Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive STM901603OTA3E1-RK by Seagate
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List Price: Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive STM901603OTA3E1-RK
Digital camera Review: Failure for storing or accessing data
Summary: 1 Stars
I have another, larger external hard drive made by Maxtor, and that works well. But this mini touch was a waste of money. A number of times it has decided to stop appearing, to the point of requiring it to be formatted- totally deleting all of the stored data, and therefore rendering itself entirely pointless.
Go for another small external, or a different line of maxtor, but certainly not this data-deleting file-eating hunk of junk.
Digital camera Review: GREAT!
Summary: 5 Stars
Everything the reviews said it was and for a GREAT price. I highly recommend this product- user friendly and very reputable.Digital camera Review: Good Drive/Horrible Software
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this drive in place of a Seagate FreeAgent Go that crashed on me and took all my data with it one day after I bought it.
As a hard drive the OnceTouch functions pretty good. However don't expect good backup or sync software to be included with this product. THE SYNC/BACKUP SOFTWARE INCLUDED WITH THIS PRODUCT IS HORRIBLE!
-Syncing to multiple drives on different computers or even the same computer is not allowed! If you attempt to sync your OneTouch using the Maxtor Manager software with drive C: on your desktop, and then attempt to sync with drive C: on your laptop, it will overwrite everything from your desktop. If you have multiple drives on say your desktop, and you want to sync C: and D: both to the OneTouch drive, it will not let you.
-The backup software behaves in a similar fashion.
-There is a work-around. Search around for a good sync or backup program that works with external drives and use it in place of Maxtor Manager. I use GoodSync and really like it. It's the only thing that kept me from returning this drive.
Digital camera Review: Good for basic backups
Summary: 3 Stars
As others have stated, if you just want to backup your "my documents" folder this unit will do fine.
However, I was a little disappointed that the programmable backup is not available for certain folders. My internet "favorites" folder was not visible, and the "program files" folder was not visible. Some of the applications I use save the configuration files in the "program files" folder and I like to have backups of those.
I was able to back up any file/folder manually using windows explorer, but the programmable backup feature would have been much easier. I can't think of any logical reason for limiting that feature. I'm guessing lawyers got involved and thought Seagate/Maxtor might be liable if someone used the automated feature to steal corporate information. Unlikely if you ask me, but hey, McDonalds got sued for selling hot coffee so I guess anything is possible.
I like the "drive pass" feature. When you connect the unit to ANY computer a window pops up and asks for your password before you can access anything on the drive. It's a good feature for keeping nosy people out of your drive. Hackers can bypass this feature by opening up the unit and removing the hard drive. They could reconnect it without the security circuitry contained in the unit. Of course, if you use the encryption feature available with this unit the hackers will not be able to retrieve any data from the drive. I don't have anything THAT important on my drive, so the "drive pass" feature is all I use.
I wish someone would make a unit like this with the smaller 1.8 inch hard drives available. In the age of 160GB ipods, this thing seems a little big. Speaking of ipods, I bet that's why there's no 1.8 inch hard drives available for units like this.
Bottom line?
It's worth the money. I'm happy enough with it to keep it.
Digital camera Review: Great Compact Backup. Quiet & Portable
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this drive to backup some Mac computers. The drives work flawlessly. I did see another review about Mac/PC compatibility.
I believe the drive does come pre-formated as a PC drive, but you can easily convert the format, by using the Disk Utility within the Mac Operating system. It's a simple process.
The 2 port USB cord is a little tricky, because you must have both of them plugged in, for the drive to work properly. I use external drives to sometimes create a "bootable" Mac image. Some externals that works with, some it doesn't. This drive seemed very reliable for that purpose. (cloning your operating system and then running the computer solely from this drive) Many of the Segate external drives are lacking in their indicator lights that show what the drive is doing. This one has a clear white light on the front that flashes when the drive is in use.
I picked up this model for about $99 at an Office supply store so watch for deals on these. The price seems to be dropping over the last few months.
You can always use this as a regular backup for files. You can also reformat/ initialize / and erase the drive, if you want to move back and forth (with a fully erased disk) from the PC to Mac platform.
This drive is easy to stick in your bag and go! Great product!