Can someone help me find the right external HD..I am really frustrated

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woolymisc

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Mar 23, 2010
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Can someone help me find the right external HDs. I am really frustrated right now. I have spent days reading up on external HDs, no reputable company seems to make what I want.

This is what I am looking for.

I want to buy 2 external HD's as backups for my internal HD. I am wary of drives with two discs in them (so no combo drives, mirrors, etc). I want two separate, single disc drives, about 500 GB each (1TB each would probably be the max). That way I have two backups on separate drives at all times. In truth, I will have multiple backups on each drive, but multiples are worthless when a drive dies. I would like all three major interfaces USB, eSata, and Firewire, but USB and eSata are a must. And of course I would like a reputable brand, like Seagate or WD. I really wanted to get a Western Digital, but they only have 1 drive with an interface other than USB (which drives me crazy), the My Book Studio II, and it has a 2 disc system....arghhhh!. Seagate has a similar issue, everything is USB only except one drive the Free Agent Extreme. HOWEVER, that has two fatal flaws: 1) the software sucks really bad and set up makes using any other software a chore, and 2) it can't be manually reset since it has no power button. I couldn't believe that between Seagate and WD neither has drive that I am looking for. Why don't they have all three interfaces on all of their HDs? Is that so wrong?


So again, here are the specs I am considering:
- single disc drives
- 500 GB-1TB capacity (negotiable)
- USB, eSata, and Firewire (any speed) interface
- Reputable brand (hoping for WD or Seagate)
- Price: about 100-150 for 1 drive (negotiable).


How come I can't find what I want, when there are so many endless configurations out there? What do you guys recommend? Am I needlessly picky and crazy? Tell me there is a solution for me.
 
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woolymisc

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Well, Firewire is the one I could drop, but I definitely need eSata and USB. I can't find Seagates and WDs with both of those either, except the two I listed above.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
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nocheese

nocheese

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Another option would be to roll your own. Get whatever brand/size drive only you want and put it into a 3rd part enclosure...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010010092%201054244018&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=RATING

Won't come with any software, but considering your spec list and the amount of thought you have put into this, are you really a user that needs a polished software solution or can you make do with the operating systems built in tools or 3rd party tools freely available elsewhere?
 
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steadfast1984

steadfast1984

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buy a eSata/USB 2.0 HDD encloser they run about 20-40 bucks. then install the raw HDD into the encloser yourself, they literally just snap in. now you got your eSata USB and if your internal HDD fails you can take the one out of the encloser and install it internally. What i do, is i get my external HDD and partition off about 20GB and leave it unallocated. that way in an emergency , i can pop it in my Computer and load windows on that 20GB without loosing my stored files. then you can go out and buy your new internal HDD, take out the subbed in one, and delete windows off that 20GB partition. pop your temp internal HDD back into its encloser and its good to go for storage again.
 
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woolymisc

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I thank you for your reply. I did get your post and link, but that particular harddrive was one I listed in my first post as having some fatal flaws. It has some pretty negative reviews too. Until I looked into that drive, it was the one I was most interested in.
 
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guanyu210379

guanyu210379

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Mar 30, 2007
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I know. Choosing your external HDD could be a pain in the ass. Too many brands, too many types. External and onternal HDD have not too different, they just different because of the casing, in your PC or separated casing with extra power suplly.

But as far as I know only WD, Seagate, Hitachi, and Samsung who deliver good HDDs.
But other brands such as trekstor, usw. are also proven good, the thing is..those brands produce only the casing themself while inside (the HDD) they are using HDD from other known company like seagate, WD, usw. This I know after doing surgery to my 1000GB Trekstor, inside it I found Seagate 1TB 7200.11.

So. Here is my story for you :
I bought my trekstor about 1.5 years ago for 80 euro, during this time I have also searched the price for internal HDD seagate 1TB 7200.11, I found it about 90 euro. At that time, of course, I didn't know yet that the same 7200.11 was used inside the external HDD. I have decided to buy the external one, just because it was cheaper than the internalone. Only after some months later, I found out, that the HDD used is the same.

My tips for you :
Just buy the best price you can get.


 
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