Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 500 External Hard Drive

Rob Williams · 11-23-2007, 12:15 AM

Choosing the right external HDD can be tough. In order to sell, products such as the OneTouch 4 rely on their robust software bundle to help move off the shelf. People should be given a solid backup suite, especially given the price. This is exactly where Maxtor fell short, with their OneTouch 4 Plus.

You can read Nate's full review here and discuss it here!

Merlin · 11-23-2007, 10:28 AM

I have used Maxtor internal drives for years, but the External drives have failed to impress me. I have 1.3 tera bits storage from three drives of Maxtor. It seems they have some problem now and then being recognised on my four machines, I've tried to give them a chance in every way because of the famous internal drives that I have had. I've gone to MyBook for external storage and Western Digital for Internal drives.
And using WinXP on three machines and Vista Ultamate on one.

Merlin

Rory Buszka · 11-23-2007, 04:01 PM

I dunno, I kind of like the white LED.

11-26-2007, 05:57 PM

I noticed that when you were reviewing this hard drive, you didn't know why there were two fire wire ports. The reason that there are two ports, is because if you would buy multiple external hard drives like this one, you could link them via fire wire ports, and daisy chain them together. You could have 4 hard drives plugged into one fire wire slot on your computer. I just shows the flexibility of fire wire, even though it performed poorly on the speed tests. The White LED is annoying, and very tacky looking! I copied the provided software to my computer, and formated the Maxtor One Touch 4 and am using it like another hard drive. So far the performance is great!

11-30-2007, 07:55 AM

I was gonna comment on the two Firewire ports, but Izaya323 beat me to it. This is one of the nice things about Firewire, the ability to daisy-chain drives.

What I will say is that the Firewire performance of this drive, as reported in our review, is awful. If these test results are accurate, then this drive does not hold up its end of the bargain as a Firewire drive. Look at the Seagate Freeagent Pro performance for comparison.

If drive performance is not criticial, then this drive may be OK, but they really should be able to do better than that with Firewire nowadays.

12-20-2007, 07:48 AM

I'm totally freaking out about the quality of this drive. I just bought this on sale at office max a while back (2 months ago or less I think), and I'm already having problems ! Segate really brings the Maxtor brand name to a new low with this drive ! I could care less about the stupid light on the front. The software on the drive is annoying, and I got rid of that right away. Well anyway I'll get right to the point now. I have 172 gigs left to fill up of the 465 gigs available. I have 37% of the drive free. And tonight I had a scare. After re-starting my computer I got an error message saying that that particular drive was corrupt and I should run scan disc. So, I ran scan disc (with none of the boxes checked). Windows could not complete the disc check. So I unplugged the usb cord and plugged it back in. I opened the drive to view files, and there was only one single folder in there (I had many before) and it said the folder was empty ! So, I had to run scan disc again and I checked the first box to fix file system errors. Luckily, it seems like my files MAY be intact now. Sure is strange to be having problems with this drive when it's so new, and I've never had such a big problem with any of my other external drives. On second thought, I guess it's not too surprising if this is a Segate drive considering the last Segate drive I had didn't last 2 months.

I would think twice about buying this drive. I checked to see how fragmented it was, and it doesn't even need to be de-fragmented yet ! I find it rather sad that this drive is no longer trustworthy..... 'SAVE YOUR LIFE' is the motto LOL I sure wouldn't trust THIS drive with MY LiFE ! Big thumbs down to Segate for marketing this crap. Is that what they're doing now ? Putting their worst drives in Maxtor cases ? Whatever is going on, I don't like it. I won't even think about buying a Segate, or Maxtor hard drive ever again. I don't care how cheap their prices are. It's not worth it !

12-20-2007, 08:09 AM

To be fair... This isn't the same hard drive I have ! I have the Maxtor one touch 4. Not the One Touch 4 Plus.

I was dissin Segate earlier because I bought a cheap internal 160 gig barracuda hard drive and it fried within 2 months, as did the replacement that they sent to me. I returned the drive 3 times I think, and then I finally got one that lasted over 3 months (humm it was made in Singapore rather than Malaysia like the other duds). Eventually the drive broke, but it was because I dropped the external case that it was in. Good riddance !

I do have a maxtor 320 gig external as well, it has not caused me any problems so far other than the blinding white lite on the front witch is even more annoying than the one touch 4 lol.

I'd recommend a WD mybook hard drive over any Maxtor / Segate drive .

NicePants42 · 12-20-2007, 09:39 AM

Unfortunately, every hardware maker sells some lemons - which is why we want backup drives in the first place. I'm sorry to hear about your problems, frog.

Izaya323, thanks for enlightening me with regard to the firewire ports and helping to curb my ignorance. I appreciate it!

12-25-2007, 05:30 AM

I think when I un-installed the software for the hard drive, it also got rid of the drivers for Both of my maxtor external hdd's. Only the 500 gig drive appeared to have data loss, but everything turned out fine after simply re-installing the drivers from the device manager. I just connected to the net to search for drivers. I guess they make you use their software. I used it to check my drive for errors... worked fast at least

This is still the most annoying external Hdd I've ever had. wonder if this one could connect to a 320 gig maxtor.... I bet not. I'm for sure not going to buy another one of these to try the raid thing.

01-30-2008, 01:11 AM

i got a deal on the maxtor onetouch 4 plus and just plugged it in and was pleased to see it show up quickly.

i just bought it to store my huge vegas, wmv and avi files while doing projects. i don't need the "back-up" software. i was able to drop a few files on the maxtor and they showed up and were accessible.

so, am i ok if i don't install any of the software and just use it "as is"?
will i be sorry?

p.s. i like the white light

02-18-2008, 03:17 PM

I bought the OneTouch 4 PLus yesterday...and now it wont work on my pc. i know why just wondering if anyone out there can help me fix it now. I re-formatted my PC...and re-did the whole works....new graphics, motherboard, and all...i plug the drive in, and Windows pops up and says new drive is ready to use, but it isnt showing on the My Computer page, as it is password locked. I need the install software, but cant seem to get Maxtor or Seagate to email it to me like they claim on their site. HELP

"In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows!!"

02-18-2008, 03:19 PM

I bought the OneTouch 4 PLus yesterday...and now it wont work on my pc. i know why just wondering if anyone out there can help me fix it now. I re-formatted my PC...and re-did the whole works....new graphics, motherboard, and all...i plug the drive in, and Windows pops up and says new drive is ready to use, but it isnt showing on the My Computer page, as it is password locked. I need the install software, but cant seem to get Maxtor or Seagate to email it to me like they claim on their site. HELP

my email addy is: [email protected]

"In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows!!"

Rob Williams · 02-18-2008, 03:29 PM

The software for all the Maxtor external products is here:

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.js...00f5ee0a0aRCRD

04-21-2008, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i got a deal on the maxtor onetouch 4 plus and just plugged it in and was pleased to see it show up quickly.

i just bought it to store my huge vegas, wmv and avi files while doing projects. i don't need the "back-up" software. i was able to drop a few files on the maxtor and they showed up and were accessible.

so, am i ok if i don't install any of the software and just use it "as is"?
will i be sorry?

p.s. i like the white light

I am the same....just bought it for storage and don't need the backup software....can I just use it like anothe HG...??
I might have to hang something over the bright white light....looks a bit like instant migraine to me....
Wendy

04-21-2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am the same....just bought it for storage and don't need the backup software....can I just use it like anothe HG...??
I might have to hang something over the bright white light....looks a bit like instant migraine to me....
Wendy

Sorry I mean can I just use it like another HD.....

11-23-2007, 12:15 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 500 External Hard Drive Choosing the right external HDD can be tough. In order to sell, products such as the OneTouch 4 rely on their robust software bundle to help move off the shelf. People should be given a solid backup suite, especially given the price. This is exactly where Maxtor fell short, with their OneTouch 4 Plus. You can read Nate's full review here and discuss it here! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

11-23-2007, 10:28 AM	#2
Merlin The Tech Wizard Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lakeland, Fl Posts: 1,855	I have used Maxtor internal drives for years, but the External drives have failed to impress me. I have 1.3 tera bits storage from three drives of Maxtor. It seems they have some problem now and then being recognised on my four machines, I've tried to give them a chance in every way because of the famous internal drives that I have had. I've gone to MyBook for external storage and Western Digital for Internal drives. And using WinXP on three machines and Vista Ultamate on one. Merlin __________________ Win7 64 bit Intel i7 920 watercooled Asus P6X580 Premium mobo, GTX280 GPU watercooled Synology NAS 207 Network Server with 2 Hitachi Terabite drives LG NAS N2R1 with 2 ea 2 tb drives LINKSYS PLK300 Powerline Network Kit

11-23-2007, 04:01 PM	#3
Rory Buszka Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 388	I dunno, I kind of like the white LED. __________________ Best Regards, Rory Buszka

11-26-2007, 05:57 PM	#4
Izaya323 Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Two Firewire Ports I noticed that when you were reviewing this hard drive, you didn't know why there were two fire wire ports. The reason that there are two ports, is because if you would buy multiple external hard drives like this one, you could link them via fire wire ports, and daisy chain them together. You could have 4 hard drives plugged into one fire wire slot on your computer. I just shows the flexibility of fire wire, even though it performed poorly on the speed tests. The White LED is annoying, and very tacky looking! I copied the provided software to my computer, and formated the Maxtor One Touch 4 and am using it like another hard drive. So far the performance is great!

11-30-2007, 07:55 AM	#5
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Poor Firewire performance I was gonna comment on the two Firewire ports, but Izaya323 beat me to it. This is one of the nice things about Firewire, the ability to daisy-chain drives. What I will say is that the Firewire performance of this drive, as reported in our review, is awful. If these test results are accurate, then this drive does not hold up its end of the bargain as a Firewire drive. Look at the Seagate Freeagent Pro performance for comparison. If drive performance is not criticial, then this drive may be OK, but they really should be able to do better than that with Firewire nowadays.

12-20-2007, 07:48 AM	#6
Frog Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Not Happy so far ! I'm totally freaking out about the quality of this drive. I just bought this on sale at office max a while back (2 months ago or less I think), and I'm already having problems ! Segate really brings the Maxtor brand name to a new low with this drive ! I could care less about the stupid light on the front. The software on the drive is annoying, and I got rid of that right away. Well anyway I'll get right to the point now. I have 172 gigs left to fill up of the 465 gigs available. I have 37% of the drive free. And tonight I had a scare. After re-starting my computer I got an error message saying that that particular drive was corrupt and I should run scan disc. So, I ran scan disc (with none of the boxes checked). Windows could not complete the disc check. So I unplugged the usb cord and plugged it back in. I opened the drive to view files, and there was only one single folder in there (I had many before) and it said the folder was empty ! So, I had to run scan disc again and I checked the first box to fix file system errors. Luckily, it seems like my files MAY be intact now. Sure is strange to be having problems with this drive when it's so new, and I've never had such a big problem with any of my other external drives. On second thought, I guess it's not too surprising if this is a Segate drive considering the last Segate drive I had didn't last 2 months. I would think twice about buying this drive. I checked to see how fragmented it was, and it doesn't even need to be de-fragmented yet ! I find it rather sad that this drive is no longer trustworthy..... 'SAVE YOUR LIFE' is the motto LOL I sure wouldn't trust THIS drive with MY LiFE ! Big thumbs down to Segate for marketing this crap. Is that what they're doing now ? Putting their worst drives in Maxtor cases ? Whatever is going on, I don't like it. I won't even think about buying a Segate, or Maxtor hard drive ever again. I don't care how cheap their prices are. It's not worth it !

12-20-2007, 08:09 AM	#7
Frog Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Ok to be fair To be fair... This isn't the same hard drive I have ! I have the Maxtor one touch 4. Not the One Touch 4 Plus. I was dissin Segate earlier because I bought a cheap internal 160 gig barracuda hard drive and it fried within 2 months, as did the replacement that they sent to me. I returned the drive 3 times I think, and then I finally got one that lasted over 3 months (humm it was made in Singapore rather than Malaysia like the other duds). Eventually the drive broke, but it was because I dropped the external case that it was in. Good riddance ! I do have a maxtor 320 gig external as well, it has not caused me any problems so far other than the blinding white lite on the front witch is even more annoying than the one touch 4 lol. I'd recommend a WD mybook hard drive over any Maxtor / Segate drive .

12-20-2007, 09:39 AM	#8
NicePants42 Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 369	Unfortunately, every hardware maker sells some lemons - which is why we want backup drives in the first place. I'm sorry to hear about your problems, frog. Izaya323, thanks for enlightening me with regard to the firewire ports and helping to curb my ignorance. I appreciate it!

12-25-2007, 05:30 AM	#9
Frog Guest Poster Posts: n/a	software problem ? I think when I un-installed the software for the hard drive, it also got rid of the drivers for Both of my maxtor external hdd's. Only the 500 gig drive appeared to have data loss, but everything turned out fine after simply re-installing the drivers from the device manager. I just connected to the net to search for drivers. I guess they make you use their software. I used it to check my drive for errors... worked fast at least This is still the most annoying external Hdd I've ever had. wonder if this one could connect to a 320 gig maxtor.... I bet not. I'm for sure not going to buy another one of these to try the raid thing.

01-30-2008, 01:11 AM	#10
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	what if i don't install the software? i got a deal on the maxtor onetouch 4 plus and just plugged it in and was pleased to see it show up quickly. i just bought it to store my huge vegas, wmv and avi files while doing projects. i don't need the "back-up" software. i was able to drop a few files on the maxtor and they showed up and were accessible. so, am i ok if i don't install any of the software and just use it "as is"? will i be sorry? p.s. i like the white light

02-18-2008, 03:17 PM	#11
indianaburn Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Need Help I bought the OneTouch 4 PLus yesterday...and now it wont work on my pc. i know why just wondering if anyone out there can help me fix it now. I re-formatted my PC...and re-did the whole works....new graphics, motherboard, and all...i plug the drive in, and Windows pops up and says new drive is ready to use, but it isnt showing on the My Computer page, as it is password locked. I need the install software, but cant seem to get Maxtor or Seagate to email it to me like they claim on their site. HELP "In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows!!"

02-18-2008, 03:19 PM	#12
indianaburn Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Need Help I bought the OneTouch 4 PLus yesterday...and now it wont work on my pc. i know why just wondering if anyone out there can help me fix it now. I re-formatted my PC...and re-did the whole works....new graphics, motherboard, and all...i plug the drive in, and Windows pops up and says new drive is ready to use, but it isnt showing on the My Computer page, as it is password locked. I need the install software, but cant seem to get Maxtor or Seagate to email it to me like they claim on their site. HELP my email addy is: [email protected] "In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows!!"

02-18-2008, 03:29 PM	#13
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	The software for all the Maxtor external products is here: http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.js...00f5ee0a0aRCRD __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

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