This is my second hard drive from LaCie and they are both going strong today. My first HD at least five years old is connected to the computer by a single bulky SCSI cable. Its capacity is 4.5 gigabyte which was a step up from the two gigabyte offered with the computer of that time. My feelings at that time have not changed today in regards to how fast a hard drive should rotate to make it a reliable storage. Fifty- four which is the bare basic spin supplied with many basic computers. But today most people own one source of digital capturing equipment. Equipment such as a digital camera or DV camcorder. Digital replaces analog but demands fast rotating hard drive with larger data holding capacities.

If your up to running a game or two you will want the faster rotating hard drive. Editing software requires it and these days it is almost the norm on even the most basic computer. Rotation is but one important feature of LaCie d2 Triple Interface Hard Drive. I bought this hard drive mainly for its size of 250 gigabyte. Presently that would give my present computer the total capacity to hold 256 gigabyte of raw data. I should tell you that when you are buying any hard drive, the number 250 MB represents before it is formatted. After you format the drive with the choice of operating system you will see that the 250 goes down to around 245 or more. This hard drive in the box is formatted for the Macintosh running OS 9.1 or 10. However the nice thing about Lacie products is that they can run on both Macintosh and Windows or one or the other. Software is include that helps make formatting and partitioning easy to do.

The LaCie 250 gigabyte is easy to set up and use in know time. Once the hard drive has been formatted for either a Pc or Macintosh one cord from your computer to the hard drive and off you go. This is what you get in the box

• 1/250 gigabyte LaCie Hard Drive
• 1 Cable for Firewire 800 (9-9 pin)
• 1 Cable for Firewire 400 (6-6 pin)
• 1 Cable for iLink (4-6 pin)
• 1 Cable for USB 2.0
• 1 AC adapter
• 1 Vertical Stand with one tool.
• 1/LaCie Storage Utility CD, Manual, and Drivers
• 1/Quick set up booklet

This hard drive is hot swap able (USB 2.0) which means that while the computer is on and the drive is not being used - the drive can be disconnected and connected to another computer. When used as a firewire drive dismounting the hard drive first is a must. Than the hard drive can be disconnected and connected to another turned on computer. The manual tells you how to do this safely. A blue light flickers to show activity in the drive and to let you know that it is on. This blue light also acts as an on off switch for the hard drive.

I found the fan to be very quiet and the drive itself also. I did put the drive to sleep once and the drive did not like that much it made a noise or too. Even though the manual had indicated that a past bug was fixed when the hard drive was attached to a Macintosh Power Book. I found that fixed bug to still be a bug. Unfortunately I do not put the computer to sleep with out first dismounting the hard drive and turning it off. When the computer wakes up the LaCie hard drive senses that and turns itself on.

 
This is a small part of what makes up my office.

• One cable modem
• One 650 UPS
• One flashlight
• One power supply for the computer on the desk above.
• All the above sit on an empty speaker housing

• One d2 Triple Interface Hard Drive for the computer on the desk above
• One computer  tower
• Sitting on top is a LaCie SCSI 4.5 gigabyte Hard Drive