23.4.2010

Firstly, I found the Stora extremely simple to set up - I plugged it into the mains and into my router, turned it on and it began setting itself up with very little interaction from me. I bought a second hard drive at the same time as the Stora, with the intention of putting the two drives into RAID configuration. But, because I'm male, I didn't read the quick start guide properly and inserted the drive before powering up the device (the manual recommends inserting the drive only after the Stora has properly configured itself.) However this didn't seem to affect either the set-up procedure or the performance and once the machine was turned on it automatically set both drives to RAID and began copying data from one to the other.It's nice when technology works as it should.I then installed the included Stora Agent software on my Windows 7 PC (you need to do this with W7 as the Stora doesn't show up as a separate drive in the `Computer' list) and once the device was recognised I began copying my files to it; fortunately you don't need to wait for both drives to be completely finalised before doing this. Stora Agent also includes a configuration utility that lets you customise several aspects of how the Stora works, including setting up the folders (both those that are already set up for you and any you create) as private or public, which can be shared on your home network. Having done this, I copied all my music and photos over to public folders on my Stora, the former so that I could use it as a server for iTunes, and the latter so that I could access my family albums from anywhere in the house. A bonus is that my PS3 immediately recognised the Stora as a dedicated UPNP (Universal Plug `n' Play) device and was able to access, and copy, music and photos from the Stora to the PS3's hard drive. A similar thing happened with my film collection, which was equally easy to copy and then to view using the PS3.On the subject of iTunes integration, it's a nice feature but seems a little bitty right now. For example, once you show iTunes that you have a Stora, it sees it as an attached device and has no problem accessing the music stored on it, but it won't let you alter any song information. There are also a few problems when you add music to iTunes, as new songs are transferred to your library in addition to the Stora folder but existing ones aren't. So, given that my library is now almost blank (having moved all the songs to the Stora), if I was to sync my iPod I fear that it would instead remove all music from it and leave me with a blank iPod. I will add that this is something I haven't yet confirmed as I'm just too cowardly to try it.As already mentioned, you can't access the Stora through `Computer' in W7, you have to use Stora Agent. To do this you need to click on the Stora software icon on the taskbar which bring up a few options including `Explore My Stora Folders'; this will bring up a Windows Explorer box from which the contents of the device can be accessed. While this is hardly a massive hiccup, I would have preferred the option of not using the included software as the `Computer' list is one that I am much more familiar with and it can be opened with only a couple of mouse clicks. Another point to mention here is that, out of the box, the Stora uses dynamic IP addresses and so is given a different IP every so often so. Therefore, if you password protect your Stora, so you will need to type in your username and password whenever the IP address changes. You can always assign a static address to the Stora if you find this to be a problem.If the Stora isn't used for a few minutes it goes into a `sleep mode', which shuts down the hard drives; while this is a welcome addition, I find that the mode activates a little too quickly for my liking and I haven't found an option to alter it, or to shut it off completely. The drives spin up pretty quickly when the mode is deactivated - merely by you accessing the Stora - but it can be a little frustrating to go to save a document you've been working on only to find that you have to wait for the drives to restart.If you're looking at buying a Stora with the intention of connecting to it wirelessly, my advice would be not to bother unless you have a strong signal. My laptop finds it impossible to connect to the Stora unless I have 4 or more bars on the signal meter and even then transfer speeds are down on a wired connection. Also, although the Stora can be accessed remotely, it costs a princely $19.99 per year to use this feature. You get a free 30-day trial when you buy the device but I haven't used it so can't really comment on how well the service works.Reading some of the reviews I was concerned that the Stora might be a gem in the rough, but it seems that the problems encountered by some early adopters have been rectified in recent firmware updates. I've perhaps concentrated on the negative aspects because I feel any prospective purchaser should know what to watch out for, but they really are pretty small points in the grand scheme of things. I had no problem setting the thing up, nor have I had any issues (other than those I've already mentioned) using it. I've only touched the surface on what the Stora is capable of (you just have to see the long and somewhat daunting manual to realise that) but even so it's a purchase I don't regret for a minute.UPDATE: Well after a couple of hours' worth of tinkering I've found what I think is a fairly foolproof way of using the Stora with iTunes. After putting my iTunes library onto the Stora and linking to it in the iTunes preferences, I had to add the whole iTunes folder to my library (File/Add Folder to Library) before iTunes would see and update it. Now, when I add files to my library, iTunes updates everything and I can amend and sync my iPod without fear of losing anything.

1.11.2013

I had this given to me as a present approximately 3 years ago. I think this is a long enough time to test a product and give a valid review.Firstly i couldn't believe how small it is. The pictures make it look massive but it isn't. It is only the size of a square box of tissues.I wanted a NAS of some description to back up my files and folders, and to stream media round my home network. I found CD's deteriate over time and i don't yet trust clouds. Over the 3 years i have found it does this very well. I read alot of criticism about this box from people saying it doesn't do everything a NAS does. These comments seem unfair as it was never claimed to be a NAS. It is a media and file storage area that floats on the network.A NAS continually backs things up and creates virtual drives. This is purely a place to save files and media then access them from anywhere on the home network, or even the world by logging into the dedicated website.Back up of a computer can be enabled but it isn't really what it's for. I started with one 1TB drive and then added another later on. When the Stora was first launched, the two drives were only to back each other up, but since then a software update has meant you can have them working together to double your storage. A 1TB drive is now approx £60 so it wasn't a big hit to back things up.To quash some peoples negative comments about backing up, this is how i use the Stora - I take pictures on my camera and load them straight onto the Stora via my laptop, knowing they are backed up twice. I write a letter or create a presentation, and save it striaght to the Stora. I rip a CD and save it straight onto the Stora. I don't do loads of work on my laptop then expect the Stora to back up everything and save any changes at the end of the day, like i do on the servers at work. Every so often i totally wipe my pc and reinstall everything from fresh. It is nice reinstalling windows and then the programs and knowing all my files and media is saved on the Stora. It is called being tidy which is possibly where some people fall down and blame the Stora.To access the Stora there are several ways including using the included software or via the web. If using the web option, if you access at home, it connects via the Storas mac address on your network, so if your internet is down its no problem. The easiest way i find is to search in Windows on network places, find the Stora then map the drive. The Stora automatically is split into two halfs. A personal half and a family half. I put documents in the personal half and media in the family half. Access can be altered via settings. Everything in the family half can easily be accessed via PS3, Xbox, PC's, laptops and phones as long as they have secure access to the home network. I have read of many issues with connectivity and saving access settings. I have experienced all but have found 99% of them were down to windows on pc i was using to access, or the PS3 interface. Rebooting any of these solved the access issues. I've had windows tell me all sorts of lies before including telling me i had a floppy drive when one wasn't even connected, so i can't blame the stora. Sometimes you do have to type in the access passwork again but i have always found that if the pc is switched off before the stora and the stora is switch back on before the pc, i never have a problem.I agree with people that it is noisy and hums alot. The front panel which clips on for drive access can rattle and with two drives the spinning is loud, but i have the stora in a different room connected to the router via a power network adaptor, so i dont hear it. You can also adjust timings so that it automatically switches off at a certain time.Speed is never an issue. The first time that day it can take a few seconds to load everything on the mapped drive but it is a massive 1TB. From then on, access everytime is quick and faultless for streaming. People having speed issues should look at their whole network and other equipment.So no it isn't a NAS and won't back up your whole network all the time, but it is far far better than CD's, better than adding additional drives to your PC, safer than clouds and is a great central place for media for anyone in the whole family. Oh and by logging into the portal, you can send someone an email with a link for them to view media saved on your Stora. Great if you don't want to send via attachements or facebook!Give the little box a break and stop blaming it for everything!

15.4.2010

I purchased the stora to share files, music and photos between 3 computers and it does exactly that. The external drive also serves as a backup storage area. I bought an extra disk to allow the RAID functionality.Setting up the stora took very little time and my 2 laptops, 1 vista, 1 win7 and my desktop win7 were soon accessing the drive no problem. I have however found some limitations and these appear more to do with Itunes than the stora device. Setting up Itunes for home sharing enables it to see the contents of the stora (MUSIC ONLY), although you must make sure you use the familymusic directory. Itunes then shows 2 libraries, your original, usually on the hard disc of your machine and the contents of the stora.

14.12.2012

Netgear Stora 1TB Home Media ServerI was given my Netgear Stora 1TB Home Media Server as a present and all I can say is what a present.As I tore open the wrapping from around this elegant machine, local female neighbours started opening their doors and stepping outside. I suspect the Netgear Stora 1TB Home Media Server contains powerful male pheromones.The moment I connected it to my local network I instantly gained +10 defence to energy attacks, +8 to strength and +30 feet to my normal leap. I cannot list the specific effects to the opposite s3x as there are too many. I also appear to have acquired the skill of talking to horses.As I powered up the Netgear Stora 1TB Home Media Server lights across the country flickered,

28.10.2009

I was going to shell out for a full blown ReadyNas, until this came along. For less than 200 notes too. The best word to describe this product is `EASY'.· Easy to setup/install· Easy to connect to via [...]· Easy to create users· Easy to upload files to either by network neighbourhood or using the Mystora interface. (Java needed).· Easy for other users to store their stuff on your Stora.· Easy to create albums for your photos· Easy to store all your music· Easy to store any other data (securely)· Easy to store movies.· Easy to choose who gets access to anything you wish to share.· Easy to then watch movies via the interface· Easy to listen to music via the interface· Easy to look at photo albums,

18.2.2010

This was my first exploration into home NAS and my selection of the Stora was based upon previous experience of Netgear kit, the Stora's features/price and the range of positive reviews. I was looking to:deal with the sprawl of my media filesstream the odd clip to my PS3,centralise my backups,have sufficient capacity, (there's never enough)and importantly have some inbuilt redundancy in the form of RAID/Mirrored drives.With a second 1TB disk fitted the Stora ticks all these boxes for a good price. Its also got some reasonable packaged software to make the process of managing data transfer and backup straight forward, its not particularly intuitive but the documentation is ok.

19.1.2010

I purchased this item for several reasons, in order of importance these are1) needed to share files across many computers / laptops connected to my wi-fi home network2) back-up and restore from a central point3) share my .mp4 and .mp3 files across all the computers, have access to the files whilst out on the road4) release some of the capacity on the local hard drives, which were getting 'full'5) share some of my files with family members, including a sister in New ZealandThis does all the above. I am no 'geek' but I had this up and running within half an hour, all showing within the 'My Computer' screen as a network drive, with the ability to save my files to either a private 'named'

8.10.2010

... you could get frustrated sometimes getting it to do what its supposed to!This is my first NAS and brought it for the following reasons in order of importance:1) cheap (compared to other professional product)2) has power timer (once the firmware is updated!)3) quiet (my cats dont get scared / annoyed)4) easy to use web-browser interface so even my wife can use it.5) PS3 reads it no problem from the get go.Set up is easy - just follow the CD step by step guide. After several months of use the above reasons are still valid; all in all a pretty damn good purchase.The problems I experienced so far in order of annoyance:1) occassionally unable to connect, only retified by a combination of PC /

2.11.2011

I bought this NAS (Network Attachment Storage) nearly 2 years ago. During the first 18-month ownership, it was replaced twice by Netgear. Well, you can understand the inconvenience of interruption in home network storage system but also shows the not-so-bad after-sales customer care by Netgear. Convincing Netgear for replacement, in my experience, is not for the faint-hearted but should things go wrong, keep contacting them through their technical support web-site (which by the way is an excellent self-documenting system with good threading of support questions and tech support answers).However, you have to jump through so many hoops and go through a maze (all these made possible by Netgear technical support)

15.9.2011

This is an excellent piece of kit. Out of the box and running within just a few minutes. I actually have two of these I was so impressed with the first I bought a second.The first one I bought was a 1TB and the second was a bare box (No harddrives included) I was worried that installing hard drives or a second hard drive would cause problems but it was so simple. - Just lift the case cover slide in the new hard drives and close the cover the NAS sorts itself out (within seconds).The best bit for me is that you can easily share you photos / music / films with you friend by using the share facility. It sends an email to them with a link to your Stora.Another fantastic feature is the DNLA capability - DNLA just is a protocol to share music /

29.10.2010

I've had this for nearly seven months. It sits on my network and had been brilliant. I added a second hard drive in a RAID configuration for extra security. Its accesible from our PCs and has been generally brilliant. Recently I spotted that only one hard drive was working. After quite a bit of faffing it turns out that the hard drive that was supplied with the device had stopped working, the other one in a RAID1 configuration had kept on going and my data was safe. Amazon have dispatached a replacement device which should arrive soon.My gripe with the stora is that it didn't tell me there was a problem, this was probably because I had activated the nightly shut down and one day the disc broke and when the stora restarted it didn't spot it.

30.11.2011

I purchased this mainly for music storage for my Sonos system but also for back-up. I had read mixed reviews but decided to purchase. The Stora has worked well but initially I had issues with the router, a BT router, it was dropping out every 24 hours. I found out from a friend this was because the router assigns an IP address and I needed to give it a permanent address, this was very easy to do but there was no indication of this problem in the FAQs. Since doing this it has performed faultlessly. I have not yet got to grips with the 'desktop mirror', the back up programme, perhaps I will later. However, I have successfully used my standard back up programme with it.

28.1.2011

The Netgear Stora was easy to set up and was flashed to the latest release.I have set up two users and in Windows XP and Vista I can map the Stora to a network drive and copy files.The stora runs Linux inside and more advanced users should also check out [...] where there are instructions for getting root ssh access to the box and telnet access to the box.Only flaw is the way it handles mains power.The stora allows you to program in times and dates for automatic shutdown and automatic powerup.But if there is a power cut when the stora is running, it will not automatically restart when the power returns.

19.7.2010

I bought this NAS purely to get a central storage for all my media files and documents. It does the Job very well. I connected to my cyclone media player via netgear power line ethernet adaptors and three of these work like best mates. No connection problems and every thing is Fab!.I have had problems using it as print server with my Lexmark multifunction printer. I gaveup after a while and then found out from metgear support site that it does not work with multifunction printers.Creating guest accounts to share family pahotos remotely does not seem to work smoothly. It keeps saying no such user despite resetting and creating user names and passwords??All in all despite minor glithches,

13.2.2011

I have used this Stora box for more than a year, it is switched on most of the time 24/7, no problem at all. I have 2 x 1TB hard drives inside, selected RAID function as I wanted files duplication just in case one of the drives fails. The network connection is good in speed, no trouble. The file system used to keep files is unix based, hence if you pull it out and using an usb adapter to connect to your windows based computer, you will not see the files via windows application. You can easily find file explorer software on internet to read unix file system. I have tested using UFSExplorer and I can read everything. The reason I tested was in case the Stora unit failed,

Netgear Stora MS2000 - Reviews

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