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Freecom Hard Drive 500GB External USB-2, silver | 
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| Category: CE
Buy New: £65.95
New (10) Used (3) from £59.40
Rating:  46 reviews
Sales Rank: 136
Media: Electronics
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
CPU Speed: 0
CPU Type: Intel Celeron
Processors: 1
System Memory: 0
Memory Type: DRAM
Hard Drive Size: 500
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 8.6 x 3.5
Model: 28604
EAN: 4021801286048
ASIN: B000LQA652
Release Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 41 more reviews...
 Hard to beat October 10, 2008
D. Carvill (Birmingham, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had been looking for an external hard drive for a few months, in order to backup my computer and also save music on to. I wanted one that was not too cheap but not too expensive and easy to use. After reading reviews on a number of websites, I plumped for this one and so far I'm certain I've made the right choice.
First impressions were that its design was neat and stylish and that it was smaller, but heavier than I expected, which is no bad thing. I wanted an easy setup and the Freecom hard drive gives you just that. You plug it into the mains, then plug it in via USB to your computer and it's as simple as that. After confirming the presence of the new hard drive, I started dragging and dropping files and after about an hour and a half, I'd transferred about 20-30GB's worth of data.
So far it's been quiet - quieter than my computer in fact and I have absolutely no complaints at all. I'm really pleased with my purchase and couldn't have hoped for a better external hard drive.
Quality feel external hard drive October 5, 2008
gbenquiries (Chelmsford, Essex, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Had this drive for about a week now so can't speak for longevity but did a lot of homework before choosing this one. Was going to do a pros and cons analysis but haven't found any cons as yet. Build quality feels good - nice, solid aluminium case with an on/off switch on the back which is also useful. It is near silent and so far I have had no problems whatever with heat dissipation from the unit (there is no fan). It worked straight out of the box though I did reformat the drive to NTFS which (using Quick Format) took less than a minute I recall.
As with a lot of electronic goods these days the user manuals (for the drive and the software) are provided only in electronic format (on a CD). A minor irritation but this doesn't detract from the value of the drive itself.
The backup software that comes bundled with the unit (NTI Shadow) is simple and worked first time. It is relatively easy to set up and just backs up the files you tell it to when you want it to. If you don't need all the extra bells and whistles of backup software like Norton Ghost then getting Shadow with the drive is a real bonus and will save you having to purchase software separately.
As I write I would definitely recommend this drive.
Rely on Freecom September 30, 2008
Herbie (Bristol, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I looked at the reviews, and Freecom always got a good review. At the time 500Gb was big! But I think that Freecom have got a good name, so choose them if possible.
I like the power connection (much better than Icy Box) and it is very cool and absolutely reliable. Yes, I would buy another. Definitely!
Top notch drive September 21, 2008
D. DAVIES
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've had one of these for about a year. I installed it straight out of the box and it's sat faithfully on the floor ever since, not getting too hot, causing no problems at all.
Having read of problems with Western Digital and Maxtor/Seagate (since the takeover - Maxtor were excellent prior to the takeover), I was very nervous and did a LOT of research. I'm now about to buy a 1TB drive, having been so utterly impressed with Freecom.
Very highly recommended.
Great drive August 16, 2008
S. Malpas (Cardiff, UK)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Only recently received mine, so I can't speak about longevity yet (will post back if anything breaks), but from first impressions it's a beautiful looking thing, and while compact, feels nice and solid. The aluminium case is great.
It's near-silent: some people might hear more humming noise than others depending on the surface on which it sits, and from what I can tell that's down to vibration rather than anything else. (ie. if you place it on a mouse mat, you'll notice the sound disappears.)
It seems to be well-sealed too, so less chance of dust getting in. There's no bracket with this drive, so while it's sturdy enough to stand on its side without wobbling, you should make sure it's not placed somewhere where it might get knocked.
Firewire would indeed have been nice, but then it would have been more expensive! Quite honestly, USB2 is fast enough for me.
Finally, as others have said, it comes pre-formatted as FAT32. Unless you're going to be swapping files between Mac and PC, you might want to format it to something else - NTFS (for Windows users) or HFS+ (for Mac users).
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