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BlueGhost USB 2.0 Enclosure

Ameya Dalvi, Jun 16, 2005 2001 hrs IST

This BlueGhost enclosure is a neat looking device for the 2.5" EIDE hard drives.

Expert Rating:

Good performance, Comprehensive package, Sleek and light, Extremely affordable.

No cushion for the enclosed hard drive, Plastic body.

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EXPERT REVIEW

I was at Lamington road searching for certain products and looking at options available in USB 2.0 enclosures for 2.5" laptop hard drives. There were half a dozen models available in that category but there was one that kept showing up in almost every shop I visited. It belonged to some company I had never heard of - BlueGhost. Going by its popularity (amongst the dealers) and its attractive pricing, I borrowed a piece to review from a known vendor. So let's take a quick look at what it has to offer.

For those who are new to the concept of drive enclosures, let me brief you on that. Simply put, these enclosures are used to convert your IDE devices like hard drives and optical drives that connect to the IDE port on your motherboard, into external USB 2.0 devices so that they can be carried around and plugged into the USB port of different PCs to transfer data. That saves you the trouble of opening the PC cabinets and connecting the drive. Also, USB ports support hot swap (connecting and disconnecting devices when the PC is on without the need to restart it) and can be found on almost all the PCs bought in this millennium.

To take full advantage of this product make sure your PC has USB 2.0 ports. The USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports look alike and most of the USB 2.0 devices work with the USB 1.1 ports, but at much slower speeds. But USB 2.0 is a significantly faster connectivity standard as compared to USB 1.1. The USB 2.0 can manage a theoretical throughput of 60 MBps, while USB 1.1 can do a maximum of 1.5 MBps in theory.

This BlueGhost enclosure in focus here is a neat looking device for the 2.5" EIDE hard drives. It is pretty sleek too. The finish could have been a touch better though. The dimensions stand at 5"x 3"x 0.5" (LxBxD) and it weighs about 30 to 40 grams without the hard drive and about 150 grams with it. It just about fits into a standard-sized pant pocket. The casing is made out of some kind of plastic but there is a metallic feel to it. May be it's just the semi-lustrous blue shade it is draped in that gives one that impression. The words "For IBM Travelstar" and USB 2.0 are printed on its top surface. No wonder, it is commonly known as the IBM casing, even though it has nothing to do with the IT giant. The USB connector and a read/write LED are present on the side of the drive. The package comprised of the casing, an instruction leaflet that tells you how to plug the drive into the casing, a USB cable, a small screwdriver, a pair of screws, a driver CD and a carry pouch. To be precise, everything that you would possibly need other than the hard drive.

USER COMMENTS

I used it 6 month ,but now driver can not found .Where do I get the driver for the BlueGhost USB 2.0 Enclosure for Win XP

by sanjay sharma, delhi, on Mar 24, 2008 08:51 AM, Report abuse Reply

by ddat, hn, on Mar 19, 2008 11:42 AM, Report abuse Reply

well mine sets all the files to read only so i cant delete them off the hard disk this is windows xp as well also on macs it wont let me drag files in it however i know the problem for tht ;)

by laurajs, Cumbria, on Jan 17, 2008 03:51 PM, Report abuse Reply

Drive not being detected in Wn XP - Don't worry too much about this problem. The answer is pretty simple, there are possibly two causes. First, the HDD itself may not have been formatted. Do this first, by using the Disk Management in Computer Management, under Administrative tools, through the Control Panel. The disk should be shown in the right panel, and would be reading something like Unallocated etc. The other problem could be that the drive letters have been disabled. Enabling this should solve the problem

by Friend, techtree, on Aug 21, 2005 10:32 PM, Report abuse Reply

Great help - tried it and it works cheers.

by chris, lincoln, on Aug 25, 2006 04:09 PM, Report abuse

how to enable drive letters

by avi, noida, on Sep 28, 2006 10:50 PM, Report abuse

I have same problem, can u help me for ENABLING the drive letter (which is blank) Sanjay

by Sanjay Pohare, Nagpur, on Dec 29, 2007 02:54 PM, Report abuse

I have an IBM made USB 2.0 external laptop hardrive device called "IBM Travelstar Inside - Blueghost". The problem I'm having is that the drive is not being detected by XP. According to the box Windows XP should be plug and play. Does anyone know why this drive is not being detected? Sanjay

by Sanjay Pohare, Nagpur, on Dec 29, 2007 02:33 PM, Report abuse Reply

Excuse me. Where can i get the driver for this product for Mac OSX Tiger?

by JUN, TOKIO, on Oct 04, 2005 03:43 PM, Report abuse Reply

Me too

by soup, bangkok, on Nov 13, 2005 05:05 PM, Report abuse

Me too

by soup, bangkok, on Nov 13, 2005 05:06 PM, Report abuse

I am looking for Leopard drivers. Does anyone know where to get these? Do they exist?

by Rob, Wakefield, on Dec 18, 2007 02:09 PM, Report abuse

Hi i have a blueghost ibm travelstar 2.0 and i am working away from home i have just been given a new Compaq Presario C700. I have left my small CD for the IBM at home. Is there anyway i can download the software free or direct me to an english link PLEASE HELP thanks Tomas

by tomas feeney, liverpool, on Dec 06, 2007 06:54 PM, Report abuse Reply

Has any one find the VISTA driver for this disk???

by YukaMan, Jakarta, on Nov 14, 2007 08:59 AM, Report abuse Reply

can anyone help me in locating the driver for this enclosure so it will be detected on windows vista ultimate? thanks!

by edu_05, Manila, on Oct 19, 2007 04:26 PM, Report abuse Reply

hi can you send to my mail the software for BlueGhost USB 2.0 Enclosure

by amer s.a.alawam, amman-jordan, on Oct 15, 2007 03:13 PM, Report abuse Reply

I Want BlueGhost USB 2.0 Solaris 10 Direver

by ali, Casablanca Morocco, on Sep 01, 2007 01:34 PM, Report abuse Reply

www.ctek21.com , for getting more " WOW" effect on HDD enclosure

by George, shenzhen, on Sep 28, 2007 04:26 PM, Report abuse

I Want IBM Travelstar USB 2.0 WIN98 Direver

by lehuythin, hn, on Oct 10, 2005 03:38 PM, Report abuse Reply

I Want IBM Travelstar USB 2.0 WIN98 Direver

by Serg, Ryan, on Aug 23, 2007 04:41 PM, Report abuse

Hi. Where do I get the driver for the BlueGhost USB 2.0 Enclosure for Win XP

by Altaf Daudpota, Karachi, on Nov 02, 2006 02:26 PM, Report abuse Reply

dir sir, pls provide me travelstar driver for winxp b. regards Moh'd Sudqi

by Mohd Sudqi, Amman, on Aug 22, 2007 06:51 PM, Report abuse

I am looking for 2.5" USB HardDisk with 160Gb capacity and speed of 7200rpm can you suggest which one i should go for. I am using Vista Ultimate , so it should be compatable. - Raghu mylovelyfriend@rediffmail.com

by Raghu, Mumbai, on Aug 06, 2007 04:07 PM, Report abuse Reply

I used it 6 month ,but now driver can not found .Where do I get the driver for the BlueGhost USB 2.0 Enclosure for Win XP

by ganda, thai, on May 26, 2007 06:13 PM, Report abuse Reply

needs win98 driver for IBM travelstar enclosure

by dennis, manila, on Feb 02, 2007 02:01 PM, Report abuse Reply

did yo ever get the drivers for 98SE for the IBM travelstar etc

by Trevor Hales, Melbourne, on Mar 11, 2007 12:28 PM, Report abuse

i am thank full to you all and i have fixed the problem that My computer window does not show the new HDD icons so i follow the procedure told by Friend from techtree on 21/08/05 10:32 PM THAKS A LOT

by FAREED, Islamabad, on Jan 03, 2007 12:39 AM, Report abuse Reply

looking business partener for sheetmetal business who can invest Rs. 20 lakhs.

by datta sarode, dombivli india, on Dec 16, 2006 07:32 PM, Report abuse Reply

Excuse me.Where can i get the driver for this product for Windows XP?

by sunny, KL,malaysia, on Jul 26, 2005 09:35 AM, Report abuse Reply

Hi mate, do let me know how did you solve it, I have the same issue as yours,

by Gunesh Raj, KL, Malaysia, on Aug 13, 2005 10:08 PM, Report abuse

Have you found the driver for this? If so please send me the link

by Shane, Tranton, Ontario, Canada, on Mar 30, 2006 06:13 PM, Report abuse

why can't i get the driver for XP

by joe mcpherson, winnipeg, on Dec 12, 2006 06:04 AM, Report abuse

Hi, It does not detect in Win XP, the Blue ghostHDD 2, Once the USB is connected, the Light (yellow) goes on but Windows Disk Management does not detect it at all. Also, the CDROM that came long has nothing much to offer. . Please guide me through this, Thanks

by joe mcpherson, winnipeg, on Dec 09, 2006 07:17 AM, Report abuse Reply

PLS HELP

by Altaf Daudpota, Karachi, on Nov 02, 2006 02:02 PM, Report abuse Reply

Hi. Where do I get the driver for the BlueGhost USB 2.0 Enclosure for Win 98SE

by Giorgio, Vigevano - Italy, on Oct 27, 2006 12:17 PM, Report abuse Reply

hi, download driver

by dat, ha noi, on Sep 19, 2006 10:03 AM, Report abuse Reply

I Want BlueGhost USB 2.0 WIN98 Direver for windows XP

by lehuythin, hn, on Oct 10, 2005 03:39 PM, Report abuse Reply

I Want BlueGhost USB 2.0 WIN98 Driver for windows XP

by Chanpho, Chairat, on Sep 04, 2006 01:38 PM, Report abuse

I need BlueGhost USB 2.0 Win98 Diver.

by TamNguyen, Can THo, on Sep 13, 2006 05:11 AM, Report abuse

hallo

by all, ist, on Sep 12, 2006 06:27 PM, Report abuse Reply

I bought one for my laptop hard drive when my laptop crashed an i tell you its one of the best external hard drives i've used.

by Thomas, Delhi, on Sep 07, 2006 07:57 PM, Report abuse Reply

I bought the enclosure and can't get it to work with XP Professional. Where can I get the driver for XP? I see the driver mentioned in the posts but not where to download it. Help here would be great. Thanks.

by eastlandoc, Noblesville, on Aug 29, 2006 10:54 PM, Report abuse Reply

Hi! I bought the same enclosure but could not get my Powerbook G4 to recognize it. What's funny is that widows PCs and other newer mac desk tops and laptopss recognizes it. The mini CD that comes with it can't be inserted to my disc slot so I copied the file to a memory card but could not install the software. Can you help me? Thanks.

by Jude Tiongco, Manila, Philippines, on Aug 27, 2006 05:07 PM, Report abuse Reply

download driver for windows xp

by shailender, delhi, on Aug 24, 2006 09:26 AM, Report abuse Reply

Just bought the travelstar usb 2.0 but my Mac Powerbook (Tiger OS) can't read data in hard disk. Why? Thks

by Leong Sow Hoe, Singapore, on Aug 20, 2006 02:29 PM, Report abuse Reply

I want to know your dealer in Malaysia

by fally, Malaysia, on Aug 16, 2006 07:02 AM, Report abuse Reply

I Want BlueGhost USB 2.0 WIN98 Direver

by sean, bukit mertajam, on Jan 15, 2006 01:27 PM, Report abuse Reply

cam on

by nhung nguyen, hanoi, on Aug 11, 2006 09:32 PM, Report abuse

like the others, i wanna the win98 driver for this product!!!

by Daniel Sek, Malaysia, on Jul 10, 2006 06:30 PM, Report abuse Reply

plea...

by binh, hochiminh, on Jun 16, 2006 05:04 PM, Report abuse Reply

driver for windows 98 please

by ali, cairp, on Jun 07, 2006 02:28 PM, Report abuse Reply

driver for windows 98 please !!!!

by iwax, Makassar, on May 09, 2006 02:08 PM, Report abuse Reply

What is the use of having the blueghost mobile harddisk when my note book cannot detect it using Wn ME.

by rosielim, Taiping, on Oct 11, 2005 07:59 AM, Report abuse Reply

DID YOU FIX THAT PROBLEM MATE? I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND I COULD NOT GET IT FIXED PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW IF YOU CAN

by JOE, Sydney, on Nov 23, 2005 12:43 AM, Report abuse

I Want IBM Travelstar USB 2.0 WINXP Direver

by lehuythin, hn, on Oct 10, 2005 03:41 PM, Report abuse Reply

Driver required for installation of the drive in Windows XP

by Sanat Kumar Kar, Kolkata, India, on Oct 31, 2005 12:39 AM, Report abuse

Drive not detected in Wn Me. (Code 10) It say to upgrade the device driver. Plse inform how? Hardware version - not available.

by rosielim, Taiping, on Oct 11, 2005 07:40 AM, Report abuse Reply

I Want BlueGhost USB 2.0 WIN98 Direver

by anwer, karachi Pakistan, on Sep 13, 2005 12:00 AM, Report abuse Reply

I Want BlueGhost USB 2.0 WIN98 Driver

by anwer, karachi Pakistan, on Sep 12, 2005 11:55 PM, Report abuse Reply

Cost of an enclosure is down to about Rs 150-175.....just bought one the day before. 80Gb Toshiba + Enclosure --- Rs 5800

by Friend, techtree, on Aug 21, 2005 10:44 PM, Report abuse Reply

i want to download driver how can i do ?

by shashi, new delhi, on Aug 16, 2005 09:44 AM, Report abuse Reply

Hi, It does not detect in Win XP, the HDD is WD 20 GB, Once the USB is connected, the Light (yellow) goes on but Windows Disk Management does not detect it at all. Also, the CDROM that came long has nothing much to offer. Most in chinese. Please guide me through this, Thanks

by Gunesh Raj, KL, Malaysia, on Aug 13, 2005 10:07 PM, Report abuse Reply

I wish the price is always mentioned on reviewed technology which will be a lot of help for guys like me especially here in places like Canada

by Arun, London, on Jul 17, 2005 10:10 AM, Report abuse Reply

Well considering thr price, why not instead sacrifice protability and instad use a cabinet with own SMPS which can house HDDs and optical drives and connect it to the computer vis a USB Hub or Firewire. Any one attempted this contraption, may please share your experience with us. Thanks in advance.

by ence, Kolkata, on Jun 22, 2005 07:57 PM, Report abuse Reply

Hmm... Cheap stuff as compared to the Enniyah one I got a year back for 650 bucks -- well, where's da images ?? Images of da product and the SiSoft results ?? :)

by Chetan Thaker, Mumbai, on Jun 17, 2005 12:34 AM, Report abuse Reply

can you give me more details on enniyah-ie model no. storage space mb, etc.

by CZav, Mumbai, on Jun 18, 2005 12:02 PM, Report abuse

nicee... better option to opening cabintes every now n then...n not costly too...

by vikrant sawant, dombivli..., on Jun 16, 2005 11:36 PM, Report abuse Reply

I have used various external enclosures for my 160 GB HDD not supported by the bios. I have found that although USB 2.0 has much better speed than usb 1.1 none compare with even firewire 400. Firewire 800 is even better. The usb device keeps dropping the connection, detects the drive again & maps the drives. If you are trying anything like Partition Magic you are in big trouble. Other thing is it is a big pain in windows when unwanted multiple dialog boxes open up which need closing. This sinply does not happen with firewire. It has its own processor on board & does not take away cpu power. Believe me I have tried at least 5-6 different makes with different chipsets. The best amongst all are the ones with NEC chipset

by Pradip Shah, Mumbai, on Jun 18, 2005 10:08 AM, Report abuse

Forgot to mention one thing. I used to use a desktop cabinet. Had one ide cable & one extended power supply connector hanging out from one cd rom slot. Never had to open the cabinet to connect an ide device.

by Pradip Shah, Mumbai, on Jun 18, 2005 10:11 AM, Report abuse

any such enclosures for a 3.5" drive?

by Goobimama, Goa, on Jun 17, 2005 11:57 PM, Report abuse Reply

Correction: USB 2.0 have 480 MBps speed in theory, whereas USB 1.1 have 12 MBps speed in theory.

by Ashok, Prague, on Jun 17, 2005 07:07 PM, Report abuse Reply

You r worng my dear. Its not MBps but its Mbps. The difference is that it is not megabyte but megabits per second. And so the speed is so slow in case of USB 1.1.

by JamesBond, 007, on Jun 17, 2005 11:10 PM, Report abuse

Crisp, To the point and covers all the relevant issues a person needs to know while making a choice to pick up a casing. Comparisons of this casing to a few others would enhance the review. Just a suggestion :)

by Pats, Bangalore, on Jun 17, 2005 11:05 AM, Report abuse Reply

Suggestion accepted :)

by Neo, Techtree Test Labs, on Jun 17, 2005 05:23 PM, Report abuse

hi just bought a similar casing for my dvd writer. fixed it it detected the drive very will no problem but accessin the drive was very very slow and write was impossible it took 2 hrs to write 500 mb on a cd at 10x its a pice of shit don't even think of buyin it!

by shailraj, mumbai, on Jun 17, 2005 12:14 PM, Report abuse Reply

either the casing or your motherboard does not support USB 2.0. the old usb 1.1 is too slow and hence it must hv taken an hr to burn a disk

by Max, Mumbai, on Jun 17, 2005 05:05 PM, Report abuse

blah blah piece of ....*****

by Anonymous, ef, on Jun 17, 2005 04:07 AM, Report abuse Reply