Tech Simplified » Hard Drives

Online Backup Services

Admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:37:59 +0000

In this particular post I would like to mention some important thing while using a PC and also keeping in mind various measures that can be taken to bypass if anything goes wrong. So, the topic for today is keeping your data safe and sound. Well let’s start off with me. I try to keep my data safe and sound which is on PC so that I may not have to look around for data files if the PC ‘s hard disk gets corrupted or the digital Media gets damaged.

It is estimated that by the end of this decade millions of people will be using online backup services , mostly corporates have started using backup services because they can not carry their hard disks everywhere and even compact discs each time they move out of the country as there might be chances that in transit their data or presentations might get damaged as well. Because of the same reason I have also started using Online Backup to store my confidential data and even private data like photos,music and videos that I have made myself.

But before starting out to go for an online backup service you should check pros and cons of a service, their server speeds, their backup time , bandwidth availability, space available, whether upgrade possible or not, download speed, server maintainence and how many operating systems does the software support. If you find out the answers of all these questions in a satisfactory manner then you should go with particular service, if not then look for other service. In case you get a free trial that would be good to test the system as well.

All this gyaan would be a waste if you do not use backup service , if you are used to these sort of services then the following would never happen with you , or you would not try to patch your disc or try to get the data from it when it got broken.

Seek and ye shall find

Admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:48:18 +0000

Most people nowadays have huge hard disks. Which is why everybody stores all kinds of documents on their machines and routinely forget what they’ve stored and where. That is precisely where software like ScopeWare Vision comes in handy. It’s like having a search engine for your hard disk-and if you choose to activate it, for all the external disks that you use.

The 17 MB installation takes a while. But that’s because the software can’t work until it indexes what exists on your computer. Having indexed it, Scopeware creates snapshots of every file on the machine. With that done, you can get away without remembering file names or managing your data in neatfiles.

Simply type a keyword or phrase that you’re looking forfrom your machine and ScopeWare will locate all documents for you in barely a few seconds. This includes PDF files or even images for that matter. While the personal edition was created for a single machine, the professional edition, which we reviewed, does the job across a network.

Super trooper

Admin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:38:46 +0000

Its name rather suits this USB external drive- it is a super DVD writer! Capable of reading and writing all kinds of DVD media, it also deals with all types of CDs. This external writer not only looks cool but also comes with software that is easy to use- software like Hot Burn Pro and DVDWizard make it very easy for a user to create a CD or a DVD.

Iomega Automatic Backup also bundles products for all the times you need to make a backup. Besides, it supports Iomega NAS servers-good for all those SOHOs out there using them.

Performance-wise, it does quite well. However, do not expect the same CDwriting speeds as the other available CD writers, as the maximum speed here is 24x plus the fact that it’s a CD + DVD writer. Not that this is slow-writing S80 MB of data onto a CD-RW at 16x took only 5 minutes.

Still, if you are looking for speed then this is not the answer for you. If, though, you are looking for alternate storage solutions, this is it. Since the writing speed for a DVD+RW speed is 2.4x you will need to exercise some patience.

Burning just about 500 MB took 18 minutes. The alternate storage solution that this drive offers and its immense flexibility is great- it is external and supports all CD/DVD media. For: The build quality is really good. The drive supports all DVD formats-a major advantage which is not found on other DVD writers. The bundled software is all-encompassing.

Against: If you are going to cart the DVDs you make everywhere, you will need to make sure that the optical media (+/- R/RW) used can be read by other DVDs! Besides, the writing speeds are rather slow

Maximum drive

Admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:20:15 +0000

Anodized Aluminum-that’s what the Maxtor One Touch external hard drive is made of. This particular Maxtor One Touch device has 300 GB of storage space! It is extremely easy to set up and get going, and has the extra advantage of being placed vertically with the help of a plastic stand.

Unfortunately, the stand does not grip the drive at all and this increases the chances of the hard drive slipping out of it, if moved around the desktop or server. The device has two FireWire ports and a USB 2.0 port. A button on the front panel can be configured to back up a particular folder/volume/drive on a system. Once the configuration is done, just press the button and the backup begins.

The software bundled along is quite extensive. The manual is comprehensive, with information on everything from setting up The drive to configuring the software. The software interface is not alien, but it takes a while to understand backup and restore options. Backups can also be saved like templates, known as ‘data sets,’ and you can even configure scripts to run the backup.

The backup software, Retrospect, allows you to compress the data being backed up to the external drive. Even though the drive speed is 5,400 rpm, it could transfer up to 580 MB of information in just 31 seconds! Plus it is super-quiet.

For: The software included with the drive is expansive and really useful the ‘one touch backup’ is a great timesaver. Virtually no sound emanates from the external drive. The One Touch is a great option for a small office, since there are other storage capacity options available for this model.

Against: The stand for the drive is rather flimsy and breakable.

Seagate external drive – The Verdict

Admin — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:18:03 +0000

This hard drive runs at a speed of 7,200 rpm and its average access time as per SiSoft Sandra was only 6 milliseconds! Even the 580 MB of information we transferred to the drive took little over half a minute. Bounce Back Express is very easy to use as its entire interface is rather Spartan; you won’t find too many frills here.

The configuration option too includes only the bare minimum-there wasn’t much to play around with. All that you need to specify is the source and destination locations. For the self-employed person who needs a backup solution without knowing too much, technology, this is it.

For: Very stylish indeed-the build quality is excellent. The stand provided clips onto the bottom panel. There is no way this drive can be ‘pushed around’ easily.

Against: The documentation provided with the drive is very limited-a skimpy booklet is all you will get.