2yr old 1GB Microdrive dying (long)

From: "Kurtis D. Rader"

CF cards can fail like any other electronic or mechanical object.

Yes, but ... my IBM microdrive has a one-year warranty, after that I'm on my
own. My Lexar and Sandisk pro CF cards have a life-time warranty, meaning they
will replace them if they fail for any reason and they will take the failed
card and try to recover the lost data for you.

That's the big difference between the two, I feel.

I have no objective data regarding the relative failure rates of
Microdrives versus CF cards. ... I suspect that a Microdrive that
isn't abused will have failure
rates in the first three years very similar to those of CF cards.

I would guess the solid-state electronics in a CF card would be anywhere from
10x to 1,000x more reliable than a disk with a lot of moving parts after normal
use for the first three years, but I also have no objective data.

But I've been using computers for 26 years.
I've earned my pay as a UNIX system support engineer

But I'm biased toward solid state since I designed chips for 20 years.

I currently have four Microdives ... So far no problems with any of them.

"MicroDIVES"? Freudian slip? I have one Microdrive, a 1 GB IBM that
shipped with a Canon dSLR and have had it for maybe 3 years, without a problem.
But we have 11 GB of Lexar and Sandisk CF cards and I always use them first,
and I try not to use the Mike when it's really cold (per their spec).

Do I have greater confidence my CF cards won't malfunction? Yes.

OK, so we agree after all ...

Bill

On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 03:13:50 +0000, Bill Hilton wrote:

"MicroDIVES"? Freudian slip?

No, just simple typo :-)

Do I have greater confidence my CF cards won't malfunction? Yes.

OK, so we agree after all ...

I'm not sure we do. If cost is not a criteria or you earn your living
taking photographs then solid state CF cards are clearly the best choice.
But for everyone else the answer is not black and white.

Like any engineering decision deciding between solid state CF or a
microdrive involves balancing multiple, conflicting, requirements.
Personally, I'd rather use the price differential to buy a larger
microdrive so I'm having to swap media less frequently. Others may find
that it is preferrable to use the cost savings of a microdrive to fund the
purchase of a portable backup mechanism (e.g., CD writer or portable hard
disk). As long as you agree that this issue doesn't have a single
one-size-fits-all answer then, yes, we agree after all.

On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 03:13:50 +0000, Bill Hilton wrote:

"MicroDIVES"? Freudian slip?

No, just simple typo :-)

Do I have greater confidence my CF cards won't malfunction? Yes.

OK, so we agree after all ...

I'm not sure we do. If cost is not a criteria or you earn your living
taking photographs then solid state CF cards are clearly the best choice.
But for everyone else the answer is not black and white.

Like any engineering decision deciding between solid state CF or a
microdrive involves balancing multiple, conflicting, requirements.
Personally, I'd rather use the price differential to buy a larger
microdrive so I'm having to swap media less frequently. Others may find
that it is preferrable to use the cost savings of a microdrive to fund the
purchase of a portable backup mechanism (e.g., CD writer or portable hard
disk). As long as you agree that this issue doesn't have a single
one-size-fits-all answer then, yes, we agree after all.

"Bill Hilton" wrote in message
...
From: "Kurtis D. Rader"

CF cards can fail like any other electronic or mechanical object.

Yes, but ... my IBM microdrive has a one-year warranty, after that I'm on
my
own. My Lexar and Sandisk pro CF cards have a life-time warranty, meaning
they
will replace them if they fail for any reason and they will take the
failed
card and try to recover the lost data for you.

That's the big difference between the two, I feel.

I have no objective data regarding the relative failure rates of
Microdrives versus CF cards. ... I suspect that a Microdrive that
isn't abused will have failure
rates in the first three years very similar to those of CF cards.

I would guess the solid-state electronics in a CF card would be anywhere
from
10x to 1,000x more reliable than a disk with a lot of moving parts after
normal
use for the first three years, but I also have no objective data.

But I've been using computers for 26 years.
I've earned my pay as a UNIX system support engineer

But I'm biased toward solid state since I designed chips for 20 years.

I currently have four Microdives ... So far no problems with any of them.

"MicroDIVES"? Freudian slip? I have one Microdrive, a 1 GB IBM that
shipped with a Canon dSLR and have had it for maybe 3 years, without a
problem.
But we have 11 GB of Lexar and Sandisk CF cards and I always use them
first,
and I try not to use the Mike when it's really cold (per their spec).

Do I have greater confidence my CF cards won't malfunction? Yes.

OK, so we agree after all ...

Bill


I bought a 1 GB microdrive back in January with Canon 300D. I had to replace
the microdrive two times, due to clicking death, in the first four months. I
then lost one picture on the third replacement microdrive. I sold it on ebay
eventually.

"Bill Hilton" wrote in message
...
From: "Kurtis D. Rader"

CF cards can fail like any other electronic or mechanical object.

Yes, but ... my IBM microdrive has a one-year warranty, after that I'm on
my
own. My Lexar and Sandisk pro CF cards have a life-time warranty, meaning
they
will replace them if they fail for any reason and they will take the
failed
card and try to recover the lost data for you.

That's the big difference between the two, I feel.

I have no objective data regarding the relative failure rates of
Microdrives versus CF cards. ... I suspect that a Microdrive that
isn't abused will have failure
rates in the first three years very similar to those of CF cards.

I would guess the solid-state electronics in a CF card would be anywhere
from
10x to 1,000x more reliable than a disk with a lot of moving parts after
normal
use for the first three years, but I also have no objective data.

But I've been using computers for 26 years.
I've earned my pay as a UNIX system support engineer

But I'm biased toward solid state since I designed chips for 20 years.

I currently have four Microdives ... So far no problems with any of them.

"MicroDIVES"? Freudian slip? I have one Microdrive, a 1 GB IBM that
shipped with a Canon dSLR and have had it for maybe 3 years, without a
problem.
But we have 11 GB of Lexar and Sandisk CF cards and I always use them
first,
and I try not to use the Mike when it's really cold (per their spec).

Do I have greater confidence my CF cards won't malfunction? Yes.

OK, so we agree after all ...

Bill


I bought a 1 GB microdrive back in January with Canon 300D. I had to replace
the microdrive two times, due to clicking death, in the first four months. I
then lost one picture on the third replacement microdrive. I sold it on ebay
eventually.