So, Im planning to get a portable hard drive soon (since it just was my birthday and Christmas is comming soon) and I was wondering which one I should get. Any sugestions?
What I would like is a Portable HD that can:
not cost more than 200 u.s. dollars
fit in a large pocket (as on a hoodie or coat)
not need a power cable in order to run on most machines
be at least 50 gigs or more in memory size
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not need a power cable in order to run on most machines
be at least 50 gigs or more in memory size
I doubt you'll find anything that satisfies both of these.
Vintage!
I'm not sure that you know what you are talking about. I just had (returned it) a Maxtor 80GB hard drive that only needed one of the ports from the Y cable to run correctly. It worked great. For roamer: Maxtor OneTouch III. It worked great, except that it came with software. Make sure you back-up your installer if you do get it, as you might find that you need the software later.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
I thought the ones that looked like that still needed AC power. I guess that's not true. I was thinking of the really little ones that could fit in a shirt pocket.
Vintage!
My dad uses a small Toshiba 100gig that only uses a usb. No power cable required. It uses a 2.5 inch notebook hard drive.
120 GB - for $99.00 western digital pasport
fits in normal pocket
no power cord needed find it here.
this one is the highest one that western digital had with a price, same model but 250 gigs and still no power cord.
Zoop
From what I've seen (in the US):
There's a lot you can get for 200 USD
A 2.5" Portable HD can easily fit in a pocket. A year ago I got a 60GB for 85 USD. A few months ago a co-worker got 120GB for less than 100 USD. Less than a month ago another co-worker got 160GB for around 100 USD. If you live in the US, check out the usuals (best buy, circuit city, compusa). The 2.5" PHD's don't need a power cable, they run off the computer's usb port. Some have two cables (mine just has one cable with two connectors) just in case one port does not provide enough power.
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -- Robert Frost
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: baby ain't mine." -- Adam Holguin
I'll check these out, I like the look of the Maxtor drive. I'll look at those stores for a better deal. Although I'll have to go to another city to go to those stores because the closest thing to a major tech retailer in my town is wal-mart... Oh well, online is a good last resort anyway (last resort because I have dial up at home).
OliverK> you don't live on a cow
IRC: It brings out the best in all of us...Especially when tired.
a SmartDisk Firelite 60gb that I've been using for almost 3 years (an 80-gb is currently about $90) very sturdy -- I've dropped innumerable times.
And I just got a Western Digital Passport 160gb for $120 US -- it's almost as roomy as my pc hard-drive! I'm less than fond of the glossy black "piano" finish, looks grungy all the time, and the bundled usb cable is only 10", so I had to buy another cable. But the space is wonderful.
I had a 60 gig Maxtor like that, but it failed. I managed to fix it, but I wouldn't recommend Maxtor. Now I have a 160 gig SeaGate that works wonderfully.
Seagate bought Maxtor a few years ago.
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -- Robert Frost
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: baby ain't mine." -- Adam Holguin
but my Maxtor HD is older than that now.
Hmmm... Didn't fail me until I uninstalled the software. Well, that's what happens when you buy be price.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
Here is a link to the info on my drive. https://portableapps.com/node/7218#comment-49557
The only drawback is the cable. It is kinda unwieldy. I would definitely reccomend it though.
You can also build your own.
Here is a link to the same case mine comes in: Geeks.com only $7.99 right now. There is also a link on the same page for a 160Gb 2.5"HD 5400rpm for only $85.
That is basically what you need to look for. 5400rpm is about the max speed you are currently going to get on a 2.5" drive that is reasonably priced. Also make sure it has at least 8Mb cache. You should be able to fulfill your needs for less than $100.
Life is about the journey not the destination!
The Kazoo Spartan
I have one of those cases (shiny black). Works great, but a couple of important things to remember: it can only take so much of a beating before the plastic ends breaks around the tiny screws, and it can only hold the newer laptop HDDs. (I had a couple of old ones that were about 1/8" too thick.)
Other than that they are great!
~Lurk~
You have to make sure the drive you purchase is within the specs of the case. I think most have a 8mm limit or something. I was lucky enough to buy one assembled.
The drive is not as durable as a flash drive. I don't think it would make it through the wash like my flash drive has. I doubt I would forget it was in my pocket though, because of the size.
Life is about the journey not the destination!
The Kazoo Spartan
I recommend the Apricorn Aegis drives. Why? Becuse they're the only one on the market (that I've found so far) to have the cable built in to the drive housing. This means the cable is permanently attached to the drive. I had 2 LaCie "Rugged" portable USB hard drives fail on me because the mini USB connector gave out and broke free from the internal board/mounting. Use the model #s on the following webpage to shop on pricegrabber.com and newegg.com
http://www.apricorn.com/product_detail.php?type=family&id=23
For the same type of drive, but has a fingerprint reader built into the drive housing, try the Apricorn Aegis Bio. Your data is AES128 encrypted until you plug it in and swipe your finger to unlock the drive. Pull the drive out and it's back to being encrypted automagically. Great for personal info since you know no one can get to your data if the drive is lost/stolen.
http://www.apricorn.com/product_detail.php?type=family&id=38
I own the Aegis Bio BTW and it's great!
Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!
You could buy an mp3 player and use that as a hard drive.
since it has a battery built-in, it needs no power cord.
Please Make TiLP Portable
It would have to be an Ipod though. Most other mp3 players, if not all, use flash. An ipod would be the only mp3 player I know of that uses a hard drive for storage.
only the ipods with 80gb or 160gb, the 8 & 16 gb and lower use flash.
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -- Robert Frost
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: baby ain't mine." -- Adam Holguin
A lot of Creative mp3 Players use hard drives.
Plus, their having a sale on some of their older players too
(All HDD)
Zen Micro, $69 for 6GB
Zen Sleek Photo, $69 for 20GB
Zen Touch, $49 for 20GB
Please Make TiLP Portable
Most Zunes also use HDs.
cowsay Moo
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