HP Pocket Media Drive PD3200 user reviews (hard drive - 320 GB - Hi-Speed USB)

Pros Bought this drive because I have an HP Slim Pavillion. The PC has a drive bay just of the pocket media drive. The drive was a good price, was of assumed HP quality, and was easy to buy on HP's site. It's a good size, very compact, etc.

Cons The drive stopped working the third time I used it. It started making a high-pitched whine and the PC (in fact, any PCI) stopped recognizing it. I sent it to HP for warrant service in October and am still waiting for it at the end of December.

Summary Dealing with HP Support has been a nightmare. You'll notice that as a consumer, it is impossible to get ahold of them in any meaningful way except for a single phone number. You can't find a real email address, any issues on their forum get moed out, etc. The phone number sends you to an endless stream of off-shore suppot agents with thick accents who keep asking you the same questions over and over (your name, your email address, your phone number, your order number, etc.). Any probing question you ask takes them "off line" for 2-3 minutes while they look it up. THey then return and transfer you to the next person, who may or may not be an appropriate function to answer your question. Luckily, this was not an expensive lesson, as the drive was less than $100. I may just give up, cut my losses, and buy something else. I promise you, though, I will never rely on HP Support, and that will forever make me think twice about purchasing an HP product that costs more than $50.