Product Description

Why just carry your files with you? Along with all those glorious gigabytes, FreeAgent Go software lets you carry lots of great programs and all your browser favorites and passwords without having to haul around your computer. Now any PC can temporarily become your PC. And not to worry, your FreeAgent Go data mover saves all of your private information on itself, not on the computer you're using. It also provides strong file encryption to protect your content and lets you sync your files from several PCs. It even includes a five-year limited warranty.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7054 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Seagate
• Model: ST901603FGA1E1-RK
• Platform: Windows
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .70" h x 4.80" w x 3.90" l, .40 pounds
• Hard Disk: 160GB

Features

• Vast capacity with a footprint no bigger than a stapler
• Transfer files quickly with USB 2.0
• Backup CDs, DVDs or store files and programs for on-the-go
• 160 glorious gigabytes of storage

Amazon.com Product Description
If you find yourself working from multiple computers but needing constant access to your own software, e-mail and digital files, the Seagate Free Agent Go Portable Hard Drive is for you. More than a simple portable back-up and storage solution, the Seagate Free Agent Go lets you take your favorite software, Web browser, IM client and contacts, email, cookies, and personalization settings wherever you go--safely and securely. Not only does this portable hard drive synchronize your data with just about any computer you want to work from, more importantly it features the latest encryption software to protect your content, leaving no trace of your last session on the borrowed computer. With the Seagate Free Agent Go, you have the best of all worlds--a convenient portable back-up solution and a virtual desktop in a pocket-size package.

Powerful storage device with a sleek new design.

Compact size makes it great for on-the-go travel.

Take your favorite music, photos, or programs with you anywhere you go.

It’s all about having your desktop environment and latest files with you - when and where you need them. Designed for mobility, the sleek compact design easily fits into your shirt pocket, briefcase or backpack. We provide the USB cable that’s not only the interface connection, but the power source – no additional power cords are needed. And the unique espresso brown finish with molten amber illumination is just icing on the cake.

High-Speed Synchronization and Security
Whether you have vital company data or personal files and programs that you need to access, the Seagate Free Agent Go protects your most valuable information via drive-level encryption that provides a more robust solution than most software encryption on the market today. Delivering high-end protection against unauthorized use with encryption for sensitive files, this device keeps your data safe while you're on the go.

And not to worry, your Free Agent Go portable hard drive saves all of your private information on itself, not on the computer you’re using. That means there’s no trace of your last session to tempt the next person on a borrowed computer. It also provides strong file encryption to protect your content, and lets you sync your files from several PCs.

With the Seagate Free Agent Go, virtually any computer can temporarily become yours. The software/drive combination allows you to move files or other content quickly via USB 2.0, allowing transfer rate of up to 480 MB/sec for USB. The drive's high-performance spindle speed of 5400 RPM gives you the high-speed performance you need to back your data up quickly and safely. The sleek and slim design of this hard drive--only 0.7 x 3.9 x 4.8-inches (H x D x W)--and a weight of less than four pounds means that you can carry practically your entire desktop with you as you make your rounds from computer to computer.

The Free Agent Go software and drive is formatted to work out of the box with Windows operating systems--including Vista, Windows XP and Windows 2000--but the drive can easily be made Mac-ready in a few minutes with Mac OS X's Disk Utility. The unit features a sophisticated touch point power on/off switch. Plug in the USB 2.0 cable to a PC and your personal desktop environment launches automatically. To help eliminate even the slightest bit of worry, we’ve included technical support and a five-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Free Agent Go portable drive, Free Agent software (preloaded) and electronic documentation, USB 2.0 cable, and a quick start guide.

Customer Reviews

Robust and reliable
I got one of the first units, and use it every day now for 1 month (around 2 connect/disconnect per day). It DOES NOT require 2 USB ports, the second USB connector is provided for use only if you plug it into a data only USB port (for example non powered USB hub, some ports in some laptops). When using standard port, use thicker cable (data + power), leave another not connected, this is how I use it. This is common solution, not unique to this model or this brand. Yes, it is NOT housed in an aluminum case, and the top of the housing would flex when you press it hard with your finger. This is perfectly valid engineering solution. Next time you are on a plane observe the wings -- are they flexing? Is it any indication how solid the plane is? I carry a leather wallet and plastic cased Seagate Free Agent Go, both flex a bit, none breaks. If additional pre-loaded software is not what you need, delete it. Easy. Try free PortableApps.com, other portable solutions, or none.

The drive is practically noiseless, goes to sleep mode (disk stops spinning) after preset time (many external drives spin continuously which shortens their life), read/write is very fast. Side orange light very nice and functional. The drive is using new perpendicular magnetic recording to provide higher capacity in physically smaller drive (strangely I could not confirm this as I failed to find Seagate technical data for FreeAgent series). 5 years warranty is great. I would prefer to see a short USB cable integrated with a case and an additional cable extension, but this is small detail. Overall this is excellent product.

The Road Warrior's Best Friend
I travel in excess of 150 days a year and do more than 100 presentations a year. I've been stranded, bumped and booted on just about every continent. I've not had PC access for a number of reasons or been forced to use a promoter's PC.

This drive takes care of all those problems. Well, all except the airline issues, but it does make them more bearable.

This drive is slightly larger than a BlackBerry, thinner than a deck of cards and a massive 160 gigs. It is lightening fast and the software that comes with it is phenomenal. At first I was unsure about the software, but the first time I plugged it into a presenters computer and had my desktop available to me along with all my programs, all my data, everything I needed, I was hooked. When I plugged it into a hotel PC I was converted.

If you travel or even if you just want a powerful backup between home and office, this drive is the best external portable I've owned and I've owned them all in the past few years.

The only thing that I found a little odd was a separate USB power connector that was for power only. You really don't need it, it seems redundant.

I can't recommend this drive enough. I just bought one for a collegue who is a much a road warrior as I am as a gift and he is thrilled with it as well.

I strongly recommend this drive.
Dave Lakhani
Author
Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want and
Power of An Hour: Business and Life Mastery in One Hour A Week

Does too much automatically
If you avoid installing Ceedo and only use this disk's software to do data backups, which is what I bought this USB 2.5 disk for, there is a big problem.

The problem is that the software prevents you from permanently deleting most file types from your system. Once the Seagate software sees a file and copies it to the external disk it will keep restoring it to your computer each time you refresh your backup.

For example if you rearrange your documents into named folders you will soon discover you have the files both as originally organized and as new folders with their own copies.

Seagate discards no photos it has backed up. You can weed all you like but the backup disk still contains the weeds. To preserve the benefit of your weeding you may want to immediately rename the folder. Then Seagate will have your photos stored twice under the two folder names. The old folder with the weeds will reappear on your next backup. If you don't rename the folder, then the weeds will reappear just where you deleted them.

Seagate's help file say it will cover how to "Select your own folders and configure your own sync rules." That hints at having once considered letting you set up rules like "only copy files to the Seagate on `Synchronize' but do not copy files back to the computer."

However all Seagate actually delivered is an "ask me" function. Being asked, file by file about every file you want to back up and then about every file you ever deleted in the past is no fun. The "yes to all" and "no to all" buttons don't help because first you are asked about every individual file to be copied to the Seagate, then you are asked about every file you ever deleted. "Yes to all" doesn't stop until both phases have completed.

Besides Seagate sometimes ignores your "ask me" and just restores all the deleted files.

The only simple way I have found to get past this problem is to go onto the backup drive and delete the no-longer desired files or the whole folder which contains undesired files.

I found it very difficult to safely use the software that is the distinguishing feature of this USB 2.5 disk, at least not for the simple backup purpose I wanted.

The disks themselves are fine. I have both a 120 and a 160 as I didn't immediately notice the backwash of old data.