Product Description

Toshiba’s Portable External Hard Drives make computer backup simple. Our drives take the complexity out of backing up your computer data by providing easy-to-use backup software for both Windows and Mac users. Powered by USB 2.0, you can take your files just about anywhere. Just one click and you’re on your way to creating a digital safety net to help protect your files. With Toshiba’s Portable External Hard Drives, you’ll enjoy mobile storage space for even the largest digital libraries. Our 500GB1 Drive is capable of storing up to 142,000 digital photos, or 131,000 digital music files, or 410 downloaded digital movies. Toshiba’s Portable External Hard Drives work with both Mac and PC computers and include software that makes backing up your computer simple. Note: The part number (P/N) that appears on the packaging is used to identify all the items in the box, including the hard drive (which has its own distinct model number), color, software, cable, user guide, etc. This number is used for ordering purposes. The model number that appears on the bottom of the hard drive is used to register the device with regulatory agencies (UL, FCC, etc) and identifies a specific mechanical and electrical design.

Product Details

• Size: 500 GB
• Brand: Toshiba
• Model: HDDR500E04XL
• Original language: English, French
• Dimensions: 5.00" h x .65" w x 3.20" l, .6 pounds
• Hard Disk: 500GB

Features

• Capable of storing up to 142,000 digital photos, or 131,000 digital music files, or 410 downloaded digital movies
• Complete System Backup and Recovery for Windows Users.”
• Password-protected data encryption
• Internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology helps protect the drive
• USB Powered for portability

Customer Reviews

I love Tosh drives
I have half a dozen Toshiba portable drives and some of them have served me well for several years. They are reliable and fast -- with the 500GB portable drive I get about 20MB/s read and write speeds (tested on two recent HP laptops, one with Intel and the other with AMD both running Vista), which is half of USB 2.0 high-speed's theoretical max throughput. The drives can be used with the PS3 and Macs out-of-box, but for best results with XP/Vista/Win7 you can convert it to NTFS without reformatting or losing existing data via a DOS command: convert g: /fs:ntfs [where g: is the drive letter, or you can use a volume name like "tosh_500g" if your drive is already named tosh_500g].

Because this drive (like other portable drives) does not use a separate power line -- it draws power directly from the USB port -- your computer must have a powered USB port to use this. Almost all recent desktops and laptops have this feature, but if you experience any problem, it may be due to an insufficiently powered USB port (or USB hub), so try another port or another computer.

In addition to being a fast 5,400RPM drive, this Toshiba includes some valuable features:

- Backup software that backs up system files in addition to regular files and folders (great for system recovery!)
- Password-protect your data through encryption
- Drive space alert lets you know when free space is running low
- Toshiba's famous shock-absorbing technology, also used in iPods.

BTW, this drive is also a great value because at present a 320GB Seagate portable drive costs over [...], plus tax.

Great product!
This hard drive is great! I had a previous clunker that took up a lot of space. The Toshiba 500 GB easily plugs into a USB port and doesn't require an additional power source. It is very small and easily fits into my computer bag. I recommend this hard drive for anyone looking for a way to store a lot of material and not take up a lot of space.

500Gb Toshiba External Drive w Caselogic
I was looking for a good portable external hard-drive for sometime (only online and not only at Amazon.com). Eventually, I basically slimmed my options down to wanting a Toshiba. User specs seemed about the best to me and recommendations were all good. I found different variations from various sellers. Amazon had the latest and newest version, which appears to be the one I am writing the review for, at a lesser price than what the other vendors were selling out-dated-models of 500Gd Toshiba hard-drives for. That I liked. Be careful not to buy the old models from on-line sellers, they usually do not specify between the older models and the latest released models. Service was very prompt too, and shipping was handled well.

I really don't know a lot about hard drives, space, or even computers. The drive itself works well. The instillation process was confusing if one does not understand the difference or benefits between using the drive as a FAT32 or NTFS. Even without formatting it to NTFS apparently it still can be used FAT32 on Windows. Sometimes when I plug unrelated external storage units into my computer, like my 1Gb Flash disk, the BackUp Now EZ software attempts to use them to backup my computer. Maybe, their is an easy way to make the software function only with the external storage units that I select, that I simply have not yet discovered.

I purchased the Caselogic brand hard-drive case that Amazon recommend along with the drive. The drive does fit with some extra room. The small elastic type material strap inside the case keeps the drive from moving. After looking at the drive I am happy I bought a case. I would recommend that anyone who does travel, to get a case for it.

I consider it a good investment made and money well spent.