Archos ARC Disk20 20GB Review

Overall Rating

- Practically idiot-proof to use
- Compact (only 80x78x10mm)
- Robust, attractive design

- More expensive than other 20GB portable hard drives
- No file recovery software for accidental deletions
- No mention of Linux OS compatibility

I use a shared computer at work and at home and I needed a large storage medium but CD-Rs and CD-RWs are prone to scratching and store far too little and Zip drives are only available on so many computers (and also store too little) but when I heard about the Archos ARCDisk20 hard drive online and it sounded perfect for my needs - it is robust, compact and has a rather large storage capacity of 20 Gb.
I bought it a couple of weeks ago and so far it hasn't had any problems at all. It does exactly what it says on the box. As soon as you plug it in to your USB port with the USB 2.0 cable provided, it will install itself (on Windows 2000 and XP) but needs the floppy disk included to install on Windows 98SE. It acts just like an ordinary hard drive and data copies from a CD to it just as quickly as if to the internal hard drive. The hard drive is powered by the USB cable but there is an AC adaptor in case the USB cable doesn't power the hard drive itself (possibly on Win 98SE).
There are downsides but they aren't worth not buying this hard disk for. Firstly, at £100-150 (depending on where you buy it from), it costs as much as 40GB portable hard drives although they aren't as compact. Secondly, there is no file recovery software included in the event that you accidentally delete something from the hard drive that you didn't want to delete. The last downside may or may not exist. There is no mention of whether or not the hard drive is compatible with Linux systems on the box so Linux users may be disappointed.
The downsides to me are minimal and I have no regrets buying this hard drive and I'd recommend it to any Windows user who needs a portable storage medium.