 All the features you ever wanted in a file backup system and more. |
| Review Date: November 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Garrett Hughes, |
If I were to list all the features that I wanted in a file backup system, they would all be included in the hardware and software associated with the HP SimpleSave 1.5 TB unit. For years I backed up my most important documents on disks - that is, when the thought crossed my mind. As the size of my archives increased, I started using the hp personal media drive (PMD) with 300 GB of storage. That saved my you-know-what big time when the hard drive on my z555 failed and needed to be replaced. But whenever I backed up with the PMD, error messages would occur that needed to be dealt with manually. Nothing like starting a four or five hour backup and returning later to find an error message waiting instead of having your files backed up. That meant baby sitting the backup. What a pain in the you-know-what. With my PMD no longer capable of holding my archived files in one location, I needed something with larger storage capacity, and hopefully operating a lot more robustly. HP provided me a solution in the SimpleSave 1.5 TB unit. Not only can I keep all my archived documents in one place (for easy access), but the software that comes with the unit flags errors when it encounters them during backup, and then keeps right on going - creating a summary document of the job when completed, and including a nice description of the flagged errors. But the best is yet to come: keep the drive active on your system and it automatically backs up your new work as you create it - just leave your system idle for five minutes or more. Now that's smart. The software also provides a great deal of flexibility in choosing which file types to back up. AND - if you attach your other external storage media to your computer during backup, the unit will grab the files on those as well (an option). Now that's convenient. AND - the software is preinstalled on the unit: no installation required. Now that's even more convenient. I couldn't find anything not to like about the design or performance of this unit. Oh, did I forget to mention it's about the size of a book (computer app reference manual) and runs extremely cool. AND use it to back up more than one computer. AND...
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Wonderful and very affordable
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| Review Date: October 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Rene Bonvanie, Foster City, CA USA |
| I have had very mediocre results with external drives from WD and Seagate but this drive has blown me away. It's super quiet, works really well, and looks very nice. The blue light is a bit bright but it's not annoying. I use it with a Mac and the (also wonderful) Xtreamer media player and it's flawless. I haven't used the bundled software. I now own 3 of these drives and am about to order a fourth one. |
runs silent, cool and fast
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| Review Date: October 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: dpeagle, |
| i use this attached to a netgear wndr3700 for network attached storage. it is truly plug and play. this unit has a small footprint, has done everything from backing up the 4 computers on the network to streaming movies. the only way you know its on is the blue light on the front. only time will tell as to longevity but after a month it has been money well spent. |
HP SimpleSave 1.5 Gb
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| Review Date: November 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Joseph H. Bishop, SwanQuarter , NC, USA |
This product is absolutely fantastic!!!! Although I am a custom system builder, the ease of use makes it
an item that the novice user can use without fear of complications. I have backed up four desktop computers and one laptop without any problems at all. My worries of loosing data are now behind me. The only way it could be made easier is, if upon arrival, it would unpack itself and plug into the USB port by itself. HP definitely hit a home run with this product and I would recommend it to the novice and professional alike. The purchase from Amazon.com was easy and the item arrived in a timely manner.
Joseph H. Bishop
PuterDoc |
Way too easy!
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| Review Date: December 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Denny, Northern California |
| It works like a charm; you plug it in and leave it alone. One reviewer said it did not back up Thunderbird email files and that's not true, it found everything I wanted backed up including emails and did it quickly and quietly without interfering with what I was doing. When I accessed the drive, it came up quickly, transferred fast and didn't make any noise. I do agree that the flashing blue light on the front can get a bit annoying but simply turning the unit does the trick. If it lasts, it will be perfect! |
2TB Ext Drive for under $200?
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| Review Date: January 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Scuzzyii, Washington DC |
| I decided not to use the HP backup software program included with the drive, but copied just about everything that I have dl'd in the past 5 years, plus the MY DOCUMENTS folders from my old Win2K and XP (using Win7 and Vista now)computers as well as countless, MP3s, JPEGs, BMPs, PDFs that were on DVDs. Everything has been placed on this drive, and there is still room to spare. The unit itself is smaller than a good pair of PC loudspeakers - the unit is really small. It goes into power save mode automatically with your PC when it sleeps - BTW there is no power button on the drive), and it boots up along with your PC when powered on. While I do wish the drive did have a power switch, I really can't say that I miss it. The drive is exceptionally quiet, and I have to check the power light to make sure it is in operation. The price for this unit is almost unbelievable, and makes it a smart decision for anyone looking to archive files and information. I plan to purchase another one shortly. |
Great drive - works well for PC
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| Review Date: January 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Torres, Greater Seattle Area, United States |
| Plugged in and used - as simple as that. Super quiet, looks sleek. Hard drive light comes on only when the drive is turned on and then afterwards when you use it (if written to/recalled from). Otherwise its off, which is nice if the drive is anywhere near where you sleep and you like it dark. Backed up 250GB via USB in about 20 minutes, while I was also multitasking on PC. worked with Vista and Windows 7. I originally bought the Iomega drive, but that one didn't even turn on. See my review for the Iomega - a total dud (both the drive and customer service). HP drive is great. |
Affordable Backup Solution
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| Review Date: February 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: MJS, New York, United States |
In what seems like a never ending quest for storage space and back up solutions I've tried a number of hard drives this last year. The HP SimpleSave is the best of the lot in terms of backup software, price, and looks. When the computer it is attached to is turned off, it turns off automatically. It's a real winner when it comes to lack of annoying software that eats up memory and lack of fan noise.
I'm using the SimpleSave with a new HP Slimline computer so it's not surprising that the installation was easy. Connect the USB cord, the power cord and go. The SimpleSave software not only lets you pick the types of files you want to back up, it lets you customize the extensions within the file time. That's a marked contrast between HP's old backup software which would make copies of every single html in your temp folder whenever you wanted to back up your documents. The software only comes on when you want, in contrast to Western Digital's ironically named "SmartWare" which eats up memory and puts backed up files in an archive that doesn't allow individual files to be accessed.
So, for ease of use and setup, the superior software and generally intelligent design this is a great value. Recommended for anyone looking for a backup solution for their home computer. |
Very nice product!
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| Review Date: February 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Clayton G. Igarashi, Brazil |
| I really liked the product! Small, fast and with great space! My collection of movies (720p and 1080p) are in it ... use in conjunction with the WDTV and works perfectly well! |
Yes, this works with a Mac, and here's how.
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| Review Date: March 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Stetson Kennedy, Chicago, IL |
This is an excellent drive to use with a Mac. Getting 2TB for this price is a steal. The drive is visually appealing and very very quiet. I've owned several brands of external hard drives (Lacie, WD, etc) and have found buying an external hard drive very difficult. My big issue is that the reviews are all either 5 stars or 1 star. This drive deserves a 5 star rating (so far). If you want to use it with a Mac you can, but you can't use HP's SimpleSave software. But since Time Machine comes pre-installed on all current Macs, this is a non-issue. If during the installation process Time Machine prompts you with a questions, just say no/cancel. This information is the result of various support pages I found while trying to set up my drive.
1)Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
2)Select the external drive and click on the Partition tab
3)Click on the Current Volume Scheme drop-down menu and divide the drive into 2 partitions (very important, we will delete these afterwards)
4)Click Options. From the Partition Schemes provided, click on GUID Partition Table. Click OK.
5)Click Apply. The Partition Disk screen opens.
6)Click Partition.
7)When it's done quit Disk Utility and relaunch it.
8)Select the external drive and click on the Partition tab
9)Click on the Current Volume Scheme drop-down menu and select 1 partition.
10)Click Options. From the Partition Schemes provided, click on Apple Partition Map. Click OK.
11)Click Apply. The Partition Disk screen opens.
12)Click Partition.
13)When completed, quit Disk Utility.
That's it. Don't hesitate, get the 2TB. I'm glad I did.
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