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Reviewed by: sierra_nevadas
03-09-08
Duration of ownership:
2
Weeks
Strengths: Good value; Easy setup; great performance; gigabit ethernet port
Weaknesses:No USB mode; klutzy desktop software
Overall Evaluation: We have a Windows Home Server (WHS) at home (built from scratch), and had been quite happy with it. However, I was noticing some My Movies files getting corrupted. While I first assumed it was a bug in the program, I then discovered that it was the WHS itself that was corrupting the files!! It is a well known bug of this product, and they are still working on a fix (as of early March 2008). I was quite worried about my pictures and 2000+ CD MP3 library becoming corrupted as well, so decided to start storing these on a different product. This Maxtor drive povided the best bang for the buck. It was compact, easy to setup and doesn't use much power. Setup took me about twenty minutes, and did require a reboot. The desktop software is a bit funky, as you click on the icon in the Taskbar, and do some setup with that, but then get kicked to a web-browser to perform other setup. THey should have it all web-based, and not mess with the desktop control. All the other computers in the house have no problem finding the shared folders. Oh well, minor complaint, as I don't do any tweaks after the initial setup. It has a gigabit ethernet port, and is quite speedy, especially comared to the WHS. A click on Folder -> Properties is almost instantaneous with the Maxtor, yet takes several seconds with the WHS. The Maxtor has a built-in media server, so my music & pictures are visible throughout the entire home network. THis includes my DirecTV HD-DVR, which allow me to view pictures w/out a PC on in the house!
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Reviewed by: wmnetid
12-13-07
Duration of ownership:
30
Days
Strengths: Extremely easy setup, USB port for printer sharing
Weaknesses:Short warranty
Overall Evaluation: This product is unbelievably easy to set up. You just plug it in, hook it up to your router and turn it on. Within moments, it will show up in you Network Places. I didn't bother to read the instructions or install any of the software. I guess I should if I want to get the most out of this product. If you are using it as a print server, you should go into the setup and change the settings to use a fixed IP address. One potential negative is the 1 year warranty. Seagate products usually have a 3 year warranty, so why does the Maxtor sibling only have a 1 year warranty? Sometimes the drive makes strange noises, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
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Reviewed by: SDTechDeals
09-11-07
Duration of ownership:
2
Days
Strengths: Easy setup; nice styling; quiet operation; USB Host
Weaknesses:Not a USB device; so-so operation; sketchy software
Overall Evaluation: I was looking for a cheap and reliable NAS device that was small, quiet and was uPnP & DNLA compliant. I needed to serve up my MP3s to my Sonos network devices, which I have scattered throughout the house. I didn't need alot of storage, as I already had a Windows Home Server, which serves up most of my data (but is not compatible with Sonos). I have about 250GB of music, so the 320GB was a perfect size.I was hoping to xfer all 250gb of music via USB, only to realize that the Maxtor has two USB host ports, but is *not* a USB device. I was wanting to plug it into my computer's USB port, and initiate the xfer directly to the drive via USB, instead of via Ethernet. Well, this cannot be done (or I have not figured out why!). There are two USB connectors on the back of the Maxtor, but they are for plugging in an external hard-drive, flash drive or USB printer. Oh well. I was able to copy over the files overnight, as it took quite a bit of time. If I had the files on an external hard-drive, I might have been able to plug it into the Maxtor, and xfer them that way. However, I am not sure what format that drive would need to be in, as I cannot find this information on the lame included manual.Setup was relatively easy. Just keep in mind that the unit will flash, and appear to be one, but this is just indicating network connectivity. You do need to push the little power-button on bck to "really" turn it on.The software guided me thru setting up a admin account, along with a user account. I put the files into the public folder, just so that I could be sure that the MP3 files could be served to my Sonos. I did get an error message or two when setting up an account, but that went away. It's browser based, so sometimes the font's get all messed up. I was able to download the latest firmware, but note that the built-in link takes you to a web-site that no longer exists!!! You need to go to seagate's support site to find the firmware. Kind of lame...I had a difficult time setting up a user account. It would give me an error, but create the account and associated folders. However, I could never log into that folder or perform backups with that account! Eventually, I deleted the account/folder, and rebooted. This time everything worked.One thing I don't like about the shared folder setup is that they are User based. If you want to put music in those folders, and then share that music with the DLNA server, it then create sub-folders below that share. I just want to see a "Music" folder shares, which has my MP3s directly, not another level below that. Oh well...Overall, I am happy with the performance. I don't need alot of speed, but it's nice to know that it's Gigabit Ethernet, in the event I plan to serve up video later. My Sonos found the files, and played them flawlessly. The unit is relatively quiet, and doesn't look all that ugly!I'm giving it 4-stars for the so-so documentation, lack of USB device mode and flakines of setting up accounts and shares.
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Reviewed by: roxx4u
07-26-07
Duration of ownership:
10
Days
Strengths: Fast processor, nice capacity, Linux based, inbuilt print server
Weaknesses:Doesn't support Multi-Functional Printers, doesn't support NTFS drives
Overall Evaluation: Overall it's great solution for networking storage and speed is quite good. It comes with faster processor among it's peers. Also has a inbuilt print server, media server and two USB ports to add additional storage. But disappointed with the fact that this device (MSS-II) doesn't support MFC printers and NTFS formatted hard drives. Hope Maxtor can improve it make it a complete solution in future.
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Reviewed by: jlee00
07-23-07
Duration of ownership:
5
Days
Strengths: Nice design, fast transfer, easy to use
Weaknesses:Only 1 year warranty
Overall Evaluation: This NAS drive is a great way to add network storage at home or work. It sports a gigabit network card for fast transfers. The onboard web interface is easy to use. The case design is elegant. It's operation is quiet and cool. Great drive so far!
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