Why I buy this one ?
- 500 GB external hard drive provides a simple way to store and transport your files, music, video, photos and more
- Easy setup: ready to use just seconds after removing it from the box
- Fast USB 2.0 interface transfer rate: up to 480 Mbits/s
- Includes USB cable, AC adapter, and backup software
- Measures 4.4 x 1.6 x 7.6 inches (WxHxD); weighs less than two pounds; 1-year limited warranty

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What our customer's say!

"Great hard disk for backups,etc.", In my opinion, the LaCie 301285U works perfect: I use it to make daily/weekly backups of my web design works and haven't had any problem until now. Works smoothly with NAS's and although it's not the best option to carry it when you are traveling etc (not very small and heavy in my personal opinion), it's a perfect solution for keeping your important stuff safe.

Only thing I don't like at all is that sometimes it has a little but noticeable noise inside, like when those old HDD's on computers were installing software etc..

"very fragile...hard drive failed with barely a bump", I used this hard drive successfully to back-up two laptops. I plugged it in to my desktop to back the data on that computer up and I kept getting error messages when I tried to transfer data. I then unplugged it and plugged it into my laptop with which it had worked fine and the laptop wouldn't recognize it. It also then began making beeping noises which my research indicates means the hard drive has probably failed. The only explanation I can come up with is that it was a failure waiting to happen or it broke when I barely bumped it with my elbow on the desk. If the latter was the cause, then it is very fragile and not worth the investment even though it is a great price for 500GB of storage. A few other notes: there is a warning in the manual to keep the drive away from magnetic sources such as computer screens and the USB cord provided is about 18 inches long. Also, the manual instructions, which I read dutifully, weren't consistent with my XP dialogue boxes, though I was able to get around that by making intuitive decisions. Also, you should know that there is no on-off switch.

I was very happy about this purchase and was willing to look past some things for the price, but it was out of the box for less than a day and it failed. I can even get past that--not all products are perfect. But I can't get past bad/no product support. The only way to reach tech support is via email and they have not replied for 48 hours. (I couldn't find the toll number mentioned by another reviewer.) The tech support appears to be unsatisfactory.

The worst thing is that now I have sensitive data on this which I have no idea how to remove, so it seems I can't return/exchange it. I don't feel comfortable returning it knowing that someone could extract the data somehow.

I recommend you research other drives that are more sturdy, have a longer USB cable, have an on/off switch, have accurate instructions, and which are built by companies which have great tech support reviews. I am just now starting that search with 100 fewer dollars in my pocket. Good luck!

"Very satisfied with my purchase.", Excellent product, great value. I am very satisfied and would highly recommend this drive to anyone.

"great", I love my lacie! Ive had 3 different types of external hard drives and this sure does it, Ill have to try out the western digital to really get my spectrum right but for now this product is awesome!

"Good and Bad...", While the price is right for this size HD it does have a couple drawbacks. The first big drawback is that there is no on/off switch. So when you are done with the drive and eject it from your computer, the only way to turn it off is to unplug it, which is really annoying considering all the cords everyone has under their desks and behind their computers. The second drawback is that it really doesn't seem very fast. I have 2 other drives, one is USB 2 and the other is Firewire. The Firewire blows both of them away, but even the other USB 2 I have seems faster than this one. But I may just be imagining that. On the positive side it is a lot of storage space for a low price and Lacie has been pretty reliable for me at least. If you use your external HD a lot I would suggest going with a model that has an on/off switch, and if you use a Mac get the firewire for added speed.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"great sleek and spacey storage, aside from running HOT.. ", (about the LaCie 500gb)

This drive is pretty awesome to begin with - great price, very sleek design, lots of space (labeled as 500gb, actual capacity 465gb, which is still pretty big, so it's acceptable). The only drawbacks are:

1. The lack of a power button, as others have said. It would be much more convenient if they had included it in the design somehow, like in the back where the power plugs in, as that end doesn't need to be as bare as the rest.

2. It runs VERY hot, not just warm, but *hot*. Granted, I do use my drives a lot as well, but usually my other older ones are only more than mildly warm at worst - I also have a AcomData 160gb bought in March2005 and a Maxtor 200gb bought in Dec2006 - while this one, the LaCie 500gb, gets so hot that when you want to "shut it off", it is difficult to grasp it in order to be able pull the plug. Note that my AcomData has a power button, and my Maxtor does not but handles well-enough without one, so that's why I figured when I bought the LaCie that even tho it has no power button, that it wouldn't really matter, lol. I did not count on it being too hot to touch.

3. Slightly noisy.. well, it was quite a bit noticeable during the first few weeks that I had it, I'm not sure if it's still a bother now, (or maybe I've just gotten used to it, lol) but eh. It tends to stand out more when it becomes busy, like transferring files, etc.

Again, wonderful product, just wish that it didn't overheat so much, other than that - love it! Will probably be buying a really small desk fan to aim at it in hopes of keeping it cooler and if that works, then I'll edit this to let you all kno.

Update @ July 31 : I did indeed find and buy a small fan; found one at Walmart, it's about 5" tall and 6" wide, and since I store the LaCie on its side in back of the comp monitor against the tower, the small desk fan is neatly sitting behind the monitor as well, and aimed at the LaCie extHD. The desk fan is battery-powered (2x "D" batts) and I only use it for about five minutes to an hour at a time, every so often that I remember to do so, or notice the LaCie getting hot. The desk fan did not come with an AC adapter of its own, so I will likely be buying one so that I can keep the LaCie cooler more often (it actually does work! lol), as I do use it a LOT. And yes, the LaCie is still performing just fine too! xoxo

Good luck with YOUR purchase! ;D

"nice drive - runs warm", this LaCie 500 GB external hard drive seems great. no trouble so far, was up and running in minutes. for the price this seems to be an excellent drive. very recommended.

pro: it does what it is supposed to do. besides the huge 500 GB capacity it is smallish, especially if you need a low profile more than a small footprint. it is relatively quiet, having no fan, but there are the gentle little clicks and knocks you can hear from most hard drives. set up was extremely simple.

con: while i must say that i don't have much recent experience with external hard drives, this little guy does seem to run pretty warm. i measured 115 degrees F on the top surface. this seems to be expected though, and the manual advises not to stack more than 2 units high. for data transfer it only uses a usb 2.0 cable - some would say a firewire might have been a nice alternative, but for 500 GB under a hundred bucks i'm not complaining about that. however, there are times when i would switch it off, as i use my internal drive for most day-to-day stuff, but this unit has no power switch. to turn off, you are supposed to do the 'safely remove hardware' thing and then pull out the power supply connection. i don't know if it is an issue with my computer or this drive, but any time i try the safely remove hardware thing it tells me the device is busy and to try again later. the only way i've 'safely' turned it off was by shutting down the computer and then unplugging the power from the drive before re-booting. lately i've just left it on. if it had a power switch it would have gotten 5 stars.


"Inadequate support options/responses", Bought this for its reputation and good price. Didn't realize the only immediate tech support is a TOLL-number, where you wait in a phone queue. If you choose to log-on a ticket, it takes a day for them to get back to you, and they may or may not address all your issues. If they don't, your request goes back to the end of the line so you wait another whole day. No live chat. No easy access. So it takes days and days and days to resolve a problem, because they won't call you.

I found the documentation very uneven. Either way too basic (this is a plug, stick it in) or having huge gaps. I ran into problems when trying to reformat and partition because available documentation wasn't consistent with my XP dialogue boxes.

The main problem, however, is that when the drive is connected, I cannot shut off my desktop -- it automatically reboots. I'm going in circles with LaCie tech "support" in trying to get an answer. They want me to try different specialized cords and computers (which I don't have) . . . .

Reading the rest of these reviews, and the failure rate, I still have two weeks to return this so am rethinking this investment. Yes, the USB cord is barely long enough to reach the USB port when the unit is on top of the computer. And the shut off switch, or lack thereof, was a stupid oversight in this day of energy consciousness.

More and more, I'm thinking that price should not be the only determinant.

"Lacie external hard drive", This drive works as advertised. Installation very easy and I will work in a USB 2.0 port and also USB 1.0 port, but just a little slower. good product.

"Good Deal", I have only had this up and running for about 2 weeks, but have noticed nothing wrong. It is very quiet and keeps connected all the time. The read/write speed seems good for a usb wire. The price is right on this hard drive.