Tripper storage...

Is anybody using their Tripper or comparable unit for long term storage of images? Is the hard drive in these things easily corupted? Apart from backing up everything onto cdr's, how would a unit like this work for something like that?
Thanks for your input!!

Broid said:

Is anybody using their Tripper or comparable unit for long term
storage of images? Is the hard drive in these things easily
corupted? Apart from backing up everything onto cdr's, how would a
unit like this work for something like that?
Thanks for your input!!

Click to expand...

I would not use the TRIPPER for long term storage. I use the TRIPPER as intended and that is to upload images in the field so that the CF cards or microdrives can be formatted and used again.

I get back to my computer and I trasnfer from the TRIPPER to my PC hard drive. The information on the TRIPPER may not be erased immedeatly, but it is not because it is primary storage.

Any time you have a hard drive in an environment where is is moved around you have a higher likelyhood of damage. Don't get me wrong, most modern hard drives (even the notebook 2.5 inch variety) are much more robust than the days of the old ST506 standard drives.

There is more potential for physical, and therefore logical, damage to a hard drive surface when the drive is active. The potential is even greater if the drive itself is moving. This is why you are advised to keep the TRIPPER as level and not moving as possible when you are uploading to it. The movement I am cautioning against is not slowly picking the TRIPPER up and moving it or looking at it as long as you make slow movements. Picking up a spinning hard drive and suddendly moving it at severe angles or suddendly stopping it plays havoc with the head accuator and rotational consistancy.

I would use primary storage on a hard drive in my PC and then back up to CD or DVD. The cost of a desktop hard drive compared to a notebook drive is much less. Don't buy a 20GB TRIPPER for storage when you can buy a 200GB desktop drive for the same amount of money and have ten times the storage.

Do I use the TRIPPER to move large files between my office and home, YES. But the TRIPPER is only a temporary (I mean hours) storage device.

I will say that notebook drives are much more robust than they look. I have several of them in various devices that are not laptops and they hold up very well. Do not be afraid of them. I like Toshiba 2.5 inch drives myself.

My experience with hard drives (of all types) is that if they are going to have problems you will know it when they don't power up in the first place, or fail soon after you put them in service.

I always run the dog out of hard drives and most every other electronic component for 24 to 48 hours after I get it. If it does not fail, it most likely will not. Make sure to power the device on and off many times in the test period. Lots of weak electronic components like surface mount caps or resistors show themselves on a power up or down.

One of the first things I did with my TRIPPER was to load it up with files just to fill it up. I then copied the mass of files back and forth between the TRIPPER and PC to time the speed and to work the drive and smoke out defects (if any) prior to putting any files on there that were really important to me.

I have not had any corruption problems with my TRIPPER and I have used one almost every day since the first part of February.

As most people on this forum already know my complaint about the TRIPPER is the horrible run time provided by the internal battery. This is overcome by an external battery pack.
CDL

Outstanding, thank you Dennis for a spot on reply. One more question then, do you find the Tripper to be fairly durable when traveling? I sure don't intend to bang it around, but if it is carried around in a camera bag or a piece of carry on baggage, does it seem to hold up well? I am on the verge...
B.

I have gone over the verge and received my Tripper 40 yesterday. I have purchased it mainly for taking my large work files (1.7Gb and rising) home and backing up at home relatively quickly. (took about 3.5 mins). Also plan to use it for photo storage when on holiday.
It will be carried daily in my briefcase so I will let you know what transpires.

Dennis's advice re initial stressing is very good and will do this over the next couple of weeks.

Broid said:

Outstanding, thank you Dennis for a spot on reply. One more
question then, do you find the Tripper to be fairly durable when
traveling? I sure don't intend to bang it around, but if it is
carried around in a camera bag or a piece of carry on baggage, does
it seem to hold up well? I am on the verge...
B.

Click to expand...

The genuine imitation leather case that comes with the TRIPPER is well designed and provides a great deal of protection. I keep mine inside my camera bag all the time. The shape of the TRIPPER with the case on should be great for just about any camera bag. If your carry on baggage is soft sided then make sure and pack the TRIPPER in the interior and wrap a towel around it or something.

Turn that verge into urge and purge your credit card!

CDL

Thanks Dennis, BTW, is that GENUINE IMITATION or FAKE IMITATION leather? Could sway my decision....
B.

Broid said:

Thanks Dennis, BTW, is that GENUINE IMITATION or FAKE IMITATION
leather? Could sway my decision....

Click to expand...

I always go for the best.....genuine imitation or nothing for me!

You do have to check because it might be genuine imitation leatherette!

;-)

Thanks Dennis, went ahead and pulled the trigger and bought a 40gb Tripper yesturday. Looking forward to road testing this beast and carresing that genuine imitation leather!
B.

Broid said:

Thanks Dennis, went ahead and pulled the trigger and bought a 40gb
Tripper yesturday. Looking forward to road testing this beast and
carresing that genuine imitation leather!
B.

Click to expand...

Great....you will like it except for the really bad battery life of the internal battery. You can get around that limitation with one of these.

http://www.pbase.com/dlathem/solderless

Also, since you are getting the 40GB version make sure the drive is formatted correctly. It needs to be FAT 32.

IF you use WIN XP you will not be able to format the TRIPPER in the future via the USB 2.0 connection. Any hard drive connected to a WIN XP machine larger than 32GB the OS will insist on formatting as NTFS. NTFS is a great format, but the TRIPPER cannot use it.

Just a word of caution for you folks with the really large TRIPPERS!

CDL

Thanks Dennis again. I do use WinXP and will follow your suggestion. If I run into trouble I'll post here again. The large HD was not my first choice, but I got such a good price on it that it was actually cheaper than a 20gb. Bought it through e-bay for $199.95, private party, and only 2 months old. The guy that had it had gone whole hog into digital and then found himself in way over his head so he was liquidating some of the extra gear he had. We'll see how it goes...
B.

I use mine and I am very happy with it. It's lightning fast and quite reliable. I went for a 2 month trip and was really happy to be able to bring along all my work on it. I find it handy both as a portable hard disk for photo and as an external hard disk for the computer.

Broid said:

Is anybody using their Tripper or comparable unit for long term
storage of images? Is the hard drive in these things easily
corupted? Apart from backing up everything onto cdr's, how would a
unit like this work for something like that?
Thanks for your input!!

Click to expand...

--
Daniella
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=26918
http://www.pbase.com/zylen
C7OO FORUM: http://www.c700uz.com

c7OOuz, Dimage-7, Tcon14tele, C210tele, Cokin-173, Grad-ND, Hoya-red-Intensifier, Hoya_R_72.

Broid said:

Thanks Dennis again. I do use WinXP and will follow your
suggestion. If I run into trouble I'll post here again. The large
HD was not my first choice, but I got such a good price on it that
it was actually cheaper than a 20gb. Bought it through e-bay for
$199.95, private party, and only 2 months old. The guy that had it
had gone whole hog into digital and then found himself in way over
his head so he was liquidating some of the extra gear he had. We'll
see how it goes...
B.

Click to expand...

I think I saw that post. Evidently, it is already formatted and you should be ok.

CDL