Customer Reviews

Toshiba 120 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive (HDDR120E02X)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I recently became the owner of this item. I looked at all sorts of brand which includes WD, Lacie, Seagate, and Simpletech, read customer reviews and asked around. When I was looking I kept in mind the following: I need a simple plug-and-play that will work with my Mac and Windows system just like how a small USB flash drive would. I want something small since I'll be traveling with it and inexpensive in case it breaks or I loose it. This will not be my main backup drive. I do most of my work on the desktop but every so often I work outside the house and use the laptop. So I need a travel storage buddy. Unless there's a great deal, I don't need anything more than 120GB (which will give me around 111GB of actual space -- HD manufacturer calculates size differently, instead of using 1024kb they use 1000 for 1meg).

I finally decided to get this Toshiba because it was on sale locally for $69 and what I've read and heard from people who owns this weren't all that bad. The problem that it might have, per this review: http://reviews.cnet.com/hard-drives/toshiba-usb-2-0/4505-3186_7-32431241.html, I'm ok with since I'll be reading more than writing. I also noticed Toshiba's warning, that it might need the power adapter for some computers so I made sure with the store that I could return it if I do have to buy a power adapter, not something I want to do.

I plugged the device on my PowerMac -- detected it just like a usb flash drive. Transferred some files, a few megs, successful. I unplugged it, plugged it into the Win system, detected it and I could open the files from my Mac. The transfer process from the Windows to the Mac was successful also. I went to the computer lab at work, plugged it into a few more systems, iMacs and other Windows (all Windows are XP Pro) towers and it worked. I tried it with the laptop, Dell Inspiron and Latitude and everything was great. I don't have a fancy tool to measure but the transfer rate was about a Gig a minute. Which I think isn't as fast as others but this big (over 2 gig -- when testing I transferred 47 gigs of homemade video tutorials) tranfer is problem something that I'd do a few times here and there and not something I'd be waiting on. So this alone, using it between two platforms, is worth the $$.

Aesthetically, the HD is nice looking. It's not shiny like the WD I was looking at so I don't have to see my fingerprints all over it or see the scratches like on the iPod. I wouldn't mind though if this was red like the SimpleTech one but then I didn't want to fork out $139 for a color. I'd most likely get a case since I'll be moving it around and I am not the most graceful person. There is a blue light when the HD is plugged in and ready to go. It's quite nice I think.

I didn't use the software to help me back up my whole system or reformat it before use. It came with Fat32 and that's what I need. If I only need it for the Windows system I'd reformat it to NTFS but no need. I'll be using it to store photos, web developing stuff, and my digital scrapbooking kits. When I travel, I always take my laptop with me. Having this gives me another place to store photos, in case something happens to the laptop or one or the other gets stolen. I'll be taking it to scrap booking nights/crops. Really this is why I need this little thing to digiscrap outside the house.

Hopefully this will last me a while. I'll be back if something happens and report.

I bought this Ext drive to go with my Toshiba A75 Laptop. I didn't buy it because it was a Toshiba! Honest! I bought it because it was inexpensive and it would store a lot of digital photos. I've had it about a week and a half.

It's quiet, and doesn't get hot. It is quite small, maybe 3 X 6 inches wide and deep and very light. There is a blue LED light on the front of the case that lights when it is recieving power which blinks brighter when accessing the drive.

It has a socket to accomodate an external power supply but it didn't come with one. I believe the HDDR200E01X did. So if you want an external power supply, you will need to buy the older, slightly more expensive version or buy a power supply on your own. To be fair though, I've never felt it was underpowered by relying on the USB port for power.

The OEMed software is a generic and adequate backup title. Nothing special, but it gets the job done. I installed it, played with it a bit and uninstalled it as I don't really need something like that.

Data transfer seems quite speedy thru a USB 2.0 port, at least it doesn't seem to slow down my graphics software any (Lightroom, ACDSee V8.0, and Photoshop elements V5). On the whole, I'm quite satisfied with it.

UPDATE 3/2/08 My wife bought a new Dell laptop and I used the Toshiba Ext HD to transfer her files from her old machine to the new one. That nice BIG HD made the transfer a breeze! I know, that's nothing unique to this particular drive, but it sure made my job easier!.

UPDATE 4/9/2008 Don't pay more than $100 US for this device. It's a great product, but it isn't worth more than that!

So far so good. I just plugged it in and the icon came up on the desktop and all I had to do was drag the things I wanted to backup to it and it worked. Great.
I looked at the software and decided that I didn't need it.
It all seems real simple.

This ext. hd is really good. Worked well for me from the get go. Experienced absolutely no problem when connected to a 10 yo Toshiba laptop (downloaded and uploaded quickly and accurately). The same with a new HP laptop and a Compaq desktop. Have no intention of using the back-up feature though so can't comment on that. Although it was accidentally dropped onto a hard surface from a distance of about 5 inches it functions flawlessly still. That's proof enough for me.

Well designed portable hard drive, transfer file quickly
low noise with clear blue light that tells you it is working.
I bought 2 from these hard drives and i will buy another one soon, i strongly recommend it.

I just received it in the mail today. So far, I've copied over 40 gigs to it and it has worked perfectly. The best part for me is that it is both Windows Vista and XP compatible, because I have a Vista Desktop that has a built in TV Tuner and recorder on it, so that way I can record my favorite tv shows on my desktop, and then watch them on my Windows XP laptop when I'm on vacation or at a friends house. Depending on your computer, transfer speed will vary. My older laptop transfers at about 1 gig a minute, while my new desktop transfers at almost 2 gigs a minute. A great product so far, I highly advise picking this one up over the others.

This drive worked beautifully right out of the box. I don't use the back-up software because I already use a different back-up software, but it has worked great both for backing up my hard drive and saving files in general. I like the size, the seemingly high quality construction, and the simple way it works. In fact, I plan to buy another one.

I held my breath and ordered this after a Maxtor external HD inexplicably died on me. After the funeral, I ordered this. Setup and installation was a breeze. So far -- so good. No problems. I use this for backup of files from my hard drive, along with an on-line backup service -- sort of a belt and suspenders approach. The Toshiba is very light and compact for the storage space it delivers.

[Knock on wood] but the product so far -- after two weeks -- seems great. Excellent for backup storage or for portability of files.

I've never had a problem with Toshiba products which is why I purchased this drive. Unfortunately it is junk. I'm using rubber bands to hold it together. I would secure it permanently but I need access in order to realign the drive so I can plug in the interface cord. Very poor quality. I see now why it is unavailable.

I got this mainly for video files. Periodically, it begins to make weird grinding noises and will then cause my computer to freeze. I can't transfer many or large files at once because then it freezes. Occasionally it makes a beep noise. However, there isn't anything in the literature to explain what that might mean.

I frequently have it plugged into my Xbox. Once I hear it start to make the grinding noises I know that it's only a matter of minutes until it shuts down. Then, it will be fine for a month and I will be lulled into laziness.

I have contacted Toshiba and am waiting to hear their reply. In the meantime, I have ordered a new iOmega 500GB .