Vista - network storage

I am looking for some network storage device. Does any body have any personal suggestions. I was looking into the Hp media smart server but too expensive. Some thing that can be accessed independently from each PC on the network.

Hi bassfisher6522,

Here is a link to Amazon for this category: Amazon.com: Network Attached Storage: Networked Attached Storage & More. Although I don't have any experience of this type of device, most (if not all) of the items listed here have varying numbers of customer reviews. This should prove useful to you, even if you decide to purchase a unit that you see here elsewhere.

Alternatively, you can build your own, which allows for a greater degree of freedom in that you can choose your hardware individually - the downside is that you are your own support if anything happens.

Some of the units on Amazon are just bare-bones units. They include the controller and PSU, but do not include any disks - it is up to you how many and of what capacity you choose to install (subject, of course, to the limitations of the unit itself). Both IDE and SATA units are available.

I have been using a WD My Book® World Edition™ 1 TB NAS for 11 months. At first I configured it as a network and Internet attached device for the free 30 day trial period. But since I do not travel and compute at home, I reconfigured to work only as a NAS device, using NTFS. I have had no problems with the drive. I previously used a Netgear Storage Central SC101 with dual Seagate 300 gig hard drives. The Netgear NAS had some connectivity problems and overheated with a great deal of access. I had to put a small fan on top to keep it cool. I have had no such problem with the Western Digital drive. It is currently selling from about $168 - $290.

I can get transfer rates of 20 – 25 Mbps on the 10/100 wired part of my network and somewhat lower rates via WiFi. The drive is attached to my network via a DYNEX 8 port 10/100 switch and a Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N Router WNR834Bv2 with the remote Dell XPS M1530 portable which has a built in Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini-card, running Vista Home Premium 32.