BUFFALO MiniStation Stealth 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive - HD-PCT500U2/B

by Buffalo Technology

• Super-slim, lightweight design saves space for ultimate portability
• Turbo PC increases file transfer rates by up to 2X over competing USB 2.0 portable hard drives
• Preformatted hard drive is ready for immediate use with Windows and Mac
• Perfect companion for your laptop or notebook - no extrnal power needed
• ECO Manager conserves energy and battery power

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 0.6 x 3 inches ; 5.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0046RE21G
• Item model number: HD-PCT500U2/B
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (329 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #84 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Data Storage > External Hard Drives
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 1, 2010

Product Description

Capacity: 500 GB

From the Manufacturer

MiniStation Stealth USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive with TurboPC HD-PCTU2

High Performance Compact and Lightweight 2X Faster than Competing Drives Most Comprehensive Software Utility Suite

The Buffalo MiniStation Stealth is a high performance portable storage solution in a remarkably compact and lightweight contemporary form. Simply plug it into any available USB port on your PC or Mac® computer and instantly add capacity or store files to take on the road. The MiniStation Stealth’s compact design occupies minimal space and it's USB powered so there are no additional cables to manage and no need for a separate power source. Included with the Stealth is Buffalo’s multi-purpose Buffalo Tools utility suite designed to enhance Windows® PC performance and user experience. It features TurboPC, a utility designed to enhance PC performance for up to 2X faster file transfers. Also included, Buffalo's Backup Utility protects your important files and documents by backing up your PCs to your Buffalo external hard drive and it provides an easy-to-use data restore function. Store, back up and transport your content instantly with plug and play connectivity.

		Compact and Convenient Designed for mobility, MiniStation Stealth’s compact and contemporary design occupies minimal space and offers USB powered mobile storage for your data and for your on-the-go lifestyle. Plus, the Stealth works with PC and Mac so you can access your files from whichever computer you are on. USB 2.0 powered connection Preformatted in FAT32 for compatibility with both PC and Mac -easily reformatted to NTFS or HFS+ Attractive blue LED lets you know when the drive is active
		TurboPC Using high speed RAM on your PC, TurboPC can increase file transfer rates on Windows PCs by up to 2X over competing USB 2.0 portable hard drives. TurboPC also includes TurboCopy which provides additional system adjustments to increase performance substantially.
		Back up and Manage Your Files with Buffalo Tools! Buffalo Tools is a feature-rich suite of optional software included on many Buffalo DriveStation and MiniStation storage products. Any or all of the following components of Buffalo Tools may be installed on Windows PCs. Buffalo's Backup Utility: An easy-to-use and fully featured backup software for Windows PCs thatcan be used to back up one or multiple computers with a single Buffalo external hard drive. ECO Manager: Energy efficiency tool conserves energy and reduces battery consumption by regulating the power usage of the hard drive, cutting power to the drive during extended periods of inactivity. RAMDISK: A simple utility that allows you to create a RAM disk on your Windows PC, creating a small, but extremely fast environment to work on files in. SecureLock: Windows software that provides complete control of the data encryption on your Buffalo external hard drive, providing password protection and software data encryption. TurboPC: Performance enhancement utility providing up to 2x transfer speeds over regular USB 2.0 connections

Other Key Features and Benefits

• Compact and Lightweight: Super-slim, lightweight design saves space for ultimate portability
• TurboPC for Windows: Increase file transfer rates by up to 2X over competing USB 2.0 portable hard drives
• Connect and Go: Preformatted hard drive is ready for immediate use with Windows and Mac
• USB Powered: Perfect companion for your laptop or netbook - No external power supply needed
• Eco-Minded: Included ECO Manager conserves energy by cutting power to the hard drive during extended periods of inactivity
• Time Machine® Compatibility: Works perfectly with Time Machine to back up your Mac computer

The MiniStation Stealth portable storage solution is backed by a one-year limited warranty and lifetime 24/7 US based technical support.

What’s in the Box

MiniStation Stealth Portable Hard Drive HD-PCTU2, USB 2.0 Cable, Quick Setup Guide, and Warranty Statement

* TurboPC Performance Testing: Time to transfer 1,000 digital photos. Benchmark system: Intel Core i7 860 2.8GHz, DDR3 8GB, Intel P55, WD1600JS-00NCB1, Windows 7 (64-bit)

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Which Portable Hard Drive Is Right For You?

Good  Better  Best	JustStore Portable	MiniStation Cobalt	MiniStation Stealth	MiniStation Metro	MiniStation Cobalt USB 3.0
Buffalo Portable Storage & Backup Solutions	Essential storage for basic needs	Stylish portable storage for PC and Mac	Compact and lightweight storage for PC and Mac	Shock-proof feature rich storage for on-the-go	SuperSpeed USB 3.0 portable storage
SuperSpeed USB 3.0
Integrated USB Cable Management
Shock Absorption Technology
Hardware Encryption Security
Software Encryption Security
Backup Software
TurboPC Performance Booster (55% Faster)
TurboUSB Performance Booster (25% Faster)

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Expand Your Data Capacity and Connectivity with Buffalo Storage and Networking Solutions

Buffalo LinkStation Shared Storage  Share files, back up all computers to one central location, and access your data over the Internet quickly and securely. With Buffalo Network Attached Storage (NAS), you can store, access, and share your files from all computers on your network.		Buffalo Wireless Networking Solutions  Configuring your wireless network is quick and easy with Buffalo's push-button setup or our simple web interface. Boost your wireless connectivity, increase range, signal strength and speed with our wide selection of wireless routers and accessories.		Buffalo DriveStation Desktop Hard Drives Whether you need additional storage or a backup location, we have a solution for you. Buffalo's desktop hard drives are available in a variety of size and drive configurations. Find the desktop hard drive that suits your needs best.		Buffalo MiniStation Portable Hard Drives Portable external hard drives make it easy to transport your files. Buffalo’s line of portable hard drives offers a reliable and compact, sleek solution to back up and store your files. Choose your capacity and color and you’ll be on your way.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

358 of 364 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Portable Hard Drive I've Found for The Money May 8, 2011

By ugamit

Size Name:500 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase

Intro:
- I've been a laptop computer user for over 20 years. I own a consulting firm with clients 'round the country, so I'm always on the go.
- I own - or have owned - portable hard drives from every major manufacturer. My theory was that if I bought different brands with good recommendations (versus buying all of them from one manufacturer), I would spread my risk.
- Bought the Buff' Stealth 500GB from Amazon to try it out. Its the smallest 500GB portable drive around from a major manufacturer (and just 0.1in thicker than Oyen).
- I've owned and operated the drive for 30days to date. All of our computers (laptops and desktops)run Windows XP/32 bit operating systems.

Analysis:
Folks, hands down, this is the best overall portable hard drive I've owned to date:
1. This puppy is small, lightweight, and fast for USB 2.0. I'm getting 16-18MB/sec transfers using 5+ year old laptops and desktops (with Intel single core processors), and up to 22MB/sec on my Intel Core Duo Laptop.
2. I've left it on for 3 days straight, and found no heat generation above room temperature.
3. Needs only 1 USB2.0 port, and runs off of just 1 USB port on every one of our desktops/laptops I've tried it on.
4. Has a great blue light on top to signal its working. Doesn't have a sleep mode, so there is no delay, after your computer sits for a while, when you go to transfer/access a file.

Three particulars you'all might find of interest:
1. One reviewer here gave the drive 3stars because of the onboard Buffalo file transfer software. It's advertised to accelerate file transfers vs. Windows Explorer. And it does - but I agree, its not worth using.

I installed the Buffalo "turbo" software on two computers and found "turbo" didn't work as well as Teracopy (which is freeware and works great to speed up USB2.0 file transfers). The Buffalo "turbo" software did slow down both my desktop and laptop computers and seemed to complicate rapid removal of any flash/hard drive I connected. I've eliminated the pre-installed Buffalo software from the drive and my computers. I'd recommend the same to anyone. But I do recommend you find and download Teracopy, its a great program. (see CNET.Com to download Teracopy for free).

2. I've not dropped the Buffalo 500GB drive, so I can't provide insight on its hardiness to physical abuse. You'll find details on construction at the Buffalo site. It appears solidly built, but the plastic case doesn't appear to warrant confidence that it would not break of dropped over a foot or so onto a hard surface.

I presume that being so small, there isn't as much space to install lots of "shock-absorbing" material. I also presume one has to get some sort of case/carrier/cozy for the Buffalo 500 if you're going to actively travel with it. In my case, I'm using it to date to store large files I download from my desktop to carry home or use on my laptop, and I'm being careful with it because of my concerns about its hardiness until I get more experience. It might could benefit from a rubber border and thicker plastic case as one finds on the Toshiba Canvio, but then it would be thicker/bigger - the Toshiba was my previous 1st choice for portable hard drives, its now no.2, but I'm comparing it with the Buffalo as I go along, and I'll report back down the road on hardiness as I collect more info.

3. Based on my experience with the Buffalo 500GB, I've already bought the 1TB model. Available on Amazon today for $84, its the best deal going for portable hard drive space/dollar. I've found the performance specs for the 1TB model are exactly the same as the 500GB model. BUT, be aware the physical specs for the 1TB model are different - its about a quarter of an inch thicker than the 500GB version (same length x width). Since I found the pre-installed Buffalo software unworthy of use on my 500GB model, I've eliminated the same from the 1TB version.

Update: August, 2012
It's 15 months from my initial Buff' Mini-Station Stealth portable hard drive review here on Amazon, so time for an update.

1. All of my initial comments/info/details on the Buff' 500GB and the 1TB USB2.0 drives still ring true. I now own 10 of them, and all of them work like a charm. I particularly like the fact that they mount/dismount easily (e.g., they power up and down quickly). The USB cable provided with the drives is the best USB2.0 cable I've found/used to date - it mounts/dismounts the drive quickly.

I've lost only one (1) Buff' portable drive to date - that drive fell off of a desktop 30inches high onto a hard concrete flow in my basement. The case did not crack, but the drive seemed to have trouble mounting onto my computer (meaning the drive took a long while to start up) and it would turn on/off at erratic intervals. Fortunately, the drive didn't have much data on it, so no big deal. I have had my other Buff' drives fall onto a carpeted floor from the same height with no adverse effects. Taken together, I think this speaks very well on the hardiness of these drives. As a comparison, I've had 2 of 4 Simpletech Signature Mini Drives fail without any physical drop.

Hope this update helps.

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bought 3, like them all May 13, 2011

By Frankie

Size Name:500 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bought 2 of these (500gb model) at once (Jan. 2012 update: bought a third 500gb a few weeks after the first 2; also, I have had no issues with any of these drives in about 8 months of intermittent use) as backups on the road for various important data. I primarily bought this specific model because the USB connection (I think is called "mini" usb but am not sure) is the same connector as other devices I carry around so that will simplify my cord clutter a bit.(Some other portable drives out there have different or even proprietary USB connectors). Also all power comes from the USB cord (supplied with the drive, about 14 inches long, thin, easy to pack.) It all seems very well thought out. I'd looked at the similar-size Seagates and the Western Digital drives but there do seem to be a lot of complaints about drive failure and other issues. I don't need the latest/greatest speed or USB 3.0 so this was a good fit/price for my uses.

One suprise: the formatted drive shows 499.76gb (out of advertised 500gb) available...that's as close as I've ever seen to matching the advertised capacity of a drive! Another surprise is how this tiny little drive (3.0 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches by my measurement, smaller than 2 decks of cards next to each other) runs very cool, it hardly generates ANY heat to the touch.

I am using a MacBook Pro, so merely reformatted these for the Mac using the Mac's disk utility. I formatted them to be bootable and cloned my MacBook over to one of them (using SuperDuper) and now have a bootable backup in case the laptop drive goes down. Tested that drive as the boot drive, and response is slower when booted from the USB 2.0 connection than the MacBook's internal drive (no surprise there) but it would get me through in a pinch.

Note the included software is Windoze only but you won't miss it, just erase it if you're on a Mac. (The Buffalo drive will however mount the first time you plug into a Mac without doing anything, should you need to use it immediately. You'll just be wasting a little space keeping the Windoze software on there. Mac instructions are also on the drive as a PDF file if you need them, which of course you probably will not!)

Reliability over time remains to be seen (note update above, no problems in about 8 months of use), if I do see a failure I will update this review, but so far I'm 100% satisfied.

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Drive is Good, but encryption software and tech support are lacking April 25, 2011

By F. Hummel

Size Name:500 GB

When using the encryption option for this drive there is a setting for "Auto-Authentication" that is supposed to allow the drive to connect to a designated computer without having to log in with a password, but this feature does not work with Windows 7. The Tech support person said they were aware of the problem and were working on it, but the issue is not shown on their web site.

When I tried to remove the encryption using the "Release Authentication" button, I received a message saying "unable to run because the hard drive is in use", even though it wasn't in use. I called tech support and they suggested resetting the drive to factory settings, which will remove the encryption but will also remove everything stored on the drive as well. The technician blamed my computer instead of accepting the fact there was a problem with their software.

The drive also came pre-formatted with the FAT32 file system, which I did not notice until after I had stored information on it. To convert it to NTFS, I had to re-format the drive and then restore the data from backup. Converting the drive with the data intact did not work because that process requires a reboot and the drive when encrypted is not visible until after the computer has finished rebooting and the login screen is completed. I could not remove the encryption because the management software thought the drive was in use when it was not.

I am happy with the drive itself, but the encryption management software and the company tech support leave much to be desired. Their web site also was of no help in identifying or resolving any of these issues.