Docks for Internal Hard Drives

At my workplace, we've started using Thermaltake Blacx dual dock stations. The concept is nice, but we've had trouble with drives not mounting. Sometimes the drives just won't show up at all. I still haven't tracked down the problem yet - but there have been mounting problems on two of the docks.
I like the idea of using a dock with internal hard drives to archive my A/V work. Using a dual-drive dock, I can duplicate the data and then store one copy off-site when the drives become full. I want to use this system for my personal projects at home. But with the problems we're having with the Thermaltake docks, I'm hesitant to try with my money.
Has anyone had this experience? Are there other docks that you like to use?
I know there are some "professional" raid-type hardware systems that have been recommended in the past, but they were always more expensive than external drives. If something like this Thermaltake dock would work, it would be far cheaper than other options.
Any input would be very appreciated.
Message was edited by: innergalactic

The virtues of a drive docking system for large-volume storage are obvious, but If I were going to shop for one for myself, I'd certainly opt for FireWire 800 instead of USB. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's more reliable and, in real life, more than twice as fast.

Similar Messages

Thunderbolt Dock for External Hard Drive

Hi there,
I'm trying to find a Thunderbolt Dock for External Hard Drive.
One of these http://www.topbuy.com.au/tbcart/pc/External-SATA-Hard-Drive-Docking-Station-USB- Interface-937p3180.htm
But with Thunderbolt connector instead of USB, Firewire, eSATA etc.
Do these exist?
The only thing I could find close is the Seagate Go Flexi Adapter, but that only works for those drives.
Thanks,
Grant

I would suggest this:
http://www.belkin.com/thunderbolt/
It will do more than you need and require, and you still would need to get an eSATA docking station, but that's what you really want anyways.
Thunderbolt is a bleeding edge tech still (as evidenced but the fact that nobody yet has a good dock for it) but if you go the modular approach you can still pickup your docking station with eSATA and FW800 and USB etc. and take it to a friend's and have more chance of being able to plug it in. and since you're getting a dock and not a drive you want it PC/Mac friendly because you can swap drives to ones formatted for the system. Plus this accessory will be really great if you ever get a Mac Book Air or Retina Display MB Pro that just don't have ethernet or eSATA or even firewire anymore.
And i know that tbolt is faster than eSATA natively, but if you're plugging in a SATA HD then, well i don't think i need to finish that sentance.

Convert SATA 3 Gb/s to 6 Gb/s for internal hard drives

I want to install SATA 6 Gb/s internal hard drives. Is there a way to convert, replace, or supplement my original internal SATA 3 Gb/s hard drive controller with a SATA 6 Gb/s controller?

Only if you found a PCI-e card. The onboard controller is wired to the motherboard. However, most 6 Gb/s drives should work seamlessly on a 3 Gb/s system.

Device Removal message for internal hard drive after coming out of sleep

Hi,
I have search the forums and all the info I can find seems to just refer to external hard drives, how ever the problem I am having is with the internal drive.
When my G5 comes out of sleep mode, shortly after, I get a Device Removal error message then I loose my second drives and have to reboot for them to return. The drive is a 500 GB divided in two partitions, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), in slot B.
I have used Disk Utility and Tech Tools to check the drive, and the drive passes with no errors. I can't check file permissions as the drive is not a start-up drive.
This problem just started not long after using a USB thumb drive in the front, maybe just a coincidence or something went haywire after ejecting the USB drive?
Thanks,
Bill...

DaddyPaycheck wrote:
What brand is the drive?
Do you have a USB hub to try?
Have you checked the disk manufacturer's website to see if there are any updated drivers or firmware available and/or needed?
DaddyPaycheck wrote:
I have two Western Digital drives in the computer, both partitioned into two drives. One is a 1 TB the other a 500 GB. The 1 TB drive is the boot drive and I installed it about 2 months ago. The 500 GB drive, the one that is disappearing, I installed it about 6 months ago. Both drives pass Disk Utility, and TechTools testing (that is before the one disappears).
I do not have a USB hub, I have a DVD/RW connected via Firewire, and I have a USB external 320 GB to use for whatever.
No, I didn't think to check the manufacturer's web site for updates as the drives work fine, just the one 500 MB drive out of the blue I get the Device Removal message. And I am using the G5 at this moment replying here, and so far today I have connected my camera via usb with out issues.

Password for internal hard drive

Is there a way to password protect an additional interna/externall hard drive and use Time Machine to backup?

Hey there Dale Miller1,
It sounds like you are wanting to set up an external drive as a Time Machine backup disk that you would like to set a password for. The followint article should help you with that:
OS X Mavericks: Choose a backup disk and set encryption options
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14110
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Time Machine.
Click the Select Backup Disk button if it’s available. Otherwise, if you already have multiple backup disks, click Add or Remove Backup Disk at the bottom of the list of disks.
Choose a disk. If you’ve already set up one or more backup disks, choose from the list of Available Disks.Every available disk and partition is listed. Time Machine can’t back up to an external disk connected to an AirPort Extreme, or to an iPod or disk formatted for Windows.
For increased security, select “Encrypt backups.” If the checkbox is dimmed, your backup disk doesn’t support encryption.Encryption is available for Time Capsules, disks attached to another Mac on your network, and disks partitioned with the GPT partition scheme and attached directly to your Mac.If the checkbox is dimmed, hold the mouse pointer on it for a moment to see an explanation. If a disk needs to be reformatted or repartitioned to support encryption, Time Machine prompts you to do so.
Click Use Disk.If you’ve already set up a disk, Time Machine asks if you want to replace the existing backup disk or use both. If you already have multiple backup disks, Time Machine adds the new disk without asking.
If Time Machine prompts you to reformat the disk, either reformat the disk in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, or choose a different disk.Because reformatting erases any files on the disk, do this only if you no longer need the files or have copies of them on a different disk.
If you select Encrypt, type a password for the backup disk.You may need to provide the password when you connect the disk to your Mac, or if you disconnect the disk or restart your Mac.If you’ve used a Time Capsule or networked disk for unencrypted backups and want to turn on encryption, Time Machine must first erase the unencrypted backup before starting an encrypted backup.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling

Upgrade Options for Internal Hard Drive on dv2000t Laptop (Installation Problems)

I need to replace a failed hard drive in my 2006 dv2000t laptop. The drive I'm replacing was already a replacement drive from the original 80GB drive that shipped with laptop. That first replacement 3 years ago (2008) was a 200GB drive, that worked well for about 3 years. But it just crashed (apparently). I was getting some "S.M.A.R.T" imminent drive failure warnings a week prior, and then it finally would no longer boot-up. Subsequent tests on the extracted drive show it as having many failed sectors.
I had no problem ordering a replacement drive the first time in 2008, restoring an Acronis backup image of original drive, installing it, etc. All went smoothly in 2008. So I assumed all would go smoothly again for yet another replacement and upgrade.
In 2008 the drive I ordered was a W.D. (Western Digital, sticking with the same brand as original) 2.5-in 5400rpm SATA drive (200GB). That was a SATA (I) drive (1.5 Gbit/s interface).
The first drive I recently ordered (Mar 2011) was a W.D 2.5-in 7200rpm 500GB SATA II (3.0 Gbits/s interface) drive (from W.D.'s "Scorpio Black" line.) Got the drive, burned the disc image to it, and popped it into the laptop. Unfortunately, upon startup, and after BIOS screen, all I get is a black screen with a fast flashing white cursor at the top of the screen. Drive apparently is not being recognized by the computer? Then I did some reading in a few on-line forums and found some references about this laptop not doing well with drive capacities over 320GB, nor with 7200rpm drives (because they run hotter than 5400 drives). And finally, references to the SATA interface speed. I ordered a 2nd drive, this one from W.D's "Scorpio Blue" line, this time a 5400rpm 320GB drive (but still SATA II). Same story, still won't work. So I decided that maybe the issue was the SATA speed. So I found someone who still had an older SATA (1.5 GBit/s) W.D. drive in stock . It's a W.D. SATA 250GB (no longer made). It should arrive in a couple days -- and I'm hoping this one works!
I would like to get some kind of confirmation about the blinking white cursor on the black screen on start-up. Is that typicalif the system not finding a bootable hard drive? Also, is this SATA vs. SATA-II issue a likely cause of my problem? I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with the new drives themselves, and the restored images on them , as the drives will mount and are accessible when I plug them in as external drives on my other computer.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

I have been able to solve my own hard drive installation problems. It turns out that there were no issues with any of the new replacement drive(s) I ordered (thinking I had ordered drives with the wrong specs). The solution to the problem was a simple one. The restored drives were not booting because there was no MBR (Master Boot Record) on the drives after disc image restoration.
I am using Acronis True Image Home 2011 as my disc imaging (backup) software. And I just didn't understand how to properly restore backed up images to a new hard drive. I had done everything correctly except that I had not checked the box to "restore MBR" -- at the time not understanding what that was or its significance. Once I checked that box, and reimaged the new drive, it worked fine.

Internal Hard Drives for Apple Mac Pro

Hello there,
Does any one have some advice on the following internal HDs. I am in Germany and this is what I have found that I am interested in. I just don't know if they all are for Apple Mac Pro because the provider doesn't specify.
1) HD 1000GB Western Digital RE2 GP, SATA, intern, 3,5'', 7200rpm, 16MB Cache, RoHS compliant, 5 years warranty (not bad eh?) = 139,00 €
2) HD 1000GB Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ SATA intern 7200rpm 32MB Cache 8,9ms: 109,00 €
3) HD Seagate Barracuda ES.2, 1000GB, SAS, intern, 3,5'', 7200rpm, 16MB Cache, 8,5ms, 5 years warranty: 214,00 €
Any bad experience with Wester Digital? Or recommendations for internal hard drives, they are greatly appreciated!
I was wondering too, does it affect the hard drive, that the bigger it is the shorter it will live? I love having 1T, and I already got 2T EXTERNALS from WesternDigital. But I am certainly concerned that the bigger they get, the more chances to fail the might have. Does this make sense?
I am also a little doubtful about internals, they seem to fail faster than the externals, is this true in most cases?
I just want to have the capability of storing my Aperture Library in an internal HD, for easy access and all the images on an external drive.
Thank you for the advice!!
Cheers!
E.

http://www.barefeats.com/hard94.html
I would get WD Black, Hitachi (latest, not their earlier model) or Seagate (no need to spend on ES).
WD has been excellent in Mac Pro, I just would skip on GP.
I only had one drive with 4 bad blocks in 20 WD drives.
Personally, I would get 4 x 640GB WD Caviar drives for internal. They are fast, quiet, and run cool. And sells for US$80.
http://www.wdc.com/th/products/products.asp?driveid=394
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western%20Digital/WD6400AAKS/
http://www.barefeats.com/harper14.html

Best Choice For Second Internal Hard Drive

Hello, all...
I currently have a second internal hard drive (170 GB) and want to replace it with a larger one. Do you know what the best choice of manufacturer is for internal hard drives. The one I have now is a Maxtor. I'm looking to replace the 170 GB with a 500 GB.
Thank you!
DW
Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.10) Tiger, 2.5 GHz, 2 GB DDR SDRAM, 2nd Internal Drive 170 GB

Hi-
Maxtor are good but so are Western Digital and Seagate. I have one of each.
The folowing has a good performance review of 500gb drives from the three makers:
http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200607/500_1.html
Based on that, and others on the forums will agree, Western Digital is currently the better choice.
G4AGP(450)Sawtooth, 2ghz PowerLogix, 2gbRAM, RaptorSATAATA, ATI Radeon 9800 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Pioneer DVR-109, 23" ACD, Ratoc USB 2.0, QCam Ultra, Nikon Coolscan

What internal hard drive should I get for a 2007 Mac Pro?

Hello, I have a 2007 Mac Pro in which I would like to install two additional internal hard drives. I want to use one to run Time Machine and I want to use the other as an archive for my photos. What is the best internal hard drive to get for these purposes? Thanks for any help.

System:
SSD: Samsung 840 128GB
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-120GB-internal-MZ-7TD120BW/dp/B009NHAF06/
Icy Dock $15
http://www.amazon.com/2-5-3-5-Ssd-sata-Convert/dp/B002Z2QDNE/
Sonnet Tempo Pro
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempossdpro.html
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technologies/TSATA6SSDE/
WD Black 1TB $85
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/
WD 3TB $225
Western Digital 3TB WD Black SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Desktop Hard Drive WD3001FAEX
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2UWTHE/

I have a late 2012 iMac running osx 10.8.5. I keep losing access to my internal hard drive. I can reboot and regain access and it will last for a few minutes or hours. Disk utility does not seems to help.

I have a late 2012 iMac with an I5 precessor running OSX 10.8.5 and a 1tb internal hard drive. I keep losing access to the internal hard drive/startup disk.
I can reboot and everything operates as normal for a few minutes or hours but then I lose all access again to anything on the hard drive. The computer is still up and running but no files can be accessed and certain websites cannot be acessed even though internet access appears to be normal. Disk utility can only find permission errors related to iTunes which can be repaired only to come back at the next scan (I would not think permission errors would have anything to do with the hard drive crashing). It does not seem to matter what program I am using at the time access is lost and it can lose access sometimes right after reboot when no program is running.

You will need to boot into the Recovery Volume (command - R on a restart or hold down the option/alt key during restart and select it) to run Disk Utility/Disk Repair.

Can i use seagate goflex 3tb external hard drive for 2010 27" imac internal hard drive replacment if i take it out of the goflex case.do i need to format it before installation due to it allready having goflex software on it from manufacturer.

i have 3tb seagate goflex external hard drive.its brand new in package.i took it out of case and deleted partitions that were created by manufacturer.so now i have 2800 gigs.its formatted ntfs.will it work for late 2010 27" imac internal hard drive replacement.i found a apple repair place that will charge me 50$ to swap drives for me assuming i have the drive.i will have to install leopard myself at this price.i dont want to have to pay for anything other than the swap.will this hard drive work with this format or do i need to format it differently.

Hello
formatted ntfs
NTFS format not work on mac system , need to be formatted as Extended Mac os Journaled format and partition table need to be GUID
how to do that in video
HTH
Pierre

PLEASE HELP me select new internal hard drive for Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina)

Good afternoon.
I just bought a Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch from a friend. I think it is running Mountain Lion (has not been upgraded to Mavericks yet), and has iLife on it. It came with the stock 500 gb 5400 rpm internal hard drive. At home, I only have the Snow Leopard OS installation Cds and a copy of iLife 2011 installation Cds. I am going to buy 16 gb of RAM from Other World Computing to install.
I want to replace the hard drive with a 1 tb hard drive, preferably something that is $100 or less.
I talked to Other World Computing (OWC) and looked at the Data Doubler Option to replace the optical drive with a Solid State drive, but decided that for now I want to keep the optical drive inside the computer for portability issues.
I know that Solid State drives are better, but they are still too small, and I want the ease and portability of a 1 tb size INSIDE my computer.
Initially I was going to order this from Other World Computing: 1.0TB 2.5" HGST Travelstar 7K1000 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 9.5mm Notebook Drive 32MB Cache. *'New' Factory Replacement with 2+ Year HGST Warranty*    As of April 4, 2014 it's on sale for $79
But then I started reading some of the discussions online and thought maybe I should get a hybrid solid state drive?
I saw on Amazon the Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive SATA 6Gbps 64MB Cache 2.5-Inch ST1000LM014 It's on sale for $94.
But according to some reviews, this Seagate has a platter that is only 5400rpm, unlike the previous Seagate Momentum that has a platter speed of 7200rpm.
How reliable are the Seagate, versus a Toshiba or Western Digital or Hitachi or something else?
Here are my questions about replacing the hard drive:
1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
I would love to get some recommendations about the smartest option to upgrade my hard drive with something that will be fast (I edit lots of photos) and large (1 tb) that isn't going to cost too much. I don't know much about the different brands or options (and there are so many listed in tons of online reviews), that I got really overwhelmed and confused by the info out there.
I would really appreciate any help and advice. I've never switched out a hard drive before.
PLEASE HELP !!! Thanks!
Here is the "About this Mac" Info:
Macbook Pro 15-in Mid 2012
Model Identifier: MacBookPro9,1
Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Software: OS x 10.8.5
Storage (Hard drive): APPLE HDD ST500LM012 Media, Rotational, SATA, GPT (GUID Partition Table)

1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
The boot drive, regardless of what it is, needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). This is standard with OS X.
2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
There are arguments pro and con. Bottom line, SSD's and hybrid drives are still quite expensive per GB than standard hard drives. If you have the bucks and are a speed demon, go ahead.   I have better use for my money.   Standard hard drives are mechanical and may wear out over time. But even though SSDs are not mechancial, they can still go bad and ultimately they even have a limit to their write capacity. The jury is still out on this debate.
3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
No
4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
You can physically put the hard drive in but probably not install Snow Leopard on this MBP.
The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled.   It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it. Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac (even if you replace the hard drive).
5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
Not via Snow Leopard on this MBP. See my response to #4.
6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
No. They are completely independent of each other; they are just independent storage units (drives) and their RAM does not interact.

Swapping circuit boards for an internal hard drive

My story may be a bit long and roundabout, so please try and bear with me as I explain.
My PowerMac G5 is 4.5 years old and over the past few months, the DVD and my secondary internal hard drive, both the originals that came with my computer, have been slowly dying. I finally replaced the DVD drive the other day and was little by little copying the data off my secondary internal drive before it completely failed. One thing that seemed to help the internal drive run more smooth was unplugging the power cable and plugging it back in. A worker at an Apple store's Genius Bar also suggested swapping each internal drive to the bay that the other was originally in, to see if that helped at all.
Anyways, in the end, the drive was giving me so much trouble and I had unplugged/plugged the power cable so many times that eventually the part of the circuit board that holds the pin connectors straight broke off, so now I had no way to get my data off the slowly failing drive. Another visit to the Genius Bar and I was told that the drive was as good as done, but not wanting to believe that the majority of my film projects were gone forever, I contacted a store across the street from my old NYU dorm called Digital Society. They told me that the circuit board on the drive needed to be replaced and that the new board had to be taken from an identical drive. I soon realized that the primary/system drive of my G5 was in fact identical. So, after running Time Machine, purchasing new primary and secondary internal drives, re-installing the OS and doing a Time Machine restore - which was flawless - I took my two drives back to Digital Society where they swapped the circuit boards rather quickly.
Now that I'm back home, I was easily able to recover all my data from my failing drive... only after having its circuit board replaced, the drive is showing no signs whatsoever of the read/write difficulties and failures that it had been showing prior to the circuit board swap, which leads me to a few questions
a) Was it really the drive that had a problem, or the circuit board itself? Is there anywhere I could buy just a circuit board without having to buy a new drive just to get a circuit board? The drives in question are 400 gig Hitachi Deskstar, model #HDS724040KLSA80. While I'm not entirely sure the once failing drive should be trusted again, my old system drive - which now has a busted circuit board on it - still works perfectly fine.
b) If I'm able to get a new circuit board, how easy is it to replace myself? The guy at Digital Society did it very quickly and for a price of $120. Are there any video tutorials?
Thanks!

Lot's of good question Will,
Hard drives are not what they used to be, if your work is important I'd replace them every 3 years & have 2 backups in the meantime.
I doubt you can get the circuit boards separate without buying a while questionable drive.
If I'm able to get a new circuit board, how easy is it to replace myself? The guy at Digital Society did it very quickly and for a price of $120.
1 TB 3 year warranty $99...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HD103SJ/
1 TB 7 year warranty...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HE103UJ/
More cheaper drives...
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/3.5-SerialATA/WesternDigitalCaviar

2009 MBP can't see internal hard drive - for the second time!

Well, my 2009 13" MBP is at Applecare for the second time because it cannot recognize _any_ internal hard drive.
The first repair came at 9 months (purchased new), now 16 months later I have the same issue.
Swap in a known good drive, it can't see it, boot from DVD, and run Disk Utility, it can't see it either (optical drive shows up fine)
My first repair only said they replaced the original hard drive, has anyone else had the issue of losing access to your internal hard drive?
Ugh, I will be out of the 3 year Applecare next summer, and don't want to get stuck with another iBook G3, if you know what I mean.
Thanks for any feedback!

Hi
I have the same issue, I have a Vodafone branded Huawei HG556a with an external drive connected. I have found that it isn't possible to connect via Finder and that SMB doesn't work either. The only way I could connect to it was via FTP using Cyberduck (or Filezilla), but no use as I can't add my media files from the drive to iTunes, so unfortunately disappointing. I'm still looking, but here's the document I was referred too from another forum.
broadband.vodafone.ie/download/files/storage_mac.pdf
Although not an answer to your question, hopefully this will give you an idea why you are getting the password and username errors when you know they are correct. In the end when I entered the FTP details into Cyberduck I was able to connect.
I know this doesn't help solve the problem (as I'm still looking too), but at leas you know why (ish).
Cheers
Topes

Internal hard drive for use as scratch disk

Am running OS 10.4.11 on a dual core 2.3 Ghz PowerPC G5. Want to install a 2nd internal hard drive for use as a scratch disk w/ FCP and for my media files, etc. Given that I can only accomodate an SATA I drive w/ 150 Gbps transfer rate what might some decent choices be for a 500 Gb to 1 TB drive suited for video (and a PowerPC G5)? I'll also be adding an external drive for backup if anyone has any suggestions.

Thanks for the recommendations. I had been looking at the Hitachi CinemaStar series but you have to reset the drive to SATA 1 for use w/ a G5 PowerMac. Resetting the drive, according to Hitachi, can only be done on a PC which I don't have access to. And I think that holds true for all their drives that are not strictly SATA 1.

Docks for Internal Hard Drives

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