Question 1

Hello,
         Does this harddrive encloser have fans on the back? Also does it hold up to 4TB   2TB on each bay or is it just 2TB  1TB per bay?

Thank you,
                                                                                      Bradley

Accepted Answer

Bradley,  I am using it with 2TB drives.  I didn't see anything in the literature about being able to put larger drives in it.
Yes it does have a fan in the back.
As an aside, I do not recommend this housing.  I am using it on a Mac and although it works normally in terms of storage, it has the odd habit of dismounting itself from the desktop.  It is very annoying.  I use it as a secondary backup drive but wish I could simply leave it on and have it remain mounted so that it will backup automatically per the schedule in my backup software.  As it is I turn it on and mount it only when I have something to backup.  Not the way I would prefer to operate.

Question 2

Is this plug and play?

Accepted Answer

you have to install a hard drive inside first.
then it is plug & play.
you will then have to initialize & format the hard drive using windows system tools.
after that it is ready to take data acting as an extra (external) hard drive.

then it is truly plug n play for any computer system.

Question 3

What if you already have data on the HD's will you lose it?

Accepted Answer

Set the switch to JBOD. The R2 will then treat each drive as a separate drive. The drive letters will be the next two logical letters.

If you set the switch to BIG, then you will have to re-format the drive into one large partition, which will show up as one drive.

I have eight of these drives, with 1 TB WD Green drives installed. I use them to store DVD ISO files. They will hold around 350 5GB ISO movie DVD's.

Question 4

Is this product compatible with the Windows 8.1 OS?

Accepted Answer

Yes, I keep my computer upgraded and have had no problems

Question 5

Own this unit and rosewill have never failed me. However I lost the power adapter for this unit. Can anyone tell me a model number of the adapter so I can find a replacement please?

Thanks a lot in advance,
Michael

Accepted Answer

Here is all the details on the Power supply.

Ktec
r2612 
ac adaptor
KSAP0361200300HU
INPUT 1---240VAC  50/60HZ
OUTPUT 2VDC @ 3 amps

Center Pin shows as Positive voltage
Outer ring of DC plug is negative.

Any good 12VDc 3-5 amp supply should work.
Make sure the DC connector has correct polarity.
Cant tell you how many repairs I have made when some one used wrong adaptor with reverse polarity.

Question 6

Why is case limited to 2TB when so many drives are 4TB and above now? Can SATA cables from each drive be routed to eSATA outputs of an eSATA card?

Accepted Answer

I am not sure I quite understand the question. However, this is a legacy case and my guess is that at the time, 2TB drives where the largest available. I suppose that if Rosewill wanted to do so, they could easily release a firmware update but considering it is a USB 2.0 case and its price, I doubt they ever will.

I also suppose you could modify the case to SATA by replacing the interior USB to SATA boards with either USB 3.0 or eSATA converters that would fit inside and have two different cables coming out the back of the case. It seems like an awful lot of expense and modifications when addressing a $40.00 enclosure.

I would recommend looking at a NAS enclosure that addresses your needs. They won't cost $40.00 but for the price, this is a great enclosure and has great features. I own two of them and and have liked them very much. They run 24/7 without any flaws. They will run either RAID or as a single 4TB partition. I hope this was of any help.

Question 7

Has anyone replaced the fan with one that pulls more air?

Accepted Answer

I have never replaced the fan, but my unit has run 24/7 since I bought my unit in 2013.  It sits on the floor, and I blew it out one time with an air compressor. It still runs quietly.  I know that didn't specifically answer your question, but I wanted to let you know that I don't think you'll have problems with the fan or have the need for a heavier fan.

Question 8

When using as an external drives is it compatable with windows 8?

Accepted Answer

I use this enclosure connected directly to my router through the USB port to make a network.  I am sure this would work when connected through the USB on your computer.

Question 9

Does this device support mirroring?

Accepted Answer

No, it does not support RAID of any kind. It has a tiny switch inside that will automatically read both drives as on the size of the two you have installed, but you can do that in Windows under Disk Management anyway so it it is not earthshaking. Otherwise, it will show up as two additional drives; or one, if that is all you would use. make sure that you don't exceed the size of the drives it will read. This is an obsolete product and I doubt Rosewill has come out with new firmware in quite some time. If I were you, I would look at  Lenovo's ix2-dl. I run 10 of them and have taken the Rosewill enclosures off line long ago.

Question 10

Next question, Can these be used for CD/DVD drives, if so, I see some potential with this product?

Accepted Answer

No. Different form factor than a 5 1/4" disk drive and even then, I doubt the main board inside the device would handle it. As far as its primary role, it does it very well. Have no issues.

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