Backup device has failed

[Clive]

My 500Gb Western Digital backup device has failed and I need to buy a new one - preferably a 1Tb.  Does anyone have any recommendations? 

[Technical Ben]

As it failed, not a WD drive? 

[Simon]

I don't think you can guarantee any of them to last forever, but I've had a couple of Samsung 1Tb drives for nearly a year now, and they've not given me any trouble. 

[Clive]

Are WD a poor make?    That lasted 3 years without any trouble but my old 250 Gb WD was still working when I dumped it! 

[Simon]

I don't think they're a poor make.  Check the reviews on Amazon, even if you don't buy from them.  Sandra used to swear by WDs.  Or was it WMDs... 

[Gary]

All drives will fail sometime even SSD's wear out. I use Lacie drives on my Mac with a thunderbolt port, they work well. Drives inside are Samsung I believe.

[Glenn]

Samsung sold their mechanical drive business to Seagate 2 or 3 years ago. http://www.seagate.com/gb/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/seagate-completes-aquisition-samsungs-hdd-business-pr/

[JB]

I remember reading a table lately that indicated that Hitachi drives overall attain the best reliability and longivity.

I just had to RMA a WD 1TB drive that had failed after 10 months but on the other hand I have some WD drives that are several years old. Personally, I've had the worse luck with Seagate drives. I never had one of the older Samsung drives fail, but as stated Seagate took them over.

[Steve]

http://support.wdc.com/warranty/policy.asp if you've not checked, the UK/Europe ones are on there somewhere.

[JB]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089464/three-year-27-000-drive-study-reveals-the-most-reliable-hard-drive-makers.html

This isn't the table I originally saw but seems to give similar results. Obviously I can't verify any of the data so post it for whatever you might like to interpret from it.

[Clive]

I don't think they're a poor make.  Check the reviews on Amazon, even if you don't buy from them.  Sandra used to swear by WDs.  Or was it WMDs... 

WMDs in Sandra's case!     OK, I'll check the Amazon reviews.   

[Technical Ben]

I remember reading a table lately that indicated that Hitachi drives overall attain the best reliability and longivity.

I just had to RMA a WD 1TB drive that had failed after 10 months but on the other hand I have some WD drives that are several years old. Personally, I've had the worse luck with Seagate drives. I never had one of the older Samsung drives fail, but as stated Seagate took them over.

Even the professionals were unable to find any stats (unless we are talking Google, and they either just go for price, and use software for redundancy or are tight lipped). Most use different brands at different times and in different quantities, so it's hard to know if it was a single bad batch, or a running problem. Ah, seems I missed a new test!

Example in point, we get stats of failure rates of appliances sometimes at work. Customers will always say near opposite to what really happens or what you expect. Cheap unbranded stuff can last 10 years. Branded "quality" stuff can go after 2. I know of only one company guaranteed to not break down, and the machines cost 4 times as much or more.

[Clive]

So..... after very little deliberation I'm thinking about getting this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Slimline-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B008PABFX8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[Simon]

That's what I've got two of. 

[Clive]

Is that supposed to give me confidence?    

[Steve]

Just in case one breaks, as Rik used to say you can never have too many back ups.

[Simon]

He did indeed!  Actually, one of mine is a backup drive, and the other is just for storage.

[Clive]

Rik used to keep buying them and throwing the oldest one away.  He was fastidious about it.  No doubt the data will never see the light of day again.