Seagate ST3160024A-RK 160 GB External USB 2.0/FireWire Hard Drive

by Seagate

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000DIFGJ
• Item model number: 9W2074-500
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 24, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Hands-On Review

As data moves faster and gigabytes get cheaper, bigger storage options seem ever more important. We think you'll be hard pressed to find a device better able to live up to the demands of storage, convenience, and real-world space efficiency than Seagate's 160 GB external hard drive (model ST3160024ARK). The PC- and Mac-friendly drive offers ample connectivity (USB 2.0/1.1, IEEE 1394a), operational simplicity (just two controls: a rear-panel power switch and a front-panel backup button), and a powered-on state that ran, in our experience, both cool and quiet--especially impressive in a fast, 7,200 RPM drive.

"Front-panel backup button"? That's right: the unit comes with BounceBack Express backup software from CMS, which works seamlessly with the drive to safeguard every byte of your computer's hard-disk data, performing backups at frequencies, days, and times of your choosing. The first time you insert the Seagate it will automatically create a bootable backup drive with all of your valuable data, protecting you in the event of a complete disk crash.

The Seagate manages to be simultaneously stylish and unassuming. We found it remarkably innocuous when positioned directly before us. We had to reach over and touch it to sense its heat, and the only sound it utters is a light whirring punctuated by occasional clucks of the drive components during activity. Stash it five feet away and you'll probably never hear it, though you'll lose ready access to the backup button. If you're only using the drive for periodic backups, you can even turn it off and stash it somewhere, secure in the knowledge that you're just a hot-pluggable USB or FireWire connection away from your next backup (just make sure you "stop" it from your computer before disconnecting it).

So how much will 160 GB actually hold? First off, the drive's capacity as seen by our computer (a PC running Windows XP) was "only" 149.0 GB. While no drive gives you access to all bytes, 10 GB seems like a lot to go missing. Luckily, the remaining space is still nothing short of cavernous, storing upwards of 150 hours of VHS-quality audio and video, around 30,000 songs in MP3 or WMA format (128 kbps), or 40,000 high-resolution digital photos, or more than 200 of your favorite video games.

Set-up couldn't be easier, especially if you're running Windows XP or Mac OS X. Hook it up with one of the supplied cables, load the backup software, and start ferrying all your data to roomy safety. Took us all of 10 minutes, not including backup time. If you're connecting via FireWire, expect backups to take about 1.4 GB per minute (at 400 Mbps). For USB 2.0, expect 1.8 GB per minute (480 Mbps), and for USB 1.1, about 45 MB per minute (at 12 Mbps).

With 150 gigs to fill, you probably won't be looking for additional backups soon. But if you are--or think you might be--you'll be comforted to know that the unit is designed for stackability. A 600 (usable) GB array of four nestled drives would stand less than 10 inches tall in a space with a 7 x 7-inch footprint.

The accompanying software is pretty straightforward. If you leave the default settings, it will backup all data from your computer's hard disk every time you run the software. Alternately, after the initial setup you can select and group specific folders and files to backup, scheduling the times for backups as well as preferences for powering down the computer when the work is done. You may exclude locations for which you don't require backups, and a "compare" feature searches the drive for files no longer on your main system hard disk and gives you the opportunity to delete them from the Seagate. --Michael Mikesell

Pros:

• Lots of storage
• Convenient connections
• Runs cool and quiet
• Useful backup software
• Versatile positioning
• PC/Mac compatible

Cons:

• Offers 10 GB fewer than claimed
• Software backs up entire folders every time, rather than merely the folders or files modified since the last backup

What's in the Box
Hard drive, AC power adapter, AC power cord, connection guide, Extras CD-ROM, a USB cable, and a IEEE 1394 cable.

From the Manufacturer

From video and photos to MP3s, you have more digital files than ever. This wonderfully compact drive is the ideal way to store those files safely. With our sophisticated features and software, it's amazingly easy to store movies and pictures of family and friends, the latest computer games, your favorite music, and all the treasures of your digital lifestyle. Features

Push button backup
Award-winning BounceBack Express software from CMS backs up faster and easier than any other method. Your first backup backs up your entire drive. Thereafter, only new changes are backed up.

On/off switch
No more concerns that your hard drive hasn't been shut down safely.

Looks cool, stays cool
Designed to dissipate heat from your hard drive. Runs much cooler than other external hard drives.

Hot-swappable
Connect and disconnect without turning off your computer. Stackable
Unique interlocking design lets you expand your Seagate storage securely.

The best drives come from Seagate.
Chances are you already have a Seagate hard drive in your computer. For 25 years, Seagate has been the hard drive of choice for computer manufacturers worldwide.

Engineered for silence. Seagate builds the world's quietest 7,200-RPM hard drive with a state-of-the-art, ultraquiet motor.

Built for safety and security. Seagate hard drives are safeguarded by built-in self-monitoring technology that continuously checks your hard drive for data safety and drive performance, and by SeaTools diagnostic software.

Fully guaranteed. A worry-free one-year warranty covers all parts and labor.

Tech support for life. Lifetime tech support means that you can call for friendly technical advice for the whole long life of the drive.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

148 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Drive. Forget the software, July 15, 2004

By 

Michael Simpson "Owner of KronosRobotics.com" (Leesburg VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seagate ST3160024A-RK 160 GB External USB 2.0/FireWire Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

I purchased the drive for backups and general data storage. On a Windows XP both Fire Wire and USB work great. Fire Wire is only a bit faster than USB but when doing background backups the Fire Wire card is much better as its not as CPU intensive as USB.

The on off switch is great as I don't have to power the drive when not needed. Make sure you turn off the auto play. The drive is as quiet as most drives I have used and doesn't even get warm.

The one button backup only works with the included Bounceback express software so forget using the button with other packages.

As far as the Bouncback software goes. Don't even install it. It is cut down version of the real product and most features don't work. I found that it would include most of the data in subsequent backups so it was not that fast. Seagate made a real mistake with this software. This is why I gave the drive 4 stars instead of 5.

I found a freeware backup package on the net called SyncBack that works much better.

Bottom line great drive but loose the software.
better.

Note:
I installed SyncBack into the bounceback dir and renamed the main program to BBBbackup.exe. Now when I push the button on the drive my SyncBack software loads up.

105 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best External Hard Drive, November 4, 2003

By 

submachine (NYC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seagate ST3160024A-RK 160 GB External USB 2.0/FireWire Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

I had been researching new external hard drives, and it seemed like there wasn't anything worth purchasing until very recently. I purchased the Maxtor OneTouch, but I couldn't get past the numerous problems. I just received this Seagate 2 days ago after returning the Maxtor One Touch.

The Seagate is faster, more quiet, cooler running, and cooler looking. The manual and software operation is as simple and straightforward as you can get. I chose to get the 160GB because the Seagate Barracuda internal harddrive in this product has S.M.A.R.T technology and has been proven to be a reliable, quality unit.

The difference between the Seagate and the Maxtor is clear as soon as you remove it from the box - it is heavy, rugged and solid, while the Maxtor just felt cheaply made. The software installed without any problems on a Win98SE system (unlike Maxtor) and is very easy to configure and use. With the one question I did have, Seagate email tech support got back to me within a few hours.

This product has the quality and features that should make it very popular. If you are looking for a really big external hard drive, there aren't many to choose from, but the Seagate is easily the best.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC BACKUP DRIVE!!!, June 2, 2004

By 

Gary A (Tampa FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seagate ST3160024A-RK 160 GB External USB 2.0/FireWire Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

I was considering a Maxtor external backup drive until I read the customer reviews for both devices. I decided to try the Seagate and am I glad I did! This thing is great and amazon.com had the best price. I ordered it on Monday, got shipping confirmation on Wednesday and had it in my hands on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend - even using the free Super Saver shipping.

Within a few minutes of opening the box, I had it connected to the FireWire port of my Windows XP Pro desktop PC. The PC recognized it almost immediately and I was able to see the new drive in Windows Explorer. Installing the BounceBack Express software added only a few more minutes to the installation. In less than half-an-hour, I completed my first backup.

The drive is quiet and does not get overly hot. With the on/off switch, I don't even bother to turn it on until I'm ready to do a backup, usually late in the day. It comes with a "soap-on-a-rope" power cable that doesn't block adjacent power outlets and both USB and IEEE 1394/Fire Wire interface cables. There is also a second FireWire connector on the back of the drive that allows daisy-chaining devices. The front panel has a power LED, a drive activity LED and a pushbutton to start the backup cycle, which has worked reliably. The outline of the pushbutton flashes red during a backup. I've had the drive less than a week, so I can't speak to the long-term reliability. Seagate has been making disk drives for a long time and I trust their name brand reputation.

We all know that we should backup our data - just in case - but how many of us do? For me, even though I had good intentions, the difficulty of actually doing the backup won out and I found myself doing it less and less. Over the years I did backup to floppy disks, until it took dozens of floppies to complete it. Then I moved to Zip disks and eventually the same thing happened. Next came CD-RW's, but that proved lengthy and sometimes gave me unreadable CD's. No more! As easy as this drive and software is to use, there's no excuse for not backing up your data.

I did run into ONE PROBLEM which was fairly quickly resolved:

Just like the reviewer "An electronics fan" mentioned in his review of April 30, 2004, I found that during subsequent backups, many files that had not changed were being backed up again unnecessarily. Not all, but more than half, numbering in the thousands. It was harmless except for adding a lot of needless time to the backup process, but it annoyed me. I e-mailed Seagate tech support and was told that it was due to my antivirus software scanning files which made the BounceBack Express software think the file had changed and needed to be backed up again. WRONG! I tested with my antivirus software disabled and the same thing happened.

I e-mailed the same question to tech support at CMSProducts, who wrote the BounceBack program. They told me it was due to the fact that the drive in the PC was formatted differently (NTFS) than the external Seagate drive (FAT32). This situation most likely exists for Windows 2000 and Windows XP users. I didn't really understand why this formatting difference would cause my problem, but I followed the formatting instructions in the Seagate installation guide (which only states that "you may want to use an NTFS or a Mac file system...") and reformatted the external drive to NTFS, which only took a few minutes. VOILA - PROBLEM SOLVED!! Subsequent backups copied only the few files (less than 100 in my case) that had changed since the last backup - even with my antivirus program running.

This issue should be better explained in the printed Seagate installation manual, the BounceBack user,s manual on the installation CD and on the support pages of both companies' web sites.

All things considered, I love this drive and how easy it makes backing up your data.

No more excuses - GET ONE AND BACK UP YOUR DATA!!