External USB drives that will tolerate regular shipping?

[louise]

We are working out a backup system (or actually a third set
of backups) that will require shipment of a USB hard drive
accross the country on a monthly basis. These drives will
have all the backed up data and will be shipped back and
forth for updating on a monthly, or somewhat more frequent
basis.

What external USB drives would be more able to withstand the
frequent shipping and still be readable when they arrive on
the other end of the country?

TIA

Louise

 

[Paul Rubin]

What external USB drives would be more able to withstand the frequent
shipping and still be readable when they arrive on the other end of
the country?

Get a tape drive.

 

[Rod Speed]

We are working out a backup system (or actually a third set
of backups) that will require shipment of a USB hard drive
accross the country on a monthly basis. These drives will
have all the backed up data and will be shipped back and
forth for updating on a monthly, or somewhat more frequent basis.

What external USB drives would be more able to withstand the frequent shipping and still be
readable when they arrive on the other end of the country?

All of them if you have a decent system for a container.

The obvious approach is one of those
suitcase things thats usually used for cameras.

 

[Arno Wagner]

We are working out a backup system (or actually a third set
of backups) that will require shipment of a USB hard drive
accross the country on a monthly basis. These drives will
have all the backed up data and will be shipped back and
forth for updating on a monthly, or somewhat more frequent
basis.

What external USB drives would be more able to withstand the
frequent shipping and still be readable when they arrive on
the other end of the country?

The enclosure is not the issue. There are none that have the
required shock-absorbing capacity. The packing material is.
I think if you conform to, e.g., Maxtors drive shipping guidelines
you should be fine, enclosure or no. They require >= 5 cm of foam
rubber on each drive side. Make sure the cutout is actually
0.5 cm or so smaller than the enclosure in order to prevent the
drive from shifting.

BTW, bubblewrap is not suitable for this.

Arno

 

[Aidan Karley]

The obvious approach is one of those
suitcase things thats usually used for cameras.

Packed inside a dirty cardboard box.
Those suitcases have a 13m tall neon sign attached to them that
says "steal me!" in many international theiving-bastards languages. you
do need the right lighting to see the sign, but a little practice will
let you "get your eye in" so you can see them.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

The enclosure is not the issue. There are none that have the
required shock-absorbing capacity.

Obviously depends on the drive that's fitted in it.

The packing material is.
I think if you conform to, e.g., Maxtors drive shipping guidelines
you should be fine, enclosure or no. They require >= 5 cm of foam
rubber on each drive side.

Make sure the cutout is actually 0.5 cm or so smaller than the enclosure
in order to prevent the drive from shifting.

As if that matters to the shock absorbtion capacity of foam.
As if the drive will accelerate/decelerate more if it is not a thight fit.

BTW, bubblewrap is not suitable for this.

Actually it is quite suitable if wrapped loosely in several layers.

 

[SA]

What external USB drives would be more able to withstand the frequent

shipping and still be readable when they arrive on the other end of the
country?

As far as I can tell most of the hard drives are about the same today as far
as head parking etc...

Get a reusable box about 10 inches tall and 12-14 long and pack it with
sturdy foam and that should do the trick.
Dont use peanuts or other garbage packing material.

GL

 

[Arno Wagner]

As far as I can tell most of the hard drives are about the same today as far
as head parking etc...

Get a reusable box about 10 inches tall and 12-14 long and pack it with
sturdy foam and that should do the trick.

Needs to be foam rubber. Hard foam is dangerous.

Dont use peanuts or other garbage packing material.

Indeed.

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

As far as I can tell most of the hard drives are about the same today as far

as head parking

Nope, there are still differences there. Even with laptop drives.
Off platter head parking and on platter parking

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Needs to be foam rubber.

Hard foam is dangerous.

Right, which obviously is why they are using it in helmets.

 

[Odie Ferrous]

Right, which obviously is why they are using it in helmets.

The brain has its own "shock absorbers" (called the meninges which, in
conjunction with hard-foam "styrofoam" helmets works pretty well) and
has as such absolutely no correlation with the shock suffered by hard
drives. I won't go into details here about impact points, compression,
etc - it would merely confuse you.

How on earth can you compare the two?




Odie

 

[Arno Wagner]

The brain has its own "shock absorbers" (called the meninges which, in
conjunction with hard-foam "styrofoam" helmets works pretty well) and
has as such absolutely no correlation with the shock suffered by hard
drives. I won't go into details here about impact points, compression,
etc - it would merely confuse you.

How on earth can you compare the two?

It is Folkert, i.e. incomptence combined with a big mounth and ego.
What do you expect?

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

It is Folkert, i.e. incomptence combined with a big mounth and ego.
What do you expect?

Nice troll, babblebot, I was almost tempted to react.
Mirrors, extremely useful things, aren't they, babblebot.

 

[Herb Oxley]

All of them if you have a decent system for a container.

The obvious approach is one of those
suitcase things thats usually used for cameras.

Better still: A Turtle(r) Case designed for removable hard drives see:
http://www.turtlecase.com/news1.aspx for 2004 product announcement and
<http://www.turtlecase.com/catalog/ProductFamily.aspx?id=113&srcID=107&srcTarget=Department>
for a listing of their hard drive cases.
A case big enough to ship 1 or 2 drives sells for around $90.00 .

Shipping a Turtle Case inside a plain, sturdy cardboard box with
small-bubble bubble-pak used to make a snug fit will reduce the risk of
pilferage and prolong the life of the case.

(Note "Bubble Wrap" is a registered TM of Sealed Air Corp.; I've found )
(theirs to be the best although its pricey compared with generics. )
(Turtle(r)Case is a registered TM of PERM-A-STORE Inc. for its line of )
(protective semirigid shock-absorbing plastic cases for computer )
(tapes and removable hard drives. )
(I have no connection with either company save as a )
(satisfied end user of their products. )