| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : MAY 3, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
| TECHNOLOGY & YOU
Need Backup? Go to the Tapes WITH HARD DRIVES GETTING BIGGER BY THE DAY, backing up your data is a growing problem. Zip disks, writeable CDs, and even most tapes are no match for these 20-gigabyte-plus monsters. Now On-Stream (800 759-4621; ProductSales@onstream.com), a spin-off of Philips Electronics, is offering a solution with its new line of inexpensive and speedy tape drives. OnStream's drives use eight-track tape--but don't expect to hear the Bee Gees singing Stayin' Alive through your computer speakers. Instead, the drives employ eight magnetic heads that read or write data to multiple tracks simultaneously. A high-speed transport mechanism locates data on the tape quickly. The OnStream drives come in capacities of 30 or 50 GB and in several styles. An external version connects through the printer port and can be moved from computer to computer. Internal versions employ either the IDE connector used for standard hard drives or the faster SCSI interface, which doubles the data-transfer rate to 2 megabytes per second. Prices range from $299 for the 30-GB IDE unit to $699 for the 50-GB SCSI version. Tapes run about $40 for 30 GB or $60 for 50 GB. The drives come with OnStream's easy-to-use Echo backup software and will also work with the industry standard, Backup Exec, from Seagate Software. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
|  |
 | |
RELATED ITEMS Need Backup? Go to the Tapes PHOTO: OnStream Tape Drive INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
