After I reviewed the Apple Time Capsule some time back, a lot of readers wrote in asking if I had something specific for Windows. Well, I do, and it is called the Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme Edition.

When I got the Seagate Xtreme Edition Desktop Hard Disk, called the FreeAgent Xtreme, I was surprised to see the port options—it had two Firewire ports, an eSata Port and a USB 2.0 Port. It also had a Kensington lock port, in case you wanted to lock this to your desk. I loved the feel and form factor of the drive as well as its all-black appearance. However, I thought the USB and Firewire cables as well as the power adapter should have been in black too.

The drive was very quiet when I tested it with a lot of read and write. It also managed to stay cool despite Delhi’s heat, unlike other external hard disks which often tend to heat up. I was unable to use it with my Mac as the drive was formatted for Windows, but it perfomed efficiently on my Windows PC.

The Seagate FreeAgent utility comes preinstalled on the hard disk, but has to be installed on to your PC. The utility can backup your data at scheduled intervals, and can also help you look for data that you have backed up on multiple hard disks. It has built-in profiles to backup My Documents, Photos, Music, Videos, or all your files at one go. The software also supports encryption, so other users can read the data only if they have the decryption key. The software also puts the hard drive in sleep mode when not in use for more than 15 minutes, thus saving power. But Seagate should have thought of a way to manage the tange of cables the unit creates.

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