anyone using an external HD?

Babe · Mar 6, 2004

I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs around as when needed.

Anybody here know how stable it is or from speed difference?

thanks for any input,
babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

Gadget · Mar 6, 2004

Babe said:
I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Anybody here know how stable it is or from speed difference?

thanks for any input,
babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

Allen says:

Hi; I have a external Maxtor 5000DV 200gig. I like it. it has a one button backup feature and i keep alot of my images on it and not on the C drive. I have read that this allows photoshop to work alot faster. Of course images must still be archived onto cd or dvd anyway. Having the external hardrive allows me to keep a complete backup of whatever data that is on my C so when my C crashes....and it will I will then easilt copy the folders from my external back onto the repaired or replaced new C drive. I am now looking at a DVD burner....don't know which one yet. I think they are up to 8x speed. Also the Maxtor is both firewire and USB. So simple to use. Please don't just take my word for it......do some double checking. Good luck and please advise as to what you do.....allen

Robert Whiteman · Mar 6, 2004

Babe said:
I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

All I can offer at this time is that I'm planning to do the exact same thing with an external drive with both USB 2.0 and firewire capabilities. This way I can use both the desktop and laptop.

Robert

Gadget · Mar 6, 2004

Babe said:
I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Anybody here know how stable it is or from speed difference?

thanks for any input,
babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

Hello again....I know some people that keep a external hardrive for each of their larger accounts.....I still think that you do have to at some point archive images onto DVD's but use a program that keeps only thumbnails on the hardrive (saves tons of space) and when you click on the thumbnail you want it will tell you which CD or DVD it is on....allen

Robert Whiteman · Mar 6, 2004

Allen Mankin said:
. I am now looking at a
DVD burner....don't know which one yet. I think they are up to 8x
speed. Also the Maxtor is both firewire and USB. So simple to use.
Please don't just take my word for it......do some double checking.
Good luck and please advise as to what you do.....allen

I'm not getting any DVD burner until the speed is much faster than the current models.

I can fill a CD in about 2-3 minutes which will hold one studio session easily. That'll do it for now. Eventually the DVD will come into good service once the write/read speeds are good and when needing to archive large groups of files. Don't have that need just yet.

Robert

Gadget · Mar 6, 2004

Robert Whiteman said:
Babe said:

I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Click to expand...

All I can offer at this time is that I'm planning to do the exact
same thing with an external drive with both USB 2.0 and firewire
capabilities. This way I can use both the desktop and laptop.

Robert

Hi Robert: That is exactly my situation. My 20 gig notebook was full, so i purchased the external 200 gig Maxtor 5000DV (firewire/USB) I cleared everything but my programs onto the external drive..Works so easily, but you still really need to back up those valuable files, images onto DVD's. My opinion. good luck, allen

Robert Whiteman · Mar 6, 2004

Allen Mankin said:
Hello again....I know some people that keep a external hardrive for
each of their larger accounts.....I still think that you do have to
at some point archive images onto DVD's but use a program that
keeps only thumbnails on the hardrive (saves tons of space) and
when you click on the thumbnail you want it will tell you which CD
or DVD it is on....allen

Sounds like a good plan!

Robert

Babe · Mar 6, 2004

Hi I want to exactly not back up on DVD. I have had albeit minor problems with DVD ROMS and they are flipping 'sensitive' sometimes. I am willing to buy two harddisks. One for backup and one for storage. I don't want an all packaged one, I want to buy the housing/casing and the HD separately so that I can swop around. Just a matter of economy, pay once for the housing, use it for several HDs.

I am going to research somemore Monday but I am ready to buy it on Monday itself. Today I saw just for 160GB Samsung HD Euro100 and a with USB 2 will cost another Euro40. So I can actually get away with 320GBs and one housing for Euro240!

Food for thought!

babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

Bob Gower · Mar 6, 2004

Hi Babe,

It's essential even using an external hard drive that you backup your important files. Weddings, studio shots what ever.

Only last friday my external 120g drive made the most horrendous screaching noise on startup and could not be recognised by the laptop or my other desktops. Fortunately all important files were also on DVD/CD.

The main use of the drive is to convert S2 RAW Wedding files too Tiff then too high resolution Jpg's. RAW & Jpg's are then backed up onto disc & checked before the compact flash cards are erased.

The drive was only 2 months old, replacement on it's way from my supplier, who tells me that out of 600 sold this is only the second to be returned.

Incidentally if any one in the UK or Europe is looking for an External hard drive or DVD writer then you'll do no better to check out

http://www.atlastsolutions.co.uk

Kind regards,

Bob Gower.

http://www.bobgower.co.uk

Babe said:
I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Anybody here know how stable it is or from speed difference?

thanks for any input,
babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

twinastir · Mar 6, 2004

Hallo Babe,

ich habe mir kürzlich ein externes Gehäuse gekauft. Es hat einen Firewire UND einen USB2 Anschluss. Du kannst darin jede beliebige IDE-Festplatte schrauben. Reingeschraubt eingesteckt und es hat funktioniert! Bin sehr zufrieden. Das Gehäuse sieht sogar noch einigermassen ansprechend aus. Gekauft habe ich es bei Conrad Elektronik.

http://www.conrad.de

EXTERNES COMBO-GEHÄUSE USB2.0+FIREWIRE
Artikel-Nr.: 998604 - TX

Wirklich sehr empfehlenswert!

Grüssle Thomas

hmac · Mar 6, 2004

Babe said:
I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

My solution was to get a firewire-based DriveDock from WeibeTech
http://store.yahoo.com/wiebetech/

The is a slick little doodad that lets me convert any old ATA hard drive into an external drive that is exchangeable and hot-pluggable. It can be either firewire or USB2.0.

I use Ghost to back up my computers' entire hard drives as well as store all of my image files. It allows a lot of flexibility, making it well worth the cost to me.

--
H McCollister

Robert Rains2 · Mar 6, 2004

Hey hmac,

I did not see it for USB, I want one of these babies as an internal hard drive is much less than the external ones.

Thanks for the info.

Robert

http://www.ifpdigital.com

hmac said:
Babe said:

I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Click to expand...

My solution was to get a firewire-based DriveDock from WeibeTech
http://store.yahoo.com/wiebetech/
The is a slick little doodad that lets me convert any old ATA hard
drive into an external drive that is exchangeable and
hot-pluggable. It can be either firewire or USB2.0.

I use Ghost to back up my computers' entire hard drives as well as
store all of my image files. It allows a lot of flexibility, making
it well worth the cost to me.

--
H McCollister

see ya' · Mar 6, 2004

I run a pair of mirrored SATA RAID drives for my data drive, and I STILL back up incrimentally to DLT nightly over the network. I know this may be more elaborite then you may need, but the point is that a power anomaly could take out two hard drives. I would still suggest backing up to tape, DVD, optical or what have you. It's also a good idea to keep your removable backups at a second location, or at least a quality fire safe.

Babe said:
I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Anybody here know how stable it is or from speed difference?

thanks for any input,
babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

forester · Mar 6, 2004

I was using CD to back up, but it took too darn many disks -- and because each disk holds so little, some of my folders had to be split -- and of course you have to be there to do the mechanical swapping between each disk.

Now I'm using DVD -- it still takes a dozen disks to hold a year's images, but it's a lot easier (less folder splitting and less running back/forth to the computer).

That's my backup for an external 120 gig HD, which supplements two 80 gig internal HDs.

Forester
http://www.nilewoods.com

Robert Whiteman said:
Allen Mankin said:

. I am now looking at a
DVD burner....don't know which one yet. I think they are up to 8x
speed. Also the Maxtor is both firewire and USB. So simple to use.
Please don't just take my word for it......do some double checking.
Good luck and please advise as to what you do.....allen

Click to expand...

I'm not getting any DVD burner until the speed is much faster than
the current models.

I can fill a CD in about 2-3 minutes which will hold one studio
session easily. That'll do it for now. Eventually the DVD will come
into good service once the write/read speeds are good and when
needing to archive large groups of files. Don't have that need just
yet.

Robert

Babe · Mar 6, 2004

Hi how subsceptible is this without a housing to dust, dents etc etc. It looks like something I would want! Going to check out that link. THANKS.

babe

hmac said:
Babe said:

I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Click to expand...

My solution was to get a firewire-based DriveDock from WeibeTech
http://store.yahoo.com/wiebetech/
The is a slick little doodad that lets me convert any old ATA hard
drive into an external drive that is exchangeable and
hot-pluggable. It can be either firewire or USB2.0.

I use Ghost to back up my computers' entire hard drives as well as
store all of my image files. It allows a lot of flexibility, making
it well worth the cost to me.

--
H McCollister

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

craig57355 · Mar 6, 2004

I've been using external drives for many years. I rembember back when a Seagate 1 gig would cost an arm and a leg.And even then, they would fail quite often. Thus..

I really like the way the LaCie is constructed. Plus you can get 80 or more gigs for a great price IMHO. The external is a good way to have quick access to many of your files.

HOWEVER! You MUST also back up and archive on either DVD or CD. To REALLY do back up right, it's a good idea to have TWO sets of backups. One at home, and another offsite, or in other words, have the secnd back up at your office, bank safety deposit box, or a good friends house or where ever.

If the unthinkable happens and you studio or house is robbed or damaged by
fire or whatever, you have that second "offsite" set.

I had a friend who's house was broken into and they stole his computer, and oh yeah, they took the external drive sistting next to it for good measure. His external was his only backup.

As I write this, I realize that I have some catching up to do on my own safety copies. Better get to it

Cheers
Craig

Babe · Mar 6, 2004

danke Dir! Ich will eigentlich wenig mit schrauben zu tun :-( Eine Lösung (siehe von hmac) sieht doch gut aus. Schnell umtauschbar aber ich werde auch bei Conrad.de anschauen. Es gibt bei mir hier in Karlsruhe arlt.com, ziemlich zuverlässig und preisgunstig. Ich brauche Speicherplatz, mehr, mehr, mehr

Gier ist geil anstatt Geiz ;-) hehehe.

LG,
babe

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

Gadget · Mar 6, 2004

Babe said:
babe

hmac said:

Babe said:

I am tired to backing up on DVDs. So I am getting an external HD
with either firewire or USB 2. The question is whether a packaged
ext. HD like from LaCie or TEAC etc etc is better than buying just
a normal HD and the Housing separately. This way I can swop HDs
around as when needed.

Click to expand...

My solution was to get a firewire-based DriveDock from WeibeTech
http://store.yahoo.com/wiebetech/
The is a slick little doodad that lets me convert any old ATA hard
drive into an external drive that is exchangeable and
hot-pluggable. It can be either firewire or USB2.0.

I use Ghost to back up my computers' entire hard drives as well as
store all of my image files. It allows a lot of flexibility, making
it well worth the cost to me.

--
H McCollister

Click to expand...

--
LIFE ON THE FLY.

Hi; Hmac's gadget looks great. I was unaware of this gadget. You can buy cases for the hardrives and they have a handle. They are made so that you can slide the drives in and out of a computer tower and then take it with you. I don't know what the most practical way is. Make sure whatever hardrive you get is the faster one Ithink that is 7200rpm not the 5400rpm (not sure of the speeds but i think you get the point) In any case you still have to make backup copies of anything you don't want to lose. Any hardrive will crash. In fact that is what made me buy my Maxtor 200Gig 5000DV external firewire drive and now i am trying to find the best DVD burner. good luck and thanks hmac for the tip. allen

hmac · Mar 6, 2004

Babe said:
Hi how subsceptible is this without a housing to dust, dents etc
etc. It looks like something I would want! Going to check out
that link. THANKS.

On some drives, the electronics board on the underside is exposed. The Drive Dock comes with an aluminum plate and necessary screws to completely cover that exposed board. Many 3.5 inch drives such as the Western Digital Caviars come already covered. You can buy the bottom plates separately if you need them.

I haven't taken any real special care of such drives even in carrying them around in a laptop case and haven't had a problem.

--
H McCollister

hmac · Mar 6, 2004

Robert Rains2 said:
Hey hmac,

I did not see it for USB, I want one of these babies as an internal
hard drive is much less than the external ones.

I think what you are looking for (USB 2.0) is the ComboDock.

http://store.yahoo.com/wiebetech/combodock.html

--
H McCollister

anyone using an external HD?

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