Clickfree Automatic Backup Hard Drive Transformer USB 2.0 Cable CAB101

This fifty-dollar device will make your worries go away -- at least if you're losing sleep about losing your most important computer files.Apparently, Clickfree has been selling backup drives with this built-in software for some time, but I believe these "transformers" are a fairly new product. One of the things I liked best is that they work with your EXISTING backup drive(s). Plus you can use a single "transformer" with several different computers and backup drives. I use it on my home computers and on my business computers -- all with different backup drives.I've used this device for about 3 months now and it is not only very easy to set up, it works exactly as promised. (IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not believe these currently work on Macs.) It will automatically back up your documents, your music, your photos and a whole lot more.If you want to configure the backup process and backup locations, the set-up takes less than 5 minutes (or you can just go with the automatic feature and the drive will search for and back up something like 400 different file formats and extensions without your input). The only thing I noted was that my AOL e-mail files were not named with an extension and therefore were not backed up until I listed the AOL "Organize" folder as an additional specific backup target.If this sounds complicated, don't worry, it isn't. The very first time I ran a backup I just let the device work on "auto-pilot" and it backed up nearly everything I wanted. Later, when I had more time, I went into the setup (very easy) and told it to include the entire contents of several folders (including the AOL file I mentioned earlier).One of the great things about this device is that it "remembers" your settings for each computer so any additional backup targets you've added are remembered without further input from you. Just plug it in, and it works--literally! And you can add new target folders at any time with just a few clicks.Furthermore, subsequent backups only take a few minutes because the device only backs up files which have CHANGED since your last backup. This is a tremendous timesaver. With this arrangement, you will not hesitate to backup your computer daily or weekly.There are very few products I have ever bought which I can wholeheartedly recommend to (virtually) everyone. THIS is one of those products. If you own a PC (not a Mac), do yourself a big favor and spend $50 and get yourself one of these devices -- you WILL sleep better knowing your files are safely backed up! The humorous slogan on the Clickfree packaging reads: "easier than making toast." I don't think they were exaggerating.Remember, you must already own a backup drive if you are buying this specific "transformer" product. Or you can buy the all-in-one Clickfree backup drives which already have this software built-in, but then when/if the drive dies or the size of your files outgrows the size of the drive, you will have to buy a new drive or buy one of these "transformers". That's why getting this "transformer" now is probably the better way to go for longevity and flexibility.

Clickfree's automatic backup is the most consistently reliable and easy "set it and forget it" backup option for Windows that I've found so far -- very similar to Apple's Time Machine that is part of OS X. The Clickfree products generally work great, chugging along in the background, keeping the user's data safe.I have recommended Clickfree to many friends over the years and they are all still good friends after buying and using Clickfree to backup their Windows PCs.The company does a good job of responding to customer problems, but not a great job -- when my data is at risk, I prefer a fast response. I've had Seagate and Western Digital drives fail and been able to get same to next day resolution, all online, without phone calls. By comparison, email resolution with Clickfree generally takes about 5-7 days. Telephone response may be faster, but I didn't try phone support.Overall, it's a great product with some superb engineering that makes it easy to use; when problems arise, however, the company could be faster.

I bought this after trying several software based programs that either needed the patience of Job and the tech expertise of Jobs to get running correctly. I already had a perfectly good USB external 160GB HD and I plugged it into the Clickfree and the other end into my laptop's USB port and it transferred everything over to the external drive. I later added some extensions that the automatic backup missed (which is extremely easy). I also copied some folders of downloaded files and it now backsup any additions I make. After the 1st backup, subsequent ones take very little time. I just restored all of the above to my new laptop including all my favorites in both Explorer and Firefox, all my Thunderbird emails, all my passwords - everything. Restoring these to the new computer took a while as the files were about 68GB. By the way, I found Clickfree's tech support very helpful and they replied to an email support request within 24 hours with very accurate and useful information. I'm now a devoted fan of Clickfree. Clickfree Transformer

I am not a fan of this device up to this point, especially from a user-friendly standpoint. I have spent more time with this backup device than any other backup program I have used over the past 5 years. Maybe I just got a bad one. First, the cable software would not load and start -- took 5 tries, two different USB ports (it failed to load via direct ports, but loaded via a USB hub,) finding and reading the troubleshooting tips, and two re-boots of my XP system. It then took 4 hours to "backup" about 50 GB to an external hard drive, not including the system crash/freezeup about 2 hours into it, requiring starting all over. Also,after the backup was "completed," when I explored the external hard drive to confirm the transfer, I could not locate the files anywhere on the drive. It occurs to me that the info that comes with the ClickFree transformer cable, as well as the website, gives no information as to WHERE on the receiving external hard drive the files are sent! I found no info as to how to designate where the files are sent, either. I guess I am missing something, and I will contact the company. My point is: this device may not be the perfect simple solution after all. Think twice before you buy.UPDATE: Tech support informed me that the backed up files on the destination external hard drive are "hidden" to avoid consumers messing them up. They can be viewed only by enabling the "view hidden folders" option on the "tools--folder options" menu for the external hard drive. The backed up files are all in a folder named "s".

As I already had a 1TB USB drive, this device complements it perfectly in creating an auto backup drive. Just plug it into your USB port and plug the drive into it & your done! Works on Windows 7.

I originally saw the Clickfree system demonstrated on a shopping channel but it was for an external hard drive containing the Clickfree software and was quite expensive.I found it cheaper to buy:-Clickfree CAB101Seagate 250GB external hard driveCaselogic small hard drive caseThis will also allow me to have larger or different hard drives whilst still using the Clickfree software in the future if I wish. The Clickfree dongle and hard drive fit perfectly in the Caselogic case.Once set up, (very easy), the Clickfree software scans your computer looking for its list of files to backup and then saves them to the hard-drive. The initial scan takes some time but after that it is quite quick and automatic, you just plug it in. The Clickfree has hundreds of file types it looks for, you can add to them but I didn't need as all the Microsoft, Corel and Cyberlink programs seemed covered. You can also use it with different computers and it will back them up.A handy feature is that it gives the option to install a small utility to give a backup reminder which appears as a small pop-up, you then just plug in the Clickfree and hard drive and away it goes. Simple!

I have 3 old hard drives, big ones that I do not use. So I thought whats the point buying a Clickfree drive when I could use this. I formated my old WD 320Gb drive and plug in my Clickfree USB cable nothing happened? So I opened "My Computer" and found the devise and double click and away it when. The first time I used it on my PC the back up lasted about 45 minuets after that any changes take 2 to 3 minuets, it worked on two old PCs running vista and you can transfer old files to new PC running Windows 7. Very easy to use and very cheap solution (£19) the only annoying thing I have with this is all repeated backups it dose Clckfree but is also wants to update with "Russian Language" software that I do not need, but its not a major problem and I can live with that; thats only reason I did not give it 5 stars.

I'm mighty surprised by this little gadget and I'm now a fan. I have tried PC software to keep my backups and they've always been clunky and often brought my computer to a stand-still. What's great about this is you just plug it into your USB port and then plug in your external hard dribve to the other end of it. And that's it... off it goes. It's quick too - considering it would take days for the PC software to backup a similar amount of files, this one does it in minutes (literally) - and I'm backing up huge numbers of biiig files as I'm a designer. It seems to do it without problem at all.Another reason for buying this was that, although I liked the 'ClickFree' idea, I had read reviews of the ClickFree hard drives on here, and they weren't that glorious. Wanting to make sure my hard drives were reliable, I opted for buying Western Digital 'Passport SE's instead, and use this little gadget to make multiple backups. So far I have used this for a few months, backing up 2 different external drives, and it's worked seamlessly.Also, I've noticed that if you wish to, you can go into the hard drive folder to restore files instead of using the ClickFree backup to restore files. I haven't done it myself but I've poked around and found that you can 'unhide' your backed up files. It seems that it stores the files in a folder on the hard drive but 'hides' them. Just do a Google Search for how to reveal hidden folders. Then in one of those folders you'll find all your files, in the same hierachy as on your computer. Cool beans, I say. :0)

I have been using the Clickfree backup system for about 3 years and sadly, following a burglary at our house, it was stolen along with my HD and laptop. Fortunately I had a second HD with the backup on but no Clickfree to recover the data. I searched the internet and came up with a replacement advertised on ebay. Slightly more expensive than the original and took a few weeks for delivery but it did arrive and works just as well as the original. All my data has been recovered to my new laptop and I'm back in business making regular backups. It's a shame that Clickfree don't seem to market in the UK anymore but their products are still available at various outlets should you wish to purchase. Not too sure about the support though. I must confess I am looking at alternative ways of backing up.

The poor software provided does not help with this product, I also had a fault which meant on one PC it would not work at all