Our Seagate FreeAgent HDs Just Cheaply Constructed?

In news:evwcDgqoKHA.5776@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl,

Shenan Stanley typed:

> Twayne wrote:

>> That's true, though I see the situation changing slowly. With two

>> external terabyte drives, soon to add a third, I'd really like to

>> see accessible power switches on all of them. The power cable

>> connecting in back is OK but I'd also like to see the data cables

>> in some sort of protected (recessed) area near the front or even on

>> the front of the drives. I only want or need one at a time to be

>> connected 24/7, and that's for nightly backups. I put together an

>> A-B box to switch the power cables open on one and closed on the

>> other, and vice-versa when it's switched over. But the

>> Seagate/Maxtor has no power switch so I must use a power bar for

>> that. The other drive is an Acomdata and has a switch that's handy

>> to reach. One of these days I'll hack the Seagate too and put in a

>> switch there too. I hate messes of power bars and my powercenter is

>> way past maxxed out. Pretty sure I'll go for Acomdata for the third

>> one, too. For some reason I've had a really bad run on WD drives

>> the last couple years.

>> I suspect there are quite a few others like me that would like an

>> easy way to isolate their drives from the machines when they're not

>> in use. To do that you have to control both power and the data

>> cable though.

>> My 2 ¢ on the subject anyway,

>

> I'd say things are moving away from such storage and more towards NAS

> devices or just cloud storage for those trusting enough to store

> their data elsewhere. It's getting very easy to have wired/wireless

> storage attached to your home network now - inexpensive as well. Then you

> have access from all of your computers without getting up

> from your current location. -)

> Such NAS devices *do* have shutdown switches (shutdown because they

> have an OS in most cases.)

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

Hmm, good catch.