Home > Consumer Reviews > Seagate Replica 250GB USB 2.0 Complete PC Back up System

Note this review covers the 250gb version, useable on a single PC (at a time - you can change the PC you use it on but only one PC can be backed up)

First impressions are very positive. This is a sturdy, attractive aluminium drive. Setting it up could not be simpler. You attach the drive to your PC and the software autoruns, installs and quietly begins backing up your system. Unlike most drives, it backs up not only your data but your system files too, making it a full disaster recovery solution. Your backup files can be password protected.

If your hard drive fails, or other disaster strikes, simply boot your PC from the supplied CD and you can restore your whole system. Your folder structure is fully maintained so that if you need to restore a single file you can browse the backup and select individual files to restore.

Changed files are backed up constantly in the background while you work. No user input is required. If you disconnect the unit automatically "catches up" in the background once you reconnect it. It seems positively idiot-proof!

It is not the fastest external drive I have seen, but given its ease of use and low-impact operation that can be forgiven (you can always use your PC as normal). Initial backup of a 70% full 160gb laptop drive took close to 3 hours - but you can shut down your system any time and the backup will resume when you reboot.

What if you change your PC? Simply attach the drive to your new PC and the installation software gives you a choice; install the software fully to back up this new PC, or browse the files on the disc. Using the latter option, you can quickly and easily drag and drop your data files onto your new PC.

For novices, this is the best system I have yet seen. It's just "fit and forget" and everything is there in the case of system failure or for transferring your stuff to a new computer. An inexperienced user never need think of backups again - as long as the drive is connected, your data is backing up.

Experienced users may find the system more frustrating and limiting (but that's not really the target market). The system sets off on a full backup and although there's an option to select which drives you want to back up, on my laptop that was greyed-out. The files are not accessible from another PC via Explorer - you must install the software to browse the disc. It is difficult, if not impossible, to change what the software does and when. However, even experts are likely to be happy with a no-brainer way to back up a laptop.

I say "laptop" advisedly. This unit has a capacity of 250gb which is on the low side for current machines. If you have a desktop machine with a collection of photos, media, music etc 250gb is reasonably likely to be insufficient, given your system is backed up along with your data. There is a 500gb version available. This particular unit is, however, ideal for an ordinary user with a laptop. Also, as mentioned, the unit can only be used on a single machine for backup purposes, so it probably won't suit if your have more than one PC in the house. Again, Seagate do a version that can be used on multiple machines, so the unit can be rotated between them to keep backups up to date. However, I haven't seen or used that unit so I can't comment much on it.

The niggles and low capacity make me drop it one star. But if you're not especially tech-savvy and want to know all your photos and documents etc are safe without ever having to think about it, then consider it a 5-star recommendation!

Please note: software is not compatible with Macs or Linux.

Having a secondary internal Seagate hard drive hugging data in my desktop PC, I had no qualms in trying this no-brainer product.

As reported in some professional reviews, Replica is essentially like Apple's Time Machine in that the drive marries proprietary software for an automated backup solution.

Package contents are sparse - the attractive, small silver drive (which looks good sitting on my computer tower) and a USB cable (which might be a bit short for some), and then some quick start documentation.

The system is very easy to use. Just plug it in, wait for the drive to self-install (though I had to start the software setup program manually - I have Windows XP) and you're done. You get a little tray icon where you can access settings and see backup status.

While backing up, the drive flashes an attractive blue light. It's also silent.
So far, I'm still backing up my 60+80GB hard drives (this is my first day, but there would be nothing new to say tomorrow unless it broke!) but since I'm not going to be involved in choosing what to backup, it doesn't bother me about time. And speed won't be a big issue after the initial data load.

My system doesn't seem to be suffering from the drive and software, so far, which is valued.

The price however is quite expensive and as others have pointed out you don't get the dock for this single PC version (i.e. backup on one drive but can access on others, can password protect if you like) but that doesn't bother me.
Another product Replica resembles is certain online backup programs; the software part being sort of similar but the media being across the internet. Replica would be a better choice for those charged for additional bandwidth use and those who don't want to pay yearly subscriptions. But for newer computer owners, 250GB mightn't be enough.

Even so, I think Replica is a great product as I am admittedly lazy in backing up things selectively, and even then I omit things I really should backup. This just looks nice and is transparent.
If you were to suffer a drive failure you can boot from the supplied recovery CD to stop you from tearing your hair out.

No one should be be lax about data, but if you are then this simple solution is one to consider even if it can be outdone in price by instead investing in more time.

***
Update: I just want to add that the drive's software is a little bit appalling. Not only is it a bit of a memory hog with or without Antivirus software alongside, but the drive continually seems to backup 10,000+ files daily. I don't understand why as there's clearly not that many changes happening on my computer. I have no idea what it's backing up, perhaps just temporary files. Seagate need to revise their software or I'm deducting two stars.

I found the Seagate replica very easy to set-up and install. Whilst I am a computer professional, much of my work is in user support and training so I am very aware of the sort of problems users face. I also like to avoid heavy computer use at home, given that I have it all day in the office so I am happy to say that the fact this was effortless appealed to me a great deal.

It really was simple. I tested this on a Notebook pc with Windows vista installed and 250 Gigabyte hard drive. I simply plugged the device into a convenient USB port followed the prompts. Everything started automatically and the system then started backing up my harddrive. This does take a few hours and once started it will continue. However if you need to turn the computer off, it will resume nicely on restore so there are no problems there.

Once it is complete the system is available for restore. Of course I havent tested the restore as my computer has not needed it, however looking at the replica device, it appears as a drive from windows explorer and you can easily navigate through the filesystem to find your files and restore them if needed.

If i have to give this device a negative point it is a failing so many devices and programs have nowadays in that it is always running in the background even if the device is not connected. All these little applications running in the background (and a certain iconic white MP3 player is a bigger culprit) steal the computer cycles with the accumulative effect that computers get slower over time. This really needs to be pointed out and discouraged so manufacturers find less lazy solutions to problems. Otherwise it is an excellent product and well worth it given that it easily and simply does what it says on the box

My Seagate Replica, a hard disk sold with some simple backup software, is a neat little USB powered hard disk with one socket on the back, a smooth silvered top and a flashing blue LED to indicate it is working. It arrived in a a slim box, not much bigger than a book, containing the drive, a USB cable, restore CD and some quick start and restore guides. It looked so simple to use and can apparently restore all data from a replicated system with just the restore CD and the drive, you don't even need to install Windows! All was fine, until I tried to replicate my system.

The installation under Vista Home Premium went very well, and the seemingly compulsory registration with Seagate was quick and painless, but the included software seems somewhat dim. As I had selected the 250Gb version I knew it would not be able to backup all 500Gb of data on my PC, but I had hoped to point it at a few important folders and ask it to mirror those; this it entirely refused to do. After a few seconds of calculation it brought up a box saying "Insufficient space for system backup." and terminated without presenting further options. The Replica still works as a neat, stylish external hard disk, without the need of an external power brick, but if you want to use it for any other kind of backup than a full system replication (as the name implies) of less than 250Gb, then you'll need your own backup software.

After this I installed this on a Windows XP Home system with a 160Gb hard disk and it worked very well, if a little slowly. I tested using both the Seagate Replica software and using my laptop's own backup software and it worked well with both, although the Replica software took a lot longer than the laptops own, it was still going some 14 hours later and after it finished, seemed to keep starting again even though the laptop hadn't been used so no files had changed. The long backup times and continuous replication may make this a more suitable backup device for a desktop than a laptop that needs to be moved frequently. On the upside the continuous nature of the backup means you can't forget to turn it on. I also tested in on another Vista Home Premium PC with a 160Gb hard disk and it seemed quite happy to hold backups of this as well as my XP laptop.

When the Replica software is running the drive does not appear as a traditional drive, but does appear as an icon under My Computer from which you can access the backup of your computer (listed by its name) then it's drives and folders; any other computer backed up on the device can be seen the same way. This can also be accessed from the replica icon in the system tray, along with the drive properties, restore points, disconnect function, passwords and available space. Where the software is not running the Replica appears simply as a regular USB disk and after the backup was made there was space on the drive to use as a regular disk so any leftover space need not be wasted.

Once there is a backup on the drive, plugging it into a PC running windows brings up an option to either restore or backup again. Although I've yet to try the complete restore function of the Replica , restoring onto a blank system appears to require a CD drive so I suggest it may not be suitable for Netbooks or other PCs without a CD drive without some further fiddling.

This is an excellent drive to give someone who otherwise either wouldn't remember to backup or would not know how to go about it. Plug it in, deal with registration and then leave it alone. It is an excellent device and does exactly what it is supposed to do; I look forward to it forming a solid part of my backup routine from now on.

Before I go any further with this review - have a look at the picture of the product. See that dock at the bottom of the picture - it's not included. You have to pay extra for that. If you had set your heart on that quite neat dock with this hard drive then I'm sorry that it has to be me that has to break the bad news for you. As for the hard drive- bit expensive for what you are getting - don't get me wrong as it does it's job well but it's not that value for money. As you can now buy hard drives from sainsburys(!) I would recommend shopping around. Sorry I can't be that enthusiastic for the review but it is just a glorified back up device - it does work but my goodness - what a dull product.