The reason I am doing informal testing is that every config is different and your results will vary. A 600MB file took about 2 minutes (plus/minus 30 or so seconds). During informal tests conducted at home and at school, the unit transfers very fast on USB 2.0. It runs at 7200 RPMs, so if there is any heat problems, I'd know it. You can partition your drive however you want.įor testing, I threw in my 20GB IBM Deathstar. Basically it is like adding a controller card to your computer, just externally. The drive appears as another hard drive, and the controller as another IDE controller. Both detected the controller, then the drive. I am running Win2k SP4 on my computers, and my parents are running XP. If you do happen to need drivers, you'll need to use the included install CD. If you are running Win2k SP3 or higher, or XP, you don't need drivers. Installation was easy on all of my computers. There are a total of 12 screws that must be installed in the unit, then the sides cover up the ugly screws.

The entire enclosure is made of Aluminum to dissipate heat. The unit and the USB cable are nice and silvery. Each of the ports are labelled, so you don't get screwed up. A moron can do it, hell, even Larry can do it! (Take that Larry ) That's all that you need to operate the device. The AC plug, the USB cable plug, and the on/off switch. On the back of the controller you'll see three things.

It flashes blue when there is activity on the hard drive. Just above the IDE cable on the controller is the port for the LED indicator on the front of the enclosure. There is enough space to not have a tough time installing the cables on the drive. You get a single IDE cable connection and a single molex connection. The rest of the stuff is all fluff basically. In essence, you only need this, power and the USB cord to operate a hard drive. Let's get to the meat and potatoes of the thing. Included: An install CD, the controller interface, the screws, and the back plate. When you actually get inside the enclosure, there are more parts. You get the hard drive enclosure, the two side plates, a hard drive rack (plastic holder thing), The USB 2 cable, the AC cable and adapter, and a manual. You get more, but we'll get to the rest later. Taking a hard drive with you on the go used to be a daunting task of removable drive bays, but now we have USB 2.0, and the Bytecc External Hard Drive Enclosure.

But flash memory only goes so far, magnetic storage still reigns supreme as the high storage capacity medium. Today we have a range of sizes and shapes for your personal needs. Gone are the days of the floppy and the crude and small 1.44MB size limitation. With all the new USB flash drives and memory card readers, external storage has never been easier.

Bytecc usb to ide