HP StorageWorks DAT 72 External Tape Drive 36 GB 72 GB

Advantages: Up and running in under a minute
Disadvantages: Not the fastest, (but then what do you expect)

...That's the manufacturers claim for this industry first product and it's true. Just plug in the drive to an available USB port, install the drivers and software and your away, it could not be easier. The HP family of DAT (DDS) drives is now in to it's 5th generation, and the reliability and performance has grown with each new model. The big disadvantage of the previous offerings was the need to invest in costly SCSI cards and cables, but this fabulous product very cleverly brings an industry standard product in to the reach of the serious home user and small business user. If you have ever suffered a system crash and lost critical or valuable data, you will know the heart sinking feeling of realising you've lost everything, and that sense of "Why didn't I back it up?"...... Well no more excuses, not only does this drive provide a simple... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Quiet, Compact and Reliable
Disadvantages: Occasional difficulty initialising tapes

...Have only been using this drive for 3-4 weeks but it has proved invaluable. The 12GB native capacity is more than adequate for most data backup needs. I, personally, backup data files rather than system files which uses much less storage. System backups are not the most reliable and inevitably need a re-install anyway. The drive is, generally, very quiet although it does occassionally make a nasty rattling, from the tape itself, when winding/rewinding halts. Speed of backup is acceptable I normally backup about 2GB is less than an hour. I have not had occasion to restore files yet but do not anticipate any problems. The HP SureStore is a well-established and well-respected brand. The 4mm DDS tapes are very compact and easy to store and label, allowing simple library organisation. For larger capacity backups the drive supports compression... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: decent pc, good RAM
Disadvantages: none

...The HP dx2300 has a 1.8ghz processor and has two 512mb memory chips which makes the overall RAM over 1gb with a possible expansion up to 4gb. The hard drive is a decent size as well as it has 80gb of space. The operating system is windows xp which is ok but won't be able to keep up with vista soon! It also comes with a one year warranty. The HP dx2300 is an ideal business class desktop that is full-featured and value-priced. Featuring the power of an Intel processor and ample RAM, the dx2300 gives you all the strength you need to power through the toughest applications. A large hard drive gives you ample room to store all your important files. The micro tower also gives you excellent expandability in a compact form factor. As your business grows, the HP dx2300 will grow with you. The price ranges from £300 to £600.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful