Western Digital My Book Studio II - 6 TB (2 x 3 TB) USB 2.0/FireWire 800/400/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the WD Studio II 2TB on my 2008 iMac OSX 10.5.6 for two weeks. Connection: firewire 800. Today, it did not mount when I booted the computer.
Checked the WD Website Knowledge Base.
Discovered two things:
1. Knowledge Base Answer 1697: "This issue is caused by the external hard drive's built in auto on/off functionality not correctly receiving a command from the computer system to wake from a power saver mode."
Why does the auto on/off functionality not correctly receive the command from the computer system? WD goes on to suggest installing their WD Drive Manager.
Well, WD Drive Manager is already installed, how else could a user have arrived at this impasse to begin with?
And then they suggest to dismount the drive. How do you dismount an unmounted drive?
2. Knowledge Base Answer 1680: "This is an technical limitation between the FireWire interfaces on the Macintosh computer and the external hard drive."
By "the external hard drive" WD means THEIR brand of external hard drive. I have never had this specific problem with any other brands of external hard drives connected to my Macintosh computer.
When is WD going to fix this "technical limitation" that they have built into their Studio II external hard drive? I would say, that is a pretty serious "technical limitation."
1680 goes on to explain the workaround solution, essentially a routine disconnecting the power cable and reconnecting. Nice.
My hope is that this entire situation is the result of following the apparently misleading instructions shown in the Studio II manual: chapter 7, "Turning Off/Disconnecting the Device."
Since "Auto-off" is the first entry in this chapter, it leads the user to believe that this is the preferred way to operate the drive. Guess not: as it turns out, the hidden "technical limitation" of the firewire connection will eventually cause the problem I have described. I suppose I can't rely on "Auto-off." Use "Safe Shutdown" only, even though the instructions in the manual differ from the instructions presented in WD Knowledge Base Answer 976!
And, speaking of conflicting instructions, compare WD Knowledge Base Answer 1386 with the Auto-off instructions in the manual.
Based on all of this information from WD, conflicting and otherwise, my guess is that the Auto-off feature is problematic (at least with Macintosh computers) because of firewire "technical limitations" caused by the WD external drive design. This fact, if it is a fact, should be expressed clearly in the manual.

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WD\'s My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive external storage system for Mac offers performance for creative professionals. Includes up to 6 TB of storage, RAID, quad-interface, user-serviceability, a 5-year limited warranty, and is compatible with Apple Time Machine.

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ioSafe Solo 500 GB Fireproof and Waterproof Desktop External Hard Drive with 5 Year Data Recovery Service SL0500GBUSB205YR (Silver) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros:
* Reasonably priced considering what you are getting (fireproof, waterproof, theft protection)
* Includes a way to bolt the drive down for theft protection
* Gives peace of mind - protecting my code (I'm a programmer) and other valuable data
* I emailed the company with a question about encryption and got a fast response that answered the question
Cons:
* Only USB 2.0 interface - could be faster with USB 3.0 or eSATA (future update?)
Other:
* Unit weighs about 15 pounds
* Requires external power supply
* Must register within 7 days with ioSafe
* My 2TB unit uses a Hitachi HDS722020ALA330 hard drive
* Can buy DRS (data recover service) extensions/upgrades to 5 years
* Check the videos (YouTube) on the Internet to see what this thing can take
* I use mine with my Windows Home Server and backup the shares and backups to it
* Encrypting data on the drive may make data recovery more difficult in case of disaster
* I bought a unit with 5 years of DRS and it shipped out as two seperate packages - the HD with 1 year DRS and a DRS upgrade to 5 years


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Like an aircraft black box for your data, the rugged desktop ioSafe Solo external hard drive brings fire and water data protection to a price range that everyone can afford. With capacities from 500GB to 2TB, the ioSafe Solo can safely backup precious digital family photo albums, MP3 music libraries and video memories from not only primary hard drive failure but from natural disasters as well.

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Logicube Echo Plus - Hard drive duplicator ( IDE / SATA ) Review

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(More customer reviews)We use this device to speed up image deployment- with the help of the Windows Automated Installation Kit, we constructed and generalized a standard image. This image is cloned with the Logicube and we are able to reduce the configuration/deployment time to about 15 minutes total by eliminating the time spent copying files from a DVD or flash drive. The Logicube will copy to a standard SATA disk at about 2.5GB/sec. Add to that the time it will take to scan both disks, power them up, error check, etc. This device clones a standard windows 7 install (12-15GB with installed software)in about 5 minutes on clever mode.
The Logicube also comes in handy with touchy, older equipment. When I start to see signs of drive failures- bad sectors, failing SMART tests, etc. I simply clone the old drive to a new one, run CHKDSK, and begin using the new disk.
I also use the device to blank drives before disposal, by doing a block level copy of a virgin disk.
This device is by far the easiest to use and most dependable I have used- my average interaction with it consists of pushing the "start|stop" button once to wake it up, once to start the copy.
Money well spent!

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The Echo Plus is the industry's most compact and affordable handheld cloning solution. This feature-rich device provides users with fast duplication of hard disk drives. Whether you need to deploy new software, upgrade operating systems, or new PC rollouts the Echo Plus is an ideal solution.

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Samsung S1 Mini 120 GB USB 2.0 1.8-Inch Portable External Hard Drive HXSU012BA/M52 (Chocolate Brown) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Samsung S1 mini drive packs a whole lot of punch in an extremely small package.
OUT OF THE BOX: Opening the box, I couldn't believe how small it was and after using it, I am extremely pleased that I went with Samsung as the quality cannot be beat. 120GB's in a package that is substantially smaller than a cell phone.
CABLES: Samsung did an excellent job of thinking through the customer experience and have included two cables.
*The first cable is approximately three inches long and allows for convenient connection to a notebook in tight spaces. The drive and this cable could be carried in a handbag or notebook bag without causing a mess.
*The second cable is roughly 18 inches long and allows for connection to the drive from the back of a desktop system when space isn't a concern.
CASE: Samsung has included a stylish leather case to protect the drive when not in use.
PERFORMANCE:
*The S1 drive has a capacity of 120GBs which is plenty enough room for the average user who is going to be copying files, backing up work or just looking to save space on their notebook.
*The S1 drive comes has auto backup software installed and is extremely easy to set up.
OVERALL: I have only had the Samsung S1 drive for a few days but I have to say that I am extremely impressed with the overall solution that Samsung has provided in this small sleek package. Samsung has always been a market leader in electronics and I assure you that you will not be disappointed when purchasing this drive. I was looking for something small, sleek and easy to use and the Samsung S1 is meeting has exceeded my expectations.

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The ultra-mobile S1 Mini external drive delivers the ultimate in convenient portability. This credit card-sized drive easily fits in your wallet or purse. Easy to set up, easy to use. Simply plug it in and go. No CD is needed for installation. The S1 Mini is USB powered for your convenience and portability.

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Samsung S2 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive HXMU025DA/G52 (Chocolate Brown) Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this on the 15th January (one day before estimated arrival, because Amazon is the god of online shopping), plugged it into my Mac and it was recognized right away. Deleted the software on the drive (since it was for Windows) and so far haven't had any problems with it.
Pros:
- Painless plug and play, no forced software use (at least with mac)
- Compatible with Mac
- Nonslip leather case included
- Doesn't heat up
- Pretty solid. I moved it around a couple of times while transferring 25GB+ folders and no bad sounds or interruptions.
- Quiet. You can hear something going on, but it's not loud.
- Good aesthetics and good price for the amount of space (I paid about $90 for slick looking 500gb)
Cons:
- It's a fingerprint magnet, but I mostly keep it in the case anyway
- I'm not crazy about "shimmer" or "glitter" and the circle designs on the top are slightly glittery... it's really subtle, you can hardly notice it, but I'm just saying...
I'm waiting on a Windows netbook, I'll test it out more between OSs. Will keep updated if any problems arise.
***Update: Works great with Windows 7 (starter).. plugged in and recognized right away. No problems transferring stuff between mac and windows.
***Update: Also works great with linux (Ubuntu).

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Samsung 250 GB EXT USB 2.0 2.5-Inch BROWN

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Glyph GT 050Q - Hard drive - 2 TB - external - FireWire / FireWire 800 / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA - 7200 rpm - buffer: 32 MB - black powder coat Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros:
1. Very well built / durability. Best I have seen.
2. Has a power button
3. Love the power supply. Best I have seen.
4. Lots of connections (Esata, Firewire 800, Firewire 400, USB)
5. Large cache size (32 mb)
6. Lots of space for storage
7. Powers down when not in use
8. Great durable carrying case
9. Best warranty I have seen (3 year warranty and the first 2 years comes with data level 1 data retrieval, the only warranty that I have seen that comes with any free data retrieval and includes overnight replacement)
10. The company overall has a very good reputation and is pretty much the only hard drive manufacturer that is approved by Digidesign
11. From what I've heard, Glyph has very good customer service (though I have not dealt with them yet)
Cons:
1. NO USB CABLE?
The only cables that are provided here is the power cable, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800 cable. WHY NO USB? I realize the main purpose of this drive is for pro audio or video programs which require fast connections such as Firewire or ESata, but what if you want to connect this to a computer that doesn't have firewire? You have to buy the cable elsewhere. This is the ONLY DRIVE I have seen that doesn't include a USB Cable.
2. IS IT 5900 RPM or 7200 RPM?
On the back of the box where the serial code is it says "5900 RPM". WHAT??? It's advertised as a 7200 RPM hard drive almost every where I looked. I bought this hard drive from ADORAMA. When I noticed this it was too late to email them since I did not notice this until I already used and registered it so I cannot send it back. For everyone that is going to buy this, CHECK THE BACK where the serial is. I think I found at least one site that mentioned this being a 5900 RPM drive so i'm not completely certain it is 7200. I will try to research more into this as well.
3. PRICEY
It's the priciest hard drive I have seen.
4. NOT VERY PORTABLE
Though the carrying case is durable enough to certainly work efficiently, due to it's size you can't carry it in a backback unless it has no protection. Every other hard drive that exists (as far as I know) comes in a box with enough packaging that you can put it back in the box and carry it safely in a backpack. This is not a 3.5" drive, it's basically double the size and therefore is not as portable.
5. NOT DEAD SILENT
Yes, the hard drive is silent but the fan is very audible which stays on as long as the drive is in use.
Overall:
The hard drives durability, warranty, and power supply are by far the best I have ever seen which are all things I look for. Also, though I do have some gripes with this drive, I cannot recommend a different product because many other hard drive manufactures / enclosure makers (Western Digital, Seagate, Lacie, HP, Iomega, and even more expensive ones such as G - Tech) have way more design flaws compared to Glyph products. Do I feel safe that I can rely on this drive? Yes. Will I still back all my data onto a separate drive? You bet ya, and I would urge anyone else to do the same because it's a fact that all hard drives die. The question is when.
I put a lot of time into researching and writing this review so I hope this helps.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Glyph GT 050Q - Hard drive - 2 TB - external - FireWire / FireWire 800 / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA - 7200 rpm - buffer: 32 MB - black powder coat

The 2TB Quad Interface Hard Drive from Glyph-Technologies is an external hard drive in a GT-050 desktop enclosure. It can connect to your computer via the FireWire-800, FireWire-400, USB 2.0, or eSATA interface. The drive is designed by Glyph for use in professional audio applications.The enclosure is constructed from stainless steel and features tri-laminate sound-damping to help reduce noise. This makes the drive an ideal solution for storage in audio and video production environments.

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