Is this a good idea? Hardware for imaging.

Hey there.

I'm about to goto college for the first time ever, and although I am very excited, I still have to sort some things out.

First, I needed a laptop. I solved that by choosing an Alienware M11x R2. I have not received it just yet, so I can't comment. With it, I am getting a 320GB Sata II 7200 RPM HD. If you don't know, Alienware OS shipments are relatively bloatware free, and as such, I really like the image.

The problem that I am trying to solve with this thread is insurance, essentially.

Yes, I can extend the warranty, but if I drop my laptop, I won't get my important school documents back. And I really won't have to money to pay for a monthly cloud service (Dell datasafe).

So, first I considered an external HD, such as the WD Digital Elements SE 1TB, for only about 100$ through Dell using my student discount.

I then evaluated that decision and considered that it was good, but not enough to make me happy or feel secure.

A traditional hard drive can succumb to permanent damage due to jostling and falls, which are nearly guaranteed in the college atmosphere. I then thought about getting an SSD.

I would start by getting a docking station, such as the Thermaltake BlacX Duet ABS Plastic 2.5" & 3.5", and then cloning my shipped HD (the 320GB) to the new SSD.

Then, since the M11x does not have a esata port, I would get a USB/esata adapter, such as the BYTECC USB3-ESATA SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to eSATA 3Gbs Adapter.

So, essentially, when I wanted to, instead of formatting the old hard drive, I would use it like an external.

Is this set up possible? What drawbacks do you foresee? Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading!

 

BUMP due to lack of replies :/

 

BOO THEM FOR NOT RESPONDING!

buying an external hdd EX: passports your just asking for trouble unless you back it up constantly and their warranty isn't worth it.

what i suggest you do is get like a 30-40gb OCZ SSD (OS only)

For your hdd/proggies use the 320gb and buy another 500gb on the road.

1tb is going to be a hassle for you to use (hence folderwise)

Get a cheap BlackX dock 15-25 shipped. USB2.0 friendly

hope that helps and welcome to notebookreviews

 

Yeah, that's what I was asking, and judging by your response, it's not only feasible but also preferable.

Thanks!

 

Nothing wrong with the WD 2.5" ext. 1TB drive. I have it and use it to back up my work weekly. On my notebook, I have a 320GB HDD and partition 32GB for OS/programs and the rest for data (in case Windows gets corrupt or something goes wrong and I need to reformat without losing my data).

 

Well heres a thought...since you say online services are expensive, have you tried Carbonite? My dad uses it to make backups of our nas and it works perfectly...for 54 bucks a year for unlimited space is practical for our 2tb of storage. The first upload of all your data will take a few days (took us about a week...we have a lot of crap) but after that its perfect.. they even have a desktop app that syncs folders and junk to the server for you!

 

True, but the layout I listed in my OP runs about 160$ (in theory), comparative to 216$ for 4 years and beyond with Carbonite

Meh. I think imaging is more simple and delivers better results than partitioning data.

 

I pulled the trigger on my laptop today:

Hard Drive - 250GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Memory - 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz
Processor - Intel® Core™ i7 640UM (4M Cache, 1.2 GHZ with 2.266 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable
Monitor - 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) WLED
Weight - See attached file
Color - Alienware M11x, Soft Touch Stealth Black
Operating System - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Wireless - Alienware M11x a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO Wireless
Warranty - 1 Year Basic Plan

I still think I am going with my original plan.

Acronis True Image is cheaper on newegg, too: Newegg.com - Acronis True Image Home 2010 Amaray Case

 

Theres a coupon for acronis on newegg this week...check the email promotions comes out to like 22$ or something like that