This 8.4-gigabyte portable hard drive is darn easy to install -- probably why MicroSolutions did not feel the need to burden consumers with a lot of documentation. The two-page documentation promises -- and delivers -- five-minute installation. Just plug in the parallel cord to your computer and the hard drive and you are off. Computers with PC Card capability can utilize the Backpack PC Card that accompanies the unit. Put the installation disk in the drive, run the setup program, reboot the computer and you've got yourself a new hard drive (no screwdriver, no opening your computer case). But more documentation would have been welcome. Troubleshooting guides on the company Web site demonstrate plenty of specifics that allow for tailoring the product to any user's needs. It would be nice not to have to log on the Net for this information. In addition, most people who plunk down hundreds of dollars for a product want more than five easy steps to installation. You will pay dearly for the convenience and portability offered by Backpack. The unit will set you back $295 ($445 Canadian), not a great price for storage considering 10 GB internal hard drives can be found for less than $200 ($300 Canadian). But the utility is fantastic. How many times have you wanted to transport business or personal software or graphic files only to have it not fit on a floppy disk or even, on occasion, a zip disk. And a zip disk, though a fine storage option, is slow to use, operating more like a floppy drive than a hard drive. Backpack operates at competitive speeds, negligibly slower than an installed internal. The size and durability of this unit erases any concern about lugging it around. If you are constantly on the move, if you regularly transport very big files, if you share data regularly between two computers but are not set up on an intranet, this hard drive is a real time saver. Reviewer's rating: 4.5 / 5 Comments: MicroSolutions Backpack 8.4 GB portable hard drive is perfect for the mobile computer user who has to transport big files. Only shoddy documentation holds back a perfect score. System Requirements: Standard IBM-compatible parallel port or PC Card slot More info: http://www.micro-solutions.com Price: $295 US, $445 Canadian
|
Copyright © Cyberwalker Media Inc. 2002 |
|||||||||||||||||||
Adding RAM is easy, 