Anna
Sat Apr 19 07:35:52 PDT 2008
> "RJK" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:evyJcuMoIHA.4024@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Sorry for possibly OT:'ing again but, it takes sooooo long trawling
>> around for hardware on websites and reviews, and there's bound to be kind
>> soul in here who knows all about hard-disk caddy's / removable hard-disk
>> bays.
(SNIP)
>> Lian-Li removeable IDE hd-bay/hd caddies are quite expensive when I
>> last spotted them on a site somewhere, a long time ago, and I don't know
>> if they make SATA ones nowadays, ...I guess they do. ...and I don't want
>> the cheaper plastic ones for obvious reasons, so does anyone know for
>> half-decent quality hd bays and caddies ?
>> TIA
>> regards, Richard
>> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>> news:uuLCgdQoIHA.552@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> Richard:
>>> I'll just address my comments to that portion of your query re removable
>>> hard drives, i.e., mobile racks.
>>>
>>> We have been using removable hard drives for a considerable number of
>>> >>> and we strongly recommend their use in desktop PCs whenever one or
>>> ??>>> more available 5 1/4" bays are available. I assume you're
>>> generally familiar with their use so I won't go into their enormous
>>> advantages here. >>> Suffice to say that once you begin working with
>>> removable hard drives >>> your only regret is that you didn't employ
>>> them sooner.
>>>
>>> We've used and/or had experience with a wide variety of the mobile
>>> racks/removable trays (caddies) over the years from the relatively cheap
>>> plastic models to the more expensive all-aluminum ones. By & large
>>> they've all pretty much proven to be day-in day-out reliable. Frankly it
>>> didn't seem to matter much whether these mobile racks cost $10 or $75.
>>> They all seemed to do the job reliably.
>>>
>>> In recent years the computer shop I was formerly associated with used
>>> the >>> Lian Li models for PATA HDDs - particularly the RH-32 or RH-42
>>> models (both) all-aluminum). They performed very well. I recall we had
>>> >>> ordered the > RH-42 > models in bulk @ $20. I suppose they're more
>>> >>> costly nowadays. Lian Li also manufactures mobile racks designed
>>> for >>> SATA HDDs so if you're interested in all-aluminum models you may
>>> >>> want to look into those models.
>>>
>>> For nearly the past two years we've been using (and recommending) the
>>> Athena MR-125 mobile rack for SATA HDDs. It's an all-plastic model
>>> (available in beige and black) but has proven very reliable. Sells for
>>> only about $20 at newegg - see
>>>
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?tem=N82E16817123302
>>>
>>> One of features we like about this rack is that it doesn't have a
>>> keylock like most mobile racks. A simple lever device makes it simple to
>>> insert or remove the removable tray without a key. We find this feature
>>> most agreeable. The Athena also has a bottom-mounted 80 mm fan that's
>>> whisper-quiet, another nice feature. So you may want to look into this
>>> rack even if it is all plastic.
>>>
>>> There are, of course, many many mobile racks to choose from. Newegg
>>> carries quite a few. You may also want to undertake a Google search to
>>> peruse the various models.
>>>
>>> But one way or another go that route if you can. You'll never regret it.
>>> Anna
>> "smlunatick" <yveslec@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:c98996e0-73a7-486e-b662-cf6f0b07bc6d@a22g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
>> Hard drive caddies are just not useful for any Windows XP boot drive.
>> XP's Product Activation is the core problem. PA always check the boot
>> drive configuration and if there are significant changes, PA
>> determine the XP as not Genuine. I had been using caddies with
>> Windows prior to XP and would recommend these for "developing"
>> systrem. Microsoft's Product Activation has cause this to not be an
>> option. Since PA is checking the configuration every time, then you
>> would probably need ONE XP per disk caddy.
>>
>> Using caddies for additional drives can still be done (??)
> "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
>> Richard (and others who may be interested):
>> Contrary to the comments & advice given by "smlunatick" above, removable
>> hard drives (mobile racks containing removable trays/caddies) >> are an
>> extroardinary useful hardware arrangement for most desktop PCs.
>>
>> The enormous flexibility - not to say peace-of-mind one gains from this
>> hardware configuration cannot be overestimated. Merely recommending >>
>> these devices only for "developing" systems (whatever that means!)
>> borders >> on the absurd.
>>
>> Just one example relative to the above comments concerning the XP Product
>> Activation process...
>>
>> There is absolutely no problem involving product activation issues when,
>> for example, a user would clone the contents of his or her internal (or
>> removable) system/boot HDD to a removable HDD. The removable HDD >> as
>> the recipient of the clone would be bootable and functional in all
>> respects without the requirement of further product activation.
>>
>> If anyone is interested I can provide details re the installation of
>> removable HDDs and their advantages in some detail. Bear in mind that
>> these devices are designed for desktop PCs - not laptops/notebooks.
>> Anna
"RJK" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e4H9WfgoIHA.3804@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Thanks Anna,
>
> As I just explained to R. McCarty, I have tried frequently imaging my main
> boot-drive, in case changes to my Windows platform, or an application
> installation became responsible for "slowing" the machine down but, there
> never seems time to do the necessary checks and "digging," ...benchmark
> tests etc. to make sure that recent changes, or an app. install for
> example, has not excessively "slowed" it down.
> ...And indeed, there never seems to be an approriate time to restore one
> of thosee Ghost images !!
>
> This is why, during the past few months, I've been feeling an increasing
> urge to rearrange the innards of my PC slightly so that I can pull out my
> main working boot-drive, now and again, and bung in a new drive which can
> > be "built up" in a much more methodical fashion.
>
> Thanks for the Lian-Li removable drive bay part No's. ...I tried plastic
> ones in the past and was never very happy with them, I think I'll plump
> for the Lian-Li ones.
>
> regards, Richard
Richard:
We've been working with removable hard drives for about the past 10 years
and during that time we've worked with dozens of different makes & models of
those devices installed in hundreds of different PC desktop systems. As I've
previously indicated by & large we've found these removable HDDs in their
mobile racks to be most reliable. Our preference has been, wherever
possible, to install *two* removable HDDs in one's desktop PC for the added
flexibility this hardware arrangement yields, but having just one removable
HDD (in addition to an internal HDD) also works just fine.
So perhaps you just ran into a bit of bad luck with the models you
previously used. As I've indicated, for about the past two years or so we've
been working nearly exclusively with mobile racks designed for SATA HDDs -
particularly the Athena model I mentioned above - and even though it's an
all-plastic device it's worked most reliably. We've installed dozens of them
in various machines. We also worked for a short time with the Athena model
designed for PATA HDDs and found that model similarly reliable.
Lian Li, of course, is noted for their quality products and as I mentioned
we have worked with various models of their mobile rack line designed for
PATA HDDs. Just one thing you might want to consider. Check out the length
of the rack to ensure that there won't be any problem in terms of the rack
butting up against your motherboard. Some of the Lian Li racks are quite
long as compared with other racks primarily because a small fan is attached
to the far end of the rack (at least with some of their models that we
used). Depending upon the depth of your computer case this could be a
problem because of the motherboard's placement in the desktop case.
Anna