Recommended external HD for backup?

The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?

(I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
to be mounted in an enclosure.)


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

On 11/05/11 03:27 pm, Stan Brown wrote:

> The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
> failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
> have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?
>
> (I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
> not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
> kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
> to be mounted in an enclosure.)

I get the impression that "portable hard drive" is used to refer to 2.5"
drives that get their power from the computer's USB port, whereas an
"external hard drive" may come with a "wall wart" that supplies the
needed power.

I think every brand of drive has its fans and its detractors. All I can
tell you is that all but one of my dead drives are Western Digital. I've
had only one Seagate drive fail, and that was after the 5-year warranty
had expired and after it had sat unused for several months.

My son had a Toshiba portable drive that appeared to be failing, but
copying the data to another drive then reformatting the Toshiba seems to
have taken care of the problem. The same might work with your Samsung.

Perce

Stan Brown wrote:
> The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
> failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
> have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?
>
> (I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
> not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
> kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
> to be mounted in an enclosure.)

I've been using an external 500 GB Seagate for a couple of years without
any problems.
--
Crash

"The future ain't what it used to be."
~ Yogi Berra ~

On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 15:27:03 -0400, Stan Brown
<> wrote:

> If it helps, I'm looking for the
> kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
> to be mounted in an enclosure.)


A drive that comes in its own enclosure is almost exactly like a drive
that has to be mounted in an enclosure. The only difference is whether
you have to spend the five minutes or so to do the mounting yourself.
Even if you're all thumbs, it's extremely easy.

My view is that you should make the choice based on the quality of the
drive, and the total cost, and forget about whether or not it's been
pre-mounted.

And as far as I'm concerned, "portable hard drive" and "External hard
drive" are just two names for the same thing.

In message <>, Ken Blake
<> writes:
>On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 15:27:03 -0400, Stan Brown
><> wrote:
>
>> If it helps, I'm looking for the
>> kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
>> to be mounted in an enclosure.)
>
>
>A drive that comes in its own enclosure is almost exactly like a drive
>that has to be mounted in an enclosure. The only difference is whether
>you have to spend the five minutes or so to do the mounting yourself.
>Even if you're all thumbs, it's extremely easy.

I would second that - not least because the price of drives in
enclosures seem to go up with capacity much in line with naked drives,
rather than just being a fixed amount more than the naked drives.
[]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

so long, and thanks for all the fish. (Last message of dolphinkind to mankind
before the demolition of earth - from first series, fit the third.)

On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 15:27:03 -0400, Stan Brown
<> wrote:

>The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
>failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
>have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?
>
>(I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
>not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
>kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
>to be mounted in an enclosure.)

i use a lacie usb3 that gives me blazins speed when i do a backup
just my $0.02

On 05/11/2011 19:27, Stan Brown wrote:
> The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
> failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
> have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?
>
> (I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
> not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
> kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
> to be mounted in an enclosure.)
>
>

5 or so years back it was much cheaper to buy an enclosure and hd
separately. But these days the shelves are stacked with enclosed ones,
and, as always happens when the market gets filled, the prices have come
down.

It's very difficult to get any objective data on brand reliability.
There are so many in use that any sampling is bound to be small and
biased. I've adopted the habit of buying the one currently on special
offer at the PC store, and I've not been let down yet. My latest one is
an Iomega 1TB, bought about 2 years back, used every time my main PC is
switched on, and showing no sign of deterioration.

Ed

On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:39:30 +0000, Ed Cryer <>
wrote:

> On 05/11/2011 19:27, Stan Brown wrote:
> > The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
> > failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
> > have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?
> >
> > (I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
> > not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
> > kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
> > to be mounted in an enclosure.)
> >
> >
>
> 5 or so years back it was much cheaper to buy an enclosure and hd
> separately. But these days the shelves are stacked with enclosed ones,
> and, as always happens when the market gets filled, the prices have come
> down.


OK, I don't suggest that an enclosure and hd separately is the best
choice, Rather, I suggest that it should be evaluated as a choice,and
it *might* turn out to be the best buy.


> It's very difficult to get any objective data on brand reliability.
> There are so many in use that any sampling is bound to be small and
> biased.


I'm with you entirely.

On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:43:43 -0700, Ken Blake <> wrote:

>On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 15:27:03 -0400, Stan Brown
><> wrote:
>
>> If it helps, I'm looking for the
>> kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
>> to be mounted in an enclosure.)
>
>
>A drive that comes in its own enclosure is almost exactly like a drive
>that has to be mounted in an enclosure. The only difference is whether
>you have to spend the five minutes or so to do the mounting yourself.
>Even if you're all thumbs, it's extremely easy.
>
>My view is that you should make the choice based on the quality of the
>drive, and the total cost, and forget about whether or not it's been
>pre-mounted.
>
>And as far as I'm concerned, "portable hard drive" and "External hard
>drive" are just two names for the same thing.

Well, the "portable" drives can be many things such as basically a
laptop drive in soem type of sealed enclosure.

A real external drive is a drive that can be made internal.

On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:03:44 -0700, Ken Blake <> wrote:

>On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:39:30 +0000, Ed Cryer <>
>wrote:
>
>> On 05/11/2011 19:27, Stan Brown wrote:
>> > The Samsung 2 TB external USB hard drive that I use for backup is now
>> > failing, after just about a year of fairly light use. Does anyone
>> > have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and reliable HD?
>> >
>> > (I've heard "portable hard drive" and "External hard drive", but I'm
>> > not really sure of the difference. If it helps, I'm looking for the
>> > kind that comes in its own enclosure, not a bare hard drive that has
>> > to be mounted in an enclosure.)
>> >
>> >
>>
>> 5 or so years back it was much cheaper to buy an enclosure and hd
>> separately. But these days the shelves are stacked with enclosed ones,
>> and, as always happens when the market gets filled, the prices have come
>> down.
>
>
>OK, I don't suggest that an enclosure and hd separately is the best
>choice, Rather, I suggest that it should be evaluated as a choice,and
>it *might* turn out to be the best buy.

It sure makes it easy to restore your computer, just drop the drive in.

>
>
>> It's very difficult to get any objective data on brand reliability.
>> There are so many in use that any sampling is bound to be small and
>> biased.
>
>
>I'm with you entirely.

Seagate has been erratic the past few years. I've gone all Western
Digital.