Customer Reviews

Seagate FreeAgent Go 120 GB USB External Hard Drive ST901203FGA1E1-RK

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you avoid installing Ceedo and only use this disk's software to do data backups, which is what I bought this USB 2.5 disk for, there is a big problem.

The problem is that the software prevents you from permanently deleting most file types from your system. Once the Seagate software sees a file and copies it to the external disk it will keep restoring it to your computer each time you refresh your backup.

For example if you rearrange your documents into named folders you will soon discover you have the files both as originally organized and as new folders with their own copies.

Seagate discards no photos it has backed up. You can weed all you like but the backup disk still contains the weeds. To preserve the benefit of your weeding you may want to immediately rename the folder. Then Seagate will have your photos stored twice under the two folder names. The old folder with the weeds will reappear on your next backup. If you don't rename the folder, then the weeds will reappear just where you deleted them.

Seagate's help file say it will cover how to "Select your own folders and configure your own sync rules." That hints at having once considered letting you set up rules like "only copy files to the Seagate on `Synchronize' but do not copy files back to the computer."

However all Seagate actually delivered is an "ask me" function. Being asked, file by file about every file you want to back up and then about every file you ever deleted in the past is no fun. The "yes to all" and "no to all" buttons don't help because first you are asked about every individual file to be copied to the Seagate, then you are asked about every file you ever deleted. "Yes to all" doesn't stop until both phases have completed.

Besides Seagate sometimes ignores your "ask me" and just restores all the deleted files.

The only simple way I have found to get past this problem is to go onto the backup drive and delete the no-longer desired files or the whole folder which contains undesired files.

I found it very difficult to safely use the software that is the distinguishing feature of this USB 2.5 disk, at least not for the simple backup purpose I wanted.

The disks themselves are fine. I have both a 120 and a 160 as I didn't immediately notice the backwash of old data.

I was apprehensive about it when I first bought it. It seemed so light. I thought I was buying a case only. It is really small looks like a passport. It has two USB cables so you will need two free USB slots on ur system. The data transfer rate is quite good I cannot differentiate between the speeds between my laptop hdd and the seagate one. The free agent software is a bit of a bother but I think you can remove it from Autorun. I have used it to backup my vista and has a lot of movies and songs. I play them directly from the drive. I am reaching its full volume so I am planning to buy another one. No external power is needed. But it draws power from USB so it can drain ur laptop batteries.

I did a lot of research before settling on this item. The five year warranty was a big factor, as some manufacturer's only have one year guarantees. So far, it's worked well, backing up about 25 gb of data with plenty left to spare. It's a bit slower than my larger back-up external hard drive, but the smaller size does mean you sacrifice some speed. But it's plenty small and lightweight, and kind of cute. It also seems not to get too hot even after running for a few hours, another good sign. I can watch video or listen to music files direct from the drive, and they all open up quickly and play just fine. It's a good deal for the small size, large storage capability (for a small drive), and the fact that it doesn't need a power adapter, making it even more portable. Just tuck it into a small pocket in your laptop case and you're good to go. It also includes a y-USB adapter, in case your computer doesn't put enough power out from a single USB port to power it up. I used it on a single USB port, and it powered up fine.

The software may not work but that just means you can wipe it clean and use all that free space how ever you want, you will just have to do the file update manually.

I've only been using this product for one day, but so far it's worked great. Copied about 60 GB of data in about 1.5 hours. The software that comes with it is for Windows, and it's formated for Windows. I'm using it with a Linux machine, so I haven't tried the software, and I needed to reformat it, but that was easy. I think the same goes if you want to use it with a Mac. Also, I don't know why this is, but it has 2 USB plugs, so make sure you have enough USB inputs.

Style-wise, it's also cool. It's light and sleek, and has a nice glowing orange light.

This is my second Seagate FreeAgent USB external hard drive. First one is a 500gb to back up entire computer & other things. Works fine with no problems after a year. Transfer rate is fine along with preinstalled software if you use. Wanting a second smaller unit for a fire safe for offsite storage, I decided to go for the 120gb unit. Unit is small. Run fine on one USB cord & comes with two if needed. Transfer rate is fine for me (2gb transferred in 3 minutes & 17 gb transferred in 12 minutes). Its plug & play. If you don't like the preinstalled software, delete it, but it doesn't effect the operation. Heat isn't an issue, as neither unit gets hot. Durable, lightweight, & well built. Best warranty out there with 5 yrs. I'm pleased with both of my choices & highly recommend this hard drive & Seagate.

Nice compact drive. I had trouble getting the bundled backup software to recognize documents from all user profiles on the laptop. I downloaded a third party backup program and it works perfectly. Its great to finally have the peace of mind that our pictures and music are safe from a hard drive failure.

I feel much better prepared for my next hard drive crash now! But, for those like me who at least slightly techno-challenged, more instruction would have been good. My goal with this purchase was to back-up my entire hard drive. I thought I could do this all at one time, but I couldn't make that happen. Instead, I had to transfer files piece by piece. I'm hoping that if I should need to recover from a crash, that my registry and everything else is maintained.

It was fairly easy to download the software from the FreeAgent and then the programs and files from my C-drive. - I had an initial problem, but solved it quickly.

A little ease in the transfer would make this an easy 5!

Beckie

I have a Pioneer DEH-4000UB car stereo with USB input & bought this drive to use as a 120GB MASS STORAGE device for all my music files. It holds somewhere around 40,000 SONGS and works GREAT! It's pretty simple to do:

1) Totally reformat the drive to FAT32 using SwissKnife V3 or other software. This will erase EVERYTHING on the drive (including all the crappy CEEDO software).

2) Transfer all your music files from your PC to it, creating folders and subfolders if you like!

3) Get one of those little DC to USB adapters for the 2nd USB (this harddrive uses 2 USBs) rated at 8V 2A (2000mA) that you will plug into your cigarette lighter or Power Point outlet in your car. A "standard" car USB adapter only draws 500mA or 700mA and that is not powerful enough for this drive. Be sure you plug the DATA USB into the car stereo, and plug the POWER USB into your car's cigarette lighter or Power Point outlet. I keep this harddrive in my glovebox!

4) ENJOY!

I've read other reviews for the other GB models for the Seagage FreeAgent Go about how flimsy it is, etc. Maybe the 120GB is constructed differently, because the 120GB sure ain't flmsy. I would not put an elephant on top of it, but I am not afraid to carry it in my laptop bag or grab it. As the instructions state, very easy to plug in and go. Very portable and lightweight. Highly recommended.