Product Description

The FreeAgent Pro is an external hard drive with a sizable 500GB of storage capacity. What sets it apart from most other external drives is its ability to move that data to where you need it most. Automatically send a project to a flash drive, copy audio to your MP3 player, upload photos to Shutterfly, and put your entire "My Documents" folder on your website for anytime/anywhere access. Those are just a few examples of what FreeAgent Pro can offer you. To keep everything working smoothly, FreeAgent Pro can also perform automatic revisions of your content. Automatic revisions of your content help keep you safe from goof-ups 5-Year Limited Warranty Interfaces - FireWire, USB 2.0 and eSATA PC Requirements - Windows 2000 Pro, XP Home or Pro, or Vista Mac Requirements - Power PC G3, G4, or G5 processor running OS X 10.3.9 (or higher), or Intel Core Duo or Core Solo processor running OS X 10.4.6 (or higher) (FreeAgent Pro software and drive formatting works only with Windows, but drive can be reformatted for Mac using Disk Utility) Unit Dimensions - 7.5 (h) x 1.4 (w) (w/o 3 wide base) x 6.3 (d)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1435 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Seagate
• Model: ST305004FPA1E3-RK
• Dimensions: 7.50" h x 1.40" w x 6.30" l, 6.00 pounds
• Hard Disk: 500GB

Features

• 500 GB external hard drive connects to your computer via USB cable, eSATA, or FireWire 400
• 7200 RPM spindle speed for high-speed performance and fast read times
• Footprint is no bigger than a stapler; Just plug it in and you're ready to go
• Backup CDs, DVDs or store files and programs for on-the-go
• Includes external drive, USB 2.0 cable, AC power adapter, and quick start guide; 5-year limited warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
For the person who needs access to their digital content away from home, at work, or online, while also allowing that same content to be shared in a secure setting, look no further than the Seagate Free Agent Pro Portable Hard Drive. This powerful portable hard drive delivers high-speed transfers, while also giving you the ability to share content with others safely and securely from a remote location or even online.

Powerful storage device with a sleek new design.

This hip-looking hard drive takes up less room on your desk than an ordinary stapler.

Share your content with others safely and securely.

With up to 1 Terabyte and an ultra-slim design for a clutter-free desktop, your FreeAgent Pro external hard drive helps keep you safe from goof-ups by automatically saving new versions of your content that you can easily access if need be. And should something happen to your PC, you can roll back your Windows operating system, settings, and applications to a point in time when they ran smoother, like before a virus attack. Even though the system settings are taken back in time, updates to photos, music and critical data files are kept current.

The Free Agent Pro is also ideal for those who want quick and painless transfers of their data from their computer to their drive, and from their drive to online accounts (such as Shutterfly or email). Simply plug it in to any power source and connect the USB cable to any computer, and you're ready to go. This hip-looking hard drive takes up less room on your desk than an ordinary stapler--1 x 3 x 5.2 inches (H x D x W)-- giving you more space for your other desktop items. Meanwhile, the hard drive only measures 7.5 x 1.4 x 6.3-inches (H x D x W) and it matches its small base.

High Speed Synchronization and Sharing
The Free Agent Pro data mover automatically duplicates and moves selected content from your hard drive to multiple locations, such as copying your contact lists and emails to your iPod, or photos to a Shutterfly account. This feature also allows you to move your entire 'My Documents' folder to the Free Agent, or move it to your own online space where you (or others you choose) can access it from any browser 24/7. The Free Agent software also offers the feature of rolling back your system to better time if something should happen to your PC while automatic revisions of your content help keep you safe from goof-ups.

Move files or other content with either USB 2.0, eSATA, or FireWire 400 allowing a maximum transfer rate of 480Mb/sec for USB, and 3Gb/sec for eSATA, while delivering a high performance spindle speed of 7,200 RPM. The unit also comes with a sophisticated touch point power on/off switch.

The Free Agent Pro software and drive formatting works only with Windows, but the drive can easily be reformatted for a Mac with OS X's Disk Utility. This portable hard drive is also compatible with Windows Vista (as well as Windows XP and Windows 2000), allowing you to backup your content regardless of operating system upgrades. A five-year warranty is also included, giving you complete peace of mind. Now with the ability to take your data with you anywhere you go, your digital content finally has room to breathe.

What's in the Box
FreeAgent Pro data mover drive, Free Agent software (preloaded) and electronic documentation, USB2.0/eSATA/FireWire 400 interfaces, USB 2.0 cable, FireWire cable, AC power adapter, and a quick start guide.

Customer Reviews

One star not three (Amazon won't allow me to change my original rating)
This is an updated review, in which I go from 3 stars to 1 star.

First review: I gave this 3 stars with some reluctance. I bought it because it's a Seagate with a 5-yr warranty, and I've had good experience with Seagates. I use it as a photo backup drive; it is not powered up most of the time.

The drive works, in general, but with enough problems that I would not recommend it to a person without plenty of computer experience -- that is, my 80-something mother who simply needs a simple backup drive.

I manage to keep mine going because I can use DiskWarrior every few weeks to rebuild the directory when the drive becomes suddenly unreadable... which it does, inexplicably, and gives me the "Unreadable Drive" error message.

The on/off switch is a pain. Not really a switch, it's an embossed symbol on the base of the drive (I spent considerable time searching for it) that requires a hard press of the finger for up to 30 seconds before you get a response. Seagate! Why not a switch? Stupid.

It won't turn on at all if not plugged into a live firewire connection. That confused me for a while, as all my other drives will light up whether connected or not.

Occasionally this Seagate will not start at all. I've walked away in frustration, made a cup of tea, and come back to try again... and then it starts. Weird.

The original setup (I'm using a Mac) was a mess. I had read that the Free Agent software should be dumped and the drive erased so you can start out with a straightforward empty drive. But I decided for the fun of it to see what Free Agent was all about. The answer... it's all about hassle. Installation does not go according to Seagate's instructions. I have no idea why I would ever use it. But true, once you erase the drive, it becomes a nice big empty space to put stuff on.

Just be sure you have DiskWarrior, enough patience to deal with the weird power switch, and a second backup drive for the data on this one (I don't assume that I'll always be able to rebuild the directory; some day it could be fatal). But you should always have two backups anyway.

Updated review:

My tolerance for this product is gone. My previous review gave it three stars but now a faulty pattern has emerged that I find totally unacceptable.

This is the pattern: I've been using the drive. I want to disconnect the firewire cable. I dismount the drive properly in the finder (I use Mac Powerbook and MacBook). Then I wait 30 seconds, and press the power non-switch (that weird embossed symbol on the base that serves erratically as a power switch). Sometimes it takes a while, but I wait until the light goes off and I'm sure the drive has stopped spinning. Then I unplug the cable... and suddenly my computer starts yelling at me YOU DISCONNECTED THE DEVICE IMPROPERLY!!! MIGHT HAVE DAMAGED THE DEVICE!!!

Plug it back in, and sure enough, the drive is unreadable, and out comes DiskWarrior again, and I have to rebuild the directory...

This can't go on, can it?

Unreliable
I bought this in March (8 months ago). I did the research and saw the poor reviews, but I couldn't find an affordable hard drive that didn't get a fair amount of poor reviews so I risked it. A week ago, the drive's file system became corrupted so I could not access any of my files. I bought a program for $50 that fixed that problem (EASEUS Partition Table Doctor) and then backed up all my files to DVD. Today, the computer wouldn't recognize the drive. By looking at other reviews, I found that the solution was to cut off the power to the hard drive and then power it up again. Now I have a functioning hard drive, but for how much longer? Two problems in a week does not inspire confidence. I bought the hard drive to store files (particularly photos) and it works (so far) but NEVER rely on it as a backup system - assume it will let you down.

Does not work well with Mac
I bought this HD for my iMac. I am a little disappointed. It was easy enough to setup and partition but, it fails 90% of the time when using "Time Machine". I have to manually back up. I called Seagate and they said they do not support their products when partitioned for PC and Mac and that this was the reason for the failure. However, I had the same issue before adding the PC partition. Do you homework before buying this item, I think there are much better drives out there for the money.