At 11:27 PM 4/23/1998 Roxanne Pierce wrote:
>
>. . . [W]hat criteria one should use for choosing a hard drive today. . .
>. . .  -- what should [consumers] be basing their purchase upon?


Quality  --   as in manufacturer (consumer drives, generally:
        WDC and Quantum, then Maxtor, then Seagate)
Comfort level with manufacturer --  longevity, documentation,
        support issues  (Remember Conner, Kalok, Miniscribe,
        Microscience, Rodime?)
Interface  -- SCSI, EIDE, PIO modes, whatever required
Size  --  more than enough for future needs
Value  --  best price point
Access time -- 10 ms or better
Latency  --  RPM of the drive, higher the better.
Model -- New models are better, when proven and debugged
Technology -- the flattest/lightest platters, recording media type
        (but don't climb out onto the bleeding edge)

HTH.

John Chin