Simple but effective
Written: May 27 '04 (Updated May 27 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Compact, easy to use, no formatting if you have an existing drive, just plugin/use.
Cons: Tight case (though necessary) and issues if not enough power or other devices in use.
The Bottom Line: This would get a full 5-star if not for the issue with other devices being in use. This happened on multiple machines so it wasn't a fluke. Otherwise, great product!
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| sidraw1's Full Review: Meritline (197-018-001) IDE / EIDE, USB 2.0 Extern... |
I had the misfortune of needing to make a copy of some files from a hard drive before I sent a dead laptop back to the company for repair. Indications were that the repair could take up to three weeks and I needed a few files off of it so I could work on them in the meantime.
Enter the Meritline Drive Case. This very compact aluminum case was just what I needed. The size is barely 7/16" x 2 7/8" x 4 3/4" and most of that is open space where you put the drive. But, this simple case allowed me to insert my laptop's 2.5" 60gb drive and attach it to another machine via a provided USB cable and copy whatever files I wanted from it.
In the Box: You get a mini-disc with drivers, the case, and a USB cable. That's it, but that's all you need, and I didn't even need the drivers.
Putting it together: The case is simply two halves that you enclose the hard drive in after you have connected it to the small bit of circuit board at the front. It is not obvious at first which way the hard drive goes in, but I normally put it in so that the label is up, and that was the case here. If you weren't sure, you'd know pretty soon as you tried to slide the drive's jumpers into the circuit board receptacle. Then it becomes obvious that there is only one way that it can go in.
You may have to work a bit to get the drive to slip into the case, it's a pretty tight fit. Getting it out can be a chore, too. There is a small strip of heavy duty flexible plastic that comes with it...leave that little strip in and put the drive on top of it...the strip will then hang out on both sides after it's closed (this will become obvious when you actually have one in hand) That strip will allow you to separate the two shells and remove the drive.
The cable that comes with it has _two_ USB plugs, plus the one that goes into the case (it is obvious which one goes into the case) The one at the far end goes into your computer's USB port, the other one can go into another port to provide extra power to the drive. The case has no power source of it's own and gets its juice solely from the USB. I like that, no extra power cords to carry around.
Some cautions on use: The first time I plugged it in, I had a portable 250gb USB drive plugged into another port. The 2.5" drive I had just taken out of my laptop and was trying to retrieve data started up but then started making plonking sounds every 1-2 seconds, sort of like the old drives used to make when they were shot. When I removed the 250gb drive, the noise stopped and my computer immediately recognized the drive and I was good to go.
If you place a new drive into it and use that, you will have to set it up for your system, the disc helps at this stage.
Aside from emergency retrieval of files, I'm going to get another just to use as auxillary storage for my laptop (when it comes back!) In the 2.5" form factor, you can now get at least an 80gb drive and for the small footprint of this drive case and the very low price, it's well worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sidraw1
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Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 1 member
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