Best External Hard Drive and Card Reader?

Hi, guys and girls:
I am going to work as a data manager on a TV series. I guess data manager is the name, or loader, they shooting everything on the 5D or 7D, there not sure yet and I have to download all the data of the camera and save it on a hard disk, make backups and all that.
They ask me for the best hard disk, and I probably would choose a Lacie, but I have heard bad things about them so I want to make an informed desition.
Wich are the best disks or the most reliables for what I am going to do?
I also need a good card reader, one that uses firewire 800 to make things as fast and reliable as possible.
So what card reader would you recomend?
Thanks in advance.

Ok, to nail it down a little bit.
I have read that there´s a problem with pins in the scandisk card readers so maybe the best option is the Lexar one but some others say that the lexar is worst.
So confusing
What do you think?
I am talking about the firewire cards or maybe the express one for the older macbook pro

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I have a 2007 macbook and I am wondering what is the best external hard drive for my Mac?

What is the best external hard drive for a 2007 Macbook?

The Apple USB superdrive would be a great choice for you, ( http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MD564ZM/A/apple-usb-superdrive?fnode=5f ) I am not certain but I am pretty sure that it has the same form factor as the MacMini (Not thickness but all the other dimenetions) so it fits just under and looks like an extension of your mac.

I recently purchased a Mac Book Air and wanted to know what would be the best external hard drive to buy as far as the brand and GB or TB are concerned? I will basically just be storing music, papers, and a lot of pictures.

I recently purchased a Mac Book Air and wanted to know what would be the best external hard drive to buy as far as the brand and GB or TB are concerned? I will basically just be storing music, papers, and a lot of pictures. Also, how should I go about charging my computer? Should I wait until it is close to dying and then charge it?

I have had good success with HGST and Seagate HDDs. I suggest a HDD that is powered by the MBA eliminating the need for an AC cord. They now come up to 1.5 TB in capacity. In my opinion, one cannot have too much storage. If necessary, let your bank account be your guide.
Ciao.

I am trying to save a doc. to a external hard drive and it wont allow me. I says its read only, any ideas on how to correct it?

I am trying to save a doc. to a external hard drive and it wont allow me. I says its read only, any ideas on how to correct it?

Save it on the internal HD then copy it from this safe location to the external device.
iWork applications can't apply their save process on devices which aren't formatted as HFS+.
But it may also be that for some reason, an external device formatted as HFS+ is set to Read Only.
If it's this case, you will have to change de setting before moving the file on it.
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) vendredi 20 mai 2011 11:01:05
Please :
Search for questions similar to your own before submitting them to the community
To be the AW6 successor, iWork MUST integrate a TRUE DB, not a list organizer !

I have a new iPad Air. Can I use plug in USB camera reader to have a load of movies etc on an external hard drive and then plug and play so to speak. I'm off on holiday and haven't got the capacity to have everything on that I'd like for the kids

Can I use a plug in USB camera reader to have a load of movies etc on an external hard drive and then plug and play so to speak? I'm off on holiday and haven't got the capacity on the iPad to have everything on that I'd like for the kids.
So basically I want a hard drive with X amount of films etc on. Can I then watch them on my iPad?
Hope this makes sense.

External HDD won't work.
You need something like this:
http://www.seagate.com/goflexsatellite/

What is the best External Hard Drive for a Macbook Leopard 10.5.8? I need more memory for documents, pictures, videos, and music. Thanks!

What is the best External Hard Drive for a Macbook Leopard 10.5.8? I need more memory for documents, pictures, videos, and music. Thanks!

Hi, does your MacBook have Firewire, or just USB?
FW is far faster if you have that.
Avoid Bus powered ones.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
USB only...
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/usb/eliteclassic

How to move huge HD video files between external hard drives and defrag ext drive?

I have huge high definition video files on a 2TB external hard drive (and its clone). The external hard drive is maxed out. I would like to move many of the video files to a new 3TB external hard drive (G-drive, and a clone) and leave a sub-group of video files (1+ TB) on the original external hard drive (and its clone).
I am copying files from original external drive ("ext drive A") to new external drive ("ext drive B") via Carbon Copy Cloner (selecting iMovie event by event that I want to transfer). Just a note: I do not know how to partition or make bootable drives, I see suggestions with these steps in them.
My questions:
1.) I assume this transfer of files will create extreme fragmentation on drive A. Should I reformat/re-initialize ext drive A after moving the files I want? If so, how best to do this? Do I use "Erase" within Disk Utilities? Do I need to do anything else before transfering files back onto ext drive A from its clone?
2.) Do I also need to defrag if I reformat ext drive A? Do I defrag instead of or in addition to reformating? If so, how to do this? I've read on these forums so many warnings and heard too many stories of this going awry. Which 3rd party software to use?
Thank you in advance for any suggestions, tips, advice. This whole process makes me SO nervous.

Here is a very good writeup on de-fragging in the OS environment that I borrowed
From Klaus1:
Defragmentation in OS X:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1375 which states:
You probably won't need to optimize at all if you use Mac OS X. Here's why:
Hard disk capacity is generally much greater now than a few years ago. With more free space available, the file system doesn't need to fill up every "nook and cranny." Mac OS Extended formatting (HFS Plus) avoids reusing space from deleted files as much as possible, to avoid prematurely filling small areas of recently-freed space.
Mac OS X 10.2 and later includes delayed allocation for Mac OS X Extended-formatted volumes. This allows a number of small allocations to be combined into a single large allocation in one area of the disk.
Fragmentation was often caused by continually appending data to existing files, especially with resource forks. With faster hard drives and better caching, as well as the new application packaging format, many applications simply rewrite the entire file each time. Mac OS X 10.3 onwards can also automatically defragment such slow-growing files. This process is sometimes known as "Hot-File-Adaptive-Clustering."
Aggressive read-ahead and write-behind caching means that minor fragmentation has less effect on perceived system performance.
Whilst 'defragging' OS X is rarely necessary, Rod Hagen has produced this excellent analysis of the situation which is worth reading:
Most users, as long as they leave plenty of free space available , and don't work regularly in situations where very large files are written and rewritten, are unlikely to notice the effects of fragmentation on either their files or on the drives free space much.
As the drive fills the situations becomes progressively more significant, however.
Some people will tell you that "OSX defrags your files anyway". This is only partly true. It defrags files that are less than 20 MB in size. It doesn't defrag larger files and it doesn't defrag the free space on the drive. In fact the method it uses to defrag the smaller files actually increases the extent of free space fragmentation. Eventually, in fact, once the largest free space fragments are down to less than 20 MB (not uncommon on a drive that has , say only 10% free space left) it begins to give up trying to defrag altogether. Despite this, the system copes very well without defragging as long as you have plenty of room.
Again, this doesn't matter much when the drive is half empty or better, but it does when it gets fullish, and it does especially when it gets fullish if you are regularly dealing with large files , like video or serious audio stuff.
If you look through this discussion board you will see quite a few complaints from people who find that their drive gets "slow". Often you will see that say that "still have 10 or 20 gigs free" or the like. On modern large drives by this stage they are usually in fact down to the point where the internal defragmentation routines can no longer operate , where their drives are working like navvies to keep up with finding space for any larger files, together with room for "scratch files", virtual memory, directories etc etc etc. Such users are operating in a zone where they put a lot more stress on their drives as a result, often start complaining of increased "heat", etc etc. Most obviously, though, the computer slows down to a speed not much better than that of molasses. Eventually the directories and other related files may collapse altogether and they find themselves with a next to unrecoverable disk problems.
By this time, of course, defragging itself has already become just about impossible. The amount of work required to shift the data into contiguous blocks is immense, puts additional stress on the drive, takes forever, etc etc. The extent of fragmentation of free space at this stage can be simply staggering, and any large files you subsequently write are likely to be divided into many , many tens of thousands of fragments scattered across the drive. Not only this, but things like the "extents files", which record where all the bits are located, will begin to grow astronomically as a result, putting even more pressure on your already stressed drive, and increasing the risk of major failures.
Ultimately this adds up to a situation where you can identify maybe three "phases" of mac life when it comes to the need for defragmentation.
In the "first phase" (with your drive less than half full), it doesn't matter much at all - probably not enough to even make it worth doing.
In the "second phase" (between , say 50% free space and 20% free space remaining) it becomes progressively more useful, but , depending on the use you put your computer to you won't see much difference at the higher levels of free space unless you are serious video buff who needs to keep their drives operating as efficiently and fast as possible - chances are they will be using fast external drives over FW800 or eSata to compliment their internal HD anyway.
At the lower end though (when boot drives get down around the 20% mark on , say, a 250 or 500 Gig drive) I certainly begin to see an impact on performance and stability when working with large image files, mapping software, and the like, especially those which rely on the use of their own "scratch" files, and especially in situations where I am using multiple applications simultaneously, if I haven't defragmented the drive for a while. For me, defragmenting (I use iDefrag too - it is the only third party app I trust for this after seeing people with problems using TechToolPro and Drive Genius for such things) gives a substantial performance boost in this sort of situation and improves operational stability. I usually try to get in first these days and defrag more regularly (about once a month) when the drive is down to 30% free space or lower.
Between 20% and 10% free space is a bit of a "doubtful region". Most people will still be able to defrag successfully in this sort of area, though the time taken and the risks associated increase as the free space declines. My own advice to people in this sort of area is that they start choosing their new , bigger HD, because they obviously are going to need one very soon, and try to "clear the decks" so that they maintain that 20% free buffer until they do. Defragging regularly (perhaps even once a fortnight) will actually benefit them substantially during this "phase", but maybe doing so will lull them into a false sense of security and keep them from seriously recognising that they need to be moving to a bigger HD!
Once they are down to that last ten per cent of free space, though, they are treading on glass. Free space fragmentation at least will already be a serious issue on their computers but if they try to defrag with a utility without first making substantially more space available then they may find it runs into problems or is so slow that they give up half way through and do the damage themselves, especially if they are using one of the less "forgiving" utilities!
In this case I think the best way to proceed is to clone the internal drive to a larger external with SuperDuper, replace the internal drive with a larger one and then clone back to it. No-one down to the last ten percent of their drive really has enough room to move. Defragging it will certainly speed it up, and may even save them from major problems briefly, but we all know that before too long they are going to be in the same situation again. Better to deal with the matter properly and replace the drive with something more akin to their real needs once this point is reached. Heck, big HDs are as cheap as chips these days! It is mad to struggle on with sluggish performance, instability, and the possible risk of losing the lot, in such a situation.

Itunes: Intertwining external hard drive and PC hard drive?

I just moved my iTunes library from my old computer to my new one. But there's a problem. I want to have my computer rely on its own hard drive for the storage of my iTunes, but it currently relies on my external hard drive. I would also like to have new songs simultaneously downloaded on the external hard drive and the PC's hard drive, when the external hard drive is plugged in. When its not plugged in and I have new content downloaded to iTunes, it would store it on the PC's hard drive, and later when the external hard drive is replugged in, it will download new content onto it as an automatic update. Is there anyway I can successfully do this? Any help is appreciated.
'Keep iTunes media folder organized' and 'copy files to iTunes media folder when adding to library' are enabled. I have been trying to enable 'consolidate files', but it will not stay enabled and it will not do anything when enabled. Again, any help is appreciated. Thank you.

To move your library to the internal hard drive, copy the whole library folder structure (which includes the iTunes database - the iTunes Library.itl file - as well as your media). If you currently have the database on the internal drive and only your media on the external one, see turingtest2's tip on Make a split library portable for the procedure that will bring everything together under one location.
There is nothing in iTunes that supports the "Intertwining" of two drives that you describe. The best approach is to use the internal drive as your "master" drive and regularly synchronize with the external one - many find Microsoft's SyncToy tool an effective method for this.
"Consolidate files" is not a setting - it is a one-off operation that will copy any media files that are currently outside the standard iTunes folder structure into that structure; again see turingtest2's notes referenced above for the scenarios where you may need to do this in order to create a well-formed, manageable library structure.

I have just purchased my 1st mac and want to start my iTunes fresh. I have all my music on an external hard drive and want iTunes stored on it. How do i do this

I have just purchased my 1st Mac Mini,
I haven't imported any music yet except from purchased music.
I have 100gb of music on an external hard drive (already formatted to Mac OS Journaled.
I want my iTunes to be store on the External Hard drive, and to update my External Hard drive with new music I add to iTunes.
I also want to know the best way of adding my music on the Ext Hard drive e.g.: "add folder to library" or "import"
I plan on buying a Macbook Pro soon, and want to be able to use the same iTunes library.

Launch iTunes with the Option key held down, click on Choose Library, and specify it. If the external drive doesn't contain the iTunes database files, create a new library there and import that music.
If the library contains any rented movies, they won't play on a different computer.
(109334)

Best external hard drive

Hello everyone,
Please could people advise on the best external hard drive to use with my MacBook Pro? I want to plug it into a router so that I can back up wirelessly through Time Machine. On that, would people suggest getting a router with a USB connection - is that the best way to connect a HDD to a router?
Thank you!
Nick

Ian,
I use an iomega 120GB firewire 400 desktop hard drive. It has been very good and low noise. However now that prices have dropped i think I would now go to 160GB+.
http://www.iomega-europe.com/eu/en/products/hdd/hddfamilyen.aspx
iomega new portable drives are now up to 120GB USB 2, a little expensive but interesting.
One product that is worth looking at is the 100GB AMACOM Flip 2 disk. I think this would be ideal for your Powerbook as it is portable. A little small and expensive but has a lot of features.
http://www.amacom-tech.com/flip2disk.html
Lacie also do a good range at a price. Whatever you get stick to firewire and second USB2 and only go for a known brand name. Inside the are probably from the same source Hitachi etc !
I use Switch Back to auto backup folders "only". This is safe to use, but think before using "Synchronize in Reverse". I do not like the idea of pressing one button to back up the entire drive and getting it wrong.
https://order.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=UMK&&
Hope this is of help.

How to connect external hard drive and DV camera

I have just bought a macbook pro with only one firewire 400 port. My question is, what is the best way to connect up an external hard drive and a DV camera so I can import video to Final Cut. Should I be plugging the camera directly into the external hard drive's firewire port and conecting the hard drive to mac via USB or connecting DV to mac via Firewire and then mac to hard drive via USB? Or does it make no difference!
Thanks in advance

If the drive has two firewire ports, connect the camera to one FW port on the back of the drive and connect the drive to the computer using the other port.
If the drive does not have two firewire ports, you'll need an Expresscard 34 firewire card to create a second firewire bus. The card goes in the slot on the side of the computer. Hook up either the camera or the drive to it.
The cards can be found online for a reasonable sum of money.
Do not use USB.
Good luck.
x

Can't create new folder on an external hard drive, and how to transfer files?

Hello everyone,
the non-English speaking videographer I translate for is having problems operating his Premiere CS5 for Mac from an external hard drive. He cannot create new folder on the external hard drive (the "New Folder" button is grayed-out when tries to export media onto the external hard drive) and when he simply tries to create new folder, the "new folder" option isn't available.
He suspects it's because the hard drive was formatted for PC.
Questions:
- should PC-formatting cause that problem?
- what's the proper way to transfer media files from PC-formatted external hard drive to the internal hard drive on Mac?
Would appreciate your advice.
Dimitri Vorontzov

He is right on the money
Now, for the sad or FAT part. You need to format the drive as FAT32 to make it work both on PC and MAC but, and that is a big BUT, the max file size of any given file will be 4GB. I haven't treid other formats yet, like the journaled MAC OS extended, but I don't think that would work. We transfer our files through or own gigabit network so I never had to try it, other than FAT32 formatted SDHC cards.

Best External Hard Drives for MacBook

I have been doing some research on the External Hard Drives for the MacBook and have been getting mixed advise about the best one for the Macbook. I'm wondering if anyone with actual experience and knowledge with External Hard Drives and the MacBook could offer any advice on one I should look into.

You are going to get a bazillion answers and little agreement so be prepared.
An external drive is two components, case and drive. If you buy a generic no-name you have no clue about what's in the case or what the drive is. Even if you buy a name brand like Western Digital or Seagate you still can't be totally sure. Would WD put a Toshiba drive in their external case? Probably not but you still don't necessarily know which model WD you are getting.
I approach it two ways. For archival backups I build my own buying the case and drive to meet my needs. OWC is my usual source. For expansion and usage I tend to buy name brand externals. At the moment I have several Seagate FreeAgent drives. What I don't do is make drive purchases based on price - that's a great way to buy a drive that will fail just when you need it.

What is the best external hard drive vs price to buy?

What is the best external hard drive vs price to buy? My MacBook Pro has a 500GB HD and I own 100GB of data that I wan't to backup using TimeMachine. What is the best thing to get for a good price, but something that doesn't break within a month of use. . . .

Most drives will work for your system just make sure you buy one double the size of your hard drive (1TB). Take a look at this link this is one I have been using with my iMac for about a year with not problems. http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-FreeAgent-GoFlex-External-STAC2000100/dp/B003ELOSJ G/ref=sr_1_54?ie=UTF8&qid=1315204714&sr=8-54 Do more reseach (Cnet.com)

What is the best external hard drive to backup my MacBook Pro?

What is the best external hard drive to backup my MacBook Pro?

The best is a Hitachi. This is basically the ONLY thing the "HD gurus" agree on.
Toshiba is nearly neck and neck in 2.5" USB external HD to Hitachi.
Here are "best for the money"....at bottom is BEST external USB HD
best options for the price, and high quality HD:
Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or $65 per TB on 2.5"
Perfect 1TB for $68
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim and perfect
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
2 Terabytes, 2.5" and only $129
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Basics-Portable-HDTB120XK3CA/dp/B00ARJD56K
updated "design" casing cousin $119
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48 /ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379182740&sr=1-4&keywords=2tb+toshiba
*This one is the BEST external HD available that money can buy:
$75
HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Touro-Mobile-External-HTOLMX3NA10001ABB/dp/B0062FZ2WS /ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379185002&sr=1-1&keywords=hitachi+extern a l+hard+drive
Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"

Best External Hard Drive and Card Reader?

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