Many of us now have more than one computer in our homes. Perhaps you kept around an older computer just for the kids to use or even to use as an in home file server. Regardless of why you have multiple computers in your home (or business) it is often a hassle to back up the data that is stored on them such as personal photos, documents, videos, and other files that cannot be replaced. We all know that backing up our computer is essential, but very few of us do it on a regular basis because it seems like a daunting, boring task especially when there is more than one computer to maintain.
Maxtor has developed a new portable hard drive device that is intended to make backing up multiple computers a lot easier and faster. The new Maxtor One Touch 4 is available in capacities as large as 750 gigabytes, more than adequate to hold several computer's worth of cherished memories. The Maxtor One Touch 4 Mini USB hard drive holds up to 160 gigabytes of data in a much smaller package appropriate for use with laptops or where desktop space is a premium. The One Touch 4 Plus version adds additional features including the ability to create an instant image of your entire computer hard drive. If the internal drive on your computer fails you can boot from the One Touch 4, and instantly copy all of the hard drive data back to the computer allowing you to avoid having to reinstall the entire operating system and additional programs.
Using the One Touch 4 is as easy as pushing a button. When plugged into a host computer via a USB port the drive appears on the desktop as another hard drive. Using a simple on screen interface you can schedule backups or force the system to do one immediately. Maxtor's SafetyDrill software (provided with the plus and mini versions) allows you to clone the entire drive for emergency restoration should the need ever arise. Additional features include password protection and the ability to sync data across multiple computers.
The specifications of the new Maxtor One Touch 4 are quite impressive, but I would be curious to see if it is truly as painless to use as promised. I have requested a review unit to evaluate to see whether the hard drive works as effortlessly as the online demos seem to indicate. If it does, the convenience and data security that this device can provide would be well worth the price.
