Netdisk USB/ethernet Drive enclosure with Acronis TI $30AR

[Ken Fox]

Fry's on the internet http://shop3.outpost.com/product/465879 ... IN_RSLT_PG

and likely also in Fry's stores has this 3.5" IDE Hard Disk Drive enclosure for $30 after rebate ($60 purchase price, $30 rebate). This can function either as a run of the mill USB2 hard disk enclosure or can be plugged into your router and accessed on the internet using proprietary software which has recently been updated (new drivers available off the mfr's website). The kicker is that included in the box for mine was a CD with various pieces of software including a a reduced functionality version of Acronis True Image. With this version of Acronis True Image you can produce a bootable CD that will allow you to clone a hard disk drive onto any other hard disk either in a USB box or to an Ultrabay Disk. You will need to image the drive first and then clone it; I don't think this version of Acronis allows direct cloning. I cloned my X60's hard disk 3 days ago with this version of True Image and it worked fine. If you don't already have disk cloning software, this would be a nice addition to your software toolbox.

The Fry's rebate link is dead but this one works: http://i.slickdeals.net/attachment.php? ... 1172630842

As networked attached storage this is fully functional, but only on Windows systems (don't know about Vista), and like all cheaper networked attached storage solutions there are compromises made. It is not lightening fast. But on the whole it works pretty well and I've been happy with it.

So, if you happen to be in the market for a hard disk drive enclosure, maybe for use on a network, and want to obtain a copy of Acronis True Image for no additional cost, this may be a product to consider.

I should add that I've been waiting 3 months to get my rebate but the rebate website shows that it has been processed, is valid, and I should get my check soon.