External Hard Drive

Bob W said:
Macs are such a PITA, you might even call them a rip-off (especially if dealing with OEM replacements through an Apple store), as the hardware is expensive, difficult to replace, and most off-the-shelf components are not interchangeable. Someone with more recent Mac experience will have to answer your question (I have many Mac computers, but they're all older). Can you list your computer model name? Some Macs are relatively easy to work on, while others aren't worth the hassle.
Click to expand...

"PITA/rip-off," exactly what I'm thinking. It's a 24" iMac. Here's the specs on the box: FullSizeRender-1.jpgFullSizeRender-2.jpg

If you had a standard computer that you snapped together yourself, it would take five minutes and a small screwdriver to replace the hard drive. Then add an hour or two for re-installing the operating system and software.
Click to expand...

If only:o....I know you encouraged me to build my own last time, and I'm still not a good candidate, at least not for now--for this project. I did buy the desktop tho.:)

From a cost standpoint, replacing the hard drive compared vs. replacing the entire computer is a no-brainer. My computers, the two most recent, cost $1700 and $2000. One is eight years old and the other is 2 or 3 years old. Both are still perfectly capable machines. A brand new hard drive (Seagate, non-SSD, 250GB) costs $50.
Click to expand...

I can understand this. The counterargument is--as far as I can tell--what will go next, would I be better off with something with a theoretically better life expectancy?
The newer model iMac I'm considering is in the $1700-2000 range. Then I have to consider that my Adobe CS4 Master Collection will probably have conflicts with the newer Mac OS, so I'm looking at either new CS6 software discs or Adobe cloud computing, either way more money. I sell my books as part of my profession, so maybe I need to suck it up, get into the year 2014 (or 2015!), convert the files to the newer versions of CS6 and higher and not look back. I just don't know, and for me this is a headache.

Bottom line is security, accessibility and longevity of the files. I imagine--correctly or not?-- that at some point in time I will have to convert my files to higher versions of the software if I wish to continue selling the books?
 
Last edited:
I can understand this. The counterargument is--as far as I can tell--what will go next, would I be better off with something with a theoretically better life expectancy?
Click to expand...

Yep, and that's impossible to predict. This 8-year-old machine was originally built with a graphic card that cost $250.00. After eight years the graphic card flaked out and had to be replaced. The replacement cost $40 and is twice as fast as the old one. :)
But it couldn't have been upgraded at all if the computer wasn't build with standard and replaceable components; if the graphics were built into the motherboard like on a laptop or iMac, the entire machine would have been junk. $2000 down the toilet.

Then I have to consider that my Adobe CS4 Master Collection will probably have conflicts with the newer Mac OS...
Click to expand...

You never know about that stuff. My photo editing computer uses Windows 7 which isn't supposed to be compatible with Adobe CS2, but in reality it works just fine. Since I don't make money with photography, I cannot justify the expense of upgrading software just because Adobe (or whoever) says I need to.
Windows XP still works great, despite the upgrade-or-die hysteria from Microsoft. Still using Office 2000 also. ;)
 
Bob W said:
You never know about that stuff. My photo editing computer uses Windows 7 which isn't supposed to be compatible with Adobe CS2, but in reality it works just fine. Since I don't make money with photography, I cannot justify the expense of upgrading software just because Adobe (or whoever) says I need to.
Windows XP still works great, despite the upgrade-or-die hysteria from Microsoft. Still using Office 2000 also. ;)
Click to expand...

Sounds like we are cut from the same cloth on this--I usually hang onto and use stuff much longer than suggested or than average.

I got the idea about the software conflict from researching the Adobe upgrades, their new cloud computing, and Mac OS versions. Many people were unhappy about glitches between PS CS4 and the new Mac OS--if people upgraded their OS, CS4 had conflicts. On the other hand, you could be right--maybe Adobe worked out some of the bugs. Others were unhappy with the cloud computing model, always having to pay a monthly fee to have software, and the standard upgrades weren't cheap either. The only thing I can say in defense of the Adobe upgrades is that often the newer versions brought positive change and solved some of the design or typographic problems--or lighting problems in PS. However, I am annoyed when I feel forced to upgrade or lose control of my files--but they don't support older versions forever. From a recent download, it appears the cloud versions are only retroactive to CS4...and when you have put 1000's of hours into something....oy:(
 
Last edited:
I'm using CS2 because that's the one Adobe offered as a free download with all installation keys a while back. Then they claimed, "oops, we didn't mean to do that," and removed the download. :rolleyes:

The printer came with some version of Adobe Photoshop Elements, and that's a decent piece of software too, probably sufficient for most everyday photographers.

However, I am annoyed when I feel forced to upgrade or lose control of my files--but they don't support older versions forever. From a recent download, it appears the cloud versions are only retroactive to CS4...and when you have put 1000's of hours into something....oy
Click to expand...
We Nikon users are facing the same thing right now with their CaptureNX software. Instead of updating the software, they discontinued it and replaced it with some new not-as-good software that works completely differently and uses an entirely incompatible file type.
 
Regarding ways to see if a disc may be failing, look for drives that make use of s.m.a.r.t error reporting. It has been found to help predict drive failures roughly 75% of the time.
 
Backblaze has an updated blog post on hard drive longevity in its data center of 41,213 disk drives.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/

Quick summary:

3 TB drives> the lost generation.
4 TB drives> HGST is great, Seagate is good enough, Western Digital is too expensive (for Backblaze).
6 TB drives> the jury is still out.​
 
This article appeared in the wsj 3/4/15. It compares 4 back-up services: Backblaze, Carbonite, CrashPlan, SOS Online Backup. I've only tried Carbonite and am thinking about trying one of the other services or even using 2 of them for added protection--can't afford to lose my many 1,000's of book files which could never be recreated in my lifetime! Any comments or experiences, good, bad, or otherwise?

"The Best Way to Back Up Your Computer"

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-way-to-back-up-your-computer-1425404466
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top