My New Backup Solution Kind of a review/advice

[rvalkass 5]

Update: The software side to my backup solution can now be viewed here: Incremental Backups

 

After seeing one of my mate's laptops go up in smoke, along with his work so far this year, I decided it was time to upgrade from my previous backup method (burning a pile of DVDs whenever I felt I needed to) to a better solution. Here I present the hardware side of things, along with a sort of mini-review type thing of what I bought.

 

Hard Disk

 

I've moved up to a hard drive to back up my data on. I decided this was a bit more compact and reliable than a pile of DVDs. To make sure I had enough space to adequately back up my 100GB laptop hard drive, along with storing some media, I decided to go for a 1TB drive. After reading reviews and comparing prices, I settled on a 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ. It has a SATA connection and 32MB cache.

 

Enclosure

 

I'm not normally one to be bothered by the looks of something, but I decided I wanted this to look good There are literally hundreds to choose from, and by all accounts it doesn't really matter what you pick. After all, it's just a box to stop inquiring minds stabbing their fingers onto the drive. I went for a name I've trusted before, and that looks quite nice, and settled on an Akasa P2 Series enclosure. I picked a silver one suitable for 3.5" drives, with both PATA and SATA connections internally. The case has USB and e-SATA connections, along with a power input and power switch. Pictures are below.

 

Buying Them

 

I got both items from Scan.co.uk

 

Akasa Integral P2 Enclosure

Samsung Spinpoint 1TB SATA HDD

 

Total bill, including VAT and delivery, was just over ?100 when I bought them. However, the prices seem to change by the hour, so check!

 

Set Up

 

The items arrived by courier, sealed tightly in a plastic bag and bubble wrap. Inside that was the following:

 

 

The hard drive is wrapped in enough bubble wrap to keep my flatmates amused for hours. The box for the enclosure got slightly dented on the corners, but Akasa provide plenty of free space inside the box, so nothing could get damaged.

 

 

The box shows off all the features of the enclosure, but I don't think the picture on the front really does it justice.

 

Inside that box was another, much sturdier, box protecting the enclosure.

 

 

 

Inside is the standard selection of paperwork and driver CDs. Also included was a nice selection of cables. Friends have told me that other enclosures don't always include them (especially the USB cable) so that was a nice surprise. There is also a stand for the enclosure, which I am using to keep it upright.

 

 

The enclosure itself was sealed in plastic to protect it from possible scratches or marks on the surface.

 

 

The included cables are:

UK Power Lead

e-SATA Cable

USB Cable

SATA Power Connector

4 Screws and Washers

IDE Cable (Not shown)

SATA Cable (Not shown)

IDE Power Cable (Not shown)

The manual features very simple instructions on how to fit the hard drive, and includes helpful pictures. It is simple enough that you don't have to have had any experience with computer hardware to do it. All you need is a screw driver. Two screws hold the case shut at the back, and four hold the drive in place in its cradle.

 

The only poor comment is that the included SATA cable is slightly too long. So, when you come to close the enclosure, it gets a bit squished. Other than that, not a problem.

 

 

The finished article on my (very messy) desk The side of the enclosure is matt silver, with metallic silver at either end, and for the writing. This means that fingerprints aren't really a problem, and it still has a very nice look to it. The ends of the enclosure are gloss black, one with a large blue LED logo on it:

 

 

This glows when the power is on, and flashes on data transfer.

 

The other side of the enclosure doesn't feature any writing, but does have four small rubber feet in the corners, in case you don't want to use the stand. These correspond with four small 'dents' in the side shown in the picture, so that the drives are stackable, and won't move around too much.

 

Later I shall post a guide to the software side of things that I am using to perform my automated backups.

 

Any questions?

[rayzoredge 2]

I think that this should share categorization with being a tutorial for creating your own external hard drive solution as opposed to purchasing a pre-fabricated external hard drive.You'll have to post some sort of review on the hard drive and enclosure you're using sometime in the future, not to mention the backup solutions that you'll use. I personally just manually drag and drop after wiping out the backup once each month... it eliminates having to install software, but then again, the automated process makes sure that you don't forget to do it in the first place. Also, backing up frequently makes sure that you have the latest and greatest, but at the same time it deteriorates the lifespan of your hard drive... and I'm already scared to lose everything on my external that I use for everything, not to even mention what I would lose on a 1TB if it died unexpectantly. With that in mind, the DVD route would be a pain in the bum... especially with bad burns, the possibility of scratching the disc, and actually losing the DVDs themselves in the massive piles of CDs and DVDs that we've all accumulated over the years. That's why I actually opted for the hard disk solution like you did a while back and have been doing it since I purchased my first 200GB.Very, very informative. People that are scared of technology, take note on how easy this is instead of paying for a pre-fabricated external hard drive that you might pay more for or sacrifice looks (or even functionality and reliability) for the other.

[rvalkass 5]

I think that this should share categorization with being a tutorial for creating your own external hard drive solution as opposed to purchasing a pre-fabricated external hard drive.

I debated over where to put it, but I decided to put this one in Hardware, and I'll put the one about the software solution in the Software section - I just liked being able to split them like that

You'll have to post some sort of review on the hard drive and enclosure you're using sometime in the future, not to mention the backup solutions that you'll use.

When I get the time I'll take some more (and better ) photos and post a detailed review of the enclosure and the hard drive. The reviews of the software will be in the software one I will write over the weekend.

I personally just manually drag and drop after wiping out the backup once each month... it eliminates having to install software, but then again, the automated process makes sure that you don't forget to do it in the first place. Also, backing up frequently makes sure that you have the latest and greatest, but at the same time it deteriorates the lifespan of your hard drive... and I'm already scared to lose everything on my external that I use for everything, not to even mention what I would lose on a 1TB if it died unexpectantly.

The backup method I use doesn't use the full space each time. It's an incremental system, so that a full backup is taken, say, one time in 50. Every other backup only records changes to that major backup. It means that backups are generally much smaller and quicker than taking lots of full backups, and don't wear out the drive so much. Also, being smaller, you can keep more of them. So, when you find you need that file from 6 years ago...

As it's only a backup, I'm not too worried if it dies. I won't lose any actual data, and I'll just start from a full backup next time. The drive has a three year warranty, so I can get a new one free if it does die.

With that in mind, the DVD route would be a pain in the bum... especially with bad burns, the possibility of scratching the disc, and actually losing the DVDs themselves in the massive piles of CDs and DVDs that we've all accumulated over the years. That's why I actually opted for the hard disk solution like you did a while back and have been doing it since I purchased my first 200GB.

Yeah, the fact that I bought loads of cheap DVDs didn't help. They were useless quality, so not only did ~40% fail to burn but they didn't last much longer than around 3 months once burned. That, and I just wasn't happy with the lack of order in the system Backups taken whenever I felt like it, and I changed what I backed up each time. I just got fed up with it.

Very, very informative. People that are scared of technology, take note on how easy this is instead of paying for a pre-fabricated external hard drive that you might pay more for or sacrifice looks (or even functionality and reliability) for the other.

I did look at the local electronics shops to see what was on offer, but everything was either more expensive than this, or had to be used with a proprietary software solution - not great for backups!