# External hard drive reliability?



## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I'm thinking of getting an external hard drive. How reliable are external hard drives? Do they last years or do a lot of them break within a year? I've heard some people say things like they've had three go out in one year. 

I won't be moving mine around. It will pretty much stay in place.

I'm thinking of getting a 300 GB Seagate. Will a good brand like this last?


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## ineedhelp890 (Jun 23, 2004)

You shouldn't have anything to worry about if you are leaving it in one place. The hard disk's that are in your computer and the ones in an external enclosure are identical. The only reason they may not last as long is if they are not handled gently and thrown around a lot. If you are leaving it in one spot you should have nothing to worry about. Seagate, Maxtor, WD, etc. are all good hard disks.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

The problem is the drive inside the box is the same as internal hard drive but the problem is the crappy chipset that converts the ide drive to usb, and those are waht go.
Personally I have a much better experience with 1394 (firewire) drives which would require a pci card, but I have never lost a 1394 drive, usb is another story.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I use a number of USB drives. I'll admit that I've had several bad external cases, but the convenience can't be beat. FWIW, I've had problems with IEE-1394 hard disks that I haven't had with USB. Another thing about USB, it's on almost every machine on the planet now, so it's pretty universally portable data.


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## bigbear (Apr 27, 2004)

If you are not going to move it and you require more storage.
Why not install another drive inside the pc case, it will be cheaper than an external one and not differcult to do


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The reason I suggest against that is that your "backup" storage is always on-line, subject to all the perils that your main drive is exposed to. Malware, power glitches, O/S crashes, etc. The USB drive can be turned on only when you need to access it.


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## Moby (Mar 19, 2002)

> The USB drive can be turned on only when you need to access it.


Which makes them last even longer on paper. I use internal drives in an external usb case. That way if the chipset is crappy and breaks the drive is accessable and still usable. Don't know that you can get at the drives in pre-made external models.


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## coastergeekr (Feb 17, 2005)

Yea I have an internal SATAII drive in an external case. It connects to the computer through eSATA and USB 2.0. I havn't tried it out yet, but having eSATA is going to be fast. Only problem I can see with external drives is not enough ventilation. Mine has none, so I will add a large fan on the side.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

jfk1232 said:


> I'm thinking of getting an external hard drive. How reliable are external hard drives? Do they last years or do a lot of them break within a year? I've heard some people say things like they've had three go out in one year.


I've got 2 old Maxtors (3-4 years old) that get moved around quite a bit in field service work and a Western Digital (about 2 years old) that never gets moved. Never had a problem with any of them.

I believe if you look at the number of USB externals in use, the failure rate is fairly low.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

I had a WD that croaked in a year, and it was on a laptop I seldom used. I alos had a Maxtor Usb die in about 6 months, now that one was on whenever the pc was on because I used 
it in my system...I have never lost a 1394 drive.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Rich, that's probably just the luck of the draw. Since the drives in those IEE-1394 cases are just stanndard drives, there's no reason to believe the drive itself would have a different failure rate than one in a machine. Of course, maybe there is something to power-on hours.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

Yeah you are probably right JW


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

jfk1232 said:


> I'm thinking of getting a 300 GB Seagate. Will a good brand like this last?


I'd get a USB External Enclosure for about $30 ... Then add a 300GB Seagate.
My last 300gig Seagate cost $89 .. Free shipping.
You can usually get more gig for the buck this way ... and if the enclosure dies ... just get another.
It's been my experience that the USB external circuitry is more susceptible to failure than the HD

Seagate HDs have a 5 year warranty … they must think they'll last ... but I'd keep the receipts.
Here's my favorite USB External Enclosure … http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817123022


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## MysticEyes (Mar 30, 2002)

If you are looking for transfer rate speeds the IEE-1394 externals (about 35MB/sec) blow the USB's (about 25MB/sec) away.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

One thing is different buying a External drive with the drive already in it like the Seagate that has 5 year warranty on there drives is all or all I have seen only have a 1 year warranty External drive.
So like Noyb who is buying the drive and then making his own External drive will have a 5 year warranty and I who got the Seagate External drive will haveonly a 1 year warranty and I bet the drive inside is the very same.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

FWIW ...
I also have a USB/Firewire External Enclosure.
There is very little difference in the time it takes to Read/Write a large file to to/from this External using either its USB or Firewire connections.
Maybe a couple of seconds per gig ... so I just use the USB to keep everything common.
IMO.. Not worth the extra cost of a USB/Firewire version.

I have lost two External Enclosures.
Each of them died in about the first week of operation.
It seems that once they get past the infant mortality .. (also the return warranty) .. they run forever...
But I handle them like they were Eggs ... There's important backup stuff inside.

I check this link occassionally ... Most all my HDs have come from here.
http://shop1.outpost.com/template/onad/product_navigation/
They sometimes have super sales on good harddrives ... and maybe even Free shipping.
Like a 300gig ATA Seagate w 16mb cache = $89 ... (Last weeks deal)
They also have the Sanmax External Enclosure (usually) ... If you live near a Fry's.
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4766109?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

The External Enclosure assembly (for the Sanmax) is super simple .. Just plug in the HD .. no tools needed .. or ATA cables to fool with.
The reason it's my favorite .. beside the easy assembly .. it has a front panel power switch.
Here's a peek inside ...


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

The reason I only buy drives that do both usb and 1394 is in case the usb connection ever flies south, then I can use it 1394 or vice versa.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

jfk1232 ... You've been kinda quiet ...
Do you think you are capable of installing a HD and making your own External HD ??
Is this helping your question any ??


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Noyb said:


> jfk1232 ... You've been kinda quiet ...
> Do you think you are capable of installing a HD and making your own External HD ??
> Is this helping your question any ??


I actually am now considering making my own. I think I could do it. If I'm not sure about something, I could probably get my questions answered here.

Right now, I'm looking at the prices and types of the drives and enclosures. I'm not sure what to get. There are SATA drives and PATA drives. Which type am I supposed to get?

One of the main things that appeals to me about making my own drive is if the enclosure breaks, I could transfer the drive to a new one. Is that possible to do with a store bought external drive?

Also, how do store bought externals compare to homemade? Do they have any advantages? Are they built more sturdy?

Does the fan in the enclosure you mentioned make much noise? One of the things I liked about the retail Seagate I was looking at was that it was supposed to be quiet.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

99% of the enclosures are still PATA, that's the inexpensive spread.  Since performance will be limited by the USB or Firewire interface anyway, any speed that SATA might give you is lost in the process.

Yes, it's possible to take the drive out of a factory packaged external drive and move it, it's just a standard drive. Of course, remeber that you'll pay more for the factory built enclosure but you won't get any more for your money.

There are plenty of enclosures without fans, start your shopping here at the NewEgg External Enclosure Search.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

JohnWill said:


> Yes, it's possible to take the drive out of a factory packaged external drive and move it, it's just a standard drive.


So I can move the drive from a factory packaged external drive to any old cheap enclosure I want. It doesn't have to be a special enclosure.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

jfk1232 said:


> So I can move the drive from a factory packaged external drive to any old cheap enclosure I want. It doesn't have to be a special enclosure.


That's probably true .. unless its a small, self powered model.

I'm sure you can make your own … all it takes is a pencil to open the Sanmax … (I use my finger)
Just Plug-in the power cable ... then plug-in the HD to the Circuit Board Connector… Carefully.
Any teckie should be willing to show you how .. the first time.

Get the ATA drive types for the External.
They are becoming obsolete for use in Computers ... but they'll work great in an Enclosure - for a long time to come.

NO … taking apart a factory made enclosure might be tough and would void any Warranty.
This is the major advantage of .. "making your own" … besides the price.

Also…. The enclosure is a tool. Many times somebody brings me an ATA HD that won't boot.
I plug it into my External .. and can usually recover their Data from it.
It can also be used to backup your entire computer (including the OS)
… There's more to this story about using the External Enclosure as a tool … enough for now.

The fan is a lot more noisy than the HD .. It can be shut off with a switch on the backpanel.
It's just a little more noisy than my Desktop.
I only run my Externals when I need to … So noise is not really a concern for me.
Many times .. When I shut down my Puter for the night .. I hear the External fan in the enclosure.
This is a good reminder to shut off my Externals as well.
My externals are kinda outa sight … so I don't see the front panel power indicator or activity lites.

The homemades are probably a little more fragile .. just don't drop it .. (too far)
One of mine has about 5000 miles on it... a couple of round trips to Florida, So far…
… And I don't bother to bolt down the HD.

The major reason I like the Sanmax HD 339 …. (Just some things to consider when shopping for an External)
It's one of the very few that I've found that has a front panel power switch…
I don't have to fool with the fragile ATA ribbon Cable ... and the price is right.
I have five of them so far.


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## MysticEyes (Mar 30, 2002)

It does seem to be a good time to buy an external instead of putting one together, prices have been dropping, especially if you don't mind the slower USB (and higher CPU usage) models.

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=414

One thing to note most Maxtors I've had experience with, tend to run hotter than other brands. For this reason I would not use them in a fanless external enclosure.


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## berndawg84 (Nov 9, 2001)

I have two external hard drives and am about to buy a third. This is not because the other 2 fried, but just because I was stupid and didn't buy a big enough drive, as over time I required more and more space. I bought my first one about 3-4 years ago, a GENERIC brand at that, and it still works great. The drives are hampered though by my 5 year old laptop which has USB 1.1, so they run a lot slower and therefore also probably "overworked" because it's harder for them to transfer files. That being said, no problems with either of them. The 2nd one I bought was a Seagate USB 250 gigs, this one has also served me well, only that now it is almost full  So I have had experience with generic and name-brand externals with no problems. But, since I do have 2 external HD's, I do have backups of all the files on the one drive that I just would not want to lose, in case they get fried. Important thing is to have a stable surface for the drive to sit on, and keep the back, where the fan is, free of any obstructions.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Yes ... Caution ... Externals can be habit forming.
Once you find out what they can do ... You'll need more space ... so go big to start with.

Warning ... Then you'll want to backup the backup.
Another advatange of an Enclosure ... with two ... your hardware is also backed up.

Like John Will says ...
"Data you don't have at least two copies of is data you don't care about !"


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## seekermeister (Jun 20, 2006)

Here is one possible way to use an internal drive, isolating it until it is needed:

http://www.dvhardware.net/modules.php?name=Sections&sop=viewarticle&artid=4


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I'm still looking at components.

Some enclosures have a fan and others are aluminum. Is an aluminum enclosure without a fan okay, or would it not cool the drive enough? Is one considered better than the other?


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

If you're worried about heat ...
I'd look for the biggest Enclosure assuming it'd have the biggest fan.
I wouldn't worry about it being Plastic or Metal.

In my Sanmax ... The fan only cools the Chips - not the HD.
They seem to run cool enough ... But I rarely run them for more than an hour or two.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

What I'm wondering is if I have a choice between aluminum and no fan or a fan, which is better?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

seekermeister said:


> Here is one possible way to use an internal drive, isolating it until it is needed:
> 
> http://www.dvhardware.net/modules.php?name=Sections&sop=viewarticle&artid=4


You still have to reboot when you turn the power on for the drive, you might as well just use the drive drawer, no soldering required.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Looks to easy to do Noyb. 

Here are some links I got from another site.

http://www.addonics.com/products/external_hdd/

http://www.cooldrives.com/index.html
Have nice tower ones here you can get too.
http://www.cooldrives.com/blfi80013oc5.html


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

In the past, Ive played with some Addonics.
They worked great, but I didnt like having to mess with the ATA ribbon cable and the power switch was hidden on the back panel.
I handed one of them down to the wife to back up her Computer  She still cant find the power switch.
Thats OK .. Ive tried to show her how to make backups ... She makes me do all the backups anyway.



jfk1232 said:


> What I'm wondering is if I have a choice between aluminum and no fan or a fan, which is better?


Im thinking a fan would be better.
I dont worry about HD Heat .. Too Much.
I ran mine last night for about 2 hours .. without the fan running.
The case of the Seagate HD was running about 100 degrees  which I can hold onto.
If it becomes painfully hot to the quick touch .. Then Ill worry about it.

If you think an aluminum case will be transferring the heat better 
wouldnt the HD have to be mounted to the case using thermal Compound ?
Thats something that I wouldnt want to mess with.

I have an older HP desktop Computer .. Its HD runs painfully hot to hold onto for any length of time.
Its still purring like a kitten after about 5 years .. But it also has a Seagate in it.

I think all the ATAs are made to run hot.
The Western Digital SATAs in my newer computer run so cool  I sometimes wonder if theyre working.
Now that worries me.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Tomorrow is the day when the new weekly sales are usually added and show up in the Papers.
But Fry's seems to add these deals whenever they get them.

Don't know how big you want to go ...
But howabout a 400 gig Seagate w 16mb cache for $109.99 and free shipping ??
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4596287

Have you decided on an enclosure yet ???


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Good price, I ordered one.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I actually was thinking of getting that, although I've since read rumors that Seagates over 250GB can have problems.

One thing I was wondering was if the hard drive arrives defective in the mail, will the Fry's website let me return it?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Seagate drives have a 5 year warranty now, so I think I'd take the plunge.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

I've plunged at Fry's many times ... so far - No bad experiances .. and really fast shipping.
Might want to wait till tomorrow .. When the other sources post their Specials.

400 gig does sound kinda big (for my purposes)
I prefer to not put all my egges in one basket .. but would rather have a couple of smaller baskets .. In case I drop one.

$89 for a 300gig Seagate w 16 mb cache shows up frequently ... maybe tomorrow ???


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> Seagate drives have a 5 year warranty now, so I think I'd take the plunge.


Know what JW, Seagate drives were always #1 or # 2 when ide was king, but since sata came out, I have only returned Seagate sata drives....and the fact it has a 5 year warranty, to me only means I will be returning the used badly refurbished drives someone else sent in for the next 5 years. If they sent a brand new on that would be different. 
I would avoid them and stay with WD which are the most reliable.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Does anyone know if Hitachi is a good brand of hard drive. I came across a used one in like new conditon at a cheap price. The model number is: HDS725050KLA360


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

How many gigs for what price ??
Any Warranty ??

I'm thinking ... 
You can't tell how many miles a HD has on it by looking at the wear on the gas peddle.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

jfk1232 said:


> Does anyone know if Hitachi is a good brand of hard drive. I came across a used one in like new conditon at a cheap price. The model number is: HDS725050KLA360


 Hitachi was IBM way out of a big hole they dug with hard drive controller problems. Newer sata drives actually are running fine but an ide drive, there is no price for those that make any sense.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

The drive is a SATA. Is it easy to make a SATA into an external? Do you still just plug in two wires?


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

NO .. 
The available external enclosure hardware hasn't caught up with the SATA evolution yet.
There are ways .. but probably not what you want to mess with.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Didn't take too long ... Thought I'd make you a 1000 word picture.
You can see the Cabling is totally different.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Noyb said:


> NO ..
> The available external enclosure hardware hasn't caught up with the SATA evolution yet.
> There are ways .. but probably not what you want to mess with.


Aren't there SATA enclosures that are sold? Go to newegg and type "SATA Enclosures" and ones appear for sale.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

SATA to USB is the question/problem.
ATAs are dropping in prices because the newer Puters are being supplied w SATAs
ATAs will be around, and will work great in an external storage application for a long time.

USB is a universal format .. No sense in getting fancy for external storage purposes.

Yes .. There are more expensive ways to go.
Wait till tomorrow .. and see if any new good deals on ATAs become available.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Noyb said:


> SATA to USB is the question/problem.


I'm not sure what you mean? The SATA enclosures seem to convert SATA to USB.
Here is one:
http://www.satadrives.com/nasadrenwius.html

I've seen lots of others too.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, it does say it's the "Worlds First Mini Size Direct Connect SATA I / SATA II Hard Drive Enclosure".


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

JohnWill said:


> Well, it does say it's the "Worlds First Mini Size Direct Connect SATA I / SATA II Hard Drive Enclosure".


It says it's the first one that small; however, there are lots of them for sale.
Search newegg.com. Or here's another

http://www.supermediastore.com/galaxy-metal-gear-box-ii-3506sasp-3-5-inch-usb-2-0-sata-hdd-external-enclosure-black.html?WT.mc_id=shoppinghardwareHDW10X0153-001


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I actually know that, I was just amused about the statement on the website.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Humm .... Somebodys been shopping ... since I last looked.
I kinda like  http://www.satadrives.com/nasadrenwius.html ... But why do they all hide the power switch ??

The only good HD deal I could find this week  160gig ATA Seagate @ $39
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=118284&cm_keycode=85

There should be some other deals next week  or when Frys gets them.

What type of Drive do you have in your Computer ???

One advantage of having the same type of drive in the External Enclosure .
You can Clone your C: drive to the External and put it a Partition  Leaving room for additional Storage.
This way .. if the HD in your computer totally crashes 
You have a Bootable spare setting in the External that can be installed in the computer  Ready to go.
But .. You have to be comfortable installing HDs in your computer, and understand Partitioning, to do this.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

The only thing about the SATA enclosures is I'm not too sure how good they are. I saw a comment someone made on one type that said the drive already had to be partitioned and formatted before it could be put in the enclosure. I wouldn't be able to do that. I'm not sure if most are like that or not. The descriptions don't say.

The only reason I'm interested in SATA enclosures is that I can get a good deal on a 500GB used SATA Hitachi. Now I'm worried about finding a good enclosure, though.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

They can be formatted in the enclosure .. Using XP - Disc Mangement.
Never run my SATAs externally ... I'm sure they'll work the same way as my ATAs.

Everything is a matter of some Luck.
If it runs past the first couple of weeks ... Then I'd start trusting it.
The price on the one you found looked like a really good deal and worth the try.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Noyb said:


> The price on the one you found looked like a really good deal and worth the try.


Do you mean the drive or the enclosure I mentioned earlier?


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

This enclosure ... http://www.satadrives.com/nasadrenwius.html


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'd also make sure the USB <-> SATA controller will handle 500gigs, that's a sticking point with many USB enclosures.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I'm trying to decide if I should get an enclosure with a fan. I was wondering, do the internal hard drives in computers normally have a fan?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Internal hard disks just sit in a rack in most cases, there may be a fan behind the rack, but usually there isn't.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

The used Hitachi I'm considering comes as just a drive with no mounting screws. Will I be able to put it in an enclosure, or do the enclosures usually supply the screws to do it with?

Is there a place I can buy the screws? The drive model number is HDS725050KLA360.

Another thing is my computer is a little old, about 3.5 years. It doesn't support SATA, it's drive is PATA. The enclosure is supposed to turn the SATA into USB, but I'm still concerned that somehow there will be a compatability problem, maybe the USB commands will be special ones my computer can't handle?


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

I would not be buying any used Hitachi drives, the new ones were bad enough. In fact lately the only ones I trust are WD.
Drive usually plugs in and sits in the case, and the screws tighten the case together not the drive and come with it. Usb is usb other than 1.1 which is extremely slow and 2.0 and if your pc does not use 2.0 usb, I wouldn't even consider a usb drive and would go 1394 instead which requires an add/on card.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Rich-M said:


> and if your pc does not use 2.0 usb, I wouldn't even consider a usb drive and would go 1394 instead which requires an add/on card.


I put a PCI card in the computer to give it USB 2.0 capability. It had been 1.1 before that.

Also, I've heard in the past that Hitachi drives had problems but that the newer ones are okay. Since the model number is HDS725050KLA360, I think that makes it a Deskstar 7k500 and I believe those came out about a year and a half ago so it can't be that old. The used drive is also supposed to have been tested 3 times in a row to make sure it works.

The main thing that worries me is some sort of compatability problem with my older computer.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

jfk1232 said:


> I put a PCI card in the computer to give it USB 2.0 capability. It had been 1.1 before that.
> 
> Also, I've heard in the past that Hitachi drives had problems but that the newer ones are okay. Since the model number is HDS725050KLA360, I think that makes it a Deskstar 7k500 and I believe those came out about a year and a half ago so it can't be that old. The used drive is also supposed to have been tested 3 times in a row to make sure it works.
> 
> The main thing that worries me is some sort of compatability problem with my older computer.


 Don't worry about compatibility, and you are right about newer Hitachi satas have been OK.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

One enclosure I was looking at says it has a "built in power supply". What does that mean?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

It means that it doesn't have a "power brick" in the cord, but rather has the P/S inside the case.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

To add a picture (1000 words) to JW's explanation ...
Here's one where the Power "brick" is outside of the case.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

To round out the collection, here's the back of one with an internal supply.  Note the modular power plug connection.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I see, so with a built in power supply, there is not that big "brick" at the end of the power cable.

I am wondering something else. The used Hitachi I'm thinking of buying might have come from a server that was on all the time. Is that necessarily bad, though, because some people say it is better to leave a hard drive running all the time because turning it on is supposed to stress it. Also the drive is probably only a year or year and a half old so it probably isn't that worn.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

jfk1232 said:


> I see, so with a built in power supply, there is not that big "brick" at the end of the power cable.
> 
> I am wondering something else. The used Hitachi I'm thinking of buying might have come from a server that was on all the time. Is that necessarily bad, though, because some people say it is better to leave a hard drive running all the time because turning it on is supposed to stress it. Also the drive is probably only a year or year and a half old so it probably isn't that worn.


 Is this drive nearly free because it is sounding worse and worse to me?


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Rich-M said:


> Is this drive nearly free because it is sounding worse and worse to me?


So, then, it is bad for the drive to be left on?


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

I would think a ext. case with fan is better and with the Power "brick" is outside of the case because it would give off heat.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

The number of read/writes can be worse than letting it run.
I hear that too much Reading and Writing can lead to Alzheimer's.

I'm getting a feeling that you'll be sorry getting a used SATA instead of a new ATA with Warranty.
For External HD purposes .. The SATA has no advantages … Unless your computer is equipped with SATAs
Do you really need all those gigs ???

This weeks specials … 160gig Seagate ATA @ $39 after rebates…
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=118284&cm_keycode=85


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

jfk1232 said:


> So, then, it is bad for the drive to be left on?


 Actually I was reacting to the fact it was used for a server...not left on all the time but combine the two, and there is no way I would be buying that.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Seagate Launches 1TB Maxtor Network Storage Device
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3219

Seagate Announces 300GB 15K RPM Cheetah
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2768


> the world's fastest hard drive. The new drive is a 300GB beast, which at first doesn't seem like very impressive in terms of specifications. However, this drive spins at a blistering 15,000 RPM and at that speed, no other line of hard drive is faster.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

jfk1232 said:


> So, then, it is bad for the drive to be left on?


Not necessarily. I have drives that have been on for a number of years, and others that failed in a few months. It's really almost a random occurrence.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I was looking at outpost.com's drives. Their merchandise isn't refurbished is it? I sent them an email asking and never got a response.

Also, Maxtor is a decent brand isn't it?


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Fry's outpost sells new stuff ... no refurbs.
Don't know anyone who sells refurb Hard Drives.
Seagate or Western Digital for me.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

jfk1232 said:


> I was looking at outpost.com's drives. Their merchandise isn't refurbished is it? I sent them an email asking and never got a response.
> 
> Also, Maxtor is a decent brand isn't it?


Maxtor is the worst followed closely by Ibm/Hitachi.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

No, Outpost's stuff is new in the box. Maxtor is now sort of the "bottom of the barrel", they only offer a 1 year warranty. Seagate has a 5 year warranty, and WD currently offers a 3 year warranty. All things being equal, I'll take the 5 year warranty.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> No, Outpost's stuff is new in the box. Maxtor is now sort of the "bottom of the barrel", they only offer a 1 year warranty. Seagate has a 5 year warranty, and WD currently offers a 3 year warranty. All things being equal, I'll take the 5 year warranty.


 JW as strange as it is Maxtor offers a 3 year warranty on bare drive purchase and only a 1 year warranty on retail box purchases...
http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/maxtor-diamondmax10/index.x?pg=1


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Just my luck &#8230; When I find something I really like .. They quit making it, or change it.
I&#8217;m removing my recommendation for the Sanmax OT339-U2 3.5".

They have changed it and put a one touch button on the front &#8230; ?? whatever that is ?? ..
And Hid the Power switch on the Back Panel.

Isn&#8217;t that kinda like putting the Ignition switch for you car &#8230; In the trunk ???


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

That is strange, I wonder if they honor the warranty from end users, or just from OEM's?


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

I know that Seagate is supposed to be good because it has a long warranty, but does anyone actually have good experience using it?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I have a number of Seagate drives, three that I can think of off-hand. I don't have any in by bad pile of drives with the Maxtor's, WD's, and a Fuji, so that says something.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

JohnWill said:


> I have a number of Seagate drives, three that I can think of off-hand.


What sizes are they?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Let's see, 120, 250, and 250.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Don't internal drives usually come unformatted or formatted into FAT32? I would want NTFS.

If I have a 2 GHz PC, how long should it take to partition and format a 500 GB drive into NTFS? Remember the drive will be formatted while its in a USB enclosure so that might affect speed.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Here's another good deal on an 250gig ATA ... http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4596257

Not long ... A few minutes.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

jfk1232 said:


> Don't internal drives usually come unformatted or formatted into FAT32? I would want NTFS.


The NTFS or FAT32 format is determined by the user, there is no distinction that says an internal drive is formatted FAT32. The only FAT32 volume I have is on a multiple boot system that has W98, Linux, and 2K, it's used to transfer data between the O/S versions.


> If I have a 2 GHz PC, how long should it take to partition and format a 500 GB drive into NTFS? Remember the drive will be formatted while its in a USB enclosure so that might affect speed.


Unless you think you need the full format, a quick format is all I ever do, it'll take less than a minute either internal or external.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Here's another good deal on a 300 gig ATA w 16mb cache ... for $79 (after rebates) ... this week only
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=335866&cmid=dsr&ref=dsr
You can also read the customer reviews here.

So far .. It's my experiance that Seagate has also been reliable with honoring their rebates.


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## brite750 (Mar 16, 2002)

I ususally buy Seagate because of brand and 5 year warantee thing, however I have a 3 year old 40gig Maxtor purring away in my system right now....of course tomorrow it may explode. I've had very good luck apparently with all the drives Ive bought over the years, WD, Seagate, Maxtor, Samsung, IBM, it pays to have good hard drive karma.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

Seagate once a "pillar of strength" becoming the worst for me with sata as the only sata drives I have had go down are seagate. I wondwer if it isn't the Maxtor acquisition. remember Maxtor was rock solid before the acquired Quantum who must have taught them how to make crap. now they passed that knowledge on?


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## bigbear (Apr 27, 2004)

You will probably receive lots of comments saying that Maxtor drives are bottom of the reliability list, that said I have been using them for years, not one failure yet


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

I would doubt it I returned so many ide Maxtors over the years and the next worst was IBM but it was not even close, I began throwing away the bad Maxtors without checking warranty status, because it just became too annoying to send them back all the time to then get worse ones back as replacements. With sata the only ones I have had dump out were Seagate and only a few.


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## brite750 (Mar 16, 2002)

Rich-M said:


> I would doubt it I returned so many ide Maxtors over the years and the next worst was IBM but it was not even close, I began throwing away the bad Maxtors without checking warranty status, because it just became too annoying to send them back all the time to then get worse ones back as replacements. With sata the only ones I have had dump out were Seagate and only a few.


stop  youre scaring me, hell mine is 3 years old plus, never made a click, groan or gave me any problems at all, lucky for me it has nothing on it worth a darn, would just have to reload everything, I should probably get a new drive and charge admission for people to see the only decent Maxtor drive every to made, kind of like those road side reptile or freak shows, you know the two-headed snake, pig boy and a working Maxtor drive.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I've used lots of drives from every different maker. At times, they all go through bad spells. I can remember when you couldn't give me a WD drive, they were dropping like flies. Recently, it's been Maxtor's turn in the barrel. Remember the IBM Deskstar, commonly known as the Deathstar because so many died? Use it until it fails, then replace it.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Can you always quick format a drive, even if it's new?

I'm trying to decide if I should quick format or full format my drive when I first get it and put it in an enclosure.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Sure, quick format works anytime. Formatting is really a poor way to test the drive surface, if you really want to test it, run the disk manufacturer's diagnostic.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Which side is the top of a hard drive? One side has a label and the other side has circuitry. Is it the label side?

Also, if an enclosure has a fan that is supposed to blow on the hard drive, which side is it supposed to blow on--the circuitry side or the label side?

I also didn't know it was okay to quick format a drive when it is new and unformatted, if that's the case, I guess I'll just quick format it to save time.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

Label side is up.
In my enclosure, the fan blows on the circuity.
Quick format works for me.

Hope you didn't get the new Sanmax One touch. OT-339-U2
No indicators of any kind on the front Panel .. and it died in three days.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

Noyb said:


> Hope you didn't get the new Sanmax One touch. OT-339-U2
> No indicators of any kind on the front Panel .. and it died in three days.


I'll probably get a Bytecc enclosure. The one I'm looking at has dual fans and gets good reviews on newegg.com.

I also need a surge protector. Does anyone know of a cheap quality surge protector? It doesn't need to have many outlets.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

When mounting the drive in the enclosure, am I supposed to just lay the circuitry side against the bottom of the enclosure with nothing to protect it? It seems like the circuitry should be covered by something to protect it from contacting anything.


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

You do not need to put anything under it.
That's the way they're mounted in a computer.


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## jfk1232 (Aug 14, 2005)

A SATA drive I was looking at has two power connectors on it. One is the legacy 4 pin Molex connector and the other is the new SATA power connector. I've read that either one can be used, and I would like to use the 4 pin Molex. Are there any problems using the Molex with a SATA drive? Would it be better for some reason to use the SATA connector?


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

There's no difference - use either.


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## seekermeister (Jun 20, 2006)

Just be sure that you don't use both. That has happened by accident or ignorance.


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## finisterre (Feb 14, 2007)

I want to get an external HD for my laptop and after reading every post in this thread have a few follow-up questions about DIY external HD. BTW this forum and especially this thread are truly amazing........wonderfully helpful......thanks!

But first -- given that with rebates you can get a WD 250Gb for $79 at circuit city, is it still worth building your own at all? Even if the warranty on this one is just 1 year, my (everyones) time is worth something just for the convenience, right?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Spec...2/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do#tabs

Anyway - building your own sounds too good to be true. Is it really that easy? I really dont want to get bogged down in things not being compatible and other unexpected hassles, even though Im experienced enough to have installed new HDs, disk drives and sound cards and have taken apart my laptop to replace the keyboard and clean out the fan.

Chief concerns are:

- Formatting. Sounds like a high risk of serious Windows frustration. NTFS or FAT32? Sounds messy and involved to me. This could be something where, again, it might be worth it to buy something that works out of the box.

- Choice of HD. Can I really just buy any HD and any enclosure, stick it in, format, and bingo, Im done? Again, sounds too easy to be true.

- Noise. (in regard to all external HDs, not just homemade - ) Quietness is very important to me as my laptop has a ridiculously noisy fan as it is. How can I find an enclosure, or a readymade external HD, that is sure to be very quiet?

- more Noise -- Wouldnt an internal power supply cause high heat levels and therefore require a fan that runs more of the time and is more powerful and therefore noisier?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the essential info I digested from this thread.....if anyone find any mistakes, please point them out!

POINTERS FOR MAKING YOUR OWN EXTERNAL HD:

Get an enclosure with a front panel power switch.
Get one with a built-in power supply if you dont want a bulky power supply brick on the cord.
Both plastic and metal enclosures are fine.
If youre worried about heat, look for the biggest enclosure, assuming it'd have the biggest fan.
PATA is fine; SATA is not necessary. (PATA means the same thing as ATA.)

A FEW TIPS ON INSTALLATION:

The top of the HD is the side with the label.
It is OK to mount the HD in the enclosure with the circuitry against the bottom with nothing to protect it.
For the power connector, use either the 4-pin Molex or the SATA if there is one; it doesnt matter. Just dont use both.
Formatting: if you dont already know that you require full format, then quick format will be fine.

QUESTIONS IN REPLY TO VARIOUS POSTS IN THIS THREAD: (original posts are in quotes)

(1) It does seem to be a good time to buy an external instead of putting one together, prices have been dropping, especially if you don't mind the slower USB (and higher CPU usage) models.

What do you mean by higher CPU usage models? I really hate things that hog my CPU and would rather have no external HD at all than one that constantly drives CPU usage up to 100% for long stretches. How can I avoid a high-CPU-usage model?

(2) [with the Sanmax HD 339 External Enclosure] I dont have to fool with the fragile ATA ribbon cable

What is the alternative to this ATA ribbon cable? Is it part of the enclosure or part of the HD, and what do I look for in the specs to know whether the enclosure//HD has one?

(3) ATA drive types are becoming obsolete for use in computers.

Just curious -- what type is superceding ATA?

Many thanks!

Richard


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## Noyb (May 25, 2005)

(2) Don't think you'll find anything in the specs.
The only ones with a PC board connector instead of a ribbon cable that I've seen are the Sanmax.
The only difference ... Is the ease of assembly ... disassembly.
I may swap HDs in mine alot .. so this is kinda nice, but not a really big deal.

(3) But they'll still be good for making external HDs .. As long as USB/Firewire is still around.
The new kids on the block are SATA 3.0GHz ... who know what's next.


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