Home > Consumer Reviews > SimpleTech STI-USB2F/20 20GB SimpleDrive Deluxe USB2.0/FireWire Portable Hard Drive

Pros: this drive comes with a dual USB/IEEE 1394 interface... in fact, it's compatible with USB 1.1, USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394. Both USB and IEEE 1394 cables are included, as are a (cheapo) case and an AC adapter.

Cons: I tested this drive on a Windows 2000 system with a USB 2.0 add-on card and it did not install correctly on first try. After uninstalling the driver, restarting the PC, and re-installing the driver, it was recognized, but the speed was disappointing. A few hours later, it caused Win2k to go BSOD (blue screen of death). On restart, Win2k couldn't recognize the drive again. Anyway, to make a long story short, this drive (or its associated USB 2.0 driver) is not stable.

In comparison, my trusty Iomega HDD 20GB portable drive works every time flawlessly on said PC (as well as every other desktop and laptop I use it on). So the problem I experienced definitely lies with the driver, assuming it's not a drive interface issue.

The IEEE 1394 trial fared better on a separate Win2k system. No crashes, but it seemed slow for IEEE 1394.

In short, I don't like this drive. Its build also feels rather cheap and flimsy. I recommend Iomega portable drives, for their high quality and software drivers that actually work!

On three different computers with Windows XP the drive works great.

Even on my one computer with Windows 98se it was okay. Sometimes I like to leave the drive plugged in during boot up, and Win 98se had difficulties with that. So I'd have to give four stars while operating under Windows 98se.