external usb hard drive

[paulstenlund]

Any recommedations on an external USB2 hardrive - there is a bunch out there and I hate to be a guinea pig
I'm accumulating giga-giga bytes of photos and music

Thanks

[radhak]

As always, any such question always prompts counter questions on budget, usage, needs, etc. But going on a limb I'd say check out some of the 'deal' sites; my favorite is ecost.com.

The last I checked they were offering 1TB of external for around $100. I did not buy, as I am waiting for a 2TB at that cost; no science to my expectations, just that it felt right ! That, and the fact that I want mine to have both usb 2.0 and firewire 800. Again, don't ask me why, I just want it...

[cgallery]

We're seeing very high failure rates on pretty much all brands of drives > approx. 300GB. The drives we're seeing are typically 500-GB and larger, and were sold approx. 1 year ago. Many of the failures are somewhat benign (bad/weak sectors), others are catastrophic.

If you get a big drive to story photos, etc., on, BUY TWO, and back them up to one another.

[crokett]

Great... so now we have to back up the backups?

[justaguy]

I use Antec MX1 USB2/SATA enclosures with a 3.5 inch SATA drive of whatever capacity is appropriate. These offer good usb2 performance with the option to go e-SATA if your computer supports it.

As far as the backup the backups issue.. I have a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device with two internal drives that are mirrored. This drive set is used for weekly differential backups of our computers, archiving, and serving MP3's to the home entertainment system. I use two Antec MX1's to do a full mirror backup of our two PC's once a month.

If I need to recover a file or archive some files I use the NAS. If I need to completely recover a PC I use the drives in the MX1's.

[cgallery]

Great... so now we have to back up the backups?

No, that isn't necessary (but not a bad idea).

What we've noticed is an increase in the # of people using USB/1394 external drives as primary storage. Perhaps their original intentions were wise (backup stuff on their PC's). Perhaps they don't understand the concept of backup (that you need two copies of the data, having all your stuff only on an external drive isn't backup).

But I thought I'd mention it because it is pretty common for someone to bring us an external drive that is dead only to tell us they have no other copies.

[crokett]

No, that isn't necessary (but not a bad idea).

What we've noticed is an increase in the # of people using USB/1394 external drives as primary storage. Perhaps their original intentions were wise (backup stuff on their PC's). Perhaps they don't understand the concept of backup (that you need two copies of the data, having all your stuff only on an external drive isn't backup).

Ah. Ok. What I am trying to do is get my team lead to let me have 100GB or so of the storage we have in the lab. I can use that for network backups at work of my work PC. The problem is, it being a lab somebody may come in and thrash it.

[os1kne]

I have 2 500gb external HD's; a Seagate and a LaCie. The Seagate is USB2 and the LaCie is USB2/Firewire/eSata (I've only used the USB connection so far). They both have worked well for me and they both cost about the same. The LaCie is much more "elegant", for lack of a better term, it just looks and feels like more thought/better engineering went into it. If you go with LaCie, you will likely need to order it, as they aren't typically carried by BestBuy, etc.

Good luck.

[radhak]

I agree - Lacie seem better designed and built.

Another small point is that many of the externals 'stand up', while some lay flat. I'd not want one that stands up unless it's too sturdy to topple over. I have heard that the most damage to a hard-disk is when it falls while spinning (reading/writing). I'd rather avoid that whole issue.

I'm not sure if it's okay to place a 'stand up' drive on it's side. Is there a right-side-up for hard-drives?

[BobSch]

I'm not sure if it's okay to place a 'stand up' drive on it's side. Is there a right-side-up for hard-drives?

It used to be that if you formatted a drive one way it would have problems if you changed its orientation. Don't know if it's still true or not but old habits die hard.

[khf314]

Think about External vs USB Power

Another think to think about is whether you want a drive that needs external power or can take it's power off the USB port.

I have a very compact and light WD Passport that runs off internal power; I carry it in my laptop bag for quick backups and when I need extra storage.

I also have a LaCie external that needs 120 AC power, I use that at home for weekly image/incremental backups of my laptop C: drive.

Unless you have your external drive plugged in and running all the time your main PC/laptop is up, that source should be stable long term.

But if you have stuff that could break your heart or put you out of business if it were lost, you really need a multiple backup strategy. Maybe not two external drives; you could backup to an external drive and DVD.

One last thing - DVDs and CDs that you burn have a limited life span - I've read anything from a couple to several years. So they are not permanent - any more than a VCR tape is.

[cgallery]

Lots of good points made above.

Find a drive that runs horizontally. The vertical ones are always unstable, and commonly get knocked over. If it happens while it is running you'll lock the spindle and/or cause a head crash.

You can place your vertical drive on its side, but your family/friends (trust me on this) will walk into the room and then set it back upright. And then it will get knocked over. It never fails.

[khf314]

Bargain - 320GB USB Drive $50

http://store.iomega.com/section?p=47...20090131_en_us

[alpha]

There are a lot of good options. I use one that is a little different. I bought two 500gb internal drives for $50 each and an IDE/SATA to USB2 connector. I mounted one drive inside my computer for regular backups (using Acronis) and use the USB cable to copy the backups to the other drive on a monthly basis.

You can pick up an IDE/SATA to USB2 cable for $10-20. Here's one link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232002

The cable will allow you to use any internal hard drive as an external drive. I had some old hard drives I was not using any more; 12GB, 20GB, 30GB. Those old hard drives are useful again. I also have backups and incremental backups of all my data on an internal drive and monthly backups for several months on an external drive. Also, I have a 3rd copy of my music & photos on my smaller hard drives that I was not using.

This may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

Bob

[SDrees]

My two cents. Store your back up off site online they're secure and very reasonably priced and have as much space as you need. You don't have to worry about theft, fire, natural disasters, breakins,etc.
Sdrees