External HDD and fire proof safe.

[ClickCardo]

I'm thinking of getting a Sentry fire proof safe to protect my Maxtor OneTouch II from fire and theft. Does anybody KNOW or THINK it would be effective in either case?

Please be sure to state KNOW or THINK in your reply.

Thanks.
CC

[Justintime]

Well i'd think you might have issues with overheating if its totally enclosed, and how are you going to get it cabled? If its just for storage when not in use i don't see any issues.

[Tuttle]

You'll probably still have overheating issues if there's a fire and it's just stored. A fire-proof safe will keep the flames out for a couple of hours and stop it from actually burning, but I reckon it would easily get hot enough inside to make the drive unusable.

[Shinma]

...Sentry fire proof safe to protect my Maxtor OneTouch II from fire and theft...

You can take a look at the following,

• SentrySafe

Note the protection rated for only half hour.

In a nutshell,
Don't count on a safe, fire rated or otherwise.

Maxtor OneTouch II maximum rated operating temp is listed at 35°C

[Leoslocks]

You do not want the Sentry Fireproof safe as a media storage solution.

You need something like this stand alone Media Safe.

I personally rely on this low end model.

Click the Image for this model.

[krupted]

that media vault seems nice.

also, the half hour fire rating, thats at full heat direct flame for a half hour. thats actually pretty decent considering that a normal house fire is not going to put that safe in those conditions for that long. especially if you keep the safe near on exterior wall

[ClickCardo]

Went to their site (thanks for the link). Doesn't seem like the one you have pictured would hold a Maxtor OneTouch II 500GB drive, but I cannot tell for sure from their site. Their next step up, a 1.3 cu.ft. safe, would definitely do the job, but it's almost 300LBS! That's more than TWICE as heavy as the A3810 Sentry I had in mind (guess that's why it's media safe). The Sentry via Staples was a reasonable $250, but I do not know if I could afford The King or get it in place in my apartment.

Oh Boy!

[Leoslocks]

Here is the link to the PDF for the pictured Media Storage. Media Vault pdf

The Inside Dimentions are:
H 5 7/8
W 6 1/4
D 8 7/8

This particular Media Vault is about $325 Here. With shipping it would probably run about $400. Tell them Leoslocks sent you.

The real nice "Safe" is about $1800. The Media Vault is a plastic housing/fireproof walled box with a key lock that is virtually useless as far as vandalism is concerned. There are two different fiber seals that help seal out moisture/vapor. The Media Vault is about half the height of a mid tower case and half again as wide.

[Shinma]

... A3810 Sentry ...

?
Not "UL 1/2-Hour Class 125 Test" rated.

From SentrySafe,
The only two models that was listed for data...were those via the link already provided.

[krupted]

man i wonder if your best bet is to dig a hole in the backyard and use some tupperware. cheap, not very convienent, but i would give it about a 50 year fire rating

[grover]

I rely on secure off-site storage. That is, I take all my critical files when I back them up, and leave a DVD+R in the vault at work. That way, even if my house burns down, I still have all of my most important files! I generally do this every few months or so, and at the rate I accumulate new files, there isn't a whole lot of a delta to lose.

My family all has a full copy of my photos and home movies, too, updated every holiday. It's so easy to do, I can't understand why more people don't. I mean shoot, even if you can't leave it at work, give a friend a copy or just leave a CD-R in the trunk of your car or whatever, it's extra insurance and it's way safer than a firesafe would be.