Zalman virtual drive. Test and review ZALMAN ZM-VE300 is an external HDD box with support for disk images. Zalman zm-ve350: conclusions
Pocket ZALMAN VE300. For those who don't know - this pocket is not just a SATA->USB 3.0 adapter, this pocket can also emulate an optical drive in hardware with any disk, the images of which can be uploaded to the HDD. Well, FINALLY, I myself got this pocket at my disposal! True, this is not quite ZALMAN, and not at all at the price that was two years ago. But I think it's worth it
(Price - $59 as of August 2018.)
Why didn't I buy the Zalman itself? And because the VE300 is no longer in stores, they may have stopped producing. Appeared more a new version VE350, but judging by the reviews, it works much worse than the 300th, and even the latest firmware did not solve all the problems.
There are not many differences between IODD and Zalman - a slightly different firmware, logos on the box and a different cover. By the way, you can upload firmware from Zalman to IODD and vice versa.
Let's move on to my purchase.
The seller offers only black pockets (and also sells pockets 2541 (similar to Zalman VE400)).
Tracking number provided, working.
Item ordered March 29, received May 3.
Packing - a cardboard box in which there is already a factory box with a product.
Photos of parcels and boxes
Inside - two layers of cardboard ... pallets or what? One contains a case and a USB 3.0 cable (with SAMSUNG logos, 1 meter), while the case contains a bag with a screwdriver (the screws do not attach to it, it is very difficult to tighten anything) and 4 screws (only 2 are needed) and a warranty card.
In the second "pallet" - actually a pocket in the bag.
There is no paper instruction in the kit, the seller offers to download its electronic version.
Also, the kit does not include a disk with the Backup Utility iodd 2531 utility, you can download it.
The pocket itself is aluminum, the upper part with electronics is plastic (acrylic and polycarbonate). 
Of the controls, we have a lever that can be moved up / down and click on it, and a “backup” button. There is also a two-line monochrome display and an activity indicator (blinking white when connected via USB 2.0 and blue when connected via USB 3.0).
Size comparison with external HDD and 2.5 HDD. Dimensions 136x78x13. 
The pocket is quite large and, unfortunately, does not fit into.
The case from the kit is completely different from the chic one that comes with the zalmans. Soft, rag and small (the lever is constantly pressed). 
Soldering quality: 
Screw holes are hidden behind elastic bands on the sides. Screws connect together the upper and lower parts of the pocket. I do not recommend using the pocket without tightening the screws - the top part together with the hard drive can be pulled out simply by pulling the cable in the connector or shaking the pocket - the hard drive will push out the top part. 
Without media, the pocket shows the inscription "iodd 2531". With the media, access to the menu appears. Current firmware: R1288N. The letter N indicates that the pocket is flashed with the NTFS version of the firmware. New ones, 1555 and 1558, are available on the manufacturer's website. I'm not going to reflash yet. 
The menu is called up by long pressing the lever. Moving the lever up / down, pressing the lever - menu item selection, "backup" - back.
On the menu mode pocket mode can be selected (HDD, ODD, Dual).
AT Settings- adjust the brightness of the screen backlight, the time after which the screen will darken and set the factory settings.
Information- find out the status of the HDD, its model, serial number, temperature, pocket firmware version, USB mode and supply voltage (shows current and lowest).
AT USB Connect you can reboot the pocket (it will load new images if you have added them) and run a safe extraction (the pocket will turn off the hard drive and the screen will say "Plug Out").
On the menu Advanced you can "unmount" the hard drive, enable write protection on the hard drive. There is also a “Force USB 3.0” checkbox, but I can only guess what it does.
Some features that you won't learn about from the instructions
1. If you hold down the button Reserve copy(BackUp) when connected - it will automatically turn on write protection.
2. If you hold down the left button when connecting, then the protection will be automatically removed
3. If during operation the wheel is turned down and held, preparations will be made for the safe shutdown of the device. The same effect will be from pressing and holding the backup button (BackUp).
4. If during operation the wheel is turned up and held, the _ISO directory will be scanned. Convenient, after writing new images to the HDD.
5. If the BackUp button is pressed in the Menu, it moves up 1 level.
6. In addition to the Menu, the backup button is used for its original
data backup functions (if a backup program is installed and running).
As a carrier, I will use a Hitachi hard drive, taken out of a netbook tortured by service centers. 
We prepare the disk for work: we delete the first hidden partition of the manufacturer and create the main NTFS partition. 
If you will be partitioning the disk, please note that IODD only looks for the _iso folder on the first partition.
After formatting on the disk, create a folder "_iso" and fill it with images. Declared support for ISO / VHD / VMDK / DSK /RMD /IMA.
I downloaded the images using utorrent directly to disk.
After the update, the images were not mounted and the pocket with the inscription "Defrag" hinted to me that it would be nice to run a defragmentation.
After defragmentation everything worked.
The image is selected by the lever up/down, mounted by pressing the lever.
Any images can be used. Operating Systems, boot disks, utilities, but at least games. 
Despite the fact that the cable is long and soft, the drive pocket works fine when connected via USB 2.0 through the front panel. The maximum consumption that I saw is 600mA (of course this will still depend on the consumption of the disk itself). 
Measurements of the speed of the disk in your pocket and without it. 
As you can see, IODD pulled everything it could from this disk.
Let's compare the speed of the disk in the drive (the image is written installation disk Win7 HP x64) and IODD virtual disk speed (same image).
The maximum reading speed of my drive is 16x, Verbatim DVD-R 4.7Gb 16x disc. 
Let me remind you that if you install a smarter hard drive or SSD in your pocket, and not an old Hitachi, the speeds will be even more pleasant. And with such a hard drive, the reading speed is on par with CDs (48-52x). Well, the access speed is much better than any optical disc.
UPD Feb 2020
Because got an extra SSD for experiments tried to install it. Naturally, the speed was limited by the SATA2-USB3.0 converter.
CrystalDiskMark 
And once again comparing the speed of a DVD and IODD disc with an installed hard drive and solid state drive. 
Well, what can I say, this pocket will be a great helper for those who work with computers, especially those that do not have an optical drive.
Personally, I'm already tired of dragging my drive back and forth and preparing an installation flash drive every time I need to install something.
The price, of course, bites a little, but only the dollar exchange rate is to blame - at the old rate, this pocket (like the zalman) cost 1800-2500 rubles.
Thank you for your attention, I hope the review was useful, good shopping, bye everyone!
And I congratulate all radio amateurs and radio professionals on the day of the radio)))
AT modern world there are a lot of stereotypes... for example, that Japanese cars are better than South Korean ones, or that money is best kept in Swiss banks. Sometimes it is interesting to see how the prevailing stereotypes actually justify themselves. Electronics produced by South Korean companies such as LG or Samsung have always been considered a good compromise between product quality and cost. The hero of our testing today is an external 2.5" hard drive box, Zalman ZM-VE200, also made by a South Korean manufacturer. Zalman has a really good reputation among computer cooling system manufacturers. But case HDDs are not cooling systems. Let's see how Zalman is doing well in the HDD pocket market.
The factory packaging turned out to be relatively small, however, like the product itself. On its front side there is an image of a black HDD pocket, on the sides of which two silvery devices are brought into the background. Apparently, the manufacturer has set himself the goal of presenting the external HDD box to the buyer at a glance, and in the same way helping him decide on a more desirable color for the product. The packaging is well balanced and not overloaded with secondary information; only the main names and designations of the external HDD pocket ZM-VE200. Despite the brevity of the packaging, one inscription still makes you pleasantly surprised: "External HDD Case + Virtual Drive". Wait a minute, virtual disk included? This is great, but let's talk about everything in order.
Let's first take a look at the main features and technical specifications external pocket for Zalman ZM-VE200 hard drives, which can be found both on the back of the package and on the official website of the manufacturer.
Key features of Zalman ZM-VE200:
Aluminium case
Pre-installed software for mounting CD / DVD images from ISO files A: No additional software is required to mount any ISO image.
Built-in screen that displays information about state of hard disk
Protective case included
The ability to mount ISO images, a built-in screen that displays information - yes, we have here, it seems, a case with its own operating system, not otherwise!
Specifications Zalman ZM-VE200:
Dimensions (LxWxH): 135.3x78.6x13.1mm
The weight: 98.5 g
Material: aluminum, acrylic, polycarbonate
Type of: 2.5" SATA HDD
Interfaces: USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1), eSATA Direct HDD Access
Transfer rate: USB up to 480Mbps, eSATA up to 3Gbps
Spindle speed: 5400 or 7200 rpm
Food:USB
Color: black, silver
The factory packaging opens from the top, after which you can pull out another additional cardboard package (gray, already without beautiful pictures), in which, in addition to the HDD pocket itself, a protective cover, a quick start guide, and a screwdriver with bolts are neatly packed. It's nice to note that USB and eSATA cables are also included as standard. Obviously, the device comes without a hard drive. The protective case is a very nice bonus that protects appearance Case HDD, especially when you consider that the ZM-VE200 can be in it even when it is connected to a computer without fear of overheating.
As mentioned above, the external case for the hard drive can be either black or silver. The USB pocket that came to us for testing is painted in silver, and as for me, it is more attractive than black, as it contrasts more with the overall appearance of the product.
Connecting and using the Zalman ZM-VE200 will not cause any trouble even to the most ordinary PC user. On the right, on the top side of the HDD case is located USB port, write protect switch, hard drive activity LED, factory reset button, and eSATA port. Unlike other 2.5" and 3.5" devices, this HDD box is powered only by USB or eSATA cable, which explains why there is no dedicated power connector. This fact is both a plus and a minus at the same time. The fact is that not all of today's eSATA ports support the function of powering devices connected to them, so it would be nice to leave a special connector for powering the hard drive if necessary, or at least emphasize the fact of incompatibility with the eSATA standard.
Installing a hard drive in the Zalman ZM-VE200 we tested today turned out to be even easier than I could have imagined. All you need to do to install your hard drive inside the pocket is to connect the HDD itself to a special controller through the appropriate connectors, and then insert the HDD together with the connected controller inside the pocket (HDD first, the controller remains at the top). Once you have connected and inserted the hard drive inside, all that remains is to securely fix it inside with a screwdriver and two bolts, which the South Korean manufacturer prudently included in the package. During installation, you need to slightly open the rubber band that hides the mounting holes. By the way, after installation, this tape will stick out a little because of the twisted bolts, and this, although a small, but still a flaw of Korean engineers.
After the installation is complete, it would be a sin not to test the strength and build quality of the body of our test subject today. Simply shaking and moving the device convinced me that the engineers designed the case well, it is strong enough and reliable. While most 3.5" drives aren't built for everyday carry, the ZM-VE200's 2.5" HDD Pocket - one of the smallest HDD cases I've ever owned - is purpose-built for maximum mobility and portability.
The undoubted advantages of this device can also be attributed to LCD display. Few modern HDD cases can boast of having it; in fact, I have not had to deal with similar devices before. While external hard drives don't usually need a built-in screen (which is probably why they don't), having a display on the ZM-VE200 is a really important option. Of course, with the help of the LCD, the user will be able to control such secondary indicators as the temperature of the hard disk (in any case, the pocket must provide the necessary ventilation for the HDD, otherwise serious problems may arise), but also with the help of the LCD, you can quickly get information about the status of more important details.
In addition to its main functionality of turning an internal hard drive into an external one, the ZM-VE200 also boasts one very interesting feature– virtual CD/DVD drive. And this is a really nice bonus. Zalman ZM-VE200 is the first HDD box to offer a virtual CD/DVD drive option. Even its predecessor, the ZM-HE100, did not have this feature, which offers a sea of new possibilities for the end user.
By the way, you want to know why the LCD display is so important for this device? It allows the user of the ZM-VE200 not only to switch the device usage mode between HDD, ODD or both at the same time - with its help the user can easily mount the ISO files he has, which in itself is an alternative to CD-, DVD- and yes, you guessed it, BD-ROM drives. The user can mount any ISO image, as long as it is placed in the "_ISO" folder on the HDD. If necessary, you can create additional subfolders in this folder, each of which can contain up to 32 optical disc images.
The USB 2.0 HDD port of the ZM-VE200 pocket has some specifics of working with the SATA port of the hard disk itself. First, you will need to remove the protective coating on the chip, and then read a special masked code printed in very small print. The thing is that the interface converter board is based on the OXU931SF controller from Oxford Semiconductor, now a division of PLX Technology (http://www.plxtech.com/products/consumer/oxu931sf), which entails some features of its use.
Three modes of operation Zalman ZM-VE200
The idea of the South Korean manufacturer - Zalman - to integrate a virtual CD / DVD drive into the HDD box is actually very good. In theory, this additional functionality will greatly expand the capabilities of the ZM-VE200, and possibly even transfer this HDD case to new level. However, this virtual optical drive is not without flaws. Simply put, I'm not very happy with this new functionality.
As stated above, this device can work in three different modes: HDD, ODD and Dual Mode. HDD mode is a hard disk mode in which ZM-VE200 can be used as a normal HDD pocket. ODD mode is an optical drive mode in which the user has only the option of mounting ISO files into a virtual drive using it as a normal CD / DVD device. In HDD mode, the user does not have the option of directly mounting ISO images to a virtual drive, and vice versa. Actually, ZM-VE200 will be recognized by your operating system as two various devices, two disks: the first for storing information, that is, for normal work with a hard disk (HDD mode), and the second for virtual drive operation (ODD mode). Despite the creation of two virtual devices, the data is stored on one internal hard drive. That's why the ZM-VE200 can still be considered a "normal" external HDD pocket. Well, the last mode - Dual Mode - a combination of the first two modes.
Technically, there is one more mode - eSATA, however, this mode is kept "aside" from the first three, and here's why. Using the first three modes is very simple. There is a special switch on the left side of the HDD pocket, with which you can activate the mode you need: by sliding the switch down and connecting the USB cable, the device will turn on in HDD mode, switch up + USB cable - ODD mode, switch in + USB cable - combined mode. All three modes create virtual devices in your computer, while eSATA is activated when you connect the cable of the same name, and is used only for the usual transfer of information between the computer and the HDD pocket.
A physical drive can only work with one optical drive at a time. The same applies to the virtual CD/DVD drive in the ZM-VE200; only one ISO image can be loaded at one time. I easily managed to mount the images I have DVD discs, game and music CDs, as well as disk images with software. There was no need to use the OS to control the device when the device itself can control the OS. A special "jog-switch" type switch, together with an LCD display, made it possible to quickly and easily view the available ISO images, which took approximately 5 to 10 seconds to mount, depending on the size of the ISO file itself.
Among other things, Zalman ZM-VE200 can not only emulate a virtual CD / DVD drive - it allows you to create up to 4 floppy drives, while they can work simultaneously. Interestingly, Zalman did not provide any information about this functionality. Of course, floppy disks are rarely used these days, but this feature will allow the product to target a very specific market, where technicians sometimes still use floppy disks to run system diagnostics.
Testing
For testing, a Samsung HM160HI hard drive was used, an external box was connected via USB to a computer. The results are as follows: reading - 27.8 Mb / s, writing - 21.6 Mb / s.
During our work, sometimes the built-in hard drive was defined as empty, and the operating system offered to format it. It is also known about some "floating" glitches in this model, by their nature - software.
conclusions
Today it is very easy to buy a cheap 2.5" hard drive enclosure. In fact, there are a large selection of different HDD boxes on the market now. However, a reasonable choice would be to purchase a device not only with USB 2.0 support, but also consider options with support for eSATA interfaces and, possibly, even USB 3.0.The good news is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 doesn't meet the usual criteria for choosing an external HDD pocket.The fact is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 we tested today is more than just an external HDD case.
From a theoretical point of view, I see a dual external HDD box, with an optional virtual optical drive, as a great addition to the main device. Why hasn't this idea been used before? Who knows.
Nice and slim body allows the user to effectively use the internal hard drive as an external drive. And such "little things" as an LCD display and a "jog-switch" type switch make it easy to mount the necessary images of optical discs, or switch the mode of using the HDD case. While the Zalman ZM-VE200 has distinct advantages, it also has some disadvantages. The disadvantages include the use of an aging USB 2.0 interface, which makes this purchase less promising. Let's also recall the incompatibility of this HDD case with the eSATAp interface; the manufacturer should have provided for the possibility of using an external power supply.
With all this, Zalman ZM-VE200 is a kind of unique product that will appeal, first of all, to enthusiasts and lovers of technical innovations, who value the novelty of the product and who appreciate the quality of the materials in the product.
We thank OST-COM, the official distributor of Zalman in Russia, for the provided equipment.
V. Golub
04/08.2011
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Includes ZM-VE300 aluminum chassis, hard carrying case, USB 3.0 cable, installation CD with programs, quick start guide, and a small screwdriver with bolts for fixing hard drive.
Zalman ZM-VE300 has a spectacular design: a lightweight aluminum case with plastic inserts on the sides, a small LCD screen that displays the disk status. On the top side there is an activity indicator, a socket for connecting a USB cable and a "Backup" button. In addition, a three-position joystick wheel is located on the left side of the box, with the help of which almost all actions are performed. The activity indicator is two-color. White is used to indicate operation in USB 2.0 mode, blue - in USB 3.0 mode.
In order to install a hard drive in Zalman ZM-VE300, you need to pull out the top board with a display and connect the drive itself to it. Then insert the resulting structure into the aluminum case.
Of the three tested 2.5" drives, the Zalman ZM-VE300 refused to work with one, and accepted the other two normally. I did not find any pattern in his preferences, and, as it became clear from the reviews on different Internet, I was not the only one who had such a problem. So it's probably better to have several different disks ready.
When the disk is installed and the performance is checked, it is necessary to fix it. Bend the seal from the sides of the case, holes for the bolts are hidden under them. As I said, bolts and a small screwdriver are included, so there should be no problems with fasteners. But the seal does not want to get back up, since it is made of hard plastic and after bending it starts to hang out. A trifle, of course, but spoils the impression. A seal made of ordinary rubber would look more harmonious here.
In the first Zalman ZM-VE300 models, the firmware only allowed working with drives formatted in FAT32 to support file NTFS systems I had to install an alternative firmware from a similar device - iODD-2531. In new batches, the firmware is already more recent, with it NTFS drives are perfectly supported without additional gestures. Download latest version firmware and the programs necessary for updating can be found on the offsite.
ZM.VE300.Firmware.Upgrade.R1288N.zip (343,728 bytes)
In order to install firmware from iODD-2531 to Zalman-VE300, you will need to slightly modify the flash driver. I have updated the latest firmware. After installing it, the device is defined in the system as iODD, but it will not work worse from this. On the contrary, all new chips from iODD-2531 will be added to the functionality, which in official firmware Zalman-VE300 is not and is not expected.
iODD.2531.to.ZM.VE300.Firmware.Upgrade.R1600N.zip (345,755 bytes)
The Menu is entered and exited by pressing the side switch for more than 3 seconds. Moving through the menu and selecting items is done with the joystick, returning to the previous level - the "Backup" button.
- Main menu:
- Mode Select- setting the operating mode of the device
- Setting- adjust LCD brightness and sleep mode
- Information- view information about HDD and firmware version
- USB Connect- USB connection setup
- Advanced- setting up a virtual HDD connection
- Menu "Mode Select":
- dual mode- work in combined mode, external HDD and virtual DVD-ROM/Blu-Ray drive
- ODD Mode or CD Mode(for iODD firmware) - work only in DVD-ROM / Blu-Ray mode (this mode is usually used when installing the OS)
- HDD Mode- the device is detected only as an external HDD (this mode is used when connected to other devices besides a PC)
- "Setting" menu:
- LCD Bright- LCD backlight brightness adjustment
- Idle Bright- LCD backlight adjustment in sleep mode
- Standby time- setting the time to enter sleep mode
- Load default- return to default values
- Information menu:
- S.M.A.R.T.- S.M.A.R.T information
- HDD Model- display the name of the hard drive model
- HDD Serial- display the serial number of the hard drive
- Firmware Ver.- display firmware version
- USB speed- display current connection type (USB2.0: Hi-Speed, USB3.0: Super-Speed)
- USB Input Volt- display the lowest USB input voltage after connecting to a PC and the current input voltage
- Menu "S.M.A.R.T":
- HDD Temp.- display HDD temperature
- HDD Health- display HDD status (Good, Warning, Bad). If Warning or Bad appears, then immediately backup all data and check the HDD
- Menu "USB Connect":
- Refresh- reconnect device to PC
- Safe Removal- safe device removal
- Menu "Advanced":
- Umount VHDD- unmount all disk and floppy images
- Write Protect- enable or disable write protection
- Instant Save- remember the image immediately after selecting it (only in iODD firmware)
- Force USB 3.0- USB 3.0 priority mode (only in iODD firmware)
It is not specified anywhere in the documentation, but it has been experimentally established that there should be no more than 32 images in the "_ISO" folder at the same time, otherwise Zalman ZM-VE300 will display the message "Too Many Files". This can be easily circumvented by creating subfolders, although this leaves a limit of 32 files per subfolder. There are alternative firmware, where there is no such restriction, but personally, I have all the necessary set of distributions within a dozen files. By the way, as a cheaper alternative to Zalman ZM-VE300, unscrupulous sellers can offer you cases for hard drives of the brand Konoos. Such a replacement is far from being equivalent, since the younger models of Konoos cases support only one image, and the more fancy ones - only three. Naturally, on the websites of online stores, this is modestly silent.
The Zalman ZM-VE300 comes with the Backup Utility. It is recorded on CD, but the latest version is always available offsite. As you might guess, with its help are made backups selected files and folders from your computer to external hard drive in Zalman ZM-VE300. In the program, set up the necessary paths, then press the "Backup" button on the box and the utility copies the information.
But that's not all she can do. FROM Backup Utility, you can create virtual disks and then save them to the "_ISO" folder on an external hard drive. Virtual disks should be dealt with better. "Virtual HDD" - these are empty files of a given size with the possibility of connecting them as external drives. Naturally, Zalman ZM-VE300 is responsible for the connection and emulation functions.
With the "Safe Removal" function, too, everything should be clear. You can safely turn off the Zalman ZM-VE300 by pressing the wheel or the "Backup" button on the device itself, or you can do it at the initiative of the computer through this function of the Backup Utility.
And this is how the system displays physical hard drives and virtual drives connected or created using Zalman ZM-VE300.
Returning to the topic of installing Windows XP on an HP Mini 210-1130ER netbook. The inconvenience of installing the system from a USB flash drive was the last argument for me to buy Zalman ZM-VE300. After acquiring it, I conducted an experiment: I burned the prepared image to an external hard drive, put a clean hard drive into the netbook, then mounted the image on a virtual CD and tried to install the system. As I expected, everything went well.
The instructions that come with the kit are very poor. All that can be learned from it is where to attach the bolts and how to install the backup software. On the Internet there are instructions in in electronic format, even translated into Russian, but in fact they are no different from the paper version. According to rumors, full documentation is available in Korean, but this is unlikely to be of any help. So you have to be content with what you have.
Zalman.ZM.VE300.Manual.RUS.zip (546,663 bytes)
Zalman.ZM.VE300.Manual.ENG.zip (492,463 bytes)
Since the instructions are quite short, and they do not cover all Zalman features ZM-VE300. In preparing this review, I have collected from various sources and systematized helpful tips and undocumented features. Other possible problems discussed in detail at the IXBT conference.
- If you hold down the "Backup" button while connecting the device, the write protection will turn on.
- If you hold down the joystick wheel while connecting, the write protection is removed, and the device switches to the "Dual Mode" mode.
- If you hold the joystick wheel up while connecting, the "ODD Mode" is set.
- If you hold the joystick wheel down when connected, the "HDD Mode" is set.
- If during operation, turn down and hold the joystick wheel, the device will be safely switched off. The same will happen if you press and hold the "Backup" button.
- If during operation, turn up and hold the joystick wheel, the "_ISO" folder will be rescanned and the list of images contained in it will be updated. This is very convenient if new images have been written to the device in "Dual Mode" or "HDD Mode".
- In order for Zalman VE-300 to remember the last mounted image, it must be safely disabled. Install the desired image, press and hold the "Backup" button or the wheel down, wait for the message "Data Saving ..." and disconnect the disk from the computer. After that Zalman VE-300 will start with the selected image.
- To unmount a floppy disk image or drive from the "Virtual HDD", you must go to the "End Of List" item and hold the wheel pressed for 3 seconds.
- When connecting to a desktop computer, it is better to use the USB ports that are located on the back system block, not on the front panel.
- If the hard drive installed in the case is divided into several partitions, then the partition with the "_ISO" folder must be Primary.
- It is not recommended to install SSD drives in Zalman ZM-VE300, as they are more sensitive to insufficient power supplied via USB and may fail.
To defragment files and directories, it is most convenient to use free program WinContig. Her main feature- fast defragmentation of individual files without the need to defragment the entire disk. Just start WinContig, select one or more image files and defragment, after that Zalman ZM-VE300 mounts everything quietly.
What can I say as a summary? Zalman ZM-VE300 is a very cool thing that justifies its cost to the penny. Now the problem with preparing installation flash drives, a pack of CD / DVD discs with different distributions has been solved once and for all, all this remains in the past. Zalman ZM-VE300 will be an excellent assistant for system administrators and advanced users who often have to rearrange the system or use different boot disks.
Despite all the advantages, it was not without its drawbacks. There is no list of recommended hard drive models that work with Zalman ZM-VE300 either in the manual or on the offsite. In extreme cases, it would be possible to indicate the recommended characteristics, such as amperage and rotation speed, so that you can independently choose the right model, but this information is not available anywhere. The included USB cable is short and VERY hard, so if used frequently, there is a risk of damage to the case connector. It would not hurt to provide additional power so that the Zalman ZM-VE300 can be connected to old computers. Of course, no one bothers to find and purchase the right cable on your own, but it's strange that the manufacturer made such a wonderful device and saved on a penny cable. Judging by the reviews, for some hard drives, you have to additionally put a seal in the case so that the drive does not hang out inside. In my case, this was not necessary, but in general I agree that the mounting system could have been thought out better. Other than that, I'm very pleased with the purchase.
UPD. After the untimely death of Zalman ZM-VE300 (connected to a problematic system unit, and there was a breakdown of electricity on the USB port), I purchased the original iODD-2531. So, there are no described problems with seals. They are of sufficient length and have "horns" at the end, which are tucked under the side plugs and hold perfectly. Zalman also has these "horns", but the seal itself is shorter, as a result, they are useless. The cable is also long and flexible. That's just the case for iODD uncomfortable - soft. I replaced it with a freed case from Zalman. So it makes sense to purchase original iODD devices, and not crookedly copied replicas.
2.5" External box Zalman ZM-VE350 is an affordable and multifunctional solution. The manufacturer took into account all the nuances and created the perfect device. The case is black, it is made of metal and has a pleasant texture, durable construction. There is a liquid crystal display, it will be especially useful when using the model as a virtual drive.
Zalman ZM-VE350 comes with an extended package. Along with the device, the owner receives a screwdriver to install the disc into the box. A convenient and high-quality case, USB cable, screws are provided.
An important feature will be compatibility with operating systems. Windows systems and MacOS. There will be no problems when connecting, the model is suitable for all users. The USB 3.0 interface allows you to copy large amounts of information in a short time.
Boxing has compact dimensions, it can easily fit into any bag and is easy to transport. The user will be able to independently create an external hard drive, just select the appropriate module and install it in a dedicated compartment.
