Portable hard drive?

[JCsPlumbing]

Any recommendations on a portable hard drive? Would like to be able to plug it in to a USB or FireWire port and control the drive/programs simply from there.

I DON'T need any more room than like 50GB.

Thanks for any recommendations for simplicity, reliability, & price. :)

J.C.

[MrsSeatDown]

We have a seagate. It was about $100 in December.

[Newman]

I've got a Seagate 1TB usb and firewire. I've had good luck with Seagate

[smorris]

For External multi-port drives, I've always used LaCie (www.lacie.com (http://www.lacie.com)) They are a little more than the non-name products, but in 16 years of using them, I've always outgrown them before they fail. And even passing them down, I've enever had a failure yet. I did need to replace a power supply, but I suspect it was lightining damage, as other items were damaged at the same time.

Many models are USB2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. So I can utilize the high speed of the FW800, but if I want to take them somewhere or connect them to another computer, I still have the more commonly used USB.

I currently have two 1T, a 500GB, and a 250BG unit connected to my computer.

The above are all externally powered units. For a laptop, they also have small portable drives powered by the host computer. I will be getting one of those for my daughter's laptop at college.

Here's a 250 GB (their smalles of the rubberized models) for $129. Amazon carries them, too, so if you have Amazon Prime you can get them in two days without shipping cost.

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10949



Steve

[cpw]

If you really don't need more than 50GB, you might consider a 32GB or 64GB USB flash drive (I know it isn't firewire). It won't save money, but it would be tiny and hopefully more able to take abuse which could be of benefit.

[VASandy]

For External multi-port drives, I've always used LaCie (www.lacie.com (http://www.lacie.com)) They are a little more than the non-name products, but in 16 years of using them, I've always outgrown them before they fail. And even passing them down, I've enever had a failure yet. I did need to replace a power supply, but I suspect it was lightining damage, as other items were damaged at the same time.

Many models are USB2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. So I can utilize the high speed of the FW800, but if I want to take them somewhere or connect them to another computer, I still have the more commonly used USB.

I currently have two 1T, a 500GB, and a 250BG unit connected to my computer.

The above are all externally powered units. For a laptop, they also have small portable drives powered by the host computer. I will be getting one of those for my daughter's laptop at college.

Here's a 250 GB (their smalles of the rubberized models) for $129. Amazon carries them, too, so if you have Amazon Prime you can get them in two days without shipping cost.

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10949



Steve

I have always found LaCie units to be of the highest quality. They're always a bit more than the others, but that's because they don't skimp on the internals!

How much portability are you looking for? There's a couple companies that make SSD (Solid State Drives) that are like the little USB memory sticks, but act like real hard drives to your system. These are touted as being way more portable than a traditional hard drive as they have no internal moving parts. A standard hard drive has spinning platters and a read/write head that moves over the platters. If you want something that'll stand up to being in the truck, an SSD might be your best bet. Here's a link to Tiger Direct's (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=4221&name=external-solid-state-drive&) current offering of SSD external drives.

[Woussko]

JC

Are you wanting a device for backing up files where it will stay put in one location, or more for moving files from one computer to another?

Sandy brings up a good point that hard (and really any mechanical) drives really can't take impacts or banging around and especially when in operation.

[JCsPlumbing]

JC

Are you wanting a device for backing up files where it will stay put in one location, or more for moving files from one computer to another?

Sandy brings up a good point that hard (and really any mechanical) drives really can't take impacts or banging around and especially when in operation.

Possibly both. I ordered a Lacie Model 250 GB. Smallest I could find.

You pay more, but you get more.

J.C.

[ToUtahNow]

On my desk I have two 500GB Western Digital "My Books Essential". For my laptops and tablets I have Western Digital "My Passport" in 320GB to 500GB and Pexagon "Store-it Pro" in 60GB to 500GB. I prefer the Pexagon for ease of use and they are in an aluminum case so they engrave them free of charge making them easier to get the back when I send them to someone.

Mark

[gear junkie]

http://www.maxtor.com/en/hard-drive-backup/external-drives/maxtor-blackarmor.html

I have the black armor maxtor 320 gig hard drive. It's been very highly rated along with government encription and password protected. I bought it for around 100 at best buy last year.

[JCsPlumbing]

Just wanted to update. I bought the exact one Smorris recommended at Post 4.

Good space for me at least.
Good performance but I don't do timed bench test or anything.
Supposedly more rugged for anyone that's gonna' be moving it around.

And most of all-good customer service from their website. Here's why:

I purchased it to backup all data after (not smart, should do it before) my computer crashed. I took it to the computer techs-they uploaded the old data, not too many problems. But they lost one of the included FireWire cords. They swore they don't recall seeing it, I believe them that they don't remember. Cords, hard drives, etc. everywhere in the shop.

I contacted Lacie to confirm what was in the box. They said I was right and that cord is included. And then:

They offered to send me a new one by FedEx for no charge. I know that's no big deal to some but technically I lost the cord. And most businesses in todays times will just say tough luck.

So I will buy from Lacie again and recommend others do so.

J.C.

[wathman]

All reasonable suggestions, though I was partial to cpw's flash solution also. 32 and 64 GB flash drives are still a bit pricey, but they are falling fast. These drives can take a lot of punishment, and are much more compact. There are even rugged versions that are crush resistant and waterproof.

La Cie makes a new type of flash drive they call itsaKey, it literally is in the shape of a key and will attach to a key ring. Pretty nifty, but doesn't come in a size larger than 8GB. http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=11227

However, in the DIY spirit of the forum, I'll suggest make your own. Before you dismiss this as being completely crazy, you can find a number of basic aluminum external enclosures from online sources. Then you just buy your own 3.5" or 2.5" internal hard drive, and screw it in. $30 will get you an enclosure capable of USB 2.0 or the newer and much faster eSATA if your computer can support it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392030

3.5" internal drives tend to have the best price to size ratio, and multiple price points to choose from. a relatively inexpensive Samsung or Hitachi 1 TB drive goes for as little as $75 during sales, or you can get the latest and greatest (in terms of size) 2 TB drive from Western Digital for $275. Not exactly a bargain at that price, but they do squeeze a lot of data in.

The other advantage of going DIY is that the enclosures last a lot longer than drives. In 5 years if they are making 10 GB drives, all you have to do is take apart the enclosure and pop it in. If your drive fails (all mechanical drives will fail at some point, never keep all your eggs in one basket) you only need to replace the internal drive and can reuse the enclosure.