Traxdata EZ Drive 2 reviewed by CDR-Zone

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• Packaging
• EZ Drive 2.0 Key Features
• EZ Drive Setup
• Disksafe Usage
• File Transfer Tests
• Conclusion
• Pros And Cons

"The EZ Drive offers a capacity of upto 1Gb, and comes with full support for Windows Me/2000/XP,Mac OS 8.6 and above, as well as Linux kernerl 2.27 and above. It also boasts a retractable USB connector, as well as a slim line design, a 5 year warranty, the possibilty to create a fully customisable Privacy Zone, and has a power comsumption of less than 100ma."

The drive came well packaged in a moulded plastic case, and came with a 1 metre USB extension cable and a neck strap. It also included a setup disk with windows 98 drivers support, the disksafe setup files, full documentation, and a help manual.

• One piece mechanism that protects the USB interface from damage
• Unique slide-out USB interface port
• Plug and play technology; no additional power supply required
• Stores data for up to 10 years
• Password protection
• USB 2.0 compatible with a data transfer rate of 480 Mbps
• Storage capacity 128/256/512MB/1GB
• Compatible with Windows 98SE/2000/Me/XP, Mac OS 8.6
• Writing speed of 6MB/sec and reading of 8MB/sec
• Up to 100,000 write/erase cycles
• Write protection system similar to that of a floppy disk
• 5 year warranty

Disksafe Usage:

After executing the Disksafe software, a welcome screen was displayed where the software asks you to create a Privacy Zone.



Creation of a Privacy Zone was achieved simply by moving the Flash Disk slider bar up or down, either by using the mouse or the windows arrow keys to set the required amount of the drive for the privacy zone. A visual indication of the selected zone is highlighted in orange.

A privacy Zone of 128mb as an example:



The disksafe software also allows for the setup of the 3 following options:

Your password

Password confirmation

A password hint incase you forget your password After entering all the required information,'OK' was selected and the Disksafe Format Warning screen was displayed where 'OK' was selected again to start the format process.



After formatting was completed, a message was displayed, asking for the EZ Drive to be plugged back into the USB interface on the PC and then the device was all ready to be used.

When plugged back into the PC only the public area was available for access from within Windows Explorer, and the Privacy Zone was not available for use without first launching the Disksafe software and entering the previously set password. Upon entering the right password, a new drive appeared with all the Privacy Zone visible for use.

At this point we should note, that if you are not happy with the settings you applied earlier during the Privacy Zone setup, you can change any of these settings, including full removal of a secured area, simply by clicking on the 'Settings' button in the Disk Safe login window and changing them as required.

File Transfer:

It was decided to test how long it would take to transfer a selection of both large single files, and multiple small files, using both the USB 1.1 and USB 2 interfaces. These files will be tested on both the secure and non secure areas of the drive to see if there is any loss of speed both reading and writing to the privacy zone. Also a media presentation wil be played directly off the EZ Drive to see if it plays seamlessly and a file verification test will be done to check for corruption as well as a test to see how long it took to seek a file.

USB 1 results:

58 MBs of multiple files was copied from the hard drive to the public area of the EZDrive for the first test, and this took 52 seconds, averaging about 1 mb a sec which is what was expected for a USB 1 interface.

Secondly, 125 mbs of MP3 files where transferred to the EZdrive from the harddisk, taking 124 seconds, meeting the expected 1 mb a second transfer rate of USB 1.

The same tests where carried out, but this time using the EZDrive as source, and the harddisk as destination:

125 mb EZDrive to harddisk 16 secs = 7mb a sec Again there was no speed loss if the tests where carried out on either the Public area or Privacy Zone

The same tests where carried out on a second PC to check the speeds on ATA 100 Hardrives, Using an XP2000+ which is considered entry level for new computers nowadays and we noticed no loss in speed when transferring to and from the EZDrive to this lower spec computer. A file verification file was used to check all data after each transfer to see if any corruption took place and all the file verifications checked out correctly. The transfers rates both reading and writing that where mentioned in the traxdata specifications where achieved in all the tests

Seek Test:

There was no noticeable difference in the time to took to search through the Privacy zone compared to the time it took to search for the same file on my harddrive, both taking under a second to seek the file.

Streaming and Audio Tests:

Windows Media Player was able to play both the media presentation and the MP3 files we used for these tests as if they where on the hard disk, playing straight away with no loss in sound or picture quality.

Conclusion:

The device is a lot smaller than a standard USB pen whilst still feeling a lot sturdier, and with an aluminum casing and retractable USB connector instead of a lid to worry about misplacing, it defiantley gave a lot more protection.

With models supplying upto a 1GB in capacity, it is an ideal replacement to the CDRW drive for quick moving of data between PCs, and with an option of a secure area upto the maximum space of the device which is completely user definable.

The access speed of the Flash drive is also fast enough to allow real time playing of media presentations and quick execution of software stored on both the secure and non secure zones of the device - This would be great for sales representatives for storing presentations to take with them to buissness meetings, knowing that the sensitive files would be safe if lost or stolen, and be recognised and played instantly on all compatiable operating systems.

One of the better features of the EZ Drive is the write protect switch, it is no longer located on the side making it harder to accidently unlock when placed in your pocket or any other tight space, with that said it was hard to access the switch without using a small pin. It would be good if it was enhanced to make it a little more accessible.

After showing it around students at my local college, the overall opinion was that this was something that they would like to purchase instead of existing USB pens and the retractable connector was a big plus in their decision.They commented on the style and slimline look of the device, finding it very easy to use and a nice way to securely store their important information for transportation between the college and home.

During the tests, only a few minor things could be found wrong with the drive, and that was the write protect feature being placed where it was, the problem with the Supplied 8cm driver disk not playing in older computers, and the limitations when formatting the device. Indeed a couple of students did express an opinion that the possibility of having the write protect auto lock on the retraction of the USB connector would make this Flash Drive even more appealing to them, and maybe this is something Traxdata could take into consideration on their next range of devices.

Test Configuration:

• Windows XP with latest service packs and updates
• AMD XP 2600+
• 512 MB Corsair DDR 3500 Ram
• ASUS AN78X Deluxe Nvidia Motherboard
• 120 Gb MAxtor SATA 150 Harddrive

Pros:

• USB 2 high speed interface which is fully compatiable with USB 1.1/2.0 specifications
• Achieves excellent performance in both our read and write tests
• The power access led gives a clear indication of when the drive is in use
• Has a write protect switch to secure data
• plug and play compatiable
• No external power is required, is powered off the USB port of your PC
• Supports power saving and suspend mode
• Windows 98 support vis supplied drivers
• Fully compatiable with windows Me/w2k/xp, Mac OS 8.8 and l8er as well as linux kernel 2.2.7 above without a device driver
• Very compact and looks very nice
• Extremely light and durable
• The Disksafe software allows easy access to the locking features and allows the user to define any amount of the pens space to be locked very easily and securly.

Cons:

• The write protect is awkward to access
• The supplied driver disk at only 8cm, might not work in all pc setups
• Limitations of the DiskSafe software. Does not do resizing of public/secure zone without reformatting.

About Traxdata:

Traxdata is one of the five leading European brands in media optical storage, selling more than 25 million units per month. Ritek, the number one supplier for optical products, manufactures Traxdata products. The Traxdata product portfolio includes: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, storage wallets, memory cards, compatible ink cartridges and portable storage appliances.

Wednesday 10th at 18:25 GX::Transcoder 1.80.1241
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