Seagate Portable Hard Drive
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No matter how much disk storage space we have, it is never enough. While it is a relatively easy task to add an extra internal drive to a computer, not everybody is comfortable with opening up a system box. If internal storage is not the answer then taking an out-of-the-box view of the problem reveals the possibility of using an external drive to increase storage capacity.
Realising that there was a ready market for a high capacity, good quality, mobile device using the 2.5 inch format, Seagate has come up with a range of USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drives. Currently models are available with 40, 100 and 120GB capacity. This review is based on the 100GB version of the portable hard drive that can be used with either a Windows or Mac system.
The 2.5 inch drive is encased in chrome-plated aluminium with a matt silver and black finish. Measuring 23 x 90 x 130mm (H x W x D), this Seagate drive weighs in at 300g which makes it eminently portable with regards to both size and weight. Running round most of the device is an aluminium grill to ensure that any heat issues are not a problem. Even after ten hours of continuous use, the drive was cool to the touch showing that the grill was fulfilling its designated function.
A USB socket is located at the rear of the unit. Rather than the standard USB 2.0 lead, the Seagate drive is supplied with a USB "Y" lead. This lead splits into two connections at the computer end. The main connection, labelled "Data + Power", should be sufficient in most cases to handle both data transfer and supply power to the external hard drive. However if the computer cannot supply enough power through the "Data + Power" option, then the second part of the lead can be attached to provide additional power. In the case of my laptop just the single "Data + Power" connection was required.
At the front of the drive is an LED light. This glows bright blue to indicate power is being received and flickers to show disk activity. The drive is so quiet that the flickering of the light is the only real indication you get that the drive is performing one of its tasks.
Installing the drive under Windows XP is just a matter of connecting the drive and having it recognised by the operating system. The same procedure will also apply to Mac OS 9.2.2 and later system. For versions of Windows from 98SE onwards, drivers are provided on the accompanying CD. The drive's hot-swappable ability, allowing it to be quickly moved from one system to another, makes it an ideal device for transferring data between machines. However Seagate does not recommend cross-platform transfer between Windows and Macintosh systems. It is also advisable not to use earlier versions of USB otherwise you will not gain the full benefits that this drive can offer.
This 5400-RPM drive has an 8MB cache which no doubt plays its part in the drive's data transfer rate. While I was unable to approach anywhere near the maximum of 480Mbps promised by USB 2.0, I was more than satisfied with being able to transfer 776MB of data, spread over 20 folders containing 199 files, in just 51 seconds without the merest whisper of sound to disturb the peace.
Along with the various drivers, the supplied software CD contains an electronic version of the User Manual and a number of utilities. You get BounceBack Express for making automatic backups using the external hard drive as the storage device. There are also utilities for checking the condition of the new drive and carrying out formatting and partitioning functions.
This drive continues to uphold Seagate's excellent reputation in the arena of hard disk drives. It is compact, lightweight, and extremely quiet with a capacity to store masses of data, music and video files. The 100GB version is priced at a reasonable £123.50.
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