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Advise on external HDD which is reliable and safe

34 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/advise-on-external-hdd-which-is-reliable-and-safe.188905/

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iamzero Original post #1
Dec 8, 2014 at 10:42 AM
Hi all,

I am planning to buy external Hard disks to ensure safety of my data.

My requirements are basically of those which i can good ASS (Hopefully i never want to need that) and those which are reliable and durable for long term purpose. Basically i want to copy data and forget it there, but don't want to open it sometime and see everything gone.

I am looking for buying 2TB and 1 TB each with budget around 8500 and 4500 respectively.

I am getting SONY 2TB for around 8000 from a dealer just to add. Apart from that i had a look on WD, but have found that though having good ASS, there drives tend to fail, which basically means loss of data which i definitely can't afford.

Anyone to advise, how should i go forward on this? Any experience, any advises would be more than welcome. I want durability and realibility and can extend my budget a little bit for it.

I have pinned down on sony, because of less failure. Look forward for your advise.
SaiyanGoku
Dec 8, 2014 at 10:48 AM
sony hdds are rebranded versions of seagate hdds. anyways, you can get them for lower than the dealer quoted price if you buy them online.
1 TB ~ 3.5k
2 TB ~ 6.5k

+ to WD. Seagate gave me a refurbished piece after RMA'ing a 1 TB expansion.
rijinpk1
Dec 8, 2014 at 10:54 AM
go for wd my passport ultra. You will not know when your hdd is going to die, what comes to rescue will be a better after sale service.
$hadow
$hadow #4
Dec 8, 2014 at 11:33 AM
WD passport is a excellent choice as far as the product and ASS is concerned.
I
iamzero #5
Dec 8, 2014 at 2:10 PM
WD passport is a excellent choice as far as the product and ASS is concerned.

so guys you suggest to go for WD, right?

The only concern i am having for online sales is again the same dreaded fear of warranty. I have heard claims being rejected just due to being an online purchase..

Second thing, is guys, if you have anything to tell, please do tell me and advise the best, as frankly speaking i can't afford both: loosing data and again wasting money.

Thats why i am asking you, i can increase the budget to 1k more, but want the best thing and original as well. while buying online, especially HDD, i am really doubtful to them being refurbished piece.

So waiting for your reply and what you guys do.. the reason for WD doubt is of hearing reports about drive failing constantly.. i know their ASS is best in terms of HDD..but a product should be reliable as well
$hadow
$hadow #6
Dec 8, 2014 at 3:39 PM
You see buy it from a authorized re-seller like WS Retail or so to avoid any type of misunderstanding or rejection. Plus WD RMA is the best from my point of view never had any problem ever.
rijinpk1
Dec 8, 2014 at 3:54 PM
for hdd, it is always better to buy from a local shop rather than online.
SaiyanGoku
Dec 8, 2014 at 4:30 PM
for hdd, it is always better to buy from a local shop rather than online.

I disagree. Local shops ridiculously overprice things here. 1 TB seagate expansion for 5k :mad: which goes for 3.5-3.6k online with official warranty. 2 tb desktop version for 8.5k which i purchased for 5.3k in June. :mad:

@OP you can check the warranty just after receiving the hdd online. If the serial no is declined (rarely happens), simply return it or ask for replacement.
rijinpk1
Dec 8, 2014 at 4:46 PM
^^ depends on the shops. some shops offers good deals. even i bought mine online.
vidhubhushan
Dec 8, 2014 at 5:53 PM
after using many brands and losing data in almost all (except wd which i have not till now), i firmly believe that there is nothing like RELIABILITY as far as HDDs are concerned. one just needs to handle them carefully and have trust in god. apart from that, go for the brand that has best ASS and hope for the best :D
$hadow
$hadow #11
Dec 8, 2014 at 7:52 PM
^^ depends on the shops. some shops offers good deals. even i bought mine online.

Considering the place where I live. I am better of buying anything above 3k online since I can sometimes see a price fluctuations of about 500 to 800 bucks on a petty 4k purchase.
abhigeek
abhigeek #12
Dec 8, 2014 at 7:58 PM
I'm user of Seagate freeagent drive 500gb for past 5 year, dropped times still working fine.
It never faced service centre of seagate.

Source: Personal Xp
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iamzero #13
Feb 15, 2015 at 7:33 PM
Hi.

Sorry for bumping this up. I finally got time to do a purchase. Can anyone share me the best deal links or private message if not allowed to post here :

For Wd 1tb & 2tb my passport ultra (preferrable Amazon & Flipkart)
Mode: Cod/SBI debit card
izzikio_rage
Feb 20, 2015 at 7:38 PM
Yup, i'm also going to have to get a new disk soon. So would love some advise. Here are the options i'm considering

Amazon.in: Buy WD My Passport Ultra 1TB Portable External Hard Drive (Black) Online at Low Prices in India | WD Reviews & Ratings

Transcend StoreJet 25H3P 2.5 inch 1 TB External Hard Disk - Transcend : Flipkart.com

I like the transcend more due to the ruggedness, however not sure how good their after sales support is. Some of the reviews said that transcend has stopped servicing in India.
$hadow
$hadow #15
Feb 21, 2015 at 3:20 PM
Go for WD man it is worth your money and their cloud security software is certainly a big plus.
R
Feb 21, 2015 at 3:44 PM
Avoid transend at all cost. There ASS is the worst. WD have the best ASS but quality wise they aren't as good. External drives should always be rugged. As they are meant to be taken outside, not always in protective covering. AFAIK WD doesn't have any rugged external drive.
After searching a lot I got myself a 1tb adata hd710. Which is a rugged drive and the ASS is OK. Also, there quality is much better than wd drives. I tested the adata one by throwing it on the floor from 4 foot and not even a scratch. They are also supposed to be waterproof.
But, I didn't found the courage to test them! :-D
izzikio_rage
Feb 21, 2015 at 6:52 PM
What is this ASS that everyone is talking about.

Also i would never have the courage to throw an HDD much less put it in water

Will go for the western digital ultra passport drive then.
ashs1
ashs1 #18
Feb 21, 2015 at 7:33 PM
What is this ASS that everyone is talking about.

Also i would never have the courage to throw an HDD much less put it in water

Will go for the western digital ultra passport drive then.
ASS stands for After Sales Services..
.
.
.
Unless he meant it the other way, which means booty
$hadow
$hadow #19
Feb 21, 2015 at 10:12 PM
With WD the service and after sales experience is extremely great when compared to other manufacturers.
izzikio_rage
Feb 22, 2015 at 9:03 AM
Ordered the WD my passport off Amazon.

Now waiting to see if i can get my old failed HDD replaced by WD
I
insaneYLN #22
Feb 22, 2015 at 5:10 PM
Off Topic

Unless he meant it the other way, which means booty

Most of us, if not all, desire to get a good ASS!!
:censored:

I apologise for straying away from the actual topic.
:pray:
$hadow
$hadow #23
Feb 22, 2015 at 8:01 PM
Ordered the WD my passport off Amazon.

Now waiting to see if i can get my old failed HDD replaced by WD

And this time register it right on arrival. Congo BTW.
izzikio_rage
Feb 22, 2015 at 8:58 PM
I still can't seem to get past the initial registration screen. The one where they ask your details


Checked the warranty info of the new HDD, seems they've started it from jan 15 so i get one month less of cover
P
Feb 23, 2015 at 12:10 AM
Go for Seagate Backup Plus 1 Tb... Its best with good build and performance. I'm using it for 2 years, its best in market.
D
DK_WD #26
Feb 23, 2015 at 8:10 AM
Hi [MENTION=8593]izzikio_rage[/MENTION],

I still can't seem to get past the initial registration screen. The one where they ask your details


What kind of error message you are getting during the registration?

Checked the warranty info of the new HDD, seems they've started it from jan 15 so i get one month less of cover


Normally, the warranty might start from the manufacture date. If you have registered the WD product online, then the warranty starts from the date of purchase. I’d suggest you, after buying the product, just register your product with us.

For more information about WD product registration, you can refer to the link below.

Support Answers

If you didn't register your product, please refer the below link for your future reference.

Support Answers

Hope it helps
$hadow
$hadow #27
Feb 23, 2015 at 10:51 AM
I still can't seem to get past the initial registration screen. The one where they ask your details


Checked the warranty info of the new HDD, seems they've started it from jan 15 so i get one month less of cover

What's the error you are getting?
I
insaneYLN #28
Feb 23, 2015 at 2:23 PM
Warranty Period Updation

Normally, the warranty might start from the manufacture date. If you have registered the WD product online, then the warranty starts from the date of purchase. I’d suggest you, after buying the product, just register your product with us.

For more information about WD product registration, you can refer to the link below.

Support Answers

If you didn't register your product, please refer the below link for your future reference.

Support Answers

Hope it helps
@DK_WD, I purchased a Western Digital Elements 1TB USB 3.0 portable hard disk drive on Amazon India from the seller; Infiniti Retail Ltd, and subsequently registered the product on Western Digital's support portal. The product was purchased (rather, the order was placed) on 31 October 2014, and albeit the hard disk drive is within warranty status, the expiry date is displayed as 19 October 2017.

Can the warranty period be updated to 31 October 2017, such that it precisely corresponds to the three years warranty period?
:unsure: :chinscratch:
D
DK_WD #29
Feb 23, 2015 at 3:19 PM
Re: Warranty Period Updation

@DK_WD, I purchased a Western Digital Elements 1TB USB 3.0 portable hard disk drive on Amazon India from the seller; Infiniti Retail Ltd, and subsequently registered the product on Western Digital's support portal. The product was purchased (rather, the order was placed) on 31 October 2014, and albeit the hard disk drive is within warranty status, the expiry date is displayed as 19 October 2017.

Can the warranty period be updated to 31 October 2017, such that it precisely corresponds to the three years warranty period?
:unsure: :chinscratch:

Hi [MENTION=89911]insaneYLN[/MENTION],

In your case, I’d advise you to call or email our support team in India to update your warranty end date. They may ask for your receipt or proof of purchase so just be ready to email it to them when asked.

The following link contains details of India support team:- Support Answers

In the future, if you have any issue with the WD warranty service, you may refer to the link below:

Support Answers

If you'd like, you can also PM me your serial number, email address that you used to register the product and a copy of your proof of purchase, and I'll see if I can pass it along to our Customer Care team.
izzikio_rage
Feb 24, 2015 at 12:02 AM
Hi [MENTION=293224]DK_WD[/MENTION], seems that we are conversing on multiple threads :) My error during registration is

*i.imgur.com/nDYRqtY.jpg

The email WD seems to take me back to the registration page.
$hadow
$hadow #31
Feb 24, 2015 at 11:03 AM
This is weird I got my registration done in first time.
D
DK_WD #32
Feb 24, 2015 at 11:37 AM
Hi [MENTION=8593]izzikio_rage[/MENTION],

To make things easier, I’d advise you to call the WD customer support to register your WD product :)
izzikio_rage
Feb 28, 2015 at 2:20 AM
[MENTION=293224]DK_WD[/MENTION] What is the helpline number? And what is the helpline email, PM me in case you don't want to put it on an open forum
D
DK_WD #34
Mar 2, 2015 at 2:51 PM
[MENTION=293224]DK_WD[/MENTION] What is the helpline number? And what is the helpline email, PM me in case you don't want to put it on an open forum

Hi [MENTION=8593]izzikio_rage[/MENTION],

The link below has all the information on calling our Customer Care line, and also for emailing the Support team.

Support in India

I'd recommend that you call them directly. The reason is because you're having some problems to register the product, and the email page requires that you use a registered email account, so that way may not work.