Magneto-Optical Drives
2 messages in this thread
Hi!
I am looking into magneto-optical (MO) drives and would like to hear some
feedback on them…especially when used for daily data retrieval instead
of just backups. (Essentially, I am running out of hard disk space on my
portable – it's already STACked – and am exploring ways to augment my
storage. SCSI-2 would be the perferable interface, since my portable
already has a built-in port.
I would primarily use a magneto-optical drive to create and store
projects from 3D Studio and Ventura Publisher.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the 3.5 vs. 5.25 MO drives? (I
understand that 3.5 drives hold 128 MB while the 5.25 holds 600 MB (300
MB/side) – but that the 5.25's are signifcantly slower than the smaller
format). What manufacturers/models would you recommend? I have seen ads
for drives by Pinnacle Micro, Sony, Peripheral Land, Procom Technology,
MicroNet Technology, and Mass Optical Storage Technologies (MOST). MOST
claims to have a "free form" mode that stores 256 MB on a 3.5 MO disk,
but what is "free form" and what does this proprietary method mean for
compatibility? Can MO drives be STACKED? STAC Electronics thinks they can,
but doesn't seem to know for sure. And finally, what other issues or
technologies should I consider?
Again, my primary aim is additional secondary storage… I am attracted
to MO since it seems to offer both reliable backup and "unlimited"
secondary storage – all through a SCSI-2 port.
Thanks in advance!
Ceyan
CeyanI just purchased the Pinnacle REO130S, 3.5" MO I evaluated both 3.5"
and 5.25" and decided that a smaller storage space and faster disk access
(200%) was more important than storage size, as well as transportability
(is that a word). The REO130S fits in my brief case so I can use it to
transfer large files to someone that doesn't own one.
Also, installation was a breeze, up-n-running in 15 minutes!
Steve Ormonde