Portable Storage?

An anonymous reader asks: "I need a portable storage solution, as I strongly desire to keep my personal stuff separate from my work stuff. In the past I have used some types of portable external hard drive (via USB connection), but I wasn't too pleased with the quality of the barebones models I found at Fry's. With so many new types of portable storage out (USB keys, 2.5" drives, full drives with enclosures, etc) I would appreciate some feedback from others using this type of device regarding what their favorite brand or model is. Remember: bigger storage is better, as is smaller size."

Comments

ximeta

[Bob Cat - NYMPHS]

usb and ethernet, well done

www.ximeta.com

Re:ximeta

[SensitiveMale]

usb and ethernet, well done

www.ximeta.com

If you are using this solely as a personal drive then it is pricey, but ok.

If you plan on sharing it then don't buy. It's crappy and crippled "sharing software" (and I use that term loosely) is terrible. You have to install special software to access it and you have to issue passwords for people to be able to write to the drive.

Re:ximeta

[Klowner]

From the reviews I've read, they suck with Linux support. Also ethernet _sounds_ very sweet, but it uses some odd proprietary protocol (not windows shares, not ftp).

Otherwise, those things look neat.

Re:ximeta

[GeoffSmith1981]

The Ximeta drive is a NDAS drive not an NAS drive. These two technologies are very different. NAS allows you to simply plug it in to the network and it is viewed as a network drive. The NDAS drives you must install software and drivers to use it. The drivers allow you to utilize the drive as a local drive that is viewed within My Computer. The USB segment does not require any special drivers, it just uses the standard Windows drivers to use it. Yes it requires you to enter special serials to read and write to the drive, but that ability to limit other's access to your drive is a security plus for me. Plus you can buy a smaller sized Ximeta drive (80 GB) and remove the HD and replace it with a 200-250 GB drive if you want to save a few $.

Re:ximeta

[jdh-22]

I recently bought a enclosure and threw my own hard drive in it. The enclosure was only $30, made for 2.5" hard drives, has Firewire, and USB2, and works with Windows/Linux/OSX. The drive I purchased was a 80 gig from Fujitsu from Newegg.com for about $160. Buying your own enclosure gives you the option for what size you want, and how much you want to spend.

1GB USB drives

[VTEC01EX]

Super small, good capacity. Done.

iPod?

[Anonymous Coward]

40 GB, plus music, for $399? Why would you choose anything else?

Re:iPod?

[UberPfloyd]

The RIO Karma player is another storage/music solution to consider. It play Ogg files too. http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/_templates/i tem_main_Rio.asp?model=261/

Re:iPod?

[aardvarkjoe]

I, for one, am glad that the iPod advertisements have been moved out of the headlines and back into the comments where they belong.

Re:iPod?

[EvanED]

'cause you can get a 200 gig external drive for $125 on Pricewatch?

Not saying that the iPod is a bad option, but really, if you're just looking for a storage device and not an MP3 player, it is probably not the way to go.

Re:iPod?

[mj_1903]

As someone that writes software for the iPod, I can ensure you that it would be impossible for Apple to lock someone out of the hard drive. It is a standard Fat32 mount on all systems.

I have also never heard of data loss caused by an iPod. It's a standard hard drive. Treat it as you would most devices that store data and it will work fine.

Re:iPod?

[LBArrettAnderson]

Because archos has better mp3 players with more capacity for a lower price. not to mention they support images and video with a color LCD. They don't corrupt data and are very very fast.

Re:iPod?

[evn]

It is a standard Fat32 mount on all systems.

iPods configured to sync with a Macintosh will be using an HFS+ file system. A PC formatted iPod will use a FAT32 partition which apparently allows you to use your iPod on Windows and Mac OS X computers without paying any special software. I would guess that most Macintosh based iPod users have HFS formatted drives--especially if they use it as an external hard disk.

Not the end of the world, but it is something to keep in mind if you're going to be working in a mixed environment. Tossing your term-paper onto your iPod only to find out that Windows can't read your data when you get to school is just not a pleasant situation to be in.

Re:iPod?

[waynelorentz]

The iPod is excellent for its size, speed, and storage. But instead of shelling out for a new one, try finding an older iPod with a dead battery that someone is trying to unload. Maybe for $50 on eBay, or something.

It may not be able to hold a charge on its own, but it still works great as a tiny bus-powered firewire hard drive. An external firewire drive doesn't hold a charge, either, so what's the difference?

And if down the road your needs change, you can always replace the battery for $50 and you've got yourself a music player!

Re:iPod?

[mj_1903]

Indeed you are correct about it being HFS+, but when it comes in the box it is Fat32. If you don't run the updater on it, it can remain Fat32 and still be synced to the Mac. I probably should have been a little more obvious in my parent post.

Also something of note, Windows has a certain tendency to want to format HFS+ devices plugged into it and this can be dangerous if you don't know what to do.

Re:iPod?

[Moofie]

FYI, the 4G iPod will charge off the USB 2.0 port. It will not charge while syncing (or, I assume, copying data) according to the manual.

Just a note from a happy owner.

Re:iPod?

[sarahbau]

Those aren't very portable. They're large, and you have to carry around a power supply as well (and most of those enclosures have a power brick, which takes even more space). An 80GB bus-powered 2.5" drive from someone like LaCie will probably run about $350, and will be about 360g. They also make their F. A. Porsche Data Bank, which is $330 for 40GB, and actually weighs less than the 40GB iPod (137g vs 176g). One thing the iPod has that other non-mp3 player drives don't have, is a battery. If you are using it on a non-powered bus, such as 4-pin FW, or connected through a USB hub, it can still work without a power cable. The iPod might not have the best $:GB:g ratio, but I think some of the other features are good for a lot of people (calendar, notes, address book, etc.).

Re:iPod?

[Onan]

Hah. The "they don't corrupt data" was a nice little jibe; you didn't actually make the incorrect accusation that ipods corrupt data, you just implied it. Very cute.

Traditionally the Archos devices have been perfectly fine as long as you don't mind that they're huge. But actually, a quick glance at the site at the moment does not in fact show any products that are either larger higher capacity than ipods or lower price, much less both. The players they're offering appear to top out at 20G for $350, versus a 20G ipod for $300. And given that they're based around the same 1.8" drives that ipods are, I'd be very surprised if there's any difference in speed.

So mostly this looks like a low-end ipod, 31% bulkier, with a quarter the cache, and $50 more expensive. In what way is this "better"?

ONLINE

[SirRandom]

If you're oging to be accessing your data from online enabled computers try a good online storage solution. They often cost less than the portable drives or keychains and there's nothing to get lost or stolen.

Thou hast open the flood gates

[prof_peabody]

Syquest is the BEST!

Not many people have the drives anymore, making my data very secure.

In fact when I find working drives I break them to insure my security...

Re:Thou hast open the flood gates

[Dwedit]

I thought Syquest drives and media generally broke themselves to further increase your data security.

Oh! the Punchcard..

[FractalPenguin]

You absolutely need a punchcard as your solution!!! You know papers are very cheap nowadays... And you can use without any special devices.. Just excute your Hex Editor and need a punch and bunch of papers.. Or you can just use your pen or pencil!!!

USB Keys

[gr0ngb0t]

I've got a 512 mb Kingmax USB key, and it's awesome - never had any hassles with it. my dad has got a whole range of sizes of theirs and has had for a few years now - he's happy with them.

Two birds with one stone

[Anonymous Coward]

Use this AND be a babe magnet!!!

No one can answer that question

[Uhlek]

Why? It's too vague.

How portable do you need it? How much space do you need? What kind of interfaces do you have available? How fast does it need to be?

There is no one best storage solution, there are many different bests depending on what's needed at the time.

Throw out some more specifics, and maybe someone can help you out.

Re:No one can answer that question

[FooAtWFU]

So we give him a variety of answers, and he chooses between them. What's wrong with that?

Um, ThinkGeek? Hello?

[ElForesto]

You call yourself a Slashdot reader and yet you didn't check out ThinkGeek? For shame! I found this model on there that may fit your needs. I haven't used it before though, as a disclaimer.

It's quite simple, but expensive.

[Tuxedo Jack]

I was lucky enough to get my office to pay for a LaCie Bigger Disk. It's one terabyte of space, and we don't have to worry about losing my shares or work.

Re:IPod...

[evvk]

... and extremely fragile. Repeat after me: HD is bad. Once it takes a hit, it becomes shit.

(Signed, "one fourth of my hdd mp3 is now bad sectors after having accidentally dropped it")

Slow day on Slashdot

[Dr_LHA]

What is it, stupid question time?

Dear slashdot, I am looking for some kind of input device that allows me to enter words onto my computer. Can you help.

Seriously, why is this on the front page - when anyone with half a brain can figure out the answer is either a $40 USB key or an iPod or equivalent depending on the size.

PQI iStick

[Rexz]

I have one of these: a PQI iStick 2.0.

It's absolutely minute - far smaller than any other USB key device I've seen. It has a funny shaped contact at the end that looks like it shouldn't fit in a USB port but works perfectly.

It's made of study plastic and comes with a wallet-sized carrier/protector slightly larger than a credit card. Mine is a mere 64mb but they come in flavours all the way up to 1gb.

It works out of the box with no problems. You can use a small utility that comes on a mini-CD to add a password protected partition.

It even has a cool LCD embedded under a thin layer of plastic that gives a funky glow when transferring!

Heartily recommended. (Usual disclaimer: no relationship whatsoever with manufacturers or retailers other than I like their product.)

Re:Get an iPod

[eingram]

But then you're stuck carrying around the Firewire or USB cable that comes with the iPod. And as you mentioned, with the right drivers. It's best to have somethning that will plug in and work, even on a new computer.

I would think the USB key devices would be best for what you're wanting to do, but I've never used one.

Re:Get an iPod

[Duncan3]

Unless you really get around, you're gonna use your home PC, a primary one at work or school, so it's not an issue.

And they make these short little cables ... o so cute.

Horrid Requirements

[gnugie]

Look at that mess.

No budget requirement, except small.
No physical size requirement, except small.
No capacity requirement, except big.

So basically, you don't know what you want, probably don't know why you want it, what it has to do, or what you're willing to spend on it, but you want the answer?

Good luck.

Re:Horrid Requirements

[Gubbe]

Look, Ask Slashdot is meant as a forum where one person can raise an interesting question that gets a variety of answers in the form of different opinions from different people who have expertise in different areas. This benefits the entire slashdot community by offering a good range of solutions for everybody's needs.

Had the original asker asked a very specific question about portable storage just for his needs, he probably would have gotten a bunch of answers suggesting one and the same thing and no-one else would have got anything out of the entire discussion. Now we have the opportunity to discuss different portable storage solutions where each and every slashdotter can find a solution that fits his/her needs instead of just the needs of the person who asked the original question.

That's what Ask Slashdot is about.

ars technica usb review

[KI0PX]

Ars Technica has a good USB 2.0 Hi-Speed drive review covering several USB flash drives. I got a 256MB SanDisk Cruzer Mini from newegg for $37 and was very pleased (works on Linux well).

I'll second the vote for an iPod if you want more than that. I just bought a 20GB 3G iPod from our local university bookstore for $250, since the new 4G model just came out.

Lacie are very, very nice

[UberPfloyd]

I installed one recently for a guy who does a lot of video. The hardware is beautiful and has a professional feel. I didn't try it on a mac but in xp it just appeared as a drive like it's supposed to.

Re:ximeta - MOD PARENT UP

[BenFranske]

As others have said, the Ximeta drives are not really good at standards support. They sound really cool and all but they're really just USB drives with a strange USB to ethernet adapter built in. They require you to install driver to access the drive. Let me repeat they do not use smb they use a driver that emulates a local USB port over ethernet. I don't know if it has changes but one of the ones I played with didn't even support TCP/IP it used a strange protocol on top of ethernet meaning the device wasn't even routable and had to be on the same segment. I would stay away from these if you're serious about the network ability of the solution. As far as I can tell they are ok for USB access though.

Overall it's a good idea, but very poorly implementd

2.5" USB/Firewire

[mottie]

I work for a tech company and we are always having "failed" laptop drives come through. Run a lowlevel format on them, and then throw them into a 2.5" enclosure. Works great as long as you don't mind the fact that your data could become corrupt at any time.

http://www.frontierpc.com/productlist.aspx?Categor yID=CA-1705/

has a really good selection. If you're looking at USB enclosures, make sure you get one that either has an external power supply, or has a second USB/ ps2 connector to draw power when you're not on a powered USB hub or are on an older laptop.

Red Hot Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, they're really on top of that Linux support. Just look at their graphic on the NetDisk page; clearly their Linux support is is Red Hot!

http://www.ximeta.com/images/ndo_diagram.gif

My 40 GB ipod...

[riprjak]

is my weapon of choice for this; of course, our IT policy does NOT allow portable storage in the building (sensible, if you ask me); we dont actively enforce this (I suggested copper loops around all the doors :), but a thing to consider.

15GB for my moderated music collection, the rest of the space as a mirror of my /home/>username directory from my personal linux box.

Anyway, if ipod (I *REFUSE* to mac up the spelling of ipod) is too pricey, try a USB/firewire 2.5" hdd enclosure; relatively cheap (particularly if you take a trip to asia) and quite small, size of a small PDA; so relatively portable. Most come self powered (from usb/firewire) or with a separate USB~power cable.

Anyway, just my 0.02.
err!
jak.

Re:iPod

[arivanov]

Crap price per G, crap performance, not suitable for the job. The question was not about iPod avertisement solicitation. The question was about portable storage solution and at the moment there is only one answer that is reasonable as far as price/performance is concerned. It is Iomega Rev

• 35G capacity
• Fully supported without extra drivers on Linux 2.6.5+, Windows 2K and XP and MacOS X. 2.4 requires the write-DVD patches. Anything you write is also 100% portable because it uses UDF filesystem which prevents the relevant OSes from doing silly OS specific things
• The cartridges are around 30£ (40$). which smacks iPod, removable harddrives and flash silly
• The device is about the size of an external 2.5" hard drive enclosure so you can carry the device around instead of having one at home and one at work.
• Blazing fast. Blazing fast to the point where I am seriously considering it as a suitable drive for network backups in a small to medium size office. It has roughly the same price as a DLT tape per cartridge, 5 times lower price per drive, 10 times the speed and the cartridges are only a fraction of the size. Add to that years worth of shelf life compared to months for an average tape...

So let the iPod do what it does best - play music. It is not a good personal storage solution.

Antidote for Maczealots: iPod killer!

[jotaeleemeese]

The guy should use one of the Iriver music players.

Mine has 40GB of disk space (which is what the guy needs) shows as a hard disk (which works in Linux, Winblows and that other OS I suppose), play many different digital music formats, is an FM radio, voice recorder and allows to record directly from another device (both digital and anlaog input).

The only problem is that is a bit bulky, but ehwn compared to some external disks it becomes a nobrainer when it comes to disk storage on the move.