Rating: 
Summary: Excellent deal ...Vancouver, BC
Review: ... I run Windows 2000 and didn't even have to load the drivers. I just plugged the power in the hard drive, hooked up the USB cable to the laptop and the computer instantly recognized the drive as another drive ready to go. Note that I did not bother to install any of the automatic features packaged with the drivers in the CD.
I highly recommend this drive as a back-up device.
Rating: 
Summary: Get another brand and save yourself some money!
Review: Don't do it.
What are the strengths? 3 of the 5 drives I purchased are still working.
What are the weaknesses? 2 of the 5 drives I purchased died with very different symptoms just after their one year warranty expired.
About 15-18 months after I purchased five of these external drives, two of them failed with very different symptoms. This indicates to me that two separate components have failed within each of the bad drives. I bought these based on the Maxtor name and value ($/Gb) for the drives. Not only have the drives failed, but so has Maxtor. Their support is virtually nonexistent on their web support page (www.maxtorsupport.com), which directs you to their "knowledge base". Essentially, "figure it out for yourself from reports of past failures from other frustrated consumers". Final words: Don't do it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Product!
Review: Had some initial problems that Windows 2000 did not recognize the hard drive using a USB port. I had to log in as Administrator. The formatting to NTFS took about 20 minutes. Retrospect express software is especially useful and extremely fast. Would be nice if the price was lower and it came with a carrying case.
Rating:
Summary: I have encountered problems with the 5000DV
Review: I bought 3 5000DV drives for backup and additional storage. The first disk ran quite well for a few months. Then, the led turned red forever and no data was accessible anymore. The second HD suddenly showed a clicking noise. My PC slowed down dramatically. Obviously the drive had internal problems but was still working. After a while the same symptoms like for the first drive showed up (red led burning). Today, I heard a periodic ringing signal. It was the drive not working anymore. So, the second drive has gone.
Rating:
Summary: Not Reliable
Review: I bought my first hard drive and it worked great for 2 weeks until it crashed. Clicking sounds were loud and a dead giveaway that the needle touched the disk. Maxtor sent me another one...worked for another 1 month and 1/2... Same thing. Maxtor will find any excuses for the crash and of course I am to be blamed, after reading several reviews all over the web, it seems that too many people have this issue. Stay away from it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Never buy this Maxtor drive if you value your data!
Review: I bought this drive in November 2003, and just 2 months later the drive was not accessible. I lost a lot of valuable and irreplaceable data. I have heard similar stories about Maxtor drives from others.
Rating: 
Summary: File backups without integrity
Review: I bought this drive to use as a fast, external, detachable, RELIABLE, backup solution. I returned it. The disk itself runs pretty hot, the case gets very warm, needs cooling IMO, and after I had problems and tried to run a disk check it passed a Scandisk check only 1 out of 3 times (2 times it hung).As a backup solution I couldn't rely on it - my experience was that the files would seem to back up OK, but each time about 20~30 files would fail the compare/verify step... i.e. the backed up file on Maxtor didn't compare equal back to the original file on my C:\ drive... this happened on different files each time I ran the backup. Whether this was the disk or the bundled backup software (Retrospect Express from Dantz) I couldn't tell, but as a bundled solution it failed the integrity test. ... ... Fast? yes. External? yes. Detachable? yes. Reliable? no. I'm genuinely disappointed it didn't live up to expectations - the disk has great specs and Retrospect has some nice features. For not much more $$ I'll buy a second PC, network it, and use it's internal hard disk as my backup device - the kids will get an extra PC this way too.
Rating:
Summary: Two failed drives
Review: I bought two of these drives for back-up of my pc's. The first one started making a clicking noise after 2 months, and failed - was inaccessible. Incredulously, the second drive also began clicking, and failed after 14 months! I've read enough reviews here with the same exact problem that there ought to be a lemon law suit against them!
I've had other external drives last for years and years. This is a defective model - I'll never buy Maxtor again...
Rating:
Summary: This is really an awful piece of equipment.
Review: I guess this is no longer being sold new, but I wanted to write this in case anyone was tempted to buy this drive used. I first bought a 5000DV (200gb) in spring 2003. It failed this spring, while it was still under warranty, though just barely. Maxtor replaced it. Now, after about five months of very light use, the replacement has failed as well. I have had a variety of other internal and external drives that have lasted for years, indeed I have not had a drive fail this quickly since the early 1990s.
Rating:
Summary: Don't
Review: I have fried two of these, and lost gigs of data. It can't handle massive backups. You'd think I'd learn after one!
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