Opinions/Experience re: Maxtor Onetough II external drive?

[Doc]

A local vendor has what seems to be a great deal on a Maxtor Onetouch II 300
gig external drive w/USB 1.1/2.0 as well as Firewire in/output for $69 after
rebates. That would provide all the space I could conceive of needing in the
forseeable future for temporarily moving stuff off my work drive (different
than my OS/Programs drive) a/or archiving things, with an eye primarily on
video/audio.

Does having an external drive get around issues of the whole drive not being
recognized by your mobo? The requirements listed on the box are relatively
modest - PIII, 500mhz, Win98SE, or XP. I'm running XP Home on a Compaq
Deskpro En PIII 933mhz.

However, seems like I've read things in the not too distant past about large
drives having problems with longevity. I've also never used an external
drive, so am wondering about any other issues to be aware of.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for all shared wisdom.

 

[Todd H.]

A local vendor has what seems to be a great deal on a Maxtor Onetouch II 300
gig external drive w/USB 1.1/2.0 as well as Firewire in/output for $69 after
rebates. That would provide all the space I could conceive of needing in the
forseeable future for temporarily moving stuff off my work drive (different
than my OS/Programs drive) a/or archiving things, with an eye primarily on
video/audio.

Does having an external drive get around issues of the whole drive not being
recognized by your mobo? The requirements listed on the box are relatively
modest - PIII, 500mhz, Win98SE, or XP. I'm running XP Home on a Compaq
Deskpro En PIII 933mhz.

However, seems like I've read things in the not too distant past about large
drives having problems with longevity. I've also never used an external
drive, so am wondering about any other issues to be aware of.

I have a OneTouch and have had clients purchase them and they are
pleased. There is a concern about longetivity on them owing to poor
airflow in/through the case. I don't dispute this because the drive
enclosure is so friggin quiet vs the cheapie external enclosure I've
purchased.

I don't run my own one touch all the time--it's off and disconnected
except when I perform a backup.

Yes, and external drive will circumvent problems with an onboard ata
interface, I believe. And hell at the price, how wrong can you go!

 

[Gary Hendricks]

Hi there,

I think the Maxtor One Touch II 300 Gig - recently received PC Magazine
Editor's Choice Award. Here are some details:

Pros:
+ Simple to set up:
1) install the software from the disk,
2) reboot,
3) plug in the drive to power,
4) connect it to the PC via USB,
5) set the back-up schedule
6) press one button to start backing up immediately -- it took me less
than half an hour to have it up and running

+ Others have commented that it can tend to run hot under normal usage;
mine does not -- it is barely warm to the touch even when backing up

+ This thing was not packed like, nor does it feel like a normal
consumer grade PC component.

+ Scheduling of back-up during off hours is as simple as selecting a
day and time

+ At less than a buck per gig, very low cost soltion for protecting
your important information

Cons
+ The documentation is a little weak.

Overall, this device is a great value back-up storage solution.

Hope this helps. If you need more help on choosing computer components
for video editing, please visit:

http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/computer-for-video-editing.html

Best Regards
Gary Hendricks
http://www.desktop-video-guide.com

 

[Peter]

A local vendor has what seems to be a great deal on a Maxtor Onetouch II
300

gig external drive w/USB 1.1/2.0 as well as Firewire in/output for $69 after
rebates. That would provide all the space I could conceive of needing in the
forseeable future for temporarily moving stuff off my work drive (different
than my OS/Programs drive) a/or archiving things, with an eye primarily on
video/audio.

Does having an external drive get around issues of the whole drive not being
recognized by your mobo? The requirements listed on the box are relatively
modest - PIII, 500mhz, Win98SE, or XP. I'm running XP Home on a Compaq
Deskpro En PIII 933mhz.

However, seems like I've read things in the not too distant past about large
drives having problems with longevity. I've also never used an external
drive, so am wondering about any other issues to be aware of.

Any thoughts?

If anyone thinks of using external disk drives for anything else as backup,
a nasty surprise might be waiting just around the corner.
Do not use them for archiving, moving data, temporary storage etc., unless
you can stand losing all information stored there.

 

[Chip Borton]

If anyone thinks of using external disk drives for anything else as
backup,
a nasty surprise might be waiting just around the corner.
Do not use them for archiving, moving data, temporary storage etc., unless
you can stand losing all information stored there.

I totally agree with this.
I recently got a 400G Seagate external firewire drive, filled it up with
archive material and two days later it went DOA. It's a good thing
I had the common sense not to delete the source. The replacement
is working but it doesn't play well with my Alesis ADAT FST program
and it tends to freak out my Pro Tools as well. I simpy have to turn
it off when doing other things on the computer. This does not inspire
much confidence for me. I also dont understand why some poeple
are recommending using an external firewire drive with Pro Tools,
it doesnt make much sense to me ...

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

If anyone thinks of using external disk drives for anything else as backup,
a nasty surprise might be waiting just around the corner.

That's plain silly, especially with SCSI (and maybe now SATA).

Do not use them for archiving, moving data, temporary storage etc., unless
you can stand losing all information stored there.

But good enough for backups. Completely mad.

 

[Chip Gallo]

I totally agree with this.
I recently got a 400G Seagate external firewire drive, filled it up with
archive material and two days later it went DOA. It's a good thing
I had the common sense not to delete the source. The replacement
is working but it doesn't play well with my Alesis ADAT FST program
and it tends to freak out my Pro Tools as well. I simpy have to turn
it off when doing other things on the computer. This does not inspire
much confidence for me. I also dont understand why some poeple
are recommending using an external firewire drive with Pro Tools,
it doesnt make much sense to me ...

I had an external drive (BYTECC ME-740U2FB with a 250GB Hitachi
Deskstar) become corrupted to the point that Win 2000 didn't recognize
any files on it. This was at the end of a 40 hour edit and all the
working files were on the drive.

A few hundred dollars later, the project was recovered using Ontrack
utilities. Scary. I am testing a Cooldrive enclosure at work, but I'm
tending toward a RAID and will never trust one of these cheap enclosures
again.

Chip Gallo

 

[Lorin David Schultz]

[...] I also dont understand why some poeple are recommending using
an external firewire drive with Pro Tools, it doesnt make much sense
to me ...

The 200GB Maxtor One Touch connected to our old G4 has been powered up
24/7 for about a year now. Once a week or so it gets dragged over to my
Windows laptop to transfer stuff I've been doing offline, which results
in it taking some physical bumps and bangs. It hosts our primary sfx
library and a few session templates that are used every day. So far not
even a hiccup. I'd say it meets a satisfactory level of reliability.

That's on that particular machine (whatever you call that G4 tower with
the stupid transparent plastic handles at every corner).

On the other hand, my Windows laptop has had lots of problems with
Firewire drives. So has my co-worker's G4 iBook.

I used to by generic cases -- the kind you can find with any of twenty
different brand names one them, some well known, some not so much. I
figured if they used the Oxford chipset, and were good enough for some
"recognized" companies to slap their name on, they should be good enough
for me. None ever worked quite right.

Then recently I bit the bullet and paid too much for a genuine brand
name case. I dropped my trusty ol' Seagate Barracuda in there and
haven't looked back. It's been flawless.

That could mean one of two things: either good cases are worth the extra
money, or some machines are just really freakin' picky about what kind
of drive you connect and I just finally got lucky with this one.

Either way, the point is that the concept is not flawed, but some
implementations are. People recommend Firewire drives for Pro Tools
because they work perfectly in most cases. People like you, me, and the
iBook guy are the exception, not the rule.

--
"It CAN'T be too loud... some of the red lights aren't even on yet!"
- Lorin David Schultz
in the control room
making even bad news sound good

(Remove spamblock to reply)

 

[Todd H.]

If anyone thinks of using external disk drives for anything else as
backup, a nasty surprise might be waiting just around the corner.

Do not use them for archiving, moving data, temporary storage etc.,
unless you can stand losing all information stored there.

Actually, this same statement applies nearly as much to ANY hard disk
drive. If you're running around without a backup, prepared to get
screwed.

External enclosures, ipods, and laptop hard drives have the added task
of dealing with physical jolts and reduced airflow that can be
detrimental to their lifespan, but no hard drive should be trusted
(alone) for any of the duties described above.

Best Regards,

 

[Richard Crowley]

"Peter" wrote

That's plain silly, especially with SCSI (and maybe now SATA).

Sounds like you haven't had a drive die on you.
Let us know when it happens to YOU. It's not
a matter of *if* but *when*.

But good enough for backups. Completely mad.

Thats what all of us thought before the crash.
Good luck.

 

[Rod Speed]

Folkert Rienstra wrote

Sounds like you haven't had a drive die on you.

Best get your ears tested.

Let us know when it happens to YOU.

He just said in the last few days.

It's not a matter of *if* but *when*.

Not necessarily. I havent lost one for many years.

Corse I do have full backups anyway.

And thats a separate matter entirely to what was
being discussed, using EXTERNAL drives for backup.

Thats what all of us thought before the crash.
Good luck.

Pathetic, really.

 

[Doc]

I have a OneTouch and have had clients purchase them and they are
pleased. There is a concern about longetivity on them owing to poor
airflow in/through the case. I don't dispute this because the drive
enclosure is so friggin quiet vs the cheapie external enclosure I've
purchased.

Hmmm. I wonder if the case could be modified to allow for better airflow?
Realizing of course that it might void the warranty.

 

[Steven Sullivan]

A local vendor has what seems to be a great deal on a Maxtor Onetouch II 300
gig external drive w/USB 1.1/2.0 as well as Firewire in/output for $69 after
rebates. That would provide all the space I could conceive of needing in the
forseeable future for temporarily moving stuff off my work drive (different
than my OS/Programs drive) a/or archiving things, with an eye primarily on
video/audio.

Does having an external drive get around issues of the whole drive not being
recognized by your mobo? The requirements listed on the box are relatively
modest - PIII, 500mhz, Win98SE, or XP. I'm running XP Home on a Compaq
Deskpro En PIII 933mhz.

However, seems like I've read things in the not too distant past about large
drives having problems with longevity. I've also never used an external
drive, so am wondering about any other issues to be aware of.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for all shared wisdom.

I've been using a 3030 Gb OneTouch for a year now as a music archive, no problems.
I power it down when not in use, and I make sure it's got plenty of air around it
when in use.

Once it got almost full, I backed it up onto another 300 Gb drive (a Seagate) that's now in
storage.

 

[Odie Ferrous]

That's plain silly, especially with SCSI (and maybe now SATA).


But good enough for backups. Completely mad.

This issue has little to do with the connectivity options, but rather
the
method of cooling manufacturers use (or realistically tend *not* to use)
for
their external housings.

That is where all the problems lie.

I wouldn't trust the average external drive, be it IDE, SATA, SCSI,
Firewire or USB
with anything other than non-critical, temporary storage - simply
because none of
these housings has adequate resources for drive cooling.

There *are* decent enclosures out there - but their bulk and cost tends
to put most
potential buyers off. Additionally, they tend to be sold as barebones
units, requiring
the addition of hard drives, which again is a hurdle to most buyers.

As long as manufacturers like Maxtor and Lacie (amongst others) market
their products
as being a suitable (i.e. reliable) backup medium, I'll be kept in
business. A lot
of companies will continue to suffer from data loss. How on earth this
marketing
of woefully inadequate products has been allowed to continue is beyond
me.



Odie

 

[Chel van Gennip]

Does having an external drive get around issues of the whole drive not
being recognized by your mobo? The requirements listed on the box are
relatively modest - PIII, 500mhz, Win98SE, or XP. I'm running XP Home on
a Compaq Deskpro En PIII 933mhz.

I have a number of these Maxtor drives now. I have had no compatibility
problems with Windows98 to XP or Linux 2.4 to 2.6, either on firewire and
USB

However, seems like I've read things in the not too distant past about
large drives having problems with longevity. I've also never used an
external drive, so am wondering about any other issues to be aware of.

As I use digital storage for my audio and video, I have a Linux server for
this storage. Most data is only readonly for the Windows DAW system, as
I never trust Windows with important data.

About a year ago I started with my first OneTouch, as I needed some fast
backup during upgrade. I noticed the drive was fast and robust. I have
been using internal Maxtor drives for some time, so I think the drives are
quite reliable. Lifetime specifications and waranty for the drives are
good.

Based on these experiences I now use these OneTouch drives for both
primary storage and backup. The primary storage drives are connected to my
Linux server. The backup drives to a Linksys NSLU2 with Openslug software.
This way the backup drives can be at a safe distance, without the need of
operator intervention. The backup could even be connected with a wireless
LAN. Every night the Linux server updates the backup drives with rsync.
After backup the backup drives spin down, so normally the backup system is
completely silent and very low-power. On the primary storage drives spin
down when not used for some time. Besides this permanent backup system I
use DVD-R as a extra safety backup per project.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

This issue has little to do with the connectivity options, but rather
the
method of cooling manufacturers use (or realistically tend *not* to use)
for
their external housings.

That is where all the problems lie.

I wouldn't trust the average external drive, be it IDE, SATA, SCSI,
Firewire or USB
with anything other than non-critical, temporary storage - simply
because none of
these housings has adequate resources for drive cooling.

There *are* decent enclosures out there - but their bulk and cost tends
to put most
potential buyers off. Additionally, they tend to be sold as barebones
units, requiring
the addition of hard drives, which again is a hurdle to most buyers.

As long as manufacturers like Maxtor and Lacie (amongst others) market
their products
as being a suitable (i.e. reliable) backup medium, I'll be kept in
business. A lot
of companies will continue to suffer from data loss. How on earth this
marketing
of woefully inadequate products has been allowed to continue is beyond
me.

Nice posting. You obviously proofread it a few times before you sent it.

 

[P.C. Ford]

A local vendor has what seems to be a great deal on a Maxtor Onetouch II 300
gig external drive w/USB 1.1/2.0 as well as Firewire in/output for $69 after
rebates. That would provide all the space I could conceive of needing in the
forseeable future for temporarily moving stuff off my work drive (different
than my OS/Programs drive) a/or archiving things, with an eye primarily on
video/audio.

That's excellent price. I was thinking of getting one. Who is the
seller?

 

[Odie Ferrous]

Nice posting. You obviously proofread it a few times before you sent it.

Apologies - it is a little long-winded, I agree. Must've had an
overactively creative spurt.

Odie

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Apologies - it is a little long-winded, I agree. Must've had an

overactively creative spurt.

The only creativity involved was the setting in OE that broke your
posting on the basis where the first space was in the remainder of
your lines when that part of the line exceeded the linebrake setting.

 

[Frazer Jolly Goodfellow]

...linebrake...

Nice posting. You obviously proofread it a few times before you sent
it.

Tee-hee.