"fred" <fred@hotmaim.con> wrote in message
news:%u0%e.340936$5N3.111389@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> What's the best choice for an external USB2 HD in the 200GB-400GB range to
> be used mainly for backups?
>
> WDC has three similar models all with 8MB onboard cache + USB2 & Firewire:
>
> WDXB2500JB
> http://www.wdc.com/en/library/dual-o...879-001094.pdf
>
> WDXC2500JBRNN
> http://www.wdc.com/en/library/combo/2879-001073.pdf
>
> WDXF2500JBRNN
> http://www.wdc.com/en/library/dual-o...879-001091.pdf
>
> Which one does one get?
>
> Are there other makes, models and sizes to consider?
>
> What about backup or imaging software? Do any of these external USB HD
> products come with a backup software(XP SP2) solution in the same league
> or
> better than Acronis TrueImage?
>
> Do any external USB HD products have cases which mount the drive to
> specifically protect from shock/impact?
>
> What criteria for making a choice have I missed? All the prices seem to
> be
> in the same ballpark.
>
I did a do it youself external rig for cheaper then the ready made ones...
picked up a maxtor 160gig hard drive for less than a hundred bux... was on
sale at worst buy. Threw it into an external USB/Firewire enclosure i
picked up at fry's for fifteen bux. It's worked great. Had it nearly a
year, use it to store backup copies of all my critical documents, plus drive
image disk images from both my laptop and desktop. If i have a hard disk
failure or other major fault in my computers I can recall the correct image
and save some trouble... if its a file snafu that has produced a corrupt
image then at least i have the critical documents stored seperately outside
of the image. Just for good measure i still burn critical documents etc off
to a CD (not enough yet to fill a DVD) from time to time and keep two
levels of CD revision in my fire safe. As far as shock protection, I
haven't seen any recently, but then again I haven't been looking for one,
would be reasonable for use with a laptop tho..... One word of advice tho,
make sure your PC has USB 2.0 ports on it, had to throw a PCMCIA USB2.0 card
into my laptop to get any reasonable transfer rates.
Ext. USB HD Choice? 
Linear Mode
