ClickFree Auto Backup 160GB Portable Multi PC Hard Drive

[Snoopy]

Hi Shopperfan welcome

 

[~*~Lexxy~*~]

i'll add myself to the list of being very interested (but a litle confused! ). i nearly ordered it last night but decided to do a bit of research before i took the plunge (hmmm, is that the effect of the credit crunch i wonder? i'd barely blink at something under £100 previously...).

it really is the ease of this that grabs me. i understand about the other cheaper drives you can buy & get the software for, but i know darn well i'd end up being too lazy & probably not using it!

do these backup programmes do the same as the clickfree - only grabs any updated bits at the end of the day? (i'd be worried i'd end up with stuff all over the place if i were doing it myself & this seems to put it all together).

 

[deanos]

Anyboody who has Vista it already has the software built in, go start and type in backup and hit enter , im sure XP has this too but havent used that for so long i cant quite remember

Lexy i beleive any software will just update new files written

 

[Jan]

Hello Deanos,

Thank you for all your guidance and advice on this matter.

Would a non TSV external hard drive be suitable for use on more than one PC, i.e. my husbands, my own and our daughters computer?

Thank You.

 

[deanos]

Yes it would be fine, just create folders on the hard drive and name them eg, ME, Hubby, Kids and just save the files in there respective folder on the hard drive

 

[QVC Princess]

Deanos - thanks for the advice re backup already on PC's. I'm running Vista Home Premiumn and have back up on my laptop - just checked after you said its called NTI Backup NOW!! 4.7(thats how it is printed), can you advise me - Do i backup onto CD/DVD?(i have this option),what kind of discs would i use? sorry but as you can read i'm a complete novice on this subject so any help is appreciated. Thanks Linda

 

[deanos]

OK if you type in up backup and dont press enter you will see backup and restore centre at the top thats the built in one , it then asks you if you want to save on external drive or DVD etc, just follow the instructions,you can choose what you want to save etc,

If you are using NTI backup i think it can take a image of your whole pc and totally restore it inc. vista etc ive not used it so not sure.

I would backup on a good brand DVD disk ,Verbatim are regarded as some of the best you can buy, a little bit more expensive than other brands but worth it in the long run.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000BEZYLA/?tag=shoppingcom03-21

 

[sheepdog]

Technically it's not actually backing it up. All it is doing is going through your hard drive and copying the photos, docs etc onto the external drive which then is classed as a remote copy. Seems to be a custom bit of linux linked to usb to go (er digressing a bit). Main problem is that it doesn't seem to be able to pick up files that I want saving - non-standard ones. The big advantage is that it is literally plug and do nothing plus it can be used to copy your files from other pc's.

As Deanos & Snoopy have said, you can get cheaper alternatives with a little more work. Some of these software packages allow you to take an image of the hard drive which then would allow you to restore onto a new drive without losing everything i.e. Windows and all the programs. The TSV does not and the software the boys have mentioned isn't that much more complicated.

For comparison, you can build your own version with the following:
Seagate ST9160821AS 160GB SATA 2.5" Hard Drive £38.02
Sumvision USB2.0 Black Caddy for 2.5 SATA Hard Drives £5.99
Acronis True Image 11 Backup software £20.56 (single machine only)
totalling £64.57
All from ebuyer, delivery is free if you wait a few days.

This is only one backup solution - you should also do a DVD copy too and keep them cool and safe and redo them every year as DVD's can degrade.

If you must know, I have the DIY method on a 3.5" drive. Ideally I want a RAID version but that takes a little more planning and funding!

 

[Jan]

Mr. Sheepdog, Sir, could you buy an external hard drive plus the software in your post and do the imaging?

Thank You.

 

[~*~Lexxy~*~]

very interesting info, thanks guys!

 

[deanos]

Yes you could Jan, alot come with software included

 

[sheepdog]

Mr. Sheepdog, Sir, could you buy an external hard drive plus the software in your post and do the imaging?

Thank You.

yep any external drive will do with the right software - as Deanos said all along!

 

[KIMMY]

I was trying to comapre ones with the same size, a 500gb tiny one is only £49.99 with 3yar warranty and it looks like it does the same thing with auto backup

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147108

That looks good but you have to plug it in don't you? I want one that works off the USB alone.

 

[KIMMY]

A lot of the so called back up offers that give you click free or one touch back up, or software to do this, are cheaper.. The difference is that you need to set them up and know how to do this. For the techy its no problem but for the non techy, often, its a non-starter. The one touch back up systems actually need about 30 steps to be registered before they work, depending on brand.

Drag and drop is simple but you need to know where to drag and where to drop.

The TSV from click free is a plug it in and it does it, simple, way to back up.

There is nothing else out there that works the same as far as I can see..

If you know what you are doing and want bigger hard drives then I agree with what has been said, this is not for you...

thank you Shopperfan that is all I need to know

 

[sheepdog]

That looks good but you have to plug it in don't you? I want one that works off the USB alone.

Rule of thumb: portable = USB power, desktop = mains power
portable uses 2.5" drives as in laptops
desktop use 3.5" drives as in desktops and these are cheaper to buy

 

[KIMMY]

Rule of thumb: portable = USB power, desktop = mains power
portable uses 2.5" drives as in laptops
desktop use 3.5" drives as in desktops and these are cheaper to buy

I can still use the TSV on my desktop can't I?

 

[loujareth]

Bit late on this but Aldi were selling one last week, obviously not click free but 3 year warrenty included. 750GB (amazing size) for 89.99! Gives you chance to compare the 'value' of the TSV.

 

[sheepdog]

I can still use the TSV on my desktop can't I?

Yes - they use the same drives but in a case. The cases themselves contain a small circuit board that allows to be used via usb. The TSV containing a 2.5" laptop drive, takes all its power from the USB port as the hard drive has a low power requirement. The larger 3.5" desktop drives require 7v-12v and current that the usb port doesn't provide enough hence you get a power brick and its not that portable.

Oh and anything you can connect to a laptop you can connect to a desktop, if you know what to look for!

 

[JillzzZ]

No probably not D but it's idiot proof which is right up my street and I think it's pretty....... :RUNAWAY: PC:

I agree .. looks great & have gone for one also, wish it was pink tho!!

 

[KIMMY]

Yes - they use the same drives but in a case. The cases themselves contain a small circuit board that allows to be used via usb. The TSV containing a 2.5" laptop drive, takes all its power from the USB port as the hard drive has a low power requirement. The larger 3.5" desktop drives require 7v-12v and current that the usb port doesn't provide enough hence you get a power brick and its not that portable.

Oh and anything you can connect to a laptop you can connect to a desktop, if you know what to look for!

Thanks Sheepdog