Desktop Computer Review: Iomega HDD 250 GB USB 2.0 External Desktop Hard Drive (33089) Review

I have the FireWire&USB version of this HDD250 drive, so you may want to check whether this variant has the same problem as that one:It's wonderous that drives are available in this capacity at this price.BUT ... this small little unit is the noisiest object in my office, which also has three computers, printers, monitors, etc., but the worst aspect of that is that it has NO POWER SWITCH.Yup, that's right.The only way to get this baby to shut up is to pull the power plug.Crawling around on the floor to get to the power strip isn't very convenient, so it's more natural to pull the plug on the back of the unit, which is a small circular jack, with a barely visible indicator to tell which end is up, and that indicator faces down, towards the desk surface.Pokin' and proddin' to get the thing back in doesn't suggest that this is going to have a long lifetime.With such hearty competition among manufacturers, why bother?Most others offer a POWER SWITCH.
**** Update as of March 2005:Good news, bad news.The unit started to get flaky, first not permitting use of the FireWire port, and then not responding on the USB ports, either.I feared the worst, a crashed hard drive.But a trip to the local independent computer store, which does great repair work, found that the problem was in the case electronics, and not the drive itself.Yea!They replaced the IOMega housing with a MacAlly case.Sure, it cost money.But now I have a solid, reliable drive.Best of all, it's whisper quiet -- I have to struggle to hear it!And, wonder of wonders, it has a power switch!Great drive, once we got rid of anything IOmega had to do with it!

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Product Description:
Save more with Iomega External Hard Drive 250GB Hi-Speed USB 2.0! 9, 250 hours of music, 375 hours of digital video, or 1 million photos. Includes Iomega Automatic Backup software for a back-up and storage solution that is versatile and easy to use. It is fast at 7200 RPM and easy with preformatted set up.