The File Speed Demon.
Pros:
Inexpensive, holds a LOT of files, really fast transfer rates.
Cons:
The jumper sticker on drive is shipped upside down *doh!*
The Bottom Line:
Great drives! I really enjoy using them, and they're quite easy to install.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The Seagate Barracuda is absolutely amazing! I've been using them for years (I currently own a few different Barracuda sizes, from 80GB up to 200GB). I was originally introduced to the Barracuda many years ago by a friend, and I've been a satisfied user ever since.
Product specifications:
This Seagate Barracuda comes with 120 GB of space, which is more then any average user could fill in a few years. The hard drive runs at an incredible speed of 7200 RPM, and it has 8 MB of temporary cache (which really makes this drive "feel" like its reading fast).
This model will install into most IBM computers that have an available 3.5" hard drive bay (all newer computers will accept this hard drive, and most older computers [depending on whether the computers BIOS was upgraded to a semi-recent version, and some older computers IDE controller simply won't handle the power].
Problems with installation's or upgrades:
The only problem I encountered was when I tried to slave this drive to work in conjunction with another master Barracuda.
The actual sticker on the hard drive that specifies the jumper settings needed to make the drive a "master" or a "slave" comes from the factory UPSIDE DOWN. So the odd's are that your going to get it set with the wrong (jumper) settings the first 5 out of 5 times. (It took me a few minutes to realize why my hard drive [that has a full install of Windows XP] is telling me that I have no operating system!)
When I finally removed the jumper and moved it to the complete opposite jumper setting, it booted up, and has been working ever since.
Other installation notes:
There is a one time install (CD included) which makes this drive immediately usable.
Maintancing the Barracuda
Most people don't know it, but these drives do require a little software maintance every now and then. This is achieved by running a simple program (included with all computers running MS-DOS or a Windows based operating system) called scandisk, and another called Win Defragment.
Scandisk will help to search for errors and lost clusters on your hard drive, and then it will attempt to repair or delete any if found.
Defragment simply takes every single amount of used space on your hard drive, and organizes it into an alphabetical order. This makes searching for things a little faster. (always run after Scandisk because errors can't be fixed once they are Defragmented [it will embed them forever!])
Final notes:
Aside from a small 5 - 10 minute set back with the installation; because of an upside down sticker, its a great hard drive.
The Seagate company seems to run a lot of mail-in rebate specials, so its not hard to also find a great deal on one of these great hard drives!
