Customer Reviews

POCKETEC 929 80GB Portable HDD USB 2.0

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Three have now failed - two of mine - and another that I recommended to a neighbor. I only started buying these within the last two years - so my conclusion is to never buy this product line again and to look more carefully for reviews abut reliability.

I have been using these drives, the 40GB for data and the 80GB for photos, as a backup for the last two years. I am on an airplane every 2-6 weeks and, as an anthropologist, go to remote villages up bad roads. These two drives never let me down. I am waiting for the next drive (120? 250?) so that I can continue to keep my laptop drive sleek and fast!

i've gone through 2 of the 80 gb hard drives within a span of a month. the first harddrive wouldn't mount properly and the second one started out fine but then completely crashed. it's not very reliable or robust at all. if you don't ever need to travel and don't need to move the harddrive it's fine. but it just crashes too often and it's not recoverable.

I bought this product because I needed a reliable portable USB hard drive to back up critical files on my desktop, and I needed a way to expand the hard drive capacity of my older laptop. (The laptop has a 30GB HD, and my MP3 files alone need 32GB!) I chose this brand because I have used two older 20GB POCKETEC for several years with no problems whatsoever, and I assumed the newer, larger version would be just as good.

At first, this drive was a nightmare. Every time I used it, it would start making clicking noises and lock up. I tried everything I could think of, including going to the POCKETEC web site and looking for tech support, re-formatting the drive several times, re-partitioning it, changing file systems, running Norton Disk Doctor, you name it.

Nothing seemed to solve the problem, so I called POCKETEC and requested to return the product. Initially, they tried to steer me back to Amazon for the return, then they agreed to swap out the drive and gave me an RMA number. However, on a hunch, just before I packaged it up, I tried plugging it in to a USB port the front of my desktop computer rather than the back. My hunch was based on a recollection that different USB ports have different power levels, and the fact that this drive has no external power supply. The problem vanished immediately. This drive began to behave exactly like my two older 20GB drives and performed flawlessly. Needless to say, I was overjoyed and canceled the return.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any mention of this issue on POCKETEC's web site, and their telephone technician never suggested it. That's the only reason I'm withholding that fourth star. The drive works great now, and I highly recommend it for both price and performance. However, if you have any problems, try moving it to a different USB port, because it apparently needs a little more juice than its smaller cousins.

This drive had never been crashed. I have had this pocket drive since august 2005 and it is still in good condition, i highly recommended!

This drive is alwsome. I have had this pocket drive for couple months and It

gave me no trouble at all. It runs perfectly!

I was looking foreward to getting this product, though a few of my friends told me not to buy it. Now I wish I had listened to them, because after backing up all my files, and many new files that I don't have any where else, the damn thing just stopped working. the light turns on, but there is no sound and none of my computers can recognize it. I have lost all my files!!!!

Can't complain about this little drive. It's quick, doesn't need a power cord, and fits into just about any pocket (about the size of my wallet). I didn't even have to install any drivers, Windows accepted it right away with no hasle.

Delighted with the product and delighted with the price. An 80 GB HDD for less than 1$ a GB! I guess they've come out with a more compact one.

This drive is alwsome. I have had this pocket drive for couple months and It

gave me no trouble at all. It runs perfectly!