Coolmax HD-211-U2 USB 2.0 Aluminum Enclosure - 15203
Coolmax 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure

I don't know what all the fuss is about. I got the rebate as promised (takes like 6 weeks). Maybe people didn't read the directions correctly. It is very specific but very clear at the same time. Anyway, I also don't understand why people are having problems connecting it. One end goes to your pc, the other to the drive, don't use the red connector. I tried it with 4 pc's (WinXP, ubuntu) and it works great. The hard drive I used was from my laptop that died. It runs off USB power (no need for the extra cable). I also don't understand the comment about viruses. It doesn't come with software (WinXP has all you need) so I don't know how non-existent software could contain viruses. Who knows...
 
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I love this enclosure. We retired an ancient ThinkPad, and I scavenged the hard drive. It worked great right away. After a while, it stopped working altogether. I opened it up, reseated the drive, and it's been lovely ever since. My first experience with a Y USB cable, but did some research, and the extra plug is for additional power if needed. Very nice! High five!
 
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The enclosure works great, no probs and no drama. Put drive in and everything worked perfectly. Not bad for $5 after the rebate! As far as the rebate goes, it was one of the more labor intensive rebate procedures that I have ever gone through and it appears that they are looking for the slightest mistake as an excuse not to send you a check, but I actually got the check yesterday. However, I worry that I may not be as perfect the next time and not get my check, so I don't know if I will ever buy anything from Coolmax again that involves a rebate.
 
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Worked perfect and easy to set up. No frills or extras, but none were expected. I bought it with a rebate so the value was exceptional.
 
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very nice and well done enclosure. worth to recommend.
 
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I happened to get this enclosure with a $29 rebate. So the value for me is fantastic. The unit works as intended. Stick a laptop hard drive in there, and now you can access it from any computer with USB. I would have preferred a better mechanical arrangement, where it's easier to take a drive and temporarily install it. This unit is meant for permanent installations, as there are 4 tiny screws that hold the enclosure together. It comes with a screwdriver, so it's no big deal. Being powered by the USB connection is a nice touch. No extra wires required. There are two LED's: one for main power, one for activity. I like that as well. It also comes with a nice storage bag. Overall, I'd say it's a winner. There are some little things I would change. But I would be picking nits.
 
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I got this product because it was free after rebate from here! So: 5 for value 5 for performance because it really depends on the drive you put into it 3 for ease of use because it has an assembly with screws, but does include extra ones + the screw driver bonus, has a nice carrying case but doesnt exactly fit much more than the enclosure itself.
 
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This enclosure works very well. The only thing that I would like complaint was lack of the power supply. I have to use my self-powered USB hub to power that.
 
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I bought this enclosure to utilize some of my 2.5" hdds sitting around which are not big enough to be used in laptops. Coolmax enclosure works fine out of the box, it is small enough to carry in your pocket, and does not need external power( although the connector and the cord is there if needed). Easy to take apart and swap the disks in case it is necessary. It is much more useful that the enclosure for desktop size HDDs which you have to carry around in a briefcase. Rebate comes in handy, too. I wish there were no limit on rebates. In essence, very useful compact storage.
 
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Great product, works out fine, very satisfy with it
 
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It is a simple aluminum enclosure for HDD. If you want an affordable and not fancy one, u should buy this product.
 
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I ordered this hard drive case as I was upgrading my notebook from an 80GB, 5400rpm drive to a 100GB, 7200rpm drive, and figured that the 80GB drive would make a great portable external drive. This case happened to have a rebate which made the net cost basically nothing, so why not give it a try? It turns out that this is a very slim, good looking and practical enclosure for the 80GB drive. Luckily, the old drive was one of the 9.5mm height drives as this case will NOT accommodate an older 12.5mm drive that I also had lying around - it is too thin. However, the 9.5mm height drive fits perfectly in this case. One of the nice features of this case is the aluminum finish with a slightly rough texture that tends to resist ugly fingerprints that can occur on very smooth metal and plastic enclosures. Another nice feature is the two led lights that show power and drive activity - very handy and useful. Lastly, the enclosure comes with a nice, sort of velvet textured carrying case for transporting the drive around. The USB cable seems sturdy, and has an extra connector for additional power. The performance is excellent, and the drive has worked perfectly with all three computers I have tried it on. It basically functions like a VERY large thumb drive - just plug it in and start transferring files. I am very satisfied with every aspect of this enclosure and would recommend it to anyone upgrading their notebook hard drive.
 
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I saw a couple of reviews that rated this product very poorly. One said something about the product's software having a virus, which sounded suspect to me. I received the product. It is well made, and durable. If have had it running full time on my network for 1 week now with no problems. I rated 5 for value and satisfaction because I paid $29 for the usb external drive enclosure, and have applied for a $29 mfr's rebate. Rebate requirements are very, very specific. Applicants are told that if instructions are not followed exactly, the rebate will not be honored. I did every required. At this time, the jury is still out. (Other reviews said that the rebate was a scam, and that you will never get any money back.)
 
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The coolmax 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure performs up to expectations. I used it to recover data from a drive out of a laptop that died. I also use it as a portable backup external drive enclosure. My major complaint is the case design. You have to remove 4 very small (read "easily lost") screws to open it. I believe if the slide out tray only attached at one end and had a snap latch, the enclosure would be much easier to use. Still a great bargain at "free". With rebate of course.
 
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This unit is what it is....a hard drive enclosure. The instructions that come with it are sorely lacking in detail but using the enclosure is somewhat intuitive. The packaging indicates that a CD is included but there wasn't one in the package. It took some time to figure out that the CD includes drivers which are only needed for Win98. The Coolmax website is of little help. The screws that hold the ends on the enclosure secure into plastic and are easily stripped so you have to be careful with that. This causes me some concern about travelling with the drive (I don't want the screws coming out, getting lost and my drive falling out) but the fit of the drive in the enclosure is snug so the drive probably won't fall out even if a screw does fall out. The drive came with a USB "Y" cable but no instructions on how to use it to hook the drive to my computer. After several attempts, I found a combination that worked but I'm still not sure I'm using the "correct" configuration (no instructions on CoolMax website). No external power is needed for a Hitachi 60GB drive. I did have to remove the thin aluminum enclosure around the drive to get it to fit into the enclosure but I think it only served as some sort of heat sink while the drive was in my notebook computer (it is made of thin aluminum and offers only minimal protection, if any, to the drive). I only wonder what I should do with it now in case I ever want to slip the drive back into my laptop. The $29 Coolmax rebate requires me to include a SASE which is a pain but after rebate the enclosure is free (well, I guess $.31...the cost of a stamp)
 
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As headline. It is nice. You won't need drive while it connect to WinXP pro. Also, the Drive Enclosure won't need AC power adaptor.
 
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These units arrived quickly and in fantastic shape. Buy.com rawks!
 
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I like this product.
 
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The Coolmax case feels solid and sleek. The endcaps are plastic- totally acceptable- while the rest of the case is aluminum. I'm very happy with the price on the case. My only complaint is the lengthy process of applying for Coolmax rebate. Kingston's rebate is much simpler. But hey, it was $5 after rebate.
 
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No surprises. Mound a drive. Plug unit into USB (no power brick needed!). Drive apperars. Format, swap files, whatever. It works. Only complaint: The brief instruction card mentions a non-existant CD, but drivers weren't needed for XP or Vista.
 
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The AC plug in was a little of and i didnt get an AC adaptor with the buy but i cant argue with the price, free
 
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The package comes with a Y USB cable (3 connectors) and no instructions. I first tried two combinations of pairing the connectors, and still the drive could not be detected by Windows. Before giving up the next day, I tried the last combination, and then the drive was detected and worked fine since. The package also mentions power adapter and CD, but none of them were actually supplied nor needed for Windows XP and Vista. Overall, this is a confusing product to use. But once you use it correctly, it works fine. It's a good value only because it's free.
 
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Product failed to work, CoolMax support didn't address the problem issues reported, and RMA support they offer is, by their admission, slower than normal. I tried product on three separate computers with two different operating systems (XP & Windows 2000), and using two different hard disks, but it failed to work using any combination. It not only failed to function, but consistantly hung all three machines up, both when using the OS command to release a removable device and when trying to shut the system down with the CoolMax unit attached. Response to my detailed problem report to CoolMax, was simply a statement as to how to use their RMA procedure (which I have started), and a warning as to how slow slow it would be to use that process.
 
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This unit has a lot of issues. 1. Enclosure is to small to fit the 2.5 hard disk drive. The lid does not close after you attach the hard disk. 2. Also, the hard disk does not work through the USB slot provided. 3. Rebate redemption is terrible. 4. I would not recommend buying this product.
 
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it's easy to use! you can rescue your old notebook 2.5" HD.
 
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Unit works great but coolmax makes you run around doing the rebate...but for 30.00 well worth purchase... Dave
 
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Well, I purchased the external enclosure to hold an 80gb drive I had from an old laptop. Slid the cover open, put in the drive, and voila, it works. Don't know if I'll get my rebate, but I followed all the instructions (including circling the date!). Case is simple, would be nice if the faceplates were metal instead of cheesy plastic.
 
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Hardest thing about useing the enclosuer was keeping up with the cover screws. Plug and play with XP Pro. I had several lap top drives around and it was just a matter of installing one, and plugging in the USB.
 
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I wired this up like I have with other hard drive enclosures and it didn't work. It appears that I have to now buy a 5v power supply to make it work. Frustrating! I think I will avoid CoolMax in the future
 
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Works like a charm. I was transfering files to it in minutes.
 
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The Coolmax enclosure performs as it should. I was trying to use it to boot Windows XP from it. Booting from USB is not supported by Microsoft, but there are many websites dedicated to showing you how to do it. It was working fine on a Vantec enclosure that I had, but it broke after 3+ years of work. I purchased Coolmax to replace it because it was "free" after rebate. I could not get the darn thing to even install XP on. After 3 days, I gave up and got another Vantec. And it works flawlessly. The Coolmax works fine as a non-booting USB XP drive as it should, so heads up if you want to boot from it.
 
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pop your disk in and its ready to use .. if you get a all-in-one external hard drive and the disk dies your enclosure is no good either. this is perfect. really small form factor hence great for travelling. highly recommended
 
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Rescued my drive from a dead laptop. Unexpected things included, a few expected things not. Includes velvet carrying bag and a screwdriver with extra screws. Doesn't include a power brick which is mentioned in the instructions. However, the power brick isn't needed as long as you aren't using a hub or using an unpowered hub. Having to supply a SASE with the rebate form was the first for me.
 
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This is a high quality disk enclosure that is easy to use, compact, and attractive. It comes with a screw driver and instructions that makes installation very easy. The drive I used was right out of a "dead" laptop computer, and it slid right in the enclosure like a glove. The kit included a carry bag and USB cable, so it all you need to make your 2.5" disk drive truely portable.
 
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I had a 30g hard drive left after I upgraded my laptop's storage. Thanks to this enclosure I now have an additional 30g of very portable storage for a very inexpensive price.
 
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The CoolMax 2.5" hard drive enclosure worked out great for me. It took about five minutes to install the hard drive in the enclosure, and it was ready to format and put into operation. There are good instructions on partitioning and formatting an external hard drive online - all one needs to do is look and follow the "cook book". The enclosure is compact and a great buy! Chuckie
 
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My old notebook crashed and I got this enclosure for free. I retrieved all of my files without issue and unplugged it. I would not use it all the time but it did what I needed.
 
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First, you will spend at least 15-20 minutes going thru the CoolMax Rebate Dance. What a waste of time... You even pay for the return envelope AND postage! Secondly... now hear me out CoolMax-- skip the cheezy velvet pouch. Instead, put in a 5VDC transformer... like the kind you talk about in the instructions.
 
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Don't buy this product. Its quality is junk and there is an virus in its software. I bought this one because of the rebate. The manufacture did not pay the rebate because I did not circle the purchasing date on the receipt. What a joke!
 
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Don't be fooled! Don't buy anything from CoolMax. They will not give you a rebate and their products are of low quality. Many people have complained about these. They do not even have an address in the US or a telephone number. Don't bother with them.
 
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