Where can I get Maxtor Quickview drives?

ADSLUSER · 21-01-2005 11:41am #1

Does anyone know where I can purchase a Maxtor Quickview 4R160LO hard drives? I can't find any that deliver to the Rep. of Ireland. These are the ones used in the new SKY160 boxes. I previously upgraded to a Maxtor 6Y160P0 which worked well at the start but is starting to give me problems now. It's rebooting itself on a frequent basis and freezing every now and again. Most annoying when you're in the middle of a recording.

I tried www.technoworld.co.uk which have a stock of over 1500 of them but unfortunately they do not deliver to the republic - only UK & Northern Ireland.

Any help would be greatly apppreciated else I'm poppoing in my old 40Gig drive for now.

clarkbelt · 21-01-2005 8:14pm

I discussed this subject with someone today , he did mention the fact that drives used for upgrades should meet the exact spec of existing ones used in Sky+ boxes , he is gone to research same , ill let u know if he comes up with anythig .

digitaldr · 22-01-2005 11:54am

I've had an Hitachi Deskstar 120gB drive from Maplin from in my SKY+ box for around a year. No problems to date. This guy is selling a 120Gb (plenty big) Maxtor here

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=64461&item=5157529905&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWe

He says he'll ship to Europe too.

Wiggy · 22-01-2005 1:41pm

clarkbelt wrote:

I discussed this subject with someone today , he did mention the fact that drives used for upgrades should meet the exact spec of existing ones used in Sky+ boxes , he is gone to research same , ill let u know if he comes up with anythig .

When did that become a fact?

ADSLUSER · 22-01-2005 1:53pm

Thanks I might just go with that unless I find someone selling a 160GB for a similar price. For what I've read, anyone that has used a Quickview drive hasn't experienced any problems with upgrades. There has been various success stories using other drives like yourself but I'm not going to take any further chances - too annoying when you lose recordings because of reboots. Thanks and if anyone knows any other online stores selling a Maxtor Quickview line of hard drives, be sure to let me know

digitaldr wrote:

I've had an Hitachi Deskstar 120gB drive from Maplin from in my SKY+ box for around a year. No problems to date. This guy is selling a 120Gb (plenty big) Maxtor here

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=64461&item=5157529905&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWe

He says he'll ship to Europe too.

mirage · 23-01-2005 12:30am

If you are interested, I picked up a 250gb Maxtor (MaXLine II 250GB UDMA133 ) from Dabs for around £85 and have had zero issues with it. Space should never be an issue again.

ADSLUSER · 23-01-2005 12:34am

How long have you used it for and is it a Maxtor Quickview? I believe some people ordered the 250GB version you mentioned from DABs and to their surprise, it was labeled as Quickview. I know that this drive is 5400RPM which seems to suit PACE V2 boxes more which is the one that I have.

slegs · 24-01-2005 10:16am

After much deliberation (I read alot of threads on Digital Spy) and taking cost into account I decided to go for the Samsung SP1604N. I was able to get my hands on it for < 100EUR delivered from www.planetmicro.co.uk.

From what I had read this was one of the only drives that matched the Maxtor Quickview drives for power consumption and quietness. Most people reported very good results (no failed recordings, Sky+ box remained cool etc) after months of usage.

The Maxtor Quickview drives are specifically designed for PVR 24/7 usage so they may be more durable but they are also alot more expensive and harder to get hold of. The Maxtor Maxline II drives most people are getting are not marked Quickview and I am not sure that they are exactly the same drive.

I guess all of this remains to be seen over time as in my opinion it is all about how long you get out of the drive. That goes for the original drive in the box also. They all have to fail at some stage because the level of usage is just so intense.

I have mine in for a week now and it works really well. I have been dual recording, watching a recording while dual recording, fast forwarding through a live recording...all works perfectly..disk very quiet too. The fan is on all the time as reported in other places but this seems to keep the box cold (much cooler than before) so this is a good thing imo.

The extra space is worth the risk in any case I think...if the drive goes in 12 months a replacement should be even cheaper than today (you can always pop the original back in!).

ADSLUSER · 24-01-2005 11:30am

Yes I heard some success stories with the Samsung however I'm gonna hold out for a Maxtor Quickview, just to be on the safe side. My Maxtor - non-quickview worked well in the beginning but after 2 months (as other have found) started to fail. My box started to reboot on a daily basis, freeze and ultimately many failed recordings. Anyway, there's got to be some on-line retailer that will deliver to the Rep. of Ireland. Hopefully DABS will start stocking these drives.

seano · 24-01-2005 2:13pm

Maxtor DIAMONDMAX PLUS 9 160GB

DIAMONDMAX PLUS 9 160GB 8MB 7200RPM 9.4MS
The 7200 RPM DiamondMax® Plus 9 hard drive is your solution for performance PCs with data- intensive applications such as network attached storage, home networking devices, audio, video and other multimedia applications. When your applications demand performance and reliability for your critical data, DiamondMax Plus 9 provides the highest capacity in its class. DiamondMax Plus 9 is equipped with fluid dynamic bearing motors for acoustic sensitive applications. This allows the drive to operate with extremely low sound output, an important feature for many applications. With Maxtor Shock Protection and Data Protection Systems on every drive, your drives and data are protected against operating and non-operating shock. DiamondMax Plus 9 offers performance leadership design with a 2MB or 8MB buffer, .

You can drop me a line if you want one delivered to your door and you cannot find anywhere who will do it for you.

To save everyones time you are looking at Euro 160,- incl VAT and insured post

slegs · 24-01-2005 2:30pm

This is a good drive but it is not the same as the Maxtor Maxline II drives or the Maxtor Quickview drives. The Diamondmax drives are essentially the low end Maxtor drives intended for desktops. Maxline II drives are intended for servers and high end always on usage. Quickview drives are purpose built for HDD/PVR's like Sky+.

The different purposes are also reflected in the different cost. While the diamondmax drive may work for a while...ido not be surprised if you have issues with it eventually.

Also, note it is the ATA version you want not SATA. Komplett sell Diamondmax drives.

ADSLUSER · 28-01-2005 9:27pm

Ok, finally found a company in the Uk that delivers to Ireland. This drive is available on http://www.stuff-uk.net This is the only site that stocks this drive and delivers to Ireland I believe - at least that's all I could find and it took me a while!

I ordered this drive at the start of the week and it arrived today so the delivery is quite fast. I can also confirm that it is a Maxtor 4R160LO Quickview drive. I will install it during the weekend and let everyone know how I get on. Wish me luck!

ADSLUSER · 29-01-2005 8:41am

Ok, installed the drive last night and everything going perfectly so far. The EPG appears quickly, dual recording works fine, playbackx30 is working as it should. Even the fan only turns on intermittedly and not 24/7 like other drives. The drive is also very quiet, I think it's as quiet as the original 40GB drive. Lastly the SKY+ Planner appears to have adjusted the percentages correctly using the larger drive.

All in all, it's looks like the perfect upgrade but I need to play with it over the coming weeks to give it a good bash to be sure. 80hrs of recording here I come.

slegs · 31-01-2005 9:57am

hi adsluser....how much did you pay for it + delivery?

cheers

ADSLUSER · 31-01-2005 11:16am

The total cost was 128 EUR but I took the speedy post option because I couldn't wait! If I took the normal postage, I think the price would have been around 110 EUR.

Recorded about 4 movies, 5 TV programs over the weekend - some dual recording and everything is still working as it should. No crashing, freezing or rebooting so far - what a relief!

slegs · 01-02-2005 4:13pm

ADSLUSER wrote:

The total cost was 128 EUR but I took the speedy post option because I couldn't wait! If I took the normal postage, I think the price would have been around 110 EUR.

Recorded about 4 movies, 5 TV programs over the weekend - some dual recording and everything is still working as it should. No crashing, freezing or rebooting so far - what a relief!

thanks ADSLUSER...although I am happy with my Samsung, I have ordered one of these...the price is very good (104EUR delivered) and I am afraid I wont get the opportunity later... I am going to put the Samsung in my desktop (its incredibly quiet so I hope the Maxtor is as quiet).

I would recommend any of you who are thinking of upgrading to 160GB to consider getting your hands on one of these...this is the drive used in the Thomson Sky+160 box..you cant get more compatible than that...and the fan works as it should (i.e. isn't on all the time)...also as others have confirmet it is the Quickview version of the drive that is being supplied...these are notoriously rare and difficult to get hold of..not to mind get delivered to Ireland

Where can I get Maxtor Quickview drives?

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