Toshiba Canvio Advance 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0, Black - HDTCA20XK3AA

If you want to double-check what I'm saying, go ahead and do some research. I won't go into too much detail because this page already has a lot of text. (At the end, there's an update on my only issue with this model, as well as a quick method for recovering data if the internal drive is still functional. ) )br>1) There are failures in every hard drive manufacturer. Every single one of them. Some of them are dead on arrival, while others take a month or longer to arrive. It is dependent on what you intend to do with it. Moving parts are prone to failure. Clogs occur in the vents. Chips are fried. Cracks appear in the boards. I looked for good data but couldn't [statistics jargon]. Industry-wide, commonly reported rates are in the 2-percentage point range. 5% failure range with some lines doing better or worse than others doing worse than others doing worse than others do Personally, I've had nothing but positive experiences with these. 1b) No matter how good a hard drive is, it will eventually fail. If you can keep it going until it's too small and slow to be useful, consider it a win. (Before recycling the drive, make sure it is securely erased. ) )br>1c) People are more likely to complain than praise, so any drive you look into will have fewer positive reviews than negative ones. (See number eight. ) 9 below. )br>1d) Larger corporations acquire smaller businesses. The previous year's high-water mark has been surpassed this year. There's a chance that the final product will contain a low-quality component. End the drive, please. CYA. Find manufacturers you can rely on and show your support for them. br>2) All USB hard drives, thumb drives, and other storage devices are compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. There are a few proprietary devices for professional and enterprise equipment, but consumer equipment is compatible with both. If necessary, reformat it. Before you use it, make sure it works on all of your devices (for technical reasons). 2b) When it comes to cross-contamination, ExFAT is the most common suspect. sharing of files across platforms It isn't very good. It does nothing to prevent data loss (as journaling does), and Macs have been known to choke on it in my experience. Take a look at a reputable crossword puzzle provider. Stick with NTFS or HFS if you're using a platform file driver. Before using your drive, make sure it works on all platforms (for technical reasons). If you're using it for backups, keep it that way; if you're using it for TimeMachine on a Mac, let TimeMachine reformat it and take full control. br>2c) Check the options when you buy it and then check them again in your cart, as there are several sizes, styles, and "support" options. Check to see if you're ordering what you think you're ordering. I'm serious. I've seen a lot of reviews from people who are genuinely upset that they received the wrong item. Also, keep an eye on the price as you switch options. Before you checkout, double-check it in your cart. br>3) Instead of moving your data, copy it. Also, keep your old drive until you're certain the new one is working properly. When you get your new device, feel free to abuse it as much as you want, performing surface scans, and so on. A burn in is what it's called. If the drive's mechanics are sound, software will keep an eye out for failing sectors in the future (see S. br>3b) This drive isn't an SSD, but since I claim to know everything there is to know about hard drives, I'm going to tell you anyway. Scans aren't necessary for SSDs, and they shouldn't be defragmented. It is detrimental to their health. br>4) Sign up for an online backup service, preferably one that is well-known and offers a money-back guarantee. SpiderOak or Carbonite, for example, have a no-knowledge policy, which means that even if the provider wanted to, they wouldn't be able to access your data. Security is the term for it. Keep your old drive until your backups are complete (in the event of a failure). It could take a short time depending on your service. (Some services check your data to make sure you don't upload the same information twice. )br>5) Electronic equipment, no matter how tough or solid-state, can fail. It is not intended to be thrown, dropped, sat on, magnetized, electrocuted, submerged, burned, microwaved, or implanted into living beings, regardless of what the advertisements say. It's not supposed to be thrown, left in the rain, dropped in the pool, or anything like that; if you do, it will break. You lose all of your information. Water resistant, but not submersible, products designed specifically for this behavior are costly. There are limitations to being submersible. Dropping something just because it's shock resistant doesn't make it safe. br>6) Don't use the backup software, backup service, or built-in password protection that came with the computer. These things aren't yours to pay for. They'd be sold on their own if they were that good. If they are, you've been duped into signing up for a service that you won't bother to cancel. (See 4. ) Get your own service. )br>6b) Even if the drive was formatted when you received it, you should reformat it first. It only takes a few minutes. Just go ahead and do it. br>7) Portability is great, but if your laptop includes an external mouse and keyboard, two external drives, and a hub, you've got yourself a winner. It can no longer be carried around with you. SD cards are less expensive and more durable when traveling. They're also a lot more efficient. Make copies of your hard drive and keep it safe. Unless, of course, you require a substantial amount of space. If that's the case, get a second hard drive and make backups. Protect your data if it's that important to you. br>8) Assume that the most inept employee at your company is the one who writes every review. Seriously, I've worked with professional technicians whom I wouldn't trust to plug in a keyboard, despite the fact that some of them were well-paid. I've worked in the technology industry for DECADES. In addition, I hold a number of academic and professional credentials. Of course, I could be a tiny pink bunny as well. You have no idea what you're missing. Don't believe everything you read on the internet, including what I say. Look for consensus on reputable technical websites (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to list any here). If the writer is a moron or a troll, find out what the worst case scenario is. br>9) When reading reviews, see what the 1-star rating is. According to the reviews, Are they sour or truthful? What if your hard drive fails? How was their treatment by the company? Is it really Amazon or a third-party seller that they're upset about?
9b) 12 of the reviews 1- star. According to a quick survey, at least half of them are written by people who don't know nearly as much about computers as their friends claim. The other half is actually whining about something else. However, Toshiba's return policies appear to be in need of improvement, so make the most of your 30-day money back guarantee. Burning it in and backing it up takes a few days. TLDR: I've been using the Toshiba Canvio line since it was introduced, and I still have and use my original drive; I've used them professionally, as have others I know in various fields. I've had at least six of them and know a lot of people who have. I've only had one issue in all that time (see below). It's the first thing I think of when someone asks for a professional recommendation. I've been looking for a larger capacity drive recently (Macs and laptops have limited ports), but I keep coming back to this site. br>br>UPDATE: br>br> My first issue was with an old 1TB hard drive that I'd had for so long that I couldn't recall when I purchased it. Even though the light was turned on, the system was completely unaware of its presence. The fix? I pried open the case and unplugged the sliver of electronics that connected the internal drive's connector (SATA) to the external socket (USB-C). Then I plugged it back in and reassembled the drive (a process known as reseating, by the way). It works on anything that has a cord, and it's right up there with restarting the system when it comes to magical fixes. br>br>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: br>br>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: br>br>ADDIT There are no guarantees, but if that sliver of electronics is bad, a new housing or a SATA to USB adapter kit might be able to access the drive inside. Opening the case carefully is probably more difficult than using the gear, but there are a number of reputable forums where you can get help using it. I believe mine cost around $40.

Norah Hanson

| Mar 29, 2021

On March 9th, I made a purchase. I loaded it up with documents to take on a month-long trip in April, so I could work on my laptop using files saved from my desktop PC. On April 9, at the age of 30 days, the drive stopped working. I'm back in my office and was hoping that when I plugged it in to the desktop PC it would just start working - apparently this is a common issue for this unit because there were hundreds of pages on the subject when I Googled how to fix it. that the problem could have been with my laptop's port - There was no such luck - The lights don't even turn on, and I can't get to the files or even follow some of the fixes, such as renaming the drive letter, reinstalling the operating system, or reformatting the drive. br>br>Oh, and the last return date was April 9! It quit working on the same day!.

Manuel Henry

| Oct 15, 2021

  UPDATE: When the drive failed, it had only been in use for about two weeks and had never been transported. Thousands of files have vanished and are unrecoverable, despite large sums of money spent on specialized recovery. Toshiba provided no assistance or contact, making this a cheap and useless product. I've had 5 WD drives over the years that have never failed, so unless you don't care about your data, don't buy one of Toshiba's drives. I'm not going to support them or any of their products ever again. br>br>It's making a strange clicking noise and won't let me move files to another drive; I have four paying clients who are currently working on this. It's possible that the drive will be recovered, but it's not something to be concerned about with one of these drives. Get yourself a WD and save yourself the trouble.

Santino Schaefer

| Jan 01, 2021

For my PlayStation 4, I purchased a 2TB external hard drive. My 500 GB PS4 had run out of space, and this device came to the rescue! When I plugged in the USB drive, the system asked if I wanted to format it for use with the PS4. It was ready to use as soon as I clicked YES. I was able to begin moving saved data from the PS4 to the external hard drive right away, and I now have all of the space I require. It would have been a waste of money to buy the Playstation-branded external hard drive, which would have cost nearly $30 more. If you need more storage space for your PlayStation 4, look no further than this Toshiba drive, which does exactly what I needed it to do while also saving me money.

Logan Palmer

| Nov 04, 2021

This was bought as a backup for my MacBook Pro. Despite the fact that the description didn't mention it being used as a backup for Macs, I decided to buy it anyway. When I plugged it in, the MacBook formatted it and began backing it up automatically. The speed with which it backed up my computer astounds me. It's also quite charming and compact.

Marina Mueller

| Mar 15, 2021

Please accept my apologies for writing a bad review - I prefer to leave positive feedback, which I almost always do, but this piece of garbage stopped working after only four months. I tried a number of fixes recommended by reputable firms such as Easeus; unable to succeed br>This Toshiba Canvio Advance 2TB is completely useless and a complete waste of money. It's a cruel joke to call it "Amazon's Choice. " Almost a five-star rating? It is deserving of a one-star rating; It is only deserving of a one-star rating. br>By the way, I store my data on a number of external hard drives. I have an older Toshiba that works fine for me. WD, Seagate, and Fantom are the brands I use. There has never been an issue. Seagate and Fantom are two excellent storage companies. External hard drives from WD are particularly good. Reliable. br>I bought this Toshiba Canvio Advance 2TB in September 2018 and by the time it failed, the company had cut me off from support and other services. br>I'm replacing it with a WD that I know I can trust.

Thea Castillo

| Sep 07, 2021