Review on 💻 StarTech.com S2510BU33PW - USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure with SATA III Encryption and Password Protection by Terrance Fisher

This compact fingerprint case covers your hard drive and protects your data! Installation: The SSD is attached to the slide out internals with 2 tiny screws. Then I slide the assembly into the case and secure it with two more tiny screws of different sizes. The kit includes a magnetic screwdriver and 1 spare screw of each type. There is no physical lock. Usage: The enclosure uses the same connector type and data cable as many of my Seagate and Western Digital external hard drives. It's not as good as Type-C in terms of widespread use, but it's fairly standardized for external storage. Unlike these hard drives, this case does not require an external power supply. The end that connects to my PC is USB 3 Type A. When the case is plugged in, the case management software comes up for Windows only. I can then use this software to add/name fingerprints and change the password, it's all pretty intuitive. The first time I used it there was a bug where I couldn't access the fingerprint settings even with the correct password which disconnecting and reconnecting fixed and the problem hasn't happened since. To access the data I need to unlock the partition by entering the password. Going forward, I can just press the fingerprint sensor once the case is activated on any device. After verifying the password, the computer gains access to the partition, but the disk with the letter does not appear in the list of devices yet. The case doesn't allow Windows to recognize a pre-formatted SSD partition, so I have to reinitialize and format it with the partition manager before I can use it - the case management software also offers a "restore factory settings" option that involves resetting the partition and formatting. Before that, I make sure that I have backed up all the data. After formatting the SSD, the drive appears in my drive list. I can read and write files at SSD speeds of 250MB/s. Passive ventilation openings on one side and the metal construction ensure a cool head. Protection: When I'm done with that, I can pull the case off to turn it off. If I connect again, I can unlock it by touching the fingerprint sensor immediately after turning it on, without accessing the management software. If I don't have a password or fingerprint, I can still use a factory reset to wipe the hard drive. cannot access the data simply by swapping the cases. Additional Considerations: A few questions to think about before purchasing: What happens if the chassis is under warranty? Does the replacement work with the same fingerprint and password or are they stored in the case? Am I limited to Startech cases or is the encryption system compatible with other products? What is wrong password lockout (if any?) Non-Windows users need to return to Windows each time they need to add or remove fingerprints, or when the fingerprint sensor has stopped working and they need to open it with a password. Summary: Overall, this is a good way to backup and access your data.