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Building XP SP4 !

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app103:
Consider something like a 320G WD Passport drive. (I own a 500G and I love it!) Newegg has one for $60.

You can store the updates and service packs for multiple versions of Windows, along with your collection of necessary software tools, utilities, scripts, etc. all on a single drive. Yes, the physical size is larger than a thumb drive but not so large to rule it out. It can still fit in most pockets.

And if you buy 2 of them, the spare one can come in handy if you have to copy a user's data for backup/restore purposes, when a system is so botched that a format + rebuild is a better option than repairing. WD does make these little Passport drives in sizes up to 1TB and slightly larger physical sized My Book ones up to 3TB.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/catalog/?segment=2

Stoic Joker:
Consider something like a 320G WD Passport drive. (I own a 500G and I love it!) Newegg has one for $60.

You can store the updates and service packs for multiple versions of Windows, along with your collection of necessary software tools, utilities, scripts, etc. all on a single drive. Yes, the physical size is larger than a thumb drive but not so large to rule it out. It can still fit in most pockets.-app103 (December 02, 2011, 11:26 AM)
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Are cargo pants back in style?? (but seriously...) Having something like that in ones pocket tends to hamper mobility. Getting under a desk or behind something ... It'll make you want to set it down somewhere and lose it. Shirt pocket, hell no. I'm forever having to pickup my cigarettes because they fell out of my shirt pocket (clients hate it when you roll them in your sleeve), I'm not about to risk it with a drive. That thing would be wrecked in a week.

Maybe 40hz wears a sport coat (I don't), he could probably get away with having one in a coat pocket. But I'd rather the descreet size of a ThumbDrive.


And if you buy 2 of them, the spare one can come in handy if you have to copy a user's data for backup/restore purposes, when a system is so botched that a format + rebuild is a better option than repairing.-app103 (December 02, 2011, 11:26 AM)
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I usually just do a parallel install, it saves the copy time and ensures I won't get stuck trying to DL a NIC driver...Without a NIC driver (I hate when that happens).

ewemoa:
Sorry if the following is too much of a digression...

How have folks here found SMART test results for their drives?  I read that it may be problematic to get SMART results for some/many(?) USB drives [1].  Now if looking for drives in enclosures, I try to check the chipset of the controller or try to get an enclosure I can open without voiding the warranty.  Recently I've gotten an external SATA dock, so I've also been more likely to get bare drives -- of course, it is much less convenient to transport! 

I've also read that SMART test results often leave much to be desired, but it seems to be better than nothing -- and apparently there are certain attributes that are worth paying more attention to than others (e.g. reallocated sector count seems to be important).  I didn't use to pay attention to such things, but with multiple drives failing over the past 5 years or so with data loss...

Recently, I managed to save data from a few drives after noticing some suspicious-looking reports via HDDScan, so I think it has been worth periodically checking.  Also being aware of how old the drives are seems worth noting too.


[1] http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/smartmontools/wiki/FAQ#SmartmontoolsforFireWireUSBandSATAdiskssystems

ewemoa:
I usually just do a parallel install, it saves the copy time and ensures I won't get stuck trying to DL a NIC driver...Without a NIC driver (I hate when that happens).
-Stoic Joker (December 02, 2011, 11:59 AM)
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Appreciate having more than one machine around or a live cd / usb when this happens to me :)

f0dder:
I've also read that SMART test results often leave much to be desired, but it seems to be better than nothing -- and apparently there are certain attributes that are worth paying more attention to than others (e.g. reallocated sector count seems to be important).  I didn't use to pay attention to such things, but with multiple drives failing over the past 5 years or so with data loss...-ewemoa (December 02, 2011, 12:15 PM)
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Reallocated sector count is the only S.M.A.R.T stat I've ever seen any use from, and that count doesn't go up until your drive is quite into the danger zone. Also, for most drives I've had failing, that count has been 0.

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