My Book Essential Edition 2.0 WDH1U10000 - Hard drive - 1 TB - external - Hi-Speed USB - buffer: 16 MB Review

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(More customer reviews)Paired with Apple's Time Machine backup software (which is part of the current OS X.5 operating system), backup are a breeze! I bought this to use with my MacBook which lives in the living room most of the time but does move around. When I want to run a backup, I just plug in the USB cable from the hard drive to my Mac and the rest is automatic. If you would be using this with a desktop model, you could leave it connected all the time. I just hook it up every few days and it backs up everything that's changed on my computer. (Also, part of the great thing about Time Machine is that it keeps more than just the most recent backup. It keeps all the past backups as well until you start running out of space.)
Also, this drive is whisper quiet which is great since I keep it in the living room. Don't notice it at all!

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They're your photos, your music, your videos, your important files. Make extra room for them and keep them safe on a My Book Mac Edition USB 2.0 external hard drive from WD. This drive is all about simplicity. Plug it into your computer's USB 2.0 port and start saving. It's so simple and integrated that the drive even turns on and off with your computer. With just the essential features for add-on storage it's perfect for all your precious digital assets.

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Apple Time Capsule MB277LL/A (AirPort Extreme Plus 1 TB Storage) Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the 1 TB Time Capsule to replace my Linksys Router and an external Lacie 500 GB HDD. Setup took about 2 minutes - and I was up and running. It was extremely simple - insert the disk into a drive, install version 5.3 of the AirPort Utility, answer a few questions, and you are up and running - easy as pie.
That said, I have a warning for power users who want more security than a disk password - IE; you use user accounts for file sharing, etc. Instead of following the 'easy' path, you will want to use 'manual setup'. If you initially use the 'easy' setup and want to go back and change from a disk password for security to account security, you will lose any data you have transferred to the disk - that is correct, you will lose any data you have transferred to your disk - for me that was a 7 hour, 350 GB transfer - lesson learned.
I backup two computers via time machine on the Time Capsule - a Mac Mini, and a MacBook Air. They both averaged 25 GB on the first time machine backup, which took about 2.5 hours each via Ethernet - which is another point - you will want to use Ethernet instead of WiFi for your first backup - as the Time Capsule will truncate the transfer rate to allow others to keep using the AirPort.
That said, I am using the 802.11n (5Ghz) setting on the time capsule - and when I am surfing or downloading files via the internet on my MacBook Air, I honestly can't tell the difference between that and a direct Ethernet connection - when connected to the internet via cable Modem. It is absolutely incredible. To give you an example of the 802.11n transfer rate - I am sharing a single library stored on the Time Capsule for both my iTunes and iPhoto programs between the two computers - it used to take 45 to 60 seconds for the iPhoto library to come up when accessing via 802.11g (Linksys) on the MacBook Air - accessing the iPhoto library now via the 802.11n connection on the MacBook Air takes 5 seconds or less.
As you can guess from the previous statement, in addition to backup - I am also using the Time Capsule as an External HDD - I have about 350 GB of music and 100 GB of video stored on it. And so far so good!
Overall I am extremely pleased with this product and would recommend it to anyone!

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Introducing Time Capsule. Automatic wireless backup for your Mac. Time Capsule is a revolutionary backup device that works wirelessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard. It automatically backs up everything, so you no longer have to worry about losing your digital life. Time Capsule is also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station. Every computer in your house can work off a wireless network at blazing speeds. And they can back up wirelessly to the same Time Capsule.

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LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk 2 TB eSATA/FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive 301500U (Aluminum) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a newer version of an earlier model that is very similar (LaCie 301827U d2 Quadra 1 TB eSATA/FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 External Hard Disk). I talked to a salesman at J&R Computers and he told me the only difference is that this model has 32MB cache and the older model has 16MB cache. The older model has over 100 reviews so you may want to look there as well.
COST:
This costs more than some other external hard drives of the same capacity but there are good reasons: You are paying for the multiple interfaces (eSATA, Firewire 400, Firewire 800 with second daisy-chain port, USB 2.0) and the complete set of cables that come with it. The eSATA support is 3Gbits compared to 1.5Gbits for less expensive drives. The well-constructed case may also add some cost. I'd like to think that the included disk is of a higher quality too, but have no way to judge.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS:
The drive has been working fine for about a month now.
It feels VERY sturdy. It is heavier than other external drives I am familiar with.
It is only slightly warm to the touch when running. The all-metal construction with the exterior ridges seems to do a good job of keeping it cool.
It is VERY quiet. If not for the blue light I couldn't tell that it was turned on. Even when I put my ear right next to it I can hear very little. Even when it is actively seeking it is basically silent. There is no fan.
It does make a few noises when starting up or shutting down. I THINK one of the noises I hear is the heads parking and unparking.
I am using it as a USB 2.0 device right now. I have an eSATA card on order and will update this review to let you know how that goes. UPDATE: The drive works just fine when connected via eSATA. I have not done any performance experiments.
It does have a slot in the back for one of those Kensington cable locks. I didn't see this mentioned in the sales literature, although other external drive manufacturers make a big deal of it. There are a lot of those locks available, especially if you consider the clones. The following is probably the best: Kensington 64343 MicroSaver DS Notebook Computer Lock with Keys (PC/Mac).
Oh, yes, one more thing. The blue light reminds me of HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey, except that HAL had a red eye.
UPDATE 15 Sep 2010:
There are a number of reviews mentioning power supply failures, and I don't want to deny that there is a problem here. I do want to point out that I have had mine for 22-23 months now and it is still running strong. My setup includes an APC BACK-UPS RS BR1500LCD 1500VA/865W UPS System and both the LaCie and its power supply sit out in the open so get plenty of air circulation. My usage is for daily backup via the eSATA interface, so although it is powered on 24/7/365 it only gets about an hour (probably less) of active use each day.


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The d2 Quadra is fully loaded with all the best interfaces-eSATA 3Gb/s, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0-this all-in-one professional hard disk offers universal connectivity for PC and Mac users. For easy setup, the LaCie Setup Assistant helps format your disk according to your needs. Perfect for digital content creation, audio/video editing, DVD authoring, Web animation, etc., the d2 Quadra can handle multiple demanding professional tasks. It can be daisy-chained via FireWire or connected to your DV camera and is even bootable in FireWire for Mac and in eSATA for Mac/PC. With the LaCie Shortcut Button***, you can easily launch any application in one push, such as the included Genie Backup Assistant software with data restore for Windows or Intego Backup Assistant software with data restore for Mac. The unique, fanless aluminum heat sink design with 60% more surface area for heat dissipation keeps it quiet and safe. Box Contents: LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk, SATA-to-eSATA cable, FireWire 800 (9-to-9 pin) cable, FireWire 400 (6-to-6 pin) cable, USB 2.0 cable (USB 1.1 compatible), External power supply, Drive stand for upright desktop use, LaCie Setup Assistant; LaCie Utilities (preloaded) Genie Backup Assistant software with data restore for Windows 2000, XP, Vista; Intego Backup Assistant software with data restore for Mac OS X 10.4

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Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive STAC1000100 (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros:
1. easy to install
2. easy to use
3. Specific Folders can be selected for backup
4. It turns off and on when computer is turned off and on.
Cons:
1. Software license only allows use with 1 computer
2. Many ads to purchase more software in the bundled software
3. There is a memory leak in the software (version 4.60.0.7252)
I plugged this thing in and it automatically started the software install which was very easy to follow. Once it was done it defaulted to backup my entire computer which was perfect because 2 TB of space if plenty of space to do this for me. The software did have an option to select only specific folders which was nice to know in case I upgrade my pc and have to limit the amount of files for backup.
The software has built in advertisements asking you to try and purchase more of their software. They are easily avoidable, but I'd rather not see them. My favorite part about the backup software bundled with this external hard drive is that it is constantly working to create a mirror image of all the data on the pc. It updates files on the external as soon as they are updated on the pc.
The biggest issue I ran into was that the software only allows you to install it on one pc. I had planned on using this drive with both my pcs and backing it up over my home network. I am going to continue using the drive, but I will go back to using cobian backup which is free; though the interface is a bit less easy.[...]
I do want to say that if you are planning on only using this with one pc or you are willing to purchase extra licenses to utilize the very easy to use interface then this is a very good product.
** My original review didn't contain the below information ***
This problem didn't occur right away. The memory leak in the memeo software bundled with the drive causes windows to popup a message that there is a problem with .NET software. Windows will handle it when you click ok, but all that happens is the Memeo software is closed. I checked the system memory before I closed the program and saw it was using over 1.5 Gigabytes of RAM. I am currently running the most up to date version of Memeo instant backup (version 4.60.0.7252).

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1TB USB2.0 freeagent goflex desk

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Clickfree Wireless Automatic Backup - NAS - 500 GB - HD 500 GB x 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a brilliant product. Just like the description says, plug in the captive USB cable to notebook PC and it finds user files and backs them up. In the process it finds enough info to connect to your wireless network (with absolutely no user intervention) and then it keeps a running incremental backup of all your data via the wireless connection. I used it on an older laptop running Windows XP and then repeated for a second notebook running Windows 7. Very painless process from start to finish.
BTW, Previously I had purchased an Apple Time Capsule to perform wireless back-up. After much aggravation I got it mostly working on the Win XP machine although Windows rudimentary backup program forced me to manually invoke the backups. When I tried to do the same on the Windows7 machine I learned that Microsoft intentionally prevents backup to network drive on home version of Win7!
ClickFree solves all the issues. I'd recommend this to anyone with a Windows notebook.

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Auto Backup 500GB C3 Wireless Home & Office Backup 2.5 Portable

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