Clickfree Automatic Backup 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive HD801

I’ve used the ClickFree on 2 computers and it keeps track of what information is from each computer, separates it. It downloads the entire computer in about 20 minutes if you have high speed. On my new computer of about 6 months, it only took about 4 minutes to download everything I had on it. This item is great. I can now transfer all my information from one computer to another one in a flash. Just click and do nothing more, just wait and it does everything for you. It even updates from the last thing you downloaded, continues from where you left off and downloads only the new info. Fantastic
Rating: 5 / 5

I bought this through the Canadian Home Shopping channel. I got the 160gb unit. It does exactly as it says. I plugged it in and it backed up my desktop. It took 5 hours for the first back up, then it only takes a few minutes for subsequent back ups. I have never used a computer attachment that is so simple to use. It is convenient and portable, it fits right in my pocket.

Great buy, I highly reccomend it.
Rating: 5 / 5

Very useful drive for backup. Automatically is detected by your computer and updates files that have been changed. However, if you have Windows VISTA and 64-bit OS, the drive DOES NOT WORK. Consistently crashes the computer when hooked up with the BSOD. Clickfree support was not helpful. Also, you cannot use this drive with Mac and Windows synchronously. You have to format and use one or the other.
Rating: 4 / 5

PLEASE NOTE CLICKFREE AUTO-BACKUP DEVICES COME WITH DIFFERENT HARD DRIVE SIZES — I RECOMMEND YOU SEE THE REVIEWS FOR OTHER MODELS, AS THEY MAY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OPINIONS RELATED TO CLICKFREE AUTOMATIC BACKUP DEVICES IN GENERAL.

AND SO MY REVIEW ON THE 250 GB MODEL HD225:

Like just about everyone, I’ve lost a lot of data over time, given Window’s lack of reliability. I have thousands of photos, and all my personal records are digitalized as well, so data loss is just not acceptable anymore.

A year or so ago, I decided to try multiple back-up devices/services.

Last week, I bought the new Windows 7 three-pack, and installed it on all my computers. (I have three computer in my home, on a network. Two of them had Vista, and the oldest one, had XP.(See my ps below re the XP). I had to do a clean install on two of the three computers). Before doing the Win7 installations, I had started using the Clickfree device, as well as an off-site service called Mozy. I also frequently transfer data between the three computers to keep everything up to date, and I have an old Western Digital drive (it was sold with a supposed auto-backup capability, but true to WD, it didnt work; but its fine for drag-n-drop purposes). I also periodically back-up data to dvd’s.

I first thought Mozy would be my best choice: but it proved very disappointing. Retrieving multi-gigabytes of data from their site is agonizingly slow. As an alternative to online retrieval, they also offer to mail you your data on a disc (or discs). I priced just one large file, and it would have been about $75 ! Anyway, I’m keeping Mozy because its pretty cheap (about $59/year) and I have used it to retrieve small files (for example, a Quicken data file), and it worked fine. It really is automatic too, running up to 12 times a day. You can also retrieve files from their site if youre traveling,

So, I relied on the Click-Free device, and it worked like a charm; it was amazingly fast in transferring all those files back to my computers. Maybe two hours tops. As far as I can tell, none of the files were corrupted or damaged or lost. (As opposed to backed-up data on CDs and DVDs, which I also found had too many corrupted copies – one disc with 1,000 photos was totally useless).

I agree with one commentator who said that Click-Free can be confusing. Its not as intuitive as I think it might be, but on the other hand, once I got the hang of it, it did its thing perfectly. Essentially, my stored files mirrored my hard-drive, so it was easy to check the box for the ones I wanted to do first; then go back and do a second round etc, so I could be sure it was working reliably.

You name each computer that Click-Free backs up, and then you just connect it via a common usb-type adapter. It then starts up automatically, and finds every file that youve changed since the last back-up. So the fitst time you back-up, it takes hours and hours, but thereafter it runs for just a few minutes. It can also remind you (via a pop-up) if you havent backup up for a certain number of days, which you specify.

I dont often write reviews on electronic devices. But as I know how many people will be transferring a lot of data in the next year, I thought I’d offer these comments. Of all the back-up mechanisms I’ve used (and believe me, I’ve tried just about everything), I think Click-Free is superior by a long shot. If they had clearer instructions, I’d give it a 5.

a ps: One of my three computers (the oldest, originally with Windows XP), sometimes did not recognize the clickfree when first “plugged in” via the usb. I called Clickfree tech support, got through immediately, and was told that on really old computers, the problem is almost always related to a relative lack of power sent from the usb port(s) to the clickfree. So they are sending me a dc power converter for free. It plugs into a separate 5v porton the back of the clickfree….excellent tech support…I’d raise my rating to a 4.5 if it were possible.
Rating: 4 / 5

A great idea and the easiest possible way to back up your computer’s files. Everything is totally automatic for either PC’s or Mac’s. You simply plug the Clickfree’s USB cable into your computer and it automatically begins backing up without the need for any special software or complicated instructions. It does NOT back up programs, but only your personal files. This is not a big issue since you will likely have CD’s from which you can reload your programs, but it is your personal files that would be hard to replace. The drive is only about the size of a deck of cards and there is an optional carrying case for it that is very worthwhile. It holds both the Clickfree and the USB cable. It will automatically keep files separate for multiple computers without you having to make any distinction in operating the drive.

Be very careful in ordering to get the “portable” 500 GB Clickfree. They also make another 500 GB Clickfree drive that is much larger and requires an external power cord (which the portable version does not) in addition to the USB cable.
Rating: 5 / 5