Customer Reviews

LaCie 301234U d2 Safe 1TB Firewire800/Firewire400/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive with Biometric Access and AES Encryption

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

this product is great the finger print reader works awesome BUT if your buying this drive to back up your info with mac using the program time machine it will not work because of the encryption the drive has built into it. other wise product is great for backing up just can't use apple's time machine which is a great program

First, the good news. The drive seems to work well when I use the USB cable and I haven't had any problems with the fingerprint scanner.

Now the bad news. The drive doesn't seem to work with Firewire on computers running XP. I have tried to use this drive with Firewire on multiple PCs running XP, with multiple different Firewire cables. I exchanged my first drive for a new one through Amazon, and tried again, to no avail.

I contacted Lacie customer service to try to hash out the problem. I'd give them a B+ for effort, D for results.

Bottom line, if you run XP and plan to use this with Firewire, think again. But USB seems to work OK.

I installed Yellowdog Linux for PS3 but my PS3 did not recognize the drive. I hoped that I can get it work by virtue of Wine but I watched a video post on youtube showing that Wine does not work also on PS3.

Apart from that it's a great drive. Though for maximum security, before decrypting files, it could ask for a password after reading your fingerprint.

The decryption thing takes very small time, regardless of how many and large files you have within the drive.

It recognizes fingerprints seamlessly.

Of the three LaCie drives I've bought, two failed within twelve months (of relatively light use). I've lost a 500GB drive and a 2TB drive. I guess LaCie just buys the cheapest drives they can. Stay away!

The fingerprint access works as expected: it denied access to a person who doesn't have fingerprint registered with the hard drive. Make sure you don't lose the CD that contains the software though as you need it to present your fingerprint and unlock the drive.

I got this product just about a week ago, and it has worked flawlessly the whole time. It has fast data transfer speeds and a easy to use interface. Fingerprints can be tricky at first but after playing with it for 30 min, its working perfect. I'd recommend this product to anyone who needs biometric security or just someone who needs storage space and likes cool toys.

This drive is quiet and solidly built.

Fireware 400 (IEEE 1494) on a Dell with Vista works well.

The fingerprint reader is more fussy that other fingerprint readers I have used on other types of equipment. Sometimes it will take three readings to accept my print. If it has difficulty reading, it will even give a warning to re-record your fingerprint. The software allows you to record all your fingers and also those of other defined users to allow more than one person access to the drive. On other fingerprint recognition devices I have been able to record the same finger after getting out of the shower, after working outside in the cold, etc. Unfortunately, this system allows you to record one finger in only one position and for only one person. It will actually recognize that the print is too close to an existing one and prevent its use again.

Also, the drive security is on the drive. So if you shut down the computer it does not prevent access to the data on the drive. You must either swipe the drive with your fingertip to lock it or shut the drive off.

The only problem I have is that Amazon does not have currently have the 1TB unit in stock now. When they do, I'll buy another.

I was happy with this when I first bought it. The fingerprint recognition was shaky at times, but I was never unable to gain access.

However, the hard drive failed after 11 months. I would not recommend this hard drive for that reason.

Product was received within the time estimated, in excellent condition, with all accessories to make it functional. Works as specified.

This was a great solution to my backup security worries, but to make this drive work with my PPC G5 Mac, I have to reboot after the drive is unlocked, or it's slow, slow, slow (spinning beach ball pauses of 30-40 seconds before every action.) The fact that the drive remains unlocked after a reboot--or for that matter, after a shutdown--is a security issue, and I could live with that, but the reboot would be a big hassle if I was using this drive every day. Oh, and if you're thinking of using the drive on a shared machine, be sure to lock it when you're done, because it will show up unlocked no matter what account you use. I know!!!! No response to e-mails to LaCie looking for relief. I like LaCie drives. I've had several and nary a single problem until now. I surely wish they'd answer.