IronKey 500GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive (MXKA1E500G5001)

First off, let me say that this is a well-constructed drive that looks as if it could withstand a hard knock or two.The stylish exterior is also apparently designed to show clearly if anyone has been trying to physically get inside it.On a slightly negative note, I'll mention that the package my unit came in contained no manual or instructions whatsoever. Since the setup process isn't 100% straightforward, I can only assume this was an error, so I won't deduct any stars for that. In any case, .pdf documentation is included in a folder on the drive itself.Essentially, this is a huge hard drive divided into 2 partitions. One is small, containing the necessary management software, and the other is huge and encrypted.When first setting it up (providing an administrator password, setting up a user (or users) and their password(s)), the software crashed. Not an encouraging start, but on a second attempt it went smoothly enough.After that, it's all fine, if a bit slow and cumbersome. Plug it in (it requires *two* USB ports, which (IMO) is another VERY negative point - in fact, the documentation says that the drive requires so much power that it may not function at all on some laptops), log in with your user name and password, and you gain access to the encrypted partition.Having used this for a while, I'm left with a feeling of how clunky and unnecessary it is, given the existence of a totally FREE piece of software called Truecrypt.Truecrypt enables you to encrypt part or all of a drive (with CONSIDERABLY more encryption options than this product) and it's also much faster and easier to use. It also offers the ability to create 'key' files (which could be a picture, sound, text, etc.) without which the encryption can't be unlocked. It's even possible to hide encrypted files WITHIN encrypted files, which is real James Bond stuff!In short, while this product does everything it claims, anyone who seriously feels a need for encryption in their work should at least look at the capabilities of Truecrypt before making a final decision.

This was initially a bit of a mystery as it comes in a simple box, with no instructions and only a simple USB cable. Once up and running it quickly became clear that this drive would make a great travel option as 1) it is small, 2) it is robustly built and 3) it doesn't need its own power supply - just power it via a standard USB cable. I backed up an iMac and 300Gb of data took around 6-7 hours, which seemed a little bit slower than I expected versus my other drive, which has its own power source. The other thing to say is that when data is being written to the drive, it takes a lot of power and hence you may struggle to charge other items via USBs at the same time - indeed, it wouldn't work when plugged into a USB multi-adaptor and needed plugging directly into one of the iMac's USB ports in order to fire up.

This was really easy to set up. I attached to my PC using the usb that came with it. I then opened the software that was on it and followed the instructions.It was easy to set up a protection password and then to put items onto the drive.It was quick and easy to load and if I lose it then it won't be easy for someone to look at my files.A very good item that looks sturdy too...My only gripe is that there wasn't any paperwork with this....no instructions or anything! BUT...at least its easy to use.....

This is a robust drive with a thick metal case and thick rubber bumpers on the corners, it feels really solid.No instructions were supplied so I downloaded them from the Ironkey website, you'll need the Ironkey H80 User Guide and the Access Standard User Guide.The drive is USB powered through a mini-USB connector, a cable with a mini-USB to 2 USB connectors is supplied; a yellow LED on the unit flashes to indicate that there is insufficient power from one USB outlet and both connectors need to be used. I used the drive on a Windows 7 laptop and a Windows XP laptop and both provided sufficient power from a single USB outlet.The drive is split into 2 partitions, the access part and the user part, both appearing as separate drives. The user part is locked.Firstly a profile needs to be set for the drive, the default one is for a single user using the whole drive, although you can set up to 10 users; other options are for password length, number of tries, administrator account etc. I accepted the defaults, created an administrator password and a user account password.Once unlocked the user drive changes from "LOCKED" to "PRIVATE", you can rename it, and you can access it as a normal drive. The encryption is provided by hardware and is always on.An Ironkey logo appears in the task bar, on a Windows machine this is normally on the bottom right, it is a little faint and you may have to click "show hidden icons". Once clicked this allows the administrator to manage the device, create and delete users, rescue users and even recycle the device.Overall a tough, robust drive which offers a useful level of security.

Having had two laptops die on us in the last couple of years, we have been looking for an external hard drive to store family photos on etc. This one will hold up to 500Gb of data, which is more than ample for the average family. One of its big selling points is its robustness; if you need to carry documents around with you, then it is sturdy enough to stand the rigours of being shoved in a bag, dropped, etc etc (although, I did wonder, wouldn't it just be easier to carry a flash drive)As a rather untechy person, I was a bit phased that there were no instructions with it, but once I had it connected up, and got onto the IronKey website, then the set up process was fairly simple - so no real worries on that front.Would I recommend this to others? It is a useful and robust piece of kit. But I couldn't see who would actually want to buy it if I am completely honest, as if you want something that will just sit at home there are cheaper things around - and if you want something that's portable, then there are smaller and lighter options (although not with this much storage on). I guess then that maybe it's down to the encryptions. If you have anything particularly sensitive, then too many attempts with an incorrect password will automatically wipe the contents of the drive.