Backing up data is similar to flossing: Everyone needs to do it, but no one likes to. Portable drives now do the tedious task of copying our precious files.  Seagate Technology is a leading brand when it comes to manufacturing external hard drives and has several drives to suit your specific need. Recently, the company has announced the Seagate Replica PC Backup system which completely eliminates the need to manually learn, manage or dedicate any time for the entire backing up process.

Seagate’s Replica external drives are designed to do the things simply: back up your entire Windows PC. This device literally make a replica of your system, operating system and every other thing. Designed to do only the single thing of backing up your entire PC, it is a useful plug in hardware and acts as a personal automatic file backup and continuously monitors changes in files and system. The device connects to the computer via a USB port and needs no sort of configuration or installation. In many ways it is the PC user’s reply to the Apple’s Time Machine managing to combine an elegant form factor and data protection. Does it really suit your needs? Read the following review to find out.

Design:

The first thing that strikes your mind when you look at it is its resemblance to the MacBook Air.  The razor thin drive and with those tapering edges make it look sleek and stylish. Seagate Replica Hard Drive also has a silver coloured exterior made up of plastic. Weighing about half a pound, the device itself is fairly compact measuring 5.61 inches high by 3.99 inches wide and 0.72 inches deep. There is a nifty docking base that is provided with the more expensive 500GB ones is glossy black and makes the whole drive look classy. The dock is just a plastic housing that mounts the drive vertically; it still needs to be connected to PCs one at a time while backing up. The silver finishing of the drive makes us assume that it must be a product of Apple, which it is not.

The rubberised backing on the bottom of the drive makes sure that the dock less single PC version is safe on your desk. There is a little blue LED light on top of the drive that blinks continuously when data is being transferred. The cable which is hardwired to the two headed model drive makes sure it gets proper amount of power from power ports from some ports. But it also might mean that one needs to sacrifice two ports instead of one.

Capacities available:

The Seagate Replica is available in 2 Configurations: The 250GB one and the 500GB one. The 250GB Replica is an entry level drive geared to single PC Backup while the more expensive 500GB version not only comes with a dock, but also is capable of backing up multiple PCs (For that you need to connect to the PCs one at a time while backing up). The extra 250GB you get is actually worth the money even if you use the drive with just one PC.

Features:

Complete backup:
As the Seagate Replica’s site claims: No file is too big or too small.  The Seagate Replica as the name suggests that they are designed for just one thing: Backup the entire Windows PC of the user. They make a replica of your system including the OS. It is like Mac OS X’s Time Machine Backup but for PCs. The Drive can backup everything on your PC including programs and various settings. This is unlike the Clickfree 500 GB Portable Hard Drive which can only store photos, data and documents.

Labour Intensive:
Backing up data cannot get simpler than this. No more wondering how to get things done as the Seagate Replica backs up all of your data and keeps updating it whenever you make changes. The replica is very handy for users who are not really that tech- savvy.

No Fear of Data Loss:
The Seagate Replica PC Backup system ensures that your data gets the best of protection. The availability of features such as “Retrieve” makes sure you can easily retrieve accidentally deleted files. There is also an option to restore your entire system in case of a PC crash. The recovery disc provided lets you boot up a misbehaving PC and restores the entire Drive. In addition to a complete hard drive recovery, it can also restore single individual files with a single drag and drop action. One can also recover deleted files even after emptying the Recycle Bin.

The Same old Windows Interface:
The Windows Interface means that there is no need to learn a new convention for the backup interface menu to browse for Old files. One can dump all the data on one (or all of your PCs) in less than 5 clicks. The Deleted files show up as dimmed icons enabling you to identify them as quickly as possible. It also allows you to choose from multiple saved versions with a right click.  When one hovers over an icon in the toolbar, the date and time of the last backup plus progress of current data transfers is shown.  One can set a password; choose which hard drives to backup and one can even choose to remove a PC if the device is being used to backup multiple PCs.

Windows Only:
No matter how much the drive seems to resemble Apple’s MacBook Air, the irony cannot be evident. The Drive handles backup of data only for PCs with Windows OS. This fails to bridge the gap in households with computers of Windows and Macs.

Backup Software:
The Seagate Replica Backup Software is basically built around the same engine as the Rebit 500 Backup drive. But in this case, all the support and branding is Seagate’s. The underlying premise will load software and then install a program that stays in your PC. The drive does not support Windows XP with a FAT32 formatted format C drive and Mac users as well.

When the drive is plugged in to the PC, it will continuously backup all the changes made to the PC’s hard drive.  To ensure free space, the Replica automatically removes the oldest version of files. However, we would have preferred the option of permanently saving all the archives so that we can return the PC to a particular old state. The option for accessing multiple saved files at any point of their saving is an added bonus.

Performance:

Slow Initial Backup:
The Startup process is short whereas the actual backup is a time consuming endeavor. When connected to the PC and tried backing up 130 GB of data, it took about 4 whole hours. If you have more than that it would be preferable if you do the backup overnight when you would not be accessing the machine.

Subsequent Backups are faster:
After the initial full image backup, the Replica backs up your PC as files are added, deleted or even altered.  If you keep it connected to the PC while all the changes takes place, the backup takes little time. But if you ever disconnect the Replica and reconnect it after a long time, it may take a while to catch up and back up the latest version of the system.

Restoring the PC:
Under test conditions, when we tried restoring all the data of our PC using Seagate’s restore utility, it took over an hour to restore the system. Since we had limited files on our system beyond the core, it would probably take longer to restore a typical user PC.

Inflexible:
The Biggest disadvantage of the Replica is that it is a one trick Pony: It can only backup the entire hard drive and does not allow backup of select files. If you are looking for more flexibility, there are other choices. However, you can recover select files in case of a crash.

A silent drive:
In spite of having a huge amount of data to backup, we noticed that the Seagate Replica was quietly whirring. The noise was below 30 db and can hardly be audible in day to day life.

Accessories:

The Replica comes with some bare bones software and some decent set of accessories. Seagate gladly did away with those added cables and software that the older hard drives had. There is a USB 2.0 cable, recovery guide and a recovery CD in the kit. The USB cable is unusually short and can be replaced with any standard mini USB cable.  As mentioned earlier, the 500 GB version comes along with a docking base as well.

Competition:

When it comes to competition, Apple’s Time Machine and the Clickfree Portable Hard drive are its rivals. The Time Machine is only for Mac Users whereas the Clickfree can backup data both on Mac and Windows as well. Since the Time Machine is only for Mac users, it restricts the number of users who would like to use it. The Replica is Seagate’s response to the Time machine, backing up data only for PC users. The Clickfree has an upper hand in this case. But the Clickfree has chintzy hardware and interface and backs up only document sort of data that is pictures etc. This is where the Replica has a lead over the Clickfree.

Warranty:

There is a five year manufacturer’s warranty on the Seagate Replica from the date of purchase. This is another advantage of the device as the warranty period is much longer than what most devices offer.  There is support offered in the Seagate site and all questions related to Installation, Troubleshooting and other FAQs can be asked over there.

Verdict:

The Seagate Replica is worthy of being a top choice if you want to back up an Entire windows PC and has switched from FAT32 to NTFS. If all you want is to back up your data and keep a copy for safe keeping without much setup hassles, the Replica is appealing.  However, it has its list of shortcomings too: It cannot work with Mac systems, incompatible with FAT32 drives; full drive recovery requires booting from a CD and has hoops when you upgrade your PCs. Nevertheless, it has managed to impress us with its supremely easy usage and comprehensive protection from failure.  So if you are lazy, not really tech savvy or all you want is backup all data of your PC efficiently, the Replica is a simple solution to get your data backed up.

Seagate Replica Backup Hard Drive - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer Seagate
Model Name Seagate Replica Hard Drive
Model Number 500GB model: ST905004BDA101-RK
250GB model: ST902504BDA101-RK
Model Slim line model
Drive type Hard drive array
Hard Disk Interface USB 2.0
Dimensions (H x W x D)mm 114.08 x 142 x 50
Weight Drive : 420 grams ( 0.92 pounds)
Package :570 grams ( 1.25 pounds)
Colours available Silver
Capacities available 250GB and 500GB
Hard Disk Rotational Speed 5400 rpm
Software included Backup Software for PC users.
Compatible systems Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / XP
Mac Compatible No
FAT32 supported No
Package contents Hard drive, USB cable, Recovery Guide, Recovery CD.
Warranty 5 years

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