much faster than the one inside the laptop.
PLUS, with FireWire, if you want to get another drive like it for whatever reason (or anything else that uses firewire), you can daisy chain them together, and the PC will see them as 2 seperate drives.
11-18-2004, 07:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Churnd
Definitely go FireWire. The new FireWire interface is rated at 800mbps I believe. Blazing fast.
I have an external DVD burner for my laptop, which is connected with a 400mbps firewire. It's so much faster than the one inside the laptop.
PLUS, with FireWire, if you want to get another drive like it for whatever reason (or anything else that uses firewire), you can daisy chain them together, and the PC will see them as 2 seperate drives.
I have an external DVD burner for my laptop, which is connected with a 400mbps firewire. It's so much faster than the one inside the laptop.
PLUS, with FireWire, if you want to get another drive like it for whatever reason (or anything else that uses firewire), you can daisy chain them together, and the PC will see them as 2 seperate drives.
11-18-2004, 09:00 PM
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It much much cheaper to get something like this
then shop for the SATA or IDE drive you want and stick it in there. they even have ones that plug direcly into a network switch like your DLS router and use as a phsical network drive.
Not to mention this is an invaluable tool for recovering files from a corupted hard drive. take the corupt hard drive stick it in the box plug the unit into a working system and copy the file you need to save before reformating it.
then shop for the SATA or IDE drive you want and stick it in there. they even have ones that plug direcly into a network switch like your DLS router and use as a phsical network drive.
Not to mention this is an invaluable tool for recovering files from a corupted hard drive. take the corupt hard drive stick it in the box plug the unit into a working system and copy the file you need to save before reformating it.
11-18-2004, 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted by gapguy
I'm a bit late..but still. The newer firewire interface is being "tagged" as Firewire 800. There's a port on the side of my Powerbook for it, but I haven't seen ANY devices that support it yet. Whats up with that?
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