Question 1

is esata cable included?

Accepted Answer

No, the eSATA cable is NOT included with this unit.  There is an USB cable so a separate eSATA cable will be required.
We have 4 on hand and they work fantastic.

Question 2

Does the drive have its own power supply?  Is a USB 2.0 cable included?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the "wall-wart" type power supply is provided as well as the USB cable.  I use 4 of these.  They are used as a weekly, rotating basis for system back-ups and have been very good for more than a year.

Question 3

Can I plug this into my Apple Airport and use it to stream media to my xbox one or tv? Also, can it stream 3D?

Accepted Answer

You must have an Airport Extreme or Airport Time capsule in order to plug a hard drive into it. Airport express only supports printers.

To play media on your xbox or pc you need to just connect the XBox and the Airport Extreme will open the ports it needs automatically. You should be able to see it without a problem. Any hard drive will do the same thing. They are all designed the same way, it just has to do with the Airport and your Xbox. From what i see you should see it.

Question 4

please identity the power source. 2 parts or one?  output 12v 2 amps?

Accepted Answer

My power supply is one piece (transformer) that plugs into an outlet.  It is 12V @ 2 amps.  The output of the transformer is a thing 2 wire cord going directly to a plug that pushes directly into the drive.

Question 5

fantom green status LED on the front function?

Accepted Answer

The LED on ours functions correctly.  If it is not functioning for you, I would activate the warranty as this can be an indicator of something as simple as a loose wire in the unit or a more serious issue.

Question 6

HELP...  My Fantom green will not be recognized..  Tried unplugging, re-booting, different computer etc..  ALL my pictures are on here..  The green light is on, it is trying to work, but then after about 5 minutes, it pops up "must be formatted before use" I just transferred pictures from my phone about 3 weeks ago, have been using for a couple years with no issues..  HELP....  Have I lost all my pictures??

Accepted Answer

I have used a number of Fantom drives including the older USB2/eSATA and the newer USB3 which is a better choice for new USB3 computers. Here is what I would try:
1. Make sure you are using the correct power supply since the connector is similar on other devices.
2. Connect the drive to the eSata port port on your PC. Power up the drive and then the PC and press F2 to see whether the BIOS recognizes the drive. Next you can check it with Computer Management/Disk Management.
3. If all fails, you may be able to remove the drive from the Fantom housing and connect it as a second SATA drive on your PC. This would obviate the external USB/eSATA connections which could be at fault, and allow you to recover your data.
Again, make sure you are using the correct power supply!
Lee D.

Question 7

Hello All, please forgive my ignorance.  A couple years ago, I used DVDs to back up my desktop and laptop.  Can one of these be connected to my new desktop and laptop, and used to backup my systems?  Again, forgive my ignorance. I thought it was best to ask those of you who have the knowledge, so my new systems could be backed up faster, and with greater reliability.
Sincerely and Truthfully,
Johnny H

Accepted Answer

Johnny H,

You most certainly can use this drive to backup either the desktop or laptop of your choice.

This drive has an eSATA connection as well as a USB 2.0.  The USB 2.0 is not the most efficient currently out there but will suffice for a quarterly full backup of your system.

There's a variety of open-source backup software available to essentially copy your entire hard-drive to this device.

Question 8

I own a bunch of these (and other model Fantom Drives).  Probably about a dozen.  I've had a bunch of reliability issues, but I suspect that it's not the drives but rather the power supplies that seem to get flaky.  And by that I mean, the drive light will come on, and it will sound like it's running, but not really spinning up, and the computer doesn't recognize the drive.  Unplug it and try a different power supply and its fine.  I've tested these same power supplies with multiple fantom drives and it seems to confirm my suspicions that it't the power supplies and not the drives that are failing (about half of my power supplies are now bad).  So the question is, are these 12 volt 2 amp power supplies up to the task, or if their power output drops even slightly, is that enough to cause the drive to not be recognized?

Accepted Answer

Hi Rick,

I use 4 of these external drives on a rotating, weekly back-up plan and have no any issues with the units thus far.  Only one unit is connected for the full week and then sits for three weeks before being utilized again in the rotation scheme.

We use the eSATA connection and not the USB slot.  USB can have issues with the port going to sleep.  We have not experienced any power supply issues but based on my infrequent usage for these units, I would have to say they are not in "full service" and thus not stressed.  We use them as a mounted drive within RHEL with data written via a cron job every 12 hours.

Those "wall-wart" 12 VDC, 2A units may be the issue but look at your connection.  If possible, try using an eSATA PCI card and run data through that.

Question 9

Hi? All?
I have had a Fantom driver over two years without problem until yesterday. when I turned it on and no signal be reconized by my laptop. I further found the usual engine noice disappeared no matter switch's on or off and the green light keep flushing instead of normal constant on. It seems like a power failure, how to solve the problem? anybody can help me out? Thanks a lot!

Accepted Answer

I had the same problem when my device was less than a year old.   I called Fantom Drives from support and was disgusted with their customer service.  They eluded that the power cord might be the problem and I would need to return the device (at my cost) for evaluation.  For people who are in the "data management" business, I thought this was an unreasonable remedy.  I needed a back-up hard drive ASAP, so I opted to buy one from another manufacturer.  I have purchased many hard drives over the years for my small business without issue. I won't purchase from Fantom Drives again.  Good luck!

Question 10

I see eSATA cables rated at different speeds.  What speed do I need for this drive?  Thanks!

Accepted Answer

I have had a  Fantom driver over two years without problem until yesterday. when I turned it on and no signal be reconized by my laptop. I further found the usual engine noice disappeared no matter switch's  on or off and the green light keep flushing instead of normal constant on. It seems like a power failure, how to solve the problem? anybody can help me out? Thanks a lot!

Questions & Answers