Iomega eGo Helium external portable hard drive

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Level 1

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Iomega eGo Helium external portable hard drive

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase a new hard drive to run Time Machine on. I had a SeaGate FreeAgent that just won't work properly no matter what I do, even after reformatting and partitioning.

I'm looking at the eGo Helium 500GB because it gets great reviews and sounds like the hardware inside is high quality.

I just want to know if it is ok to keep it plugged in all the time, always backing up with Time Machine. I power down occasionally, like when I go out of town, but otherwise my computer stays on and sleeps when it needs to. Can this hard drive handle that, and what happens to it when my computer falls asleep?

Thanks.

Intel-based iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Jul 20, 2009 3:40 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Jul 20, 2009 4:05 PM in response to aksdesign

The people to ask is Iomega.

Personally, I think you are better off rolling your own:

Although you can buy a complete FireWire drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review. Good sources for drives include:

OWC
NewEgg
Buy.com

Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;

Cool Drives
OWC
WiebeTech
Firewire Direct
California Drives
NewEgg

All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

By rolling your own you can pick the hard drive model best suited for your needs and save paying a manufacturer for putting the drive in a case you could have purchased yourself. Companies that sell complete systems do not usually use the best drive rather they use the cheapest drive.

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Answer 2

aksdesign Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 21, 2009 7:19 AM in response to Kappy

That's an interesting solution I didn't expect. Thanks for all those links, I will look into them.

I'm also looking into online backup, which would cost us $10 a month for two iMacs, but seems like a worry-free option.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Jul 21, 2009 3:34 PM in response to aksdesign

First consider that online backup becomes expensive over time and is a continuing cost. Second, it isn't worry-free if you don't have an Internet connection available or no longer can connect to the Internet because your computer won't boot up. Nor are you protected against problems with the online storage service - their servers can go down, disk drives could crash losing data, etc.

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