Maxtor OneTouch II: a first look
Published: 21 Sep 2004
With the OneTouch II drive, Maxtor makes its already simple one-button backup even easier. Once the drive is connected and the software is configured via a click-through wizard, the OneTouch II will automatically back up the host computer's local drives and files every day, according to a schedule preset by the manufacturer. Users who want to change when backups occur, or to specify which drives or files to back up, can do so via the OneTouch II's graphical user interface.
Maxtor is certainly making it easier for less technical customers to 'set it and forget it'. Unlike other storage devices, the OneTouch II will allow a backup to occur even if applications are running and files are open. In fact, it will even back up open files. Additionally, the OneTouch II creates historical versions of files. In the case of a system crash, you can pinpoint a specific point in time from which to restore your entire system or choose particular folders or files to restore. Another nice feature is the OneTouch II's ability to designate a portion of the drive for backup, reserving the rest for general storage. As the drive's backup portion fills up, it will dump the oldest versions of files to make room.
Another new feature is password protection. Once you power down the computer or remove the external drive, you'll have to provide the correct password to access the data again. The OneTouch II's software prompts you with a series of questions in case you forget the password, but it won't let you reset the password, thus rendering your data inaccessible to anyone else.
As always, an external drive will be slower than an internal drive, but this FireWire/USB 2.0 unit is also less flexible than a networkable drive, such as the Buffalo LinkStation. You can store data on the OneTouch II, but you can't share that data across a network. And there is the possibility that you could lock yourself out of the drive if you forget your password and can't answer the software's prompts. We wonder if the new features are enough to justify the price hike.
Costing $329.95 (~£185) for the 250GB version and $379.95 (~£213) for the 300GB version, the OneTouch II is $30 (~£17) more than the OneTouch. Will the extra features be worth it? Check back for a full review.
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Greetings --
on first looks this seems very impres... Anthony C Hunter
