I originally bought the LaCie hard drive because my MacBook was running out of storage. I rely heavily on my computer for online school as well as photography/filmmaking. Importing footage used to be a nightmare, and I was constantly deleting apps for space. My biggest worry was losing all of my essays, photographs, and short films, so I purchased the 1TB LaCie Rugged Mini. I've been using it for about 4 months now with absolutely no problems. Other than SD cards and limited space USB drives, this is my first real external storage device, and I couldn't be happier. It runs very smoothly, backs up my computer quickly, and has the space for all of my school work, imported footage, edited footage, and final projects. I've read reviews saying back ups were lost, but I have had no issues with crashing or loss of data. One of the main reasons I got the rugged mini was because I am a college student and I knew I would be carrying this around often. The size is no bigger than my iPhone, and I've noticed no damage from the few drops it has endured since purchase (about 5, 3 foot drops over the past 4 months). Another pro about this external hard drive is that it is compatible with MacOS (a feature I noticed other products didn't tend to have for some reason-mine is currently running on 10.12 Sierra). If I run out of storage again, this will be my go-to. Highly recommend. I'll post any updates if I encounter any problems down the line.
I had a problem with USB version 3.0 cables falling out of the receptacle on the drive side and finally got tired of it. I got this drive with a Thunderbolt connector and not a single problem since. I like the fact that the other side of the short Thunderbolt cable is attached somewhere under the bumper case for all practical purposes permanently and the cable folds neatly into the groove around the side of the case. The connector fits well into the compartment in the bumper case and the cover goes over it. It's all soft rubber but all works well. The cover not too flimsy to be irritating while placing it over the connector compartment and stays in place. You get a spare cover as well in case you lose it because I don't see how you could wear it out.
I didn't conduct and speed tests but I didn't notice much difference for what I'm using it for between internal drive and this drive.
2-3x the price of a USB 3.0 but for me eliminating the frustration and wasted time fiddling with velcro tapes to make the USB 3.0 connector connect it was worth it.
If you have the latest Mac operating system, go to the LaCie website and download the latest software and/or firmware. Unmount and remount, disk format (do this before using it because you erase everything) with the Mac Journaled / GUID type. Fixed it no problem!
Old review because of my software-
{It mounted at 424 mb's of space available. What? However, I own 3 others that are absolute hero's in my office!}
Awesome! It was plug and go -- the Firewire makes it fast. Looks, feels and functions solid. I like the energy saving mode where it slows the fan(?) when the drive is on idle for awhile and it doesnʻt get hot. Unlike some others where the device starts to get really hot even with the fan on when connected for a long period.
Worth its cost.
One point, though, be sure to write down the serial number thatʻs on the box... before throwing it away. You will not find it on the device when you register it, unless you open the casing, which would break your manufacturerʻs warranty.
I bought this drive because I was looking for something to replace my dated 2TB USB 3 external drive. I needed portable durability with large storage space and great speeds... This external drive give me exactly that! The first thing that I will point out is the durability. This drive comes with a large bumper that goes around the device that helps to protect it from drops and bumps. I love the fact that it has a replaceable cable which is good incase the original cable starts to wear out. It also comes with a USB C to USB A which is good when I need to work on computers that don't have USB C. The main device itself is made completely of metal which gives this drive a nice feel and weight.
I actually have this drive partitioned into three parts and use it a back-up drive, a cross platform drive for windows and Mac, and to put my working files for my various video and photo projects. I can say that I will be stressing this drive out and will be sure to come back and update this review. In terms of speed, this drive does hold up to its proclaimed speeds of 130MB/s. (check images)
If you are looking for a portable drive that is durable and has large storage space this is the drive for you!
Feature Product
- Shock, drops up to 4 feet, dust and water resistant for all-terrain use
- For Mac compatibility this Hard Drive requires reformatting. Refer to Application Guide for more details
- Password protection built in. Maximum speed is 130 mb per second
- Uses USB 3.0 which is up to 4 times faster than USB 2.0 (USB 2.0 compatible);does not include a USB-C
- Includes 1-month complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan. Must redeem by January 31, 2020
- Computer with a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port;Latest version of Windows 7, Windows 8 / Mac OS X 10.5 and later;Minimum free disk space: 600MB recommended
Description
Travel with capacity of 4TB in an ultra-compact portable hard drive—LaCie Rugged Mini. Seamlessly connect to USB 3.0 computers, transfer content fast with speeds of up to 130MB/s, and trek confidently with all-terrain durability of drop, crush, and rain resistance. This drive even includes a complimentary one-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps, as well as a two-year limited warranty for long-term peace of mind.
I should have read the directions- maybe. It may have addressed the formatting. But right now I have visual issues and can't read the print. Anyway, it was plug and play and I have used earlier model versions over the past 12 years so was comfortable with it. Earlier models gave me a choice of Mac OS or Windows and this box description said this model did both. HOWEVER, some caveats.
I connected via Thunderbolt, went to the SETUP file and it gave me the choice of Window-Mac share or just Mac. It also gave me the choice of single or partition. I selected the partition and set up 2/3rds for Win-Mac Sharing (FAT32) and a third for Mac only. After formatting (easy, easy, only seconds) a screen popped up offering to backup to Time Machine. I said yes and it started backup to the Mac only partition. (I should have known that is what it would do!)
At that point I realized that between my 3 Mac computers, I may need more than 500GB for backups and I likely would not need the 1400GB for the Shared files (my husband is Windows and I am the one managing all our house records). Files don't take up as much space as backups. But I could not stop the back up and going back into the SETUP file only said "DONE"- it gave me no option to re-partition it differently.
So while I type this, I am letting it finish the back up to Time Machine and will then try using Disk Utility later today. I should be able to erase/restore and then repartition it with more space dedicated to my Mac computer back ups. I also use iDrive (online) so its not that big a deal- I am not too worried about losing files, just the speed/convenience of accessing them locally.
I plan to have the FAT32 partition available as a file share option over our LAN. I would leave it connected to my Mac Mini which would act as a server and the files that I work with on other computers would actually accessible from the LaCie while it is connected to the MM. Or I could disconnect and use it as a safeguard option by not keeping it online- I would just connect it periodically to sync files and have the MM be the accessible drive for the other home computers. Haven't quite decided yet. There is something reassuring to know that potential hackers could not hold our files hostage.
I probably should give this a 5 star as my other 2 LaCie Rugged Drives are still going strong- one at 12 years and one at 7 years. Its just that I turned the 750 GB one over to hubby for his Windows and the other older model has even less GB and I needed TB storage. Hoping this product lasts a long time like my others.
I did have another LaCie product, a real external dedicated hard drive but our frequent brownouts/blackouts knocked out the drive despite it being on a surge protector. LaCie wanted $1400 to recover the disk (I declined). They said it was likely due to the stress of the drive spinning on/off so much when the power was turning on/off repeatedly. Gee, was I glad I had multiple backups!
Very fast, portable, convenient. My only niggle is that there are two modes of connection: Thunderbolt 1+2 and Thunderbolt 3 [USB-C] but the TB1+2 cable is hard connected and the TB3 isn't... it's not a huge deal but it does mean that if you want or need TB3 speed, you have to carry the TB3 cable separately. Aside from that, it mounts fast and from my experience works perfectly. I cannot comment on "rugged", as I don't think any drive should be mishandled and I'm certainly not going to do a life test. Do note that this is a platter drive, so no matter what "rugged" might indicate to you, if this is dropped when spooled, your data is gone forever as the platter or heads or both will be damaged. if you need truly rugged, you need a true SSD, not this.
For me, I need to transfer loads of video from GoPro, Drone, and Stills Rig when traveling and this thing is blazing fast with a small footprint.
I'm not sure I can say enough good things about this drive. I purchased this particular drive 2 years ago, as I needed additional space. I had previously bought the 1T and 2T drives, all with good experiences. I have since dropped this drive numerous times, and have managed to accidentally drown my drive in very hot water for over a minute, and the DRIVE STILL WORKED! Like I said, cannot say enough good things. As a graphic designer and digiscrapper, I'm entrusting my life on this drive and it has been worth its weight in gold.
Pretty and colorful, but it's still a Seagate. Anytime I have accidentally pulled the cable out before ejection, the unit craps and I can no longer upload anything onto it. This has happened at least twice. I know it's my fault if I unplug it before I eject it, but this is happened on other hard drives before and there was no problem. It works, but it sucks that I have to be extra delicate with it unless I want to unload everything on it and then put it back on, or risk losing everything if I don't have the space available to offload the data to another device.
My laptop has only 512 G of memory (solid state all the way) and my business mail and documents is pushing that limit. This drive with the USB-C connector is fast enough to treat as just part of the laptop and sturdy enough not to worry about throwing into my carryon.
Booted it up the first time, set up the entire thing as an encrypted disk, did a full backup and set for daily backup in the wee hours.
It does what its supposed to, without fuss, without problems. Who could ask more of it?
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