Seagate Replica single-PC review (250GB)

If your hard drive should crash, you can restore your system easily enough by running Seagate's restore utility and connecting the Replica to your system. (Seagate's software boots directly off the CD drive, so it should work even if your PC's hard drive is scrambled.) It took just over an hour to restore the system we tested. Again, we had a limited number of files on that system beyond the core components, so restoration will probably take longer in most cases.

The biggest knock against the Replica is that it's a one-trick pony: it only backs up your entire hard drive and doesn't allow you to back up select files. Alas, you can't drag and drop files onto the device like you can with one of Seagate's or another manufacturers' external storage systems. If you're looking for that kind of flexibility, the Replica is not for you.

However, if you're someone who just wants a copy of your system for safe keeping--and want to keep the setup hassles to a minimum--the Replica certainly has its appeal. Yes, most other drives are capable of doing full image backups of your Windows system, but the Replica keeps it simple and doesn't detour from its mission. That's both its strength and its weakness, and as such, it's hard to rate.

Bottom line: some folks will find the Replica too limiting and almost worthless while others will find it suits their needs perfectly.