Ximeta NDU10-80 80 GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive
- Capacity: 80 GB
- Interface: USB
- Enclosure: External
- Spindle Speed: 7200 RPM
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Good product, but tricky install
Pros
Solid performer that can solve storage and network problems.
Cons
Install may be a little tricky for a novice user.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Since the Ximeta NetDisk can be connected directly to a LAN via its Ethernet port, you can have an instant "server" without requiring a dedicated PC.
With digital photography and mp3 becoming increasingly popular, the problem of where to store all this media becomes more pressing. Also, more and more people are installing Local Area Networks at home to take advantage of sharing broadband Internet connections, as well as their stored video and music files.
An elegant solution presents itself in the Ximeta NetDisk. It comes with different sized hard drives (in this review, the 80 gig version), but the principal behind them are the same: you can use it as a portable external USB drive, or connect it directly to your network hub to act as an instant server. It is this latter use that I will concentration upon.
For most users, the installation of a NetDisk will be "plug and play". The basic process is: connect the Ximeta to either a single PC via its USB port, or to your network hub if you want to share it with others on your network. Run the install software on each computer and use the NetDisk Administrator to configure each PC. It is very compact and runs cool and silent.
Once installed, NetDisk is seen by each computer as a local drive. There is no IP configuration to do. That in itself is reason to recommend this to the average PC user with a home LAN. However, I feel I should point out that I did have some installation issues to solve before it worked completely as advertized.
When I ran the setup disk on each PC, the installation proceeded smoothly on 2, but encountered a problem with the 3rd. Although it installed, the drive letter for the disk didn't appear in My Computer. Fortunately, I know a little more than the average user about installation issues, so I went to the Windows control panel, then to Administrative Tools, then Computer Management, and finally to Disk Management. The installation had assigned a drive letter to an optical drive already in use. I changed the drive letter to "S:" (to denote "Server"), rebooted, and the problem was solved.
I experimented with the 3 PCs and started having lock-up problems. The Ximeta is supposed to be multi-user friendly with the capacity for simultaneous read/write access. It wasn't. Again, after analysis, I discovered that the install routine didn't install the proper version of the multi-user driver. A quick visit to the Ximeta download site gave me the latest version of the multi-user driver. That install worked without problems, and all 3 PCs were able to do simultaneous read/write to the drive.
After a few days, I decided to move the Ximeta closer to the hub. Turning it off and physically moving it, for some unknown reason, caused problems...requiring the removal and re-install of the driver. However, since that time, there have been no further incidents.
So, do I recommend it? Yes. Is it "plug and play"? Somewhat. However, once it is installed and running properly, it is a great product.
An elegant solution presents itself in the Ximeta NetDisk. It comes with different sized hard drives (in this review, the 80 gig version), but the principal behind them are the same: you can use it as a portable external USB drive, or connect it directly to your network hub to act as an instant server. It is this latter use that I will concentration upon.
For most users, the installation of a NetDisk will be "plug and play". The basic process is: connect the Ximeta to either a single PC via its USB port, or to your network hub if you want to share it with others on your network. Run the install software on each computer and use the NetDisk Administrator to configure each PC. It is very compact and runs cool and silent.
Once installed, NetDisk is seen by each computer as a local drive. There is no IP configuration to do. That in itself is reason to recommend this to the average PC user with a home LAN. However, I feel I should point out that I did have some installation issues to solve before it worked completely as advertized.
When I ran the setup disk on each PC, the installation proceeded smoothly on 2, but encountered a problem with the 3rd. Although it installed, the drive letter for the disk didn't appear in My Computer. Fortunately, I know a little more than the average user about installation issues, so I went to the Windows control panel, then to Administrative Tools, then Computer Management, and finally to Disk Management. The installation had assigned a drive letter to an optical drive already in use. I changed the drive letter to "S:" (to denote "Server"), rebooted, and the problem was solved.
I experimented with the 3 PCs and started having lock-up problems. The Ximeta is supposed to be multi-user friendly with the capacity for simultaneous read/write access. It wasn't. Again, after analysis, I discovered that the install routine didn't install the proper version of the multi-user driver. A quick visit to the Ximeta download site gave me the latest version of the multi-user driver. That install worked without problems, and all 3 PCs were able to do simultaneous read/write to the drive.
After a few days, I decided to move the Ximeta closer to the hub. Turning it off and physically moving it, for some unknown reason, caused problems...requiring the removal and re-install of the driver. However, since that time, there have been no further incidents.
So, do I recommend it? Yes. Is it "plug and play"? Somewhat. However, once it is installed and running properly, it is a great product.
