Solo Drive and Reformatting

The ioSafe Solo hard drive comes out of the box with NTFS formatting. For the Mac world, users might want to reformat. If the external hard drive is formatted FAT32, both Macs and PCs can read the drive, however there is a limitation to the max file size - limited to 3 GBs

ioSafe Solo and a Windows Home Media Server

The ioSafe Solo external USB hard drives offer great value per gigabyte when compared to regular brands of disk drives. Fire and flood protection are a vital element to any backup, storage and recovery plan, now for little more than the cost of a regular external backup device you can get priceless fire and flood insurance for your digital family photo albums and business data

The following is an excerpt from Home Server Hacks and Microsoft MVP Donavon West

Creating a WHS disaster recovery plan

How can you effectively use the ioSafe Solo as part of your Windows Home Server disaster recovery plan? As far as I see it there are two approaches that you can take:
Plan A

With this approach, you build a system comprised of a standard SATA system drive and use two or more ioSafe USB drives for data storage. With data duplication turned on, you will have all of your files (minus re-creatable system files) stored on disaster proof drives. If you ever experienced a fire, the WHS would be destroyed (you can rebuild that), but all of your data will be secure.

Once the ioSafe drives are back (you need to send the charred remains back to ioSafe to be recovered), simply plug them in, rebuild the system drive using the system recovery DVD and you are back in business my man!

Plan A is more costly (requiring multiply ioSafe drives) but provides complete protection for all of your data. Note that because you entire system (minus the system drive) is running on USB connected drives, the data throughput speed will not be as snappy as on internal SATA systems.
Plan B

The other less costly approach is to build up a standard system utilizing standard drives, like the one you probably have right now. Power Pack 1 introduced a feature that will let you backup certain high value shares to an external hard drive. Plan B would make that external hard drive a fireproof/waterproof ioSafe Solo drive.

READ MORE...

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Click here for the full story of ioSafe hard drives vs. Online Backup

File Serving with the ioSafe Solo - USB to FTP

Excerpt taken from
Serving your External Hard Drive

I just wanted to add a short tutorial for those of you who think that having your files accessible no matter where you are is an interesting alternative to carrying around that scratched and battered jump drive. Actually, mine has crapped out more than a few times and can have problems being mounted on older computers and PCs. Yeah, I'm a Mac guy...

So, my ioSafe Solo rugged hard drive is what I use as backup for all of my important home files, designs, posters, photos, music, etc. All the stuff that pays the bills. So, it must remain on and connected to my LAN (local area network) anyway. I figured I'd just open the LAN up to the world and serve my stuff wherever I need to work; meaning essentially I can transfer files from my backup drive to whatever office(s) or domicile(s) I will be located during the course of a day and vice versa. Intriguing, eh?

Read more...

ioSafe Solo Reviews

More and more business owners, professional photographers and music producers are finding the ioSafe Solo external hard drive to be a top performer for data backup and storage.

This ioSafe review was posted today by an independent graphic designer and music producer.

Apple Time Machine Backup to ioSafe Solo

Every Mac user can thank Apple for developing the Time Machine backup software. Generally speaking, setting up backup software can be quite complex when it comes to the PC world. However, Time Machine has made data backup and recovery simple and elegant.

There are several hard drive manufacturers that bundle their external drives (USB and Firewire connectivity) with Windows-based backup software and/or have built in "one-touch" or "push button backup" solutions. This type of backup process still requires some experience and knowledge for setup so that a scheduled backup process work as required (incremental, full, or file-change backup). On the other hand, Apple Time Machine, makes set-up and configuration smooth as silk. The process is nearly automatic (even my mom can set it up). When a new hard drive is connected, Apple Time Machine brings up a prompt asking whether or not the drive will be used for data backups. Keep in mind that if your external hard drive is formatted for Windows (FAT32 or NTFS), you will have to reformat the disk before Time Machine will be able to use it for backup.

Time Machine will keeps daily backups for the last month, and maintains as many weekly backups as will fit on the chosen backup drive. All that said, the ioSafe Solo works flawlessly with Apple Time Machine backup software. You'll be able to setup automated backups into a fireproof and waterproof rugged hard drive for little more than the cost of any regular hard drive.

How to Make a USB External Hard Drive into NAS

Have you ever wondered how you can use your external hard drive as Network Attached Storage (NAS)? The process really isn't that complex and with a few pieces and parts you can easily backup to a 'brand new' NAS device (or pseudo-NAS device:)

One of the easiest ways of connecting USB hard drives, external drives or a thumb drive to the network is with Belkin's N+ Wireless ADSL2+ Modem-Router. With this simple plug and play device you can store and share media content, photos, digital music and video files from the USB hard drive to every computer on the network. The N+ router is based on the draft 802.11n 2.0 technology which provides the wireless range to easily cover a large home or office

Another easy way to make your USB hard drive into a NAS is with the LinkSys Dual-N Band Wireless Router. This award winning USB to NAS router has been touted by PC Advisor as a Best Buy and by Laptop Magazine as Editors Choice. This Cisco/LinkSys router is made for for speed and optimized for media. Music, movies, gaming: whatever you’re into, Dual-N Band Wireless Router delivers double the bandwidth and media-optimized performance so you can enjoy it more smoothly, with less lag, all around your home. Easy to use and setup, this router also includes a Mac computer setup wizard.

When you take a look at a USB desktop drive versus the NAS storage there are pros and cons to each type of storage. However with the addition of network wireless router you can easily make the conversion and not hurt your wallet too much.

ioSafe Unveils the ioSafe Solo - World's First 1.5TB External Hard Drive That Protects Against Data Loss From the Risks of Fires and Floods

Hard Drive Comparison

Compared to Western Digital My Book and Seagate, Lacie or Buffalo External Hard Drives, the ioSafe Solo Sets a New Benchmark in Improving Data Protection.

Starting at $149, the Affordable ioSafe Solo Improves Risks for Disk Backup Disaster Recovery Solutions.

AUBURN, Calif., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- ioSafe Inc., the technology solution vendor in disaster-proof hardware technologies and devices, introduced the ioSafe Solo, the world's first 1.5TB external hard drive with integrated ioSafe disaster protection technologies. Optimized to be a low cost external hard drive backup solution and improve the risks associated with data loss, the ioSafe Solo was introduced last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The fireproof and waterproof device capabilities were tested and compared versus unprotected hard drives and gathered extensive glowing reviews from attendees. During the demonstration, the pros and cons of disaster proof external hard drives versus non-disaster protected hard drives such as the Seagate FreeAgent or Western Digital My Book were compared.

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Finally an affordable hard drive with fireproof and waterproof protection will be available to the average consumer. Let's look at the pros and cons here...

PROS

When I run out of storage I am going to go to Best Buy or Fry's to buy a new hard drive. When I take a look at the choices available to me I can go for the red anodized drive, the desktop drive with blinking lights or choose the fireproof/flood proof hard drive. Common sense tells me that for the few extra dollars, the ioSafe Solo USB drive is worth the money. After all, it does have a 7200 RPM Seagate or WD drive inside so I know it is going to be reliable from the manufacturer.

CONS

It's not a portable, but ioSafe isn't selling me a portable drive, they are selling me insurance and peace of mind in a desktop storage device. Maybe they will start building a portable rugged version in the future?!?!?

When I step back and take a close look at hard drive storage another factor enters the equation and that is fire insurance. Each and every month I kindly pay my premium to State Farm to ensure that I get back my furniture and personal belongings. However, my insurance policy will never be able to recover my data from a fire. The question to ask now is how much would you pay to get back your digital family photo album. It's priceless, the cost of the Solo is $149.

Compare ioSafe Solo to other Hard Drive Brands

ioSafe has just released their new desktop storage device, the ioSafe Solo - it's a USB 2.0 disk drive that is both fireproof and waterproof. With 500Gb starting at $149.99 it's time to take a comparison of other hard drive manufacturers and see which one offers the best value for the buck.

Storage Capacity
Yesterday I stopped by Fry's electronics and went straight to the hard drives section to see what the big box store was pushing at 500GB and the price range. A standard hard drive (5400 rpm) cost between $119 and $179...the only bells and whistles I could find were pretty lights, cool packaging materials and the occassional 'push button' backup feature (definitely a plus).

The ioSafe Solo at the 500GB range is a 7200 rpm drive and gives me fire and flood protection. Will the fire happen? It's possible. Flood? much more likely in our neck of the woods. Will my primary computer drive crash? Eventually, yes, so I better be backing up my data, digital photos , videos and music.

What about RAID?
Well, the Solo doesn't offer you RAID to protect you from disk failure, but ioSafe already solved that with their internal hard drive called the Pilot and Squadron series...these are 3.5" internal hard drives that you can put inside ANY storage array or server to get your RAID. The price is comparable and if you're the DIY type, then build your next RAID Array with fireproof/waterproof disk drives...why wouldn't you?

What's the Point of all this?
Simply put, it's this...if I am in need of an external hard drive and I go out looking for one, it's a no brainer to spend the extra $10 bucks for fireproof and waterproof (plus the added $1,000 no questions asked one-time data recovery service). No brainer.

DVR Hard Drives

Data Storage and Recovery of Digital Video
Today's DVR surveillance devices offer a wide range of features and methods for backup and archiving digital video. From compressed MPEG-4 video stored on hard drives to DVD writers/burners. Many of today's systems also have USB ports to connect external hard drives for data backup.

What would happen if your DVR was lost in a fire disaster?
Recovering data after a fire disaster is no easy task and this valuable digital video could be required by your insurance company to verify inventory, etc. Today there are options to ensure data integrity by using fireproof dvr hard drives or fireproof external USB storage devices. For little more than the cost of a standard hard drive you can ensure complete security and recovery of your data, mitigating any security risks that arise.

By hardening your existing DVR or CCTV systems you'll rest easy that your loss prevention measures stand up to the test.

How to use a USB hard drive as a NAS device

Any external USB drive can be used as a network storage appliance. There are several advantages with regards to sharing on multiple computer workstations but there are many sacrifices in access speeds for reading and writing data that can make the USB drive difficult to use. Reading and writing speeds averaged between 10 - 13 Mbps. Patience is the key.

Linksys makes the NSLU2 which runs Linux. There are two USB 2.0 ports, and a wired ethernet port so that you can run two devices on your network. Simply load the installation CD and you'll be up and running in a matter of minutes.

The NSLU2 comes standard with a one-year warranty AND the Linksys Web site is full of support material, drivers, updates, and firmware.

My office used this Linksys device with our ioSafe fireproof USB external drive and had some great success for backing up data. We have since upgraded to a NAS appliance and no longer have the need for the Linksys device.

Hybrid Hard Drives

Many businesses need a backup hard drive that combines ease of use with data recovery features in one single "hybrid" product. ioSafe hardware delivers you the best in hybrid hard drive technology combining fire safe protection with waterproof and flood proof design, ensuring your data can be recovered no matter how simple or severe the disaster might be.

Using the best in standard hard drives from Seagate(R) technologies, ioSafe combines enterprise class 7200 rpm hard drives inside a fireproof safe with FloSAFE air cooled technology. This allows for the best reliability from the industry standard in hard drive engineering and technology.

The Importance of Air Cooling
The topic of air cooling of computer servers and hard drives probably doesn't need to beat into the ground more than it already has been...however there is still much education that needs to be done with respect to operating temperatures during normal day to day activities in the server room or closet.

The bottom line is, heat is the number one enemy of hard drives. Reliability is of the greatest importance when it comes to recovering data. With that said, choose a fireproof hard drive that allows for proper cooling of the hard drives and electronics, yet still maintains superior fire and flood protection.

USB RAID Drive from ioSafe Hardware

ioSafe has just released their new USB RAID backup device called the S2. Capacities for this USB Hard Disk system is up to 2TB with a RAID 0/1. The storage capacity is far greater than your traditional external drive from the retail store shelf. In todays business world external drives are a necessary part of the modern office and easier to maintain than CD or DVD backup. Keep in mind that you can easily replace tape backup drives (LTO, DLT, VXG, 4mm) with an ioSafe system and become more efficient while saving money.

The USB external drive features two removable hard drives that are also lockable for physical data security. If a hard drive fails on the unit an audible alarm will sound to notify you that a disk needs replaced. As with all ioSafe hardware you get a data storage device that is fireproof and waterproof like an aircraft black box. One of the most dynamic features of this USB RAID device is that it has airflow cooling (a key differentiator from similar products) to ensure true business class reliability.

Other standard features are a 3 year warranty and $5,000 per disk data recovery service. Getting an extra $10,000 insurance policy for your digital data is certainly priceless. It's been said before... 'You can be replaced, your data cannot.'

For more information visit http://www.hddfiresafe.com

Waterproof Hard drive

Preventing Data Loss from Flood, Sprinkler Systems and Fire Hoses
Protecting your business computer systems from water or flood is just as important in business continuity planning as is protecting from fire. As over 90% of fires have water present, data loss from these elements can have a profound effect on business resumption.

A waterproof hard drive is the best hardware to ensure data recovery after sustaining water damage. Backup hardware that has been tested rigorously for protection during flood and complete submersion conditions makes the most sense as you plan your data backup and recovery strategy.

Water Protection Data Backup Strategy
ioSafe USB fire safe hard drives as well as the R4 Network attached storage SATA drives are encapsulated in a waterproof barrier capable of direct immersion in freshwater or saltwater up to 30 feet. When installing backup and recovery hardware in basements, low lying areas or flood zones, having this extra level of waterproof protection is well worth the investment.

Even during a fire situation, the ioSafe hard drives and data backup hardware will protect your data during and after the blaze has been extinguished. The unique engineering of ioSafe hardware makes these products truly unique and special for all aspects of business continuity and disaster recovery.

Fire Safe USB Hard Drives

Sentry Group has recently teamed up with Maxtor to develop their own version of a fire resistant and waterproof USB hard drive. This truly validates the market on many levels for other manufacturers of similar storage devices.

This new product by Sentry Group comes in at a very attractive price for the consumer level use. With storage capacity limited at 160GB the product won't be sufficient for business and enterprise use, however it is great to see that other safe manufacturers understand the value and support further development of the market.

The full press release can be found here:
http://www.sentrysafe.com/content/news.aspx