Iomega 160GB External Hard Drive ( 33082 )

Rating:
Summary: Good functionality with minor problems
Review: As an external hard drive it works fine, espically for the price; I paid one hundred fifty at a local store. No noise or anything so far :) It just sits there, and shows up as another drive, no big deal.
I have two complaints though: the manual is totally worthless. This normally wouldn't bother me too much, but this is actually the worst manual I've seen. Not helpful at all. You have to use thier web support (which is actually pretty good, and free), as the manual doesn't explain anything.
Also, the power button is located in the back of the unit, rather than on front or up top, where it would be easier to get to.

Other than that, it's a good drive, particularly at less than a dollar a gigabyte. Great portable storage to have, great for backups, etc. and the bundled Norton Ghost is great. It's got the functionality of an external hard drive for a very good price.

Rating:
Summary: Very annoying cat meowing
Review: I suppose the drive works fine - EXCEPT that it emits a cat's meow. This is not a "fan" noise. It's the sound of a cat meowing. We tore the house apart and literally called animal control, thinking a cat was trapped somewhere in the walls. Only when I read on the internet that others were having this problem, did we realize that it was the machine. This is not funny. It is so specifically a cat sound, I believe these drives have been sabotaged with a virus, or something like that, by someone thinking it funny. It's not. Of course, Iomega doesn't believe me that it's a cat sound - but I'm number four that I've seen on the internet.

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this.
Review: Mine didn't make any noise, but if you even *touched* the cable while it was running, the drive would momentarily lose power and the operation would fail. The drive would take 30 seconds to recover.

Ordinarily, I'm very patient with my devices, but I returned this the same day.

Rating:
Summary: The Cat's Meow?
Review: The drive makes a a very distracting "meow" noise every ten minutes. I've returned the unit to Iomaga, and got a replacement that makes the same noise. Customer service reps first told me that the noise indicates a failing fan motor, and then told me that the noise is normal. Otherwise, the drive seems to work fine. I don't know whether it's a design flaw or a series of bad drives, but be aware that you may end up with an unwanted "pet" if you purchase the drive.