we3fan

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Posts posted by we3fan

  1. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,

    I bought a 2TB WD2003FZEX, it is AF (advanced format), I have only Win XP SP2, I put the HD in External Enclosure, and I intend to use this HD for external storage only with 1 partition, I will not install any OS on this HD.

    All is ready now to initialize and format the HD for the first time, but I have never formatted an AF HD before.

    Because it will be used for external storage only, should I format the HD normally to NTFS allocation size default 4KB?
    Or I need to do something else?


    Thanks in advance.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks again continuum, I looked at the HGST's NAS line but I don't think they have 2TB models with less than 7200 RPM (I could be wrong).

    Anyway, I looked around a bit what is available now and I think it comes down to these 2 models:

    1. Toshiba PA4292E-1HL0 2TB, 5700 RPM, 32MB Cache
    2. Toshiba E300 HDWA120 2TB, 5700 RPM, 64MB Cache
    Do you guys know which model is manufactured earlier?
    Which model you think is better choice and has a reputation to last longer?

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,


    I heard that Hitachi HDs are reliable and durable and I wanted to try one for external backup storage of important files.


    Some of you guys recently mentioned these 2 models:

    1. Hitachi HDS5C3020ALA632 2TB 5940 RPM

    I think it is discontinued now, it's very rare to find new, and it's very expensive, I'm not sure if it's worth it.


    2. Hitachi HDS5C3020BLE630 2TB 5700 RPM (aka Toshiba DT01ABA200?)

    It is also very rare to find new, and it's very expensive, I'm also not sure if it's worth it.


    Even if I find a new and never used HD from these 2 models it's probably manufactured a long time ago and has been sitting unused for many years, can that be a bad thing?



    I read that since a few years ago Hitachi is owned by Toshiba.

    So now if I want to try a Hitachi HD, should I be looking at the current Toshiba HDs?


    I found this HD from Toshiba:

    3. Toshiba E300 HDWA120 2TB, 5700 RPM, reasonable price

    What do you guys think of this model? Anyone had any experience with it? Is it designed by Hitachi's Deskstar design team?



    Is there any other Hitachi 2TB 3.5" 5400-5900 RPM HD model that I missed?

    Which model should I buy?



    Thanks for your time guys, any advice is more than welcome.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,

    I plan to buy a 2.5" 256GB Solid State Drive and use it as external backup storage.

    Because SSDs don't have moving parts I hope that the power from 1 USB 2.0 port (500 mA) will be enough to use the SSD without any problems, but I am not sure so I wanted to ask you guys if this is possible.

    Can 1 USB 2.0 port (500 mA) provide enough power to use a 2.5" 256GB SSD without any problems?
    And can you guys recommend me a 256GB SSD for external backup storage that uses low power and is nicely built and durable to last longer?

    Thanks for your time.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,


    I plan to Format a 2TB 3.5" HD from an External Enclosure connected to my Laptop via USB 2.0 Port.

    I think a Full Format will take around 20 hours with my setup, I could be wrong.


    While the HD is formatting, is it safe for me to open and browse the internet or watch a youtube video? Will that be a risk that the Format of the HD will be less reliable?

    Does Formatting a HD take a lot of PC resources, Memory Usage and CPU Usage?


    Thanks for your time.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks, I really appreciate it.

    Until now I used only a 1 GB old USB Flash Drive and I always did Quick Format on it.

    I bought this 256 GB USB Flash to save and store some vital data on it, and I wanted to make sure all is good before I start copying all my data on it.

    Maybe I panicked a bit, but as I said this is my first time formatting a 256 GB USB Flash Drive and I just wanted someone to confirm if this format time was normal for USB Flash Drive.

    Thanks again. :)

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,

    I bought Transcend 256GB 3.0 USB Flash Drive, it was formatted to FAT32.

    I saw the Serial Number from the USB Flash Drive and entered it on the Transcend website and it says it is genuine.

    My laptop has only USB 2.0 ports.

    I copied 9.83 GB of data on the USB Flash and after that I copied the same data from the USB Flash to the PC again, and all was OK.

    Then I deleted all 9.83 GB of data from the USB Flash.

    Then I decided to convert the FAT32 to NTFS with Full Format, and it took around 8 min.

    I thought the convert time was too fast and tried again to convert to NTFS with Quick Format which took around 45 sec.

    Than I decided to do another Full Format to NTFS, this time from Disk Management, and it took around 8 min again.

    I expected the Full Format to last around 2 hrs, at least that's how long it will take for a Hard Drive I think.
    I don't have much experience with formatting 256 GB USB Flash Drives, maybe it was fast because it was empty? I am not sure.

    What do you guys think?
    Is 8 minutes normal time to do Full Format on an empty 256 GB USB Flash Drive?

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,


    I have only USB 2.0 ports on my laptop - so I think that is 0.5 A power from every port.


    I have this older Internal HD:

    120 GB 2.5" WD Scorpio, 0.55 A is written on top of the disk - I guess that is the power it requires to function properly.


    I bought this SATA to USB cable, and it arrived today:

    StarTech USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP.


    I connected my old 120 GB HD to the StarTech 3.0 Cable and I put it in my laptop's USB 2.0 port.

    I copied a few 700 MB video files to and from my old 120 GB WD Scorpio HD and everything was OK.


    I guess sometimes 0.5 A can be enough for a HD that requires 0.55 A.



    I also bought a new Internal 2TB 2.5" Samsung SpinPoint Momentus ST2000LM003, 0.85 A is written on top of the disk.


    My questions:

    1. Is it safe to connect the new 2TB HD, which requires 0.85 A, to the StarTech 3.0 Cable and I put it in my laptop's USB 2.0 port, which provides only 0.5 A?

    2. Can I physically damage or scratch the platter inside the HD if it doesn't get the full 0.85 A power required?

    3. Can I shorten the life of the StarTech cable if I don't provide the full power that the HD requires from the USB 2.0 port?


    Thanks for your time.

  20. Posted · Edited by we3fan · Report reply

    Thanks continuum,

    One person suggested this:

    "Just plug the drive directly to the SATA port as you will have way more chances for it to be properly detected and for the error correction to work as it should."

    Now I am guessing that he means to directly plug the HD on the motherboard of a desktop PC or a laptop PC.

    Maybe I should try this method, maybe I can buy cheaper and basic components to make safe and reliable HD backup storage.

    Right now I only have 1 PC - an older laptop with USB 2.0 ports.

    Do I need to buy:
    1. Desktop case
    2. Smallest size possible Motherboard with 2-4 SATA ports (to connect 2-4 HDs)
    3. Fan probably
    4. Power supply
    5. Processor maybe?

    I guess I will have to build a basic PC myself to accomplish this.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,


    I ordered 3.5" 2-bay external enclosure, and I am planning to put inside one WD Blue 2TB Hard Disk and one WD Red 2TB Hard Disk.


    I plan to use it as an external storage and the enclosure will not be used 24/7, once I copy everything on it I will just copy files from it 1-2 times per week.


    I have never used a Red (NAS) HD before so that is the main reason why I wanted to try it.


    Is it a good idea to mix 1 Blue and 1 Red Hard Disk inside the 2-bay external enclosure?


    I guess it would be OK, but since I have never done it before I wanted to ask you guys.


    Or it is better if I use 2 WD Blue HDs or 2 WD Red HDs inside the 2-bay external enclosure?



    Thanks for your time.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Hi guys,


    I was wondering what is the most reliable way to connect an internal Hard Disk externally via USB with the best chance your PC to detect the HD?

    1. USB to SATA Adapter

    2. USB External Enclosure

    3. USB Docking Station

    Assuming all 3 are made with good quality (not poor and not excellent), which one of the 3 has the best chance to detect the HD?


    Thanks in advance.