MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews - Ximeta NetDisk 80GB External Drive Review

Click image for larger view

Out of the box, my first impressions of the Ximeta NetDisk 80GB External Drive were extremely positive. The overall design of the Netdisk is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and consists of a two piece purple coloured aluminum housing. The external panels are held in place via a series of mounting screws and two black plastic side pieces. On top of the unit is a circular chrome logo piece which displays the NetDisk and NDAS logos. The Ximeta NetDisk 80GB External Drive NetDisk sent in for review contains a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 6Y080L0 HD which runs at 7,200 RPM and has a 2MB buffer. The unit measures approximately 36.5mm (H) x 210.5mm (L) x 119.5mm (W) and weighs 3 lbs (1.36 kg). The Ximeta NetDisk 80GB External Drive is designed to be universally compatible with a wide variety of operating systems including Windows 98SE/2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.2 or higher, and Linux Redhat 8.0 and 9.0.

Click image for larger view

At the rear of the Ximeta NetDisk 80GB External Drive there are an two interfaces which allow you to adapt this product to your specific network configuration. Consumers have the option of using the product in USB 2.0 mode, Single User Mode (Ethernet) or NDAS Mode via an RJ-45 Ethernet connection. Towards the left of the unit is a 2-postion dip switch which allows you to manually adjust the operational mode. By placing the dip switches in the up position toggles the USB 2.0 Mode and by placing the switches in the downward position toggles the Ethernet/NDAS mode. A single 4-pin plug connects directly to an AC adapter which can be plugged into a AC outlet for power. Surprisingly, there is no Firewire support built into this product nor is there an ON/OFF switch to turn off the Ximeta NetDisk 80GB External Drive when it is not in use. On the top of the unit are two status LEDs for Power and Network activity.

Click image for larger view

As previously mentioned, Ximeta has provided some excellent documentation with the NetDisk 80GB External Drive. The bundled Software Installation CD includes the complete user's manual along with a helpful interactive menu which provides step by step instruction on how to complete the product installation. For consumers using USB 2.0 Mode, installation is a straightforward process and requires switching the dip switches to USB 2.0 Mode and connecting the power and USB cables to the appropriate ports. If you use a Plug n' Play based operating system no software drivers are required for installation for USB 2.0 Mode.