Can someone recommend . . .

[Roadkill]

A plug-in desktop hard drive thingy.

Something a complete n00b like me can plug into my PC and do a straight copy of my entire documents folder (ie. Music, video and pictures).

The theory is to keep it nearby and to have one recent copy of all my stuff . . . then copy another then delete the last.

My documents folder is around 40 Gig so, bearing in mind at maximum it'd have two copies (briefly) on it I'd need a 80-100 gig jobbie.

Or slightly bigger to allow for natural music expansion.

I'm not worried about compressing, converting or anything like that.  I just want to do a straight copy and paste.

Fool proof . . . so even I can't f*ck it up.

[HardRockCamaro]

Any USB hard drive will do.

It will appear as a drive letter on your computer and you can drag and drop to it.

If you want to be lazy about it and just press a button then the Maxtor One Touch drive may be for you.

Personally I have 3 Western Digital MyBook drives and a Lacie Porsche drive, all of those were bought for the faster firewire socket on them and frankly, the looks...

[Losty]

icybox and decent size HD!

icybox
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_3898.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_3898.html

HD
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/113435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://www.ebuyer.com/product/113435



take HD, shove into icybox, oplug into PC, either via a USB cable ( even YOU can manage that)

if your motherboard has sata...( ask Chris )
Then plug the sata backplate that comes with the icybox into an internal header on your mobo  ( dead easy too) and you can connect the icybox with your new HD that way, and it will run at UBER quick speeds, as it should run at the same speeds an internal drive




i has one!  and it has blue LEDS, what more can you want?

[Roadkill]

Quoting: HardRockCamaro

If you want to be lazy about it and just press a button then the Maxtor One Touch drive may be for you.

I'm not lazy . . . it just has to be simple.

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Losty

and it has blue LEDS

The more the merrier.

:tart:

[sixpack2639]

Quoting: Losty

and it has blue LEDS

They cause cancer you know.....

[Incursus]

Quoting: Losty

icybox and decent size HD!

What he said tbh.

Quoting: Losty

if your motherboard has sata...( ask Chris )

Indeed it does.

Quoting: Losty

i has one! and it has blue LEDS, what more can you want?

Yeah its very pretty

Tbh I'm tempted by one myself, I've filled up my 160gb and 80gb hard drives!  Damn 16mb broadband

Think i'll add it to my xmas list

[F Body]

Quoting: Incursus

I've filled up my 160gb and 80gb hard drives!

Dam those porn movies don't half eat the gb

[Deadmeat]

how easy are they to swap? I am looking for an off site backup solution so if I could run a nightly backup and each day swap the drive so we always had one off site... would this do the job do you think?

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Deadmeat

off site backup solution

OH, that's what they're called eh ?  

Quoting: Incursus

What he said tbh.

So the icybox is like a "station" and the Hard drives plug in / out so you can use multiple drives ?

[55starchief]

What size is your ipod as you can configure it a s a backup drive as well as storing your music

[Roadkill]

Quoting: 55starchief

What size is your ipod as you can configure it a s a backup drive as well as storing your music

I've only got about 4.5 Gig left on it.

[55starchief]

Quoting: Roadkill

I've only got about 4.5 Gig left on it.

in which case why not upgrade your ipod to a larger one, sell the old one and it should cost you to much more. Then you have more space on the ipod and all your data with you at all times.


the 80gb ipod is currently £150 and the 160gb £220 which is about the same price as a backup drive by the time you sell your old unit

[Roadkill]

I wouldn't bother with the 80gig one . . I'd just go straight to the 160gig so it would be ideal.

That said I've had several minor problems with the iPod recently (yes I know it's apple technology) so I'm not in a rush to spend £££ on another one just yet . . . .

[55starchief]

Quoting: Roadkill

I've had several minor problems with the iPod recently

oh yeah? mine has been religously faithful for almost 4 years now

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

That said I've had several minor problems with the iPod recently (yes I know it's apple technology)

but it just works!    

Quoting: F Body

Dam those porn movies don't half eat the gb

Indeed they do.

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

So the icybox is like a "station" and the Hard drives plug in / out so you can use multiple drives ?

you could but why would you. just buy a 500gb drive for £60 should keep you going for a few years

Quoting: Deadmeat

how easy are they to swap? I am looking for an off site backup solution so if I could run a nightly backup and each day swap the drive so we always had one off site... would this do the job do you think?

Quoting: kustompcs

EasySwap -mechanismm, easyHDD installation without screwing

[Incursus]

Quoting: Incursus

without screwing

Huh huh huhuh screwing    

[55starchief]

Quoting: Incursus

but it just works!

Quoting: 55starchief

mine has been religously faithful for almost 4 years now

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Incursus

you could but why would you. just buy a 500gb drive for £60 should keep you going for a few years

Oh, yeah, I know.  But that is the theory, right ?

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

But that is the theory, right ?

yup

[ianjpage]

just do wot i did mate, spend 60 quid ish on a USB2 120Gb HDD and use that - simply plug in, has got nice blue letter's that light up & flash on teh front (for the tart in ya) and if ya filli  - buy another / bigger one!!

[HardRockCamaro]

I have seen too many people lose data on ebay USB drive enclosures.

You can buy a Maxtor 400GB USB hard drive for £53, at those prices there is no point in buying a bare drive and then hunting around for a £10 box to put it in.

When you do a big backup and the drive is busy for an extended period of time it heats up.  Modern drives in plastic enclosures need a fan (which makes them noisy) or the casing needs to be made from metal and the top surface of the drive needs to press against it to use the enclosure as a heat sink.  But be warned, to get really big capacities some manufacurers put hard drives in one enclosure, with no fan.  Bad plan.  I've seen a few of those overheat and die.

[Deadmeat]

Quoting: Roadkill

OH, that's what they're called eh ?

nah this is for work, so we keep a copy off site incase of fire/aliens etc.

[55starchief]

Quoting: Deadmeat

nah this is for work, so we keep a copy off site incase of fire/aliens etc.

Digital Tape drive then