External drives appeal to small businesses for a variety of reasons. They offer sole proprietors and small offices an easy way to add storage capacity, they let you backup your data quickly, and they don’t cost all that much. While Maxtor remains the undisputed leader when it comes to external storage, Fastora’s ExBoot adds a twist to its external drive that you won’t find in any of Maxtor’s OneTouch drives — it can reboot your PC.
The ExBoot EXB-0131— an external drive that comes in a variety of capacities — combines Fastora’s proprietary software with USB 2.0 capability and a single button that initiates the data backup software.
According to Kit Chui, Fastora’s director of sales and marketing, the ExBoot’s reboot capability differentiates the drive from other USB 2.0 hard drives. “If your computer’s motherboard supports a USB reboot, then you can reboot using the ExBoot,” he said adding, “Ninety-to-95 percent of the desktop PCs that came out this year and last year support external USB reboot.”
According to Fastora, the ExBoot’s proprietary software captures and backs up your PC’s operating system and boot files. Because it has that data, the ExBoot can reboot a PC.
Why does this matter? A reboot capability adds an extra layer of data protection. Should your PC’s hard drive ever fail or sustain a data loss, you can reboot directly from ExBoot and keep working until the hard drive is replaced. Chui said that once the drive is replaced, you can then restore the PC settings and data to the affected computer directly from the ExBoot drive.
“Most people don’t concern themselves with backup and recovery, mostly because they see it as overly complicated and expensive,” said Chui. “We made the ExBoot affordable and easy-to-use, and we designed it to deliver peace of mind and ensure up time if and when the hard drive fails.”
Size and Price
The ExBoot features 7,200 RPM drives in the following capacities:
- 160GB — $185 (all prices listed as MSRP)
- 250GB — $235
- 300GB — $335
- 400GB — $440
In addition, Fastora also offers external USB drives sized for the laptop. The 2.5-inch drive can also reboot your notebook (as long as the laptop’s motherboard supports a USB reboot), and its smaller size makes it a convenient choice for business travelers. These 5,400 RPM drives come in 40-, 60- and 80GB capacities with prices ranging from $109 to $169.
Lauren Simonds is the managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com
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