FWIW, I have a Seagate external HD.  It started chattering, was still under warranty and they exchanged it w/ no questions.  Paid $20 for express shipping, but that was it.  New one still quiet as a mouse.

Ralph



> On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 1:04 PM, Betti Ann and Preston
> Smith<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Good Afternoon!
> >
> > My backup hard drive, an external Samsung, is operating intermittently -
> > power is dying and kicking back in - both in and out of the case. =A0So i=
> t is
> > time to look for an alternative
> >
> > First question - what is the pecking order of Hard Drives? =A0I seem to g=
> et
> > the impression that Hitachis are best followed by Western Digital, Seagat=
> e -
> > I have no idea where Samsung's, Fujisto and Maxtor stand. =A0Or at the en=
> d of
> > the day, are they all sorta kinda the same?
> >
> > I use my Back up drive to back up the data from my Desktop, to transfer t=
> hat
> > same data to my laptop, and to backup my laptop. =A0Synchtoy 2 keeps it a=
> ll
> > synchronized nicely and only Microsoft's inability to maintain standard d=
> ata
> > sub-folders between Vista and Xp causes a problem. =A0I suppose Windows 7=
>  will
> > have a new set of 'standard' folders. =A0Except for my annual 4 month
> > migration to southern climates the external drive sits on my desk. =A0Whe=
> n I
> > travel I wrap in layers of towelling and carry it in a dedicated laptop b=
> ag
> >
> > With the above lead in, my second question is what are your thoughts on
> > which is the better alternative - an external desktop drive, a portable h=
> ard
> > drive or one or more internal drives plugged into a hard drive porting
> > device?
> >
> > Thanks for any info you might provide that will help me make a better
> > decision.
> >
> > Preston
> 

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