Vantec Nexstar SATA 2.5IN/3.5IN Hard Drive Docking Station USB2.0 eSATA

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I have three of these and two have quit after less than 2 dozen drive insertions. It appears that the SATA connector inside the enclosure stops making a good connection. So the price is low but you get what you pay for - I've gone back to normal external drive enclosures.

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Had problems with my 1.5tb but stayed connected for days on anything 1tb or smaller. Nice design. On&off button is firm.

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This thing is like a drive toaster. I have mine configured as an eSATA drive and now I can use 1TB hard drives like they were CD's. One must take care in handling raw drives. Don't touch the circuit board and it would be a good idea if vendors started covering that part of the drive like Seagate used to do on it's old IDE U10. Since my mother board allows me to boot from it, I can run about any OS I want. It's also a great product for archiving video or music stock.

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I use mine mainly for backup. Performs well under XP. I've had problems removing the drive;ie the system fails to recognize the drive when i reinsert, so I just leave the drive inplace. most likely a system problem than the unit. I have a 640 GB drive so it won't be full for a while.

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Worked like a charm. Just pop the drive in and off you go. I'm using the eSATA port and it's super fast. I did have a little confusion when I first inserted the drive. System wouldn't recognize it. Make sure the power is OFF on the unit before inserting the drive, then turn it on. Otheriwse, works as advertised.

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The power button is a bit too easy to press, and binds a little, as does the flap (hence the notch out of the quality rating). USB performance is a little slower than my most comparable fixed external--though it's hard to say if that's the unit's fault, as USB is spastic at its highest speeds anyway. (I haven't tried the SATA interface yet.) All tolled, though, this unit is great; it's reliable, and convenient, and is serving me well!

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I have bought two of these recently for my brother's small business. He works in graphic design and sign creation and his software produces huge files. Copying the files across his network was painfully slow to his two systems using the ripping software. I installed the eSata on each of them and added 1TB drives and now his productivity is much, much faster. These drives also provide a sense of security as they are backups for his systems and he can grab them at a moments notice and take offsite. My only disappointment was not getting a 1.5TB drive to work with it. However, 1TB is pretty big and will meet his needs. I will definitely buy another when needed!

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The product works as it's supposed to be, but there are times that Windows does not recognize the device, even after turning it on and off. I had to wiggle the USB a bit in order for Windows to recognize it. Now I haven't got any damages to this thing yet, unlike how other people say that the door already broke...they haven't heard of "gentle touch" and I bet they just push it in like it was a video cassette. I bought a second one, and that doesn't have the USB issue like the one I have.

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Works well with PC. One of the few units that work with a Directv DVR. You have to be sure to order the one with the ESATA outlet. It records most shows but not the premium pay channels. This is due to some code or something on the hard drive, it's no fault of Vantec. Directv DVR will record premium channels to the internal drive. I use a WD 1 TB drive. Good product. Very handy for swapping data or checking out extra drives.

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All the reviewers are right on! Even has a motherboard adapter to put in the pc for ease of hookup! All cables are included! Best of all, it works exactly as described! Windows XP knows exactly how to instantly install. If there is anything wrong with this unit I'm not aware! Perfection in a good looking package.

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Very nice looking unit, white and shiny. I was impressed that it came with the eSATA adapter port and all the cables! (that is, if you don't have an eSATA port on your desktop but the motherboard has an available SATA prot, then you're set. Another nice touch is the eject button to get the hard drive out. Most other brands don't have that.

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With more than 10 Hard Drives, I personally own 4 of these (1 for a Mediagate 350HD, 1 for a Western Digital HDTV and 2 for my PC). I have recommended this to my friends and they are all very pleased with it. Usually I wait when it is on sale for 29.99 to buy, what makes it an excellent buy. Instead of more than 10 enclosures (more than 200, 300 Dollars), I just need 1 of this (30, 40 Dollars)

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This device works great. I have taken drive housings apart to switch drives so many times I wouldn't like to count. You can take out your old internal drive and update it, but keep the old drive for backup. The price per GB is now less than CDs or DVDs and a lot less hassle. Magnetic storage may be a less reliable than optical but it is much easier to transfer data to another drive periodically than it is to feed in a 100 DVDs. I would suggest the firewire version for Mac users because you can boot from it.

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Are you tired of chaning drives everytime you want to access a different Hard Drive?? These docks are the answer!! I just built my first Home Theater PC and for those, you NEED one!! I am "archiving" a lot of my DVD's to digital Hard Drive access. These docks are perfect for that!! Just insert the hard drive, turn it on, and away you go!! (I HIGHLY recommend the Western Digital Carviar Green Hard Drives. They are whisper quiet and fast!!) Plus, the dock comes with the eSATA port and cable for your MB/Case, which is usually extra $$ right there!!

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The Dock is working as expected. I was using already a different dock with IDE systems, and this one is even better. It allows me to work with two systems on one computer: one private and personal that I never connect to the net, and the other for the net, where I don't need to be paranoid about viruses and malware. This dock allows me to switch quickly and without hassle.

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for the price.. Looks good and works great.. NO TROUBLE.. I noticed some dust buildup on top and inside as well.. An old bandana covers it up, and dust no more..

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This product is not good, it's EXCELLENT. I use this device to read hard drives that a computer can no longer boot with or just to back up data, music, movies, etc. I don't believe this device would fry a hard drive. Only someone with a poor technical skill would say something like that. Don't hesitate to buy it because if you do, you'll be missing a fantastic product and deal.

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Install and Access Hard Drive in Seconds Simple to Use Design; No Need to Add Enclosure or Open Case Eject Button for Easy Removal of Hard Drive Compatible With Any 2.5"" or 3.5"" SATA I/II Hard Drive Add Storage to Any System with USB or eSATA Plug & Play Attractive Blue LED Power & HD Activity Light Transfer Rates Upto 480Mbps w/USB 2.0 Transfer Rates Upto 3Gb/s w/SATA

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I purchased this device to help quickly clone OS X system drives for both my Macbook and my Mac Pro. The device worked flawlessly for both the 2.5 and 3.5 drives. I averaged 38 Mb/s over eSata, and 15 Mb/s over USB 2.0. The device works flawlessly with OS X. The 2.5 drive opening is a tad too large, but otherwise, the device is solid.

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Wish have something to close the bay when no HD in the slot to protect from dust. The speed is the same as internal serial ata harddrive so no complain. I use that because I have more than 1 HD. Ideal for backup.

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I use this product to back up both my Toshiba and Sony notebooks, plus my wife's Toshiba notebook. What a welcome relief to use a docking station instead of a hard drive case. I was getting tired of taking a HD case apart and then switching drives and putting it back together again. The speed of this product is excellent when using the Esata port and a Vantec Esata ExpressCard. Not, all my notebooks have an Esata port, hense the need for a Esata Vantec Express card. Both Vantec docking station and Express card works well together. The speed is awesome, and well worth the money spent.

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Bought one of these about 6 months ago - give this turkey a miss - the second time I turned it on it fried the hard drive. Put a meter on the power supply and it was putting out way more voltage than rated, so I'm pretty sure it was the poor quality made in China power supply. Fortunately both were new and on the same invoice, and Tiger to their credit took them back and gave me a full refund.

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I got this sucker for $36 and cant really complain, besides the stability of it, as in the tipping factor. Used primarily as a caddy for my 6th hard drive, since my mobo only has 5 internal and might as well get the most of the E-SATA. Fairly simple. Currently a Hitachi 1TB drive occupied it. Ummm, also cant stand that blue light, why blue on everything now? Even in my car.

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As for me I don't like seening items back to any company I buy or order from, thats more money you put into that item, faulty defected pice came with this unit, power supply unit, setup the Vantec Nexstar HD Dock to my computer and put the new 3.5 WD 160gb SATA hard drive into it that I also bought from TigerDirect a few days earlier, when I turn it on it ran about fifteen second and went off, the power unit went to blinking like ever second, on/off on/off, unplug the power supply for a little while and plug it back up...the same thing again. I order this unit from TigerDirect.com on March,6 and it got here in five days by UPS delivery, TigerDirect price is great, Unit Cost 39.99 and Sales Tax 3.24 plus P & H 7.99 now you know what this thing cost me 51.22 total, and that don't encluding the HD I bought.

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This is a nice looking HDD docking station that allows you to literally snap-in a drive and use it without any installation like other conventional HDD enclosures. However, i think the build quality could improve a bit. The power button feels very loose and the overall product is very plasticy. Also one of the rubber pads fell off and now there is some vibration when the drive spins.