Customer Rating:  
Summary: Easy to set up and use
Comment: I bought this HDD about a year ago and have faced no problems.
Pros
+ Easy to set up on Windows
+ Good read-write speed
Cons
- I have not figured out a way to access it both on a PC and Mac simultaneously.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Still Working After a Year
Comment: I received the Seagate Agent 250GB last year as a gift, and after all this time, it hasn't failed me, still working fast and efficiently, and has caused me no trouble at all. I've been using this hard drive as a backup for all my important files, photos of my family, and other documents I would be upset about losing. I don't have a huge media gallery, so 250GB works well for me, although at this point, I would actually get the 500GB and up versions, as they are now fairly close in price. Either way, I highly recommend this hard drive.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Seagate FreeAgent: deceptively simple, amazingly reliable.
Comment: I bought this Seagate FreeAgent Desktop 250 GB 3.5" USB 2.0 External Hard Drive here on Amazon.com a year ago this week for my own personal use to back up my aging HP Pavilion a210n Desktop PC after having used this and other Seagate FreeAgent models as a backup solution for some clients' computers. Had read a number of reviews, both positive and negative, before using this model on my clients' and my own system, and haven't once regretted the decision to go with these units.
Opening the box and setting up this FreeAgent drive was deceptively simple... in fact I kept wondering if something had been left out of the box because it was so minimal. The carton contained the FreeAgent Desktop drive, an AC power adapter and a quick start guide, along with a USB 2.0 cable. Followed the overly simple quick start guide, plugged everything in. Went online to register the drive with Seagate and check to see if there were any software updates available or needed. Also downloaded the manual as a .pdf file, which was helpful
Used the Seagate FreeAgent Software to back up the files on my computer on an automated nightly basis for quite awhile, and the only time that it skipped a beat was during times that I had been fiddling with a number of USB devices at the same time. The software has an indicator that shows red when a good backup didn't occur, so it was simple to just right-click the indicator and perform a manual backup.
A few months ago, switched to Windows Live OneCare 2.0, which contains its own backup software, along with being a complete security solution. This has proven to be very effective and quite gentle on the system resources, working well in the background. This has automated the backup tasks on both my desktop system and my notebook computer.
Have had occasion this year to set up backup solutions for clients and friends using the Seagate FreeAgent 500 GB 3.5-Inch USB 2.0 Hard Drive and the even higher capacity Seagate Freeagent Desktop 1 TB 3.5-Inch USB 2.0 External Hard Drive onto systems running Windows XP and Vista. Also hooked it up to one Mac running Mac OS X, after doing some tweaks. In each case, the installation went flawlwessly. Should also note that an installation of a well-designed Western Digital 500 GB My Book Essential 2.0 - USB 2.0 External Hard Drive went easily on another system running Windows XP, and it's done very well.
In conclusion must note that backup devices have come a long way in the last five years in terms of ease-of-installation and reliability. Any of these Seagate FreeAgent models are excellent devices that work boringly well, as any backup devices should.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works Great for Me
Comment: I have this hard drive connected to my Mac Mini for automatic back-up using Time Machine. Set up was easy, and didn't require any special knowledge of electronic set-up. This unit has been on for over a year, and I've had no problems with it -- not a glitch. I don't shut it down, but instead leave it on all the time.
For hard drive, set up and reliability are paramount. I've had no issues whatever with this unit, even when I disconnect it from my main computer and use it to back up my laptop. I recommend the Seagate without reservations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Comment: Probably the Amazon purchase I regret the most. YOU CAN TRUST THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS!! I wish I had.
I have only had this drive since January. It was easy to install, easy to move files, etc. About a month ago, the drive started malfunctioning. My computer wouldn't recognize it, and it stopped connecting to my computer. Mind you, I have so much of my data stored on this thing. A few days ago, it just stopped working all together. Before, it was like it worked for ten minutes, then shut off, and back and forth like that.
On Saturday, I discovered that the USB port was broken and floating around inside the drive. I called Seagate TEN MINUTES AGO and found out from one guy that I had two options: 1.there may be a chance that only the part can be fixed, and 2.data recovery. The data recovery costs $1700 to 2000. Yes, you read that right. Now, look at the price Amazon sells this for. I paid only $86 for it. Why would I send this back, only to NOT get a direct quote from them, and have them pretty much hold my device hostage? Do you see the difference btwn price and how much it costs to fix it? I nearly blew my top. And all the representative could say was "I understand."
I've learned my lesson. Be careful with this brand. I am going to try to get a friend to fix it or help me get my data off, but if he can't do it, I have lost so many documents, family photos, projects, etc.
|
