External HDD - a good choice?

[FadeAway]

Hi all:

I just picked up my first USB external hard drive. It's a Smartdisk Firelite
120 GB, 5400 rpm USB 2.0, powered from the USB plug. It came FAT 32 &
I converted it to NTFS.

I created two 2.8GB C: images on it with ATI 10, & restored them both,
in perfect form. The restore took about 40 minutes, vs 14 minutes for
a restore from a second internal 7200 rpm SATA.

I was just wondering if you experienced Wilders imagers think it was
a good choice, or is there something better I might have chosen?

Cost was in the typical range. The reason I ask, is that it worked
so well, I'm thinking of getting another, for other uses.

Thanks.

[WSFuser]

Do you know what drive they use?

I wouldve just gotten an external drive from Western Digital or Seagate, or bought a separate enclosure and drive.

[tradetime]

I bought a WD My Book 320GB a few months back, seems to work well, and am happy with it, though I only use it for backup, so it doesn't run constantly.

[screamer]

With HDD I always stick to brand name manufacturers. You can find WD on sale most of the time if you look around. Currently I have 6 WD ext HDD is use. 2 are from the late 90's. They all get used at least once a day.

Although I'm a WD kinda guy I just ordered 3 Toshiba mini 2.5" portable drives for my laptops. These are just a little bigger than a deck of cards. Time will tell if it was a good purchase.

...screamer

[FadeAway]

-{ Quote: "Do you know what drive they use?" }-

Everest home analysis shows it to be a Fujitsu MHV2120AH:

http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/storage/hdd/mobile/mhv2120ah.html

Ratings here:

http://shopproducts.howstuffworks.com/Fujitsu-MHV2120AH-120-GB-ATA-100-Hard-Drive/SF-1/PID-26055846

The one I purchased is for partition image back-up only, but if I get
another, it will likely get more frequent use.

[RobZee]

I have been using a WD external USB drive for about 1-1/2yrs. & am quite satisfied. Used for backup storage for my PC. Also just got a good deal on another WD external which I will use for backups on my wife's iMac.

All things being equal, a 7200 rpm drive should provide some improvement in performance.

Rob

[Huwge]

My last one was a

http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10929

Only using to store photos on at the moment, but its been working fine

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "With HDD I always stick to brand name manufacturers. You can find WD on sale most of the time if you look around. Currently I have 6 WD ext HDD is use. 2 are from the late 90's. They all get used at least once a day.

Although I'm a WD kinda guy I just ordered 3 Toshiba mini 2.5" portable drives for my laptops. These are just a little bigger than a deck of cards. Time will tell if it was a good purchase.

...screamer" }-
I am also thinking to buy a Toshiba one( I have not many choices here is Saudi Arabia). My Toshiba laptop,s HD is actually manufactured by Histachi.

When u get ur HDs, can u check who is actual manufacturer of these?

Thanks

[screamer]

Aigle,

The model number is: MK6021GAS. Manufactured by Toshiba.

I wound up returning two of the three purchased. They work fine in my ToughBook CF-18, but on my Dell E1705 There is not enough USB power output to run the drive. Keep in mind, these were self-powered external USB drive. The Toshiba is known to be problematic as a self powered drive. See this:

http://www.berklix.com/~jhs/txt/usb/

It's about Lunix, but self powered is self powered...

The ToughBook is a little beast, built for extreme environments & conditions. It doesn't suprise me that it will run this external self powered drive.

If I were you and this is a "replacement" drive for you laptop, I'd stick w/ OEM equipment. In your case Hitachi. You can check the Toshiba site for the replacements they use. I'm sure they also use their own drives. If it's for an external drive, I'd look into Fujitsu. From what I've read (after the fact of course) they are low in power consumption. This is what I'm considering as an external for the Dell:Fujitsu MHV2080AH 80GB 5400 RPM ATA-6 Notebook Hard Drive - OEM

Is it an ATA-6 or SATA? Some of the new Sata drives are incredible.

hth,

...screamer

[farmerlee]

I like to use notebook hdd's for my externals. I find they're very portable and can take a few knocks. Currently i use a self powered Lacie 2.5" 160gb usb drive. Its actually an hitachi drive, it performs very well and stays cool.

[screamer]

That's the beauty of the self-powered units, their portability. This Toshiba fits into my PDA case along w/ the cable a small pad & pen ;)

...screamer

[aigle]

Thanks for info.

I am looking for an external self powered USB HD for my notebook. The store here has mainly 2.5 inch Toshiba external HDs and they are self powered.

I can find in the market by seraching: Siemens, Maxtor and Western Digital but no segate.

What do tou suggest? Seems I should avoid Toshiba ones.

[farmerlee]

Out of those three i'd have to recommend western digital. I've used a few WD drives in my time and they always seem to perform well.

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,

I use a WD 160GB, works extremely well...

I plug it in every month or so for some 40-60GB of backup / overwriting old stuff of course. Otherwise, it warms my sockies and whatnots. I do recommend placing only encrypted stuff in it - or into an encrypted volume / container ... for the security reasons (theft).

Mrk

[tradetime]

-{ Quote: "I can find in the market by seraching: Siemens, Maxtor and Western Digital but no segate.

What do tou suggest? Seems I should avoid Toshiba ones." }-
I have a WD My Book 320GB and am quite happy with it, have had it for a few months now, just used for backups.

[screamer]

-{ Quote: "

I can find in the market by seraching: Siemens, Maxtor and Western Digital but no segate.

What do tou suggest? Seems I should avoid Toshiba ones." }-

I'm not so sure you need to avoid Toshiba altogether. In the article I linked to it was referring to the Toshiba I purchased, no?

OTOH, WD has a new 2.5" called Scorpio. It's available in ATA-6 & SATA. I'd suggest buying a raw drive and putting it in an enclosure yourself. That's a no-brainer way to save a few $ (SAR)

...screamer

[tradetime]

-{ Quote: " I do recommend placing only encrypted stuff in it - or into an encrypted volume / container ... for the security reasons (theft)." }-
That's prolly a very good idea, never thought of it to be honest. Am always a it wary of encrypting things generally, in case somehing goes wrong and can't decrypt.

[tradetime]

-{ Quote: "( I have not many choices here is Saudi Arabia)." }-
Whereabouts in Saudi?

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "I'm not so sure you need to avoid Toshiba altogether. In the article I linked to it was referring to the Toshiba I purchased, no?

OTOH, WD has a new 2.5" called Scorpio. It's available in ATA-6 & SATA. I'd suggest buying a raw drive and putting it in an enclosure yourself. That's a no-brainer way to save a few $ (SAR)

...screamer" }-
Because two of ur Toshiba did not work as expected.

Infact I checked here in the market and making it myself or buying it pre-assembled doesn,t seem to make make any significant difference.

[aigle]

Seems I will go for Western Digital!

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "Whereabouts in Saudi?" }-
Makkah, Jeddah

[Mrkvonic]

-{ Quote: "That's prolly a very good idea, never thought of it to be honest. Am always a it wary of encrypting things generally, in case somehing goes wrong and can't decrypt." }-

Hello,
You should have unencrypted backups on DVDs and such ... multiple copies. No one is likely to nick your cases full of pron and nonsense, but an external DVD seems like a nice little trophy.
Mrk

[tradetime]

-{ Quote: "You should have unencrypted backups on DVDs and such" }-
Hi, have never trusted media such as this, I used to backup to cd quite a bit, (though in fairness not multiple copies of the same thing) but I found cd's corrupted too easily. Might not have accessed a cd for 6 months, then I go to get something off it one day, to be told that the cd is corrupt.

[tradetime]

-{ Quote: "Makkah, Jeddah" }-
Ah, ok don't know Jeddah very well, there was always a reasonable selection of gear in Riyadh, a little behind but not too far. WD My Book's have been out for quite a while, should be able to get them in Saudi ok I would have thought.

[aigle]

Actually Riyadh is too far from here.

[screamer]

-{ Quote: "Because two of ur Toshiba did not work as expected.

Infact I checked here in the market and making it myself or buying it pre-assembled doesn,t seem to make make any significant difference." }-

That was only on the Dell laptop. Everything worked on the ToughBook. Again, only the model I purchased seemed to be troublesome. But I think that WD is an excellent choice. Good Luck,

...screamer

[aigle]

Thanks.

[lucas1985]

-{ Quote: "Hi, have never trusted media such as this, I used to backup to cd quite a bit, (though in fairness not multiple copies of the same thing) but I found cd's corrupted too easily. Might not have accessed a cd for 6 months, then I go to get something off it one day, to be told that the cd is corrupt." }-
Choose (http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media/) high-quality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiyo_Yuden) media, burn it at medium speeds with some recovery information (http://dvdisaster.net/en/index.php) and store it in a cool, dark and dry place (safebox).

[Mrkvonic]

-{ Quote: "Hi, have never trusted media such as this, I used to backup to cd quite a bit, (though in fairness not multiple copies of the same thing) but I found cd's corrupted too easily. Might not have accessed a cd for 6 months, then I go to get something off it one day, to be told that the cd is corrupt." }-

Hello,
That's why I said multiple copies.
Let's say you make 2 copies every month. This means 24 backups a year. Are you telling me all these DVDs are gonna die?
Mrk

[ErikAlbert]

I use Verbatim DVD/CD's only as second backup and I have an ISO-file of each paid software CD to reproduce them as many times as needed. My main backup = Seagate External harddisk.

[tradetime]

Anybody any experience with one of these?
Drobo (http://www.drobo.com/)

[aigle]

I don,t want to start a new thraed for same Q. Please advise me on this. Easily available option here in the market is:

External USB2 HD (self-powered), Toshiba 120 GB, 5400 RPM, 2 Inch

Is it OK? I wonder should I buy 5400 or 7200 rpm drive. Will 7200 rpm will be significantly faster in data transfer as comapred to 5400. I will use it mainly with my Toshiba latopfor my system image backups and data storage.

Thanks for any help.

[screamer]

Aigle,

I would go for the 7200RPM if it's for external only. The only difference b'tween 5400 vs.7200 is power consumption and speed. e.g. you sacrifice power used for speed gained.
The 7200 RPM will drain your battery faster than the 5400, but it will increase data transfer.

hth,

...screamer

[Pedro]

What i did in the end was follow Notok's advice: i went with Seagate for an internal Sata HD, 7200 rpm, 500 GB. Mostly due to quality reputation and unbeatable warranty.
Then i got an external case, with USB 2.0 and eSata (that was actually a good surprise, but didn't influence my decision).

Only years will tell me how good it is, but so far i'm happy with it.

[Hairy Coo]

IMO,the most important factor is to get a 7200 rpm SATA capable HDD,thats always assuming your mobo is configured for SATA-the data transfer speeds are so much faster than USB.

External HDDs can get hot,so a fan within the enclosure is a good idea.

My setup is an Antec case with fan,to which I fitted a 320gb Seagate disk.

The make isnt so important,but with Seagate,you get for free the equivalent of Acronis True Image.:thumb:

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "Aigle,
I would go for the 7200RPM if it's for external only. The only difference b'tween 5400 vs.7200 is power consumption and speed. e.g. you sacrifice power used for speed gained.
The 7200 RPM will drain your battery faster than the 5400, but it will increase data transfer." }- Only I want to know if 7200 rpm HD will run from USB of my laptop, without need of an additional power supply, just like 5400 one?
Someone on a forums told me that with 7200 rpm, I will need to use 2 usb ports to power it!

Thanks

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "
Then i got an external case, with USB 2.0 and eSata (that was actually a good surprise, but didn't influence my decision).
" }-
I have not much info about e-SATA. It,s rather new and my mobo probably might not be supporting it( it,s a 2 years old Toshiba satellite M 70). Am I true?

CAn u get an external HD supporting both USB 2 and e-SATA?

BTW not sure about future of e-SATA( USB 3 is on thge way!!).

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "IMO,the most important factor is to get a 7200 rpm SATA capable HDD,thats always assuming your mobo is configured for SATA-the data transfer speeds are so much faster than USB." }-Do u mean SATA or e-SATA? To my knowledge, practically SATA doesn,t give any significant speed gain over IDE.
-{ Quote: "
External HDDs can get hot,so a fan within the enclosure is a good idea.
" }-Not feasible for me. I want a small portable one( I mentioned 2.5 inch drive). Also I guess, a fan means external supply for HD. I want self powered via USB, no external power at all.
-{ Quote: "
The make isnt so important,but with Seagate,you get for free the equivalent of Acronis True Image.:thumb:" }-Seagate was my first choice but it,s not avaialable here in the market.

[aigle]

BTW I did a small search on internet and I don,t see a 2.5 inch HD with 7200 rpm. All 2.5 inch HDs seem to come with 5400.

[Hairy Coo]

-{ Quote: "Do u mean SATA or e-SATA? To my knowledge, practically SATA doesn,t give any significant speed gain over IDE.
Not feasible for me. I want a small portable one( I mentioned 2.5 inch drive). Also I guess, a fan means external supply for HD. I want self powered via USB, no external power at all.
Seagate was my first choice but it,s not avaialable here in the market." }-

Well SATA 2 has a theoretical max transfer rate of 300mb/sec as opposed to IDE/ATA of 133-not that this is attainable often.

e Sata merely means external SATA,indicating that the mobo has a dedicated plug provision for the back of the case.

The speed etc is the same.

If you only have SATA,then just buy a cable/plug in for the case back-same thing.

For you- all this is probably a bit academic-my remarks were more directed at the original poster,who was querying his choice and a choice for a second external drive.

However you must check whether your mobo will support SATA before you make a decision

I havent got the exact figures handy,but eSATA is much,much faster by a very noticeable margin than USB2.

[screamer]

-{ Quote: "Only I want to know if 7200 rpm HD will run from USB of my laptop, without need of an additional power supply, just like 5400 one?
Someone on a forums told me that with 7200 rpm, I will need to use 2 usb ports to power it!

Thanks" }-

The USB connector cord comes w/ two USB plugs on one end --> Laptop and one on the other end --> to USB Ext drive. This way you can use twice the power "if it needs it."
-{ Quote: "
BTW I did a small search on internet and I don,t see a 2.5 inch HD with 7200 rpm. All 2.5 inch HDs seem to come with 5400." }-

see this:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=160+GB+ATA-100+Hard+Drive+2.5+7200&btnG=Google+Search

hth,

...screamer

[WSFuser]

@aigle - also do a google search for 2.5" enclosures. I know Vantec has an enclosure without power brick. I dont know if it supports 7200rpm drives though.

[FadeAway]

-{ Quote: "For you- all this is probably a bit academic-my remarks were more directed at the original poster,who was querying his choice and a choice for a second external drive." }-
Thanks for your input. I'm dealing with two desktops here. One is 5
years old and came with one ATA drive, and no room inside to mount
a second drive. My new machine has two internal SATAs, and two racks
still empty to mount two more, if desired. I picked an ATA USB drive
to assure compatability between the two machines. I'm really not
interested in an external, case-mounted, separately powered, SATA.
The older machine has been relegated to a test box. The first USB HD
drive I picked up fits in my shirt pocket, requires no external power
supply, is only used for back-up ATI images, lives in a desk drawer
when not in use, and works on both machines. Mission accomplished.

Interestingly, I picked up a second Firelite, only in 160 GB instead
of 120 GB. On plugging it in and checking its specs I found it not to
have a Fujitsu drive inside, but, rather a Western Digital Scorpio
2 1/2 inch ATA drive. Additionally, that drive will not run on the
old machine, but works fine on the new box. My guess is that it requires
more power from the USB plug than the old machine can deliver, or else
there is some kind of mobo driver issue, but that is beyond my current
technical knowledge.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=312&language=en

[Hairy Coo]

-{ Quote: "Thanks for your input. I'm dealing with two desktops here. One is 5
years old and came with one ATA drive, and no room inside to mount
a second drive. My new machine has two internal SATAs, and two racks
still empty to mount two more, if desired. I picked an ATA USB drive
to assure compatability between the two machines. I'm really not
interested in an external, case-mounted, separately powered, SATA.
The older machine has been relegated to a test box. The first USB HD
drive I picked up fits in my shirt pocket, requires no external power
supply, is only used for back-up ATI images, lives in a desk drawer
when not in use, and works on both machines. Mission accomplished.

Interestingly, I picked up a second Firelite, only in 160 GB instead
of 120 GB. On plugging it in and checking its specs I found it not to
have a Fujitsu drive inside, but, rather a Western Digital Scorpio
2 1/2 inch ATA drive. Additionally, that drive will not run on the
old machine, but works fine on the new box. My guess is that it requires
more power from the USB plug than the old machine can deliver, or else
there is some kind of mobo driver issue, but that is beyond my current
technical knowledge.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=312&language=en" }-

Well,on second look, it appears you have achieved a great setup in view of your current equipment.

The USB external HDD seems fine for backups,so it doesnt matter if its a bit slower-also the small size means you can take it with you on holidays etc for security reasons in the extreme case of a burglary in your absence.

Strange the new USB/HDdoesnt work on your old computer,USB2 is backward compatible.
Most drives just use the Microsoft drivers.


EDIT;

Your WD Scorpio drive is available either in EIDE or SATA mode.

My guess is that the shop gave you a SATA drive,which most customers would want.

If this is correct-then that explains why it doesn't work on your old computer which is strictly IDE only.

But this could be a real blessing in disguise for you,as by buying a cheap plug/cable extension from the mobo to an included plug plate for the back of your case,you can then run the drive at full SATA speed,by connecting up to your new drive with a SATA cable,which should be included in your original package.
You can easily do all this in five minutes.

What you now have is eSATA,which considerably faster than USB2.

[FadeAway]

-{ Quote: "

Strange the new USB/HDdoesnt work on your old computer,USB2 is backward compatible.
Most drives just use the Microsoft drivers.


EDIT;

Your new drive seems capable of either SATA or EIDE.,if you read the technical download.

If you check the instructions,there may be a jumper ,a U shape set of pins you have to reset-to achieve either setting,on the back of the hard drive.

Maybe the setting is now for SATA,so its OK for your new machine only.

" }-

Well, I thought it might be a SATA in disguise, but the part number
that Everest Home reads off the drive (WD1600BEVE) matches the part
number in the WDC link in my last post. EIDE = external ATA, I think.

The user manual makes no mention of it, but if it's just a jumper
inside the case, that could certainly explain it. Might have been
an error at the assembly factory. I don't think I'll risk contaminating
the platters by opening the case, though.

[Hairy Coo]

Fadeaway,check my revised post-it cant be both IDE and SATA-still very possible its a SATA.:thumb:

You said yourself an ATI restore took 40 minutes with USB and 14 minutes with SATA.so ts worth finding out etc.

BTW you cant contaminate a HD,the plates are fully enclosed.

[FadeAway]

-{ Quote: "Fadeaway,check my revised post-it cant be both IDE and SATA-still very possible its a SATA." }-

The 160GB Scorpio SATA is listed as part number WD1600BEAS. That does
not match the part number of my drive, WD1600BEVE.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=263&language=en

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=312&language=en

Am I missing something?

[Hairy Coo]

Fadeaway-its a mystery???

[Pedro]

-{ Quote: "I have not much info about e-SATA. It,s rather new and my mobo probably might not be supporting it( it,s a 2 years old Toshiba satellite M 70). Am I true?

CAn u get an external HD supporting both USB 2 and e-SATA?

BTW not sure about future of e-SATA( USB 3 is on thge way!!)." }-
It was cheap (local store, good deal). About the same price as only with USB, so i said why not.
And yes, they come in different flavours :), only USB, USB and Firewire, USB and eSata etc. But thats the external interface (is that the right name?).
Internally, the case has to support the HD you bought of course -i got a SATA one, so it had to have that, and support the size and speed; it has another cable for IDE i think.
My case has no fan, it's made of aluminum. Never gets too hot, aluminum does a good job with the heat, and it's never turned on that long anyway (only for backups). It does need external power (hey its 500 gigs).
Oh, and i don't think it supports eSata either, unless you expand the laptop with one of those cards (? lol) (some cases come with that AND the eSata cable), but i don't know anything about that.
USB is fine for now, but i know that i can use eSata also in future.
I also know that if i want to use this HD on a computer, i can, and if one part (HD or case) breaks, i got the other. The case gives a lot of possibilities, and the brand reassures me.

[Hairy Coo]

May I just repeat these important facts,for those who may not be quite aware of them.

SATA is always going to have a higher transfer rate than IDE,even if the difference is sometimes not so noticeable

IDE is yesterdays technology-SATA drives are becoming faster as they are further developed.

Many new motherboards will not support IDE,so these may not be transportable to a new computer

eSATA(basically an addition to the mobo) is the same as SATA except there is a plugin on the back of the case to allow connection to an external SATA drive.
The mobo connects the internal SATA drive to this plug .

SATA can be converted to e SATA,if this is not present originally,by buying a cheap plug in set with cables.

USB,any version is always going to be appreciably slower than e(external)SATA,as regards transfers.

Quick proof is provided by Fadeaway who restored the same ATI image in 14 minutes using SATA-but took 40 minutes using USB/IDE-nearly 3 times slower!

The obvious limiting factor is finding out whether your motherboard supports SATA-some mobos will run both.

However you cannot interconnect IDE to SATA-to run eSATA,you need an internal SATA drive.

Check your instructions book or use software like PC Wizard to give you the specs of your computer.

[razor0018]

What is a decent 250 gb External Harddrive? I was looking at the Western Digital Passport but I am seeing reviews about it not supplying enough power. I prefer something small for portability but stability and function is more important. Also under $200.

[aigle]

-{ Quote: " use software like PC Wizard to give you the specs of your computer." }-
What i should specifically look for there?

[WSFuser]

-{ Quote: "What is a decent 250 gb External Harddrive? I was looking at the Western Digital Passport but I am seeing reviews about it not supplying enough power. I prefer something small for portability but stability and function is more important. Also under $200." }-
For 250gb capacity I dont know of many 2.5" external drives.

You could assemble your own external. For example get this drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136159) with this enclosure (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817155514). Its just about $200 but the case comes with 2 usb cables so it shouldnt have any power problems.

[razor0018]

Im not a hardware tech genius so I wouldnt know how to put one together. I would rather buy one.

[WSFuser]

In that case get the Western Digital external (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136139) but also get this cable (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/accessories.asp?ProdID=170) (for extra power).

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "Im not a hardware tech genius so I wouldnt know how to put one together. I would rather buy one." }-
Hi, see this post. I never did it but seems so easy!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1408755

[screamer]

Fujitsu has a 250GB 2.5" HDD:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/15/fujitsus-250gb-slimster-for-ultra-portable-laptops/

...screamer

[GotMyBackup]

Hi,

I was asked to post a copy of a post of mine in this location - for general info.
Hope it comes over ok, and is helpful to some...

BTW - I got a terrific suggestion yesterday... I have been working with 2 external USB drives (1 to be offsite most of the time), making direct BU's to 1 or the other... The suggestion was just to do a full 'copy' to the 2nd HDD. Terrific and SIMPLE solution, as I have several generatins of BU in separate files/folders on the 1 HDD. Thanks too.

Now for the real suggestion...

= = =
USB problem update

My problem related to the power supply of my Notebook. I was running a USB HD from the USB port on my Dell Latitude D600 - with varying results. Sometimes the backups & images would go to completion - sometimes not!

I solved the problem by:
1. Buying a powered USB hub (no longer need to rely on my laptop power & tiny fluctuations that might occur). [ No fault of the notebook, just that the USB drive could not function perfectly with small varieations in power via the PC. ]
2. Powering the hub through my UPS ( uninterruptible power supply)
3. Doing a data verification after each backup.

Since adopting this method, (knock on wood) I've had great results (all BU's have gone to completion).

= = =

Regards,
G-M-B-up

[aigle]

Sorry to bump this thread agin but few questions.

1- Using eSATA drive will always need external power suppy even if it is small one like 2- 2.5 inch HDs?

2- If I have an eSATA HD but no eSATA port for it on my PC, can I use this HD via ordinary USB2 port( obviously loosing the speed advantage though)?

Thanks

[Hairy Coo]

-{ Quote: "Sorry to bump this thread agin but few questions.

1- Using eSATA drive will always need external power suppy even if it is small one like 2- 2.5 inch HDs?

2- If I have an eSATA HD but no eSATA port for it on my PC, can I use this HD via ordinary USB2 port( obviously loosing the speed advantage though)?

Thanks" }-
Aigle

If your motherboard supports SATA,then its an easy,cheap matter to buy a SATA plug bracket/port kit to fit on the case back, plus a cable coming from the mobo to the bracket and a cable from the bracket to the external drive.

Strongly recommend this method over USB-which is much slower and can cause problems with some imaging apps.No advantages at all.

Your external SATA drive will now be full eSATA
e SATA just means external SATA-there is no magic about it .

Yes an external drive needs a separate power supply.

edit;if you have a notebook,not sure of the availability of these kits-I was referring to PCs-otherwise you might have to use USB and I understand that some 2.5" drives can be powered with a special cable from the computer-check with the store,otherwise you may need an external AC adapter.

[innerpeace]

Also, true eSATA is plug and play hot-swappable where the eSATA bracket that HC mentions is not. Here is the ext. enclosure that I bought and also a close-up of what the eSATA bracket looks like. Your mother board must have SATA ports in order for it to work. I use the bracket on my desktop and had plenty of great help thanks to Hairy Coo :).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173042
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=17-173-042-13.jpg&Image=17-173-042-18.jpg%2c17-173-042-15.jpg%2c17-173-042-12.jpg%2c17-173-042-06.jpg%2c17-173-042-17.jpg%2c17-173-042-13.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&Depa=0&Description=Rosewill+RX-358-S+BLK+(Black)+3.5%22+SATA+to+USB+%26+eSATA+Ext.+Enclosure+w%2fInt.80mm+fan+-+Retail

edit: changed plug and play to hot-swappable.

[Hairy Coo]

Howdy,Innerpeace-Thanks for the info about plug and play-didnt realise that:)

[innerpeace]

-{ Quote: "Howdy,Innerpeace-Thanks for the info about plug and play-didnt realise that:)" }-
Howdy Hairy Coo :). I just dug out my external enclosure's manual and it said hot-swap rather than plug n play so I mis-spoke :( . I will edit my other post. I'm also not sure if the manual is accurate or not according to this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA

Does it all depend on the motherboard, SATA version and/or AHCI (whatever that is)?

FWIW, here is what the manual states:
-{ Quote: "2. If your motherboard only comes with an onboard SATA port and no eSATA port available. This means hot-swap is not supported by your motherboard. You will need to install an eSATA bracket. Since hot-swap is not supported, you must connect the enclosure with the computer while it powered off. The computer will recognize the enclosure during the booting sequences and you should be able to see the drive after MS Windows boot up." }-

[Hairy Coo]

Remember we referred to this before when you were setting up your drive, in that you must activate the external drive prior to switching on or booting up the computer,as the manual states.
Guess its a SATA design feature,but would refer to the external Sata bracket only as the internal SATA ports from memory definitely can hot swap.:thumb:
edit;Sounds like only straight through connections are allowed,except for dedicated situations

[innerpeace]

Yeah, I remember. I don't doubt you one bit. I always power up my drive prior to booting up :thumb: .

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "
If your motherboard supports SATA,then its an easy,cheap matter to buy a SATA plug bracket/port kit to fit on the case back, plus a cable coming from the mobo to the bracket and a cable from the bracket to the external drive.

Strongly recommend this method over USB-which is much slower and can cause problems with some imaging apps.No advantages at all.

Your external SATA drive will now be full eSATA
e SATA just means external SATA-there is no magic about it ." }-
Thanks Hiry coo!

Reagrding the issue of fitting a SATA plug bracket/port kit on the case back, one has to do itself? It is to be done with a normal USB HD enclosure or with some special one?
But there are special enclosures in the market with pre-fitted SATA plug bracket/port etc that are better as innerpeace posted.

Am I true? Excuse me for my ignorance!

Thanks

[Hairy Coo]

-{ Quote: "Thanks Hiry coo!

Reagrding the issue of fitting a SATA plug bracket/port kit on the case back, one has to do itself? It is to be done with a normal USB HD enclosure or with some special one?
But there are special enclosures in the market with pre-fitted SATA plug bracket/port etc that are better as innerpeace posted.

Am I true? Excuse me for my ignorance!

Thanks" }-

You have to fit the bracket and its very easy,but the external enclosure has to have an eSATA port.
Innerpeace was referring to the fact that motherboards which already have as standard an eSATA port/bracket for the case back are able to be hot swapped(instant on),but if your mobo doesnt have this provision you must buy this bracket to fit,which doesnt have hot swap.
All this means is that you must then activate the external drive prior to a new boot up.

Maybe Innnerpeace could advise further as he has just been through the exercise:)
Check out the website he posted.

[innerpeace]

Hi aigle, there are different external enclosure types that have different internal interfaces for the drive you select such as IDE, SATA and IDE & SATA combination. Then there are the external interfaces that connect the enclosure to your computer. There are many different types and combinations available. For example, the one I bought has both eSATA and USB connections I can use. Since my computer doesn't have an eSATA port, but my motherboard has SATA connections, I had to install the bracket that we have been talking about and like Hairy Coo said, it is very easy to install. It fits within the PCI slots on the back of the computer (mine fit above the modem). You will have to open the case (turn off and unplug the computer first) and remove a blank PCI cover which has one little screw and then put the bracket in it's place. You then plug the SATA connection inside the computer to one of your motherboards SATA ports. That's all there is to it, now just plug a SATA cable into the enclosure and into the outside of the newly installed bracket and your done. My enclosure came with everything I needed.

Other external interface types are SATA, USB, Ethernet, and 1394 (firewire). Combos of 2 types are typical. 1394 (firewire) I think is the fastest and the most expensive. Have a look at the ports on your computer/s to see what you have. You will also need to research what your motherboard has if you go with the eSATA bracket to make sure you have onboard SATA.

innerpeace

[aigle]

Hairy Coo and Innerpeace! Thanks for all this explnation!

My laptop has only USB and Firewire ports. I think at the moment I will just buy a SATA external dive with an enclosue that can be attached to USB post. Later at sometime if I buy a new laptop that has eSATA ports etc, I can change the enclosure of HD with eSATA port.

[innerpeace]

-{ Quote: "Hairy Coo and Innerpeace! Thanks for all this explnation!

My laptop has only USB and Firewire ports. I think at the moment I will just buy a SATA external dive with an enclosue that can be attached to USB post. Later at sometime if I buy a new laptop that has eSATA ports etc, I can change the enclosure of HD with eSATA port." }-
Your welcome aigle :). Like I said, they make ext. enclosures that include both SATA and USB connections or SATA and firewire connection and even a couple that have SATA, USB and firewire. Here is a link to what I've been looking at. I've already selected SATA as in internal interface and you can look at the different external interfaces and their combos. This site is in the US, but it will give you an idea of the varieties available. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000090092+1053807123+1054107131&name=SATA

[MikeNAS]

I need external HDD too but it must be network model. I have made some research and found that RaidSonic enclosures are very good. HDD is Seagate of course.

[aigle]

-{ Quote: "Your welcome aigle :). Like I said, they make ext. enclosures that include both SATA and USB connections or SATA and firewire connection and even a couple that have SATA, USB and firewire. Here is a link to what I've been looking at. I've already selected SATA as in internal interface and you can look at the different external interfaces and their combos. This site is in the US, but it will give you an idea of the varieties available. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000090092+1053807123+1054107131&name=SATA" }-
Thanks Innerpeace! I will have a look!