My Zalmans last less than 2 years

[Larry Sabo]

My second Zalman has failed so I think that's the end of Zalmans for me. The first one (VE-200) lasted less than 2 years and the same with my latest one (VE-300). I went to use it yesterday and it would not detect, just displayed the ZM VE-300 label in its display window.

I figured, maybe the HDD within was too much of a load for the old XP machine I was working on but I had the same result with a new laptop and my desktop PC back home. It works on USB 3.0 but not 2.0. I even bought a new Samsung EVO 850 120GB SSD to try with it but no change. It was very handy when it worked (~50% of the systems) but less than 2 years life expectancy for an electronic device sucks. What good is it if it doesn't work when you need it to? Time to look into alternatives that allow booting alternative ISOs on an SSD. Any suggestions?

 

[NYJimbo]

My second Zalman has failed so I think that's the end of Zalmans for me. The first one (VE-200) lasted less than 2 years and the same with my latest one (VE-300). I went to use it yesterday and it would not detect, just displayed the ZM VE-300 label in its display window.

I figured, maybe the HDD within was too much of a load for the old XP machine I was working on but I had the same result with a new laptop and my desktop PC back home. It works on USB 3.0 but not 2.0. I even bought a new Samsung EVO 850 120GB SSD to try with it but no change. It was very handy when it worked (~50% of the systems) but less than 2 years life expectancy for an electronic device sucks. What good is it if it doesn't work when you need it to? Time to look into alternatives that allow booting alternative ISOs on an SSD. Any suggestions?

It's your fault Larry, you have to keep throwing them away and buying the new ones.

"Dear Zalman Customer:

We are sorry to hear that your VE-300 is no longer working as well as you would have preferred. May we suggest that you upgrade to the latest, the VE-400 ? Zalman appreciates you and as a valued customer we hope you will continue to purchase new Zalman products as they are released !. Thank you and have a nice day !"​

 

[Mainstay]

OK, that sort of sucks... but how many times did you use it in those two years?

I would classify the Zalman as a "cost of doing business" expense.

If a device saves me untold hours, I don't care if I have to replace it every few years... especially when that device costs $50 CAD....

 

[citizensmith]

Four years and counting - Apart from me forgetting to pack the double USB power lead its been okay. Had a run of Vista \ w7 systems refusing to boot off of it - mainly old Dell's.

 

[Larry Sabo]

OK, that sort of sucks... but how many times did you use it in those two years?

I would classify the Zalman as a "cost of doing business" expense.

If a device saves me untold hours, I don't care if I have to replace it every few years... especially when that device costs $50 CAD....

I don't mind paying what it costs to run the business. It's not even the $50 USD, which is peanuts over 18 months, if I used it productively. I'd say I used it maybe just a few times a month, but when it worked, I was very glad that I had it, e.g. for WSUS offline. Other times, it was a waste of effort, when the system wouldn't boot from it. I guess my main gripe is, they should be able to build it to last longer than 18 months, seeing as it has virtually no moving parts.

 

[Mainstay]

they should be able to build it to last longer than 18 months, seeing as it has virtually no moving parts

Agreed. Completely.

The build quality of the enclosure itself feels good.

But the USB 3.0 connector seems like a weak link.

It would have been better to have that cable permanently fixed to the enclosure.

Also, every time you save an image (mount it and save it to be the default) you have to "plug out", which seems like that could wear down the connectors even more.

It seems like with some very small design tweaks, this could be an amazingly excellent product, instead of just a great product.

 

[TimM]

I didn't have much luck with the VE300 I had... it had the same problem as yours in the end and it had previously been pretty unreliable. I have two VE400s now that are almost two years old and they've never missed a beat. I've heard complaints about the buttons and the cable, but I haven't had any problems. In general I treat them pretty gently, but they are used every day. Only have a few minor issues with them -

• The display is a bit faint on one
• The one with a conventional hard drive works best with a USB3 Y cord (especially when connected to USB2 ports)
• Poor documentation. For instance the need to press the "5" key to mount one of the ISOs, which isn't mentioned anywhere in the scant documentation that came with the drive.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Apart from me forgetting to pack the double USB power lead its been okay.

Mine did not come with a double USB cable. Is that really required? I've had systems that didn't start the unit but I never considered power as the reason.(Well Duh!)

 

[Larry Sabo]

I wouldn't think insufficient power is at play here, give that I have an SSD in the enclosure, but one never knows. It's strange that it works (most of the time) on USB 3.0 but never on USB 2.0 any more. Any link to a source for a USB 3.0 splitter cable? I couldn't find one in my feeble search. A USB 2.0 splitter cable doesn't make it work, so I expect a USB 3.0 splitter will be a waste of money.

These Zalmans seem to be no longer available, except at ridiculous prices, even for the old VE200 model, so I would be grateful to know if anyone has had any success booting/mounting ISOs from an external drive via a USB/CD boot disk/VCD. I tried MagicDisk but it didn't work, using it with WSUS offline.

 

[allanc]

I wouldn't think insufficient power is at play here, give that I have an SSD in the enclosure, but one never knows. It's strange that it works (most of the time) on USB 3.0 but never on USB 2.0 any more. Any link to a source for a USB 3.0 splitter cable? I couldn't find one in my feeble search. A USB 2.0 splitter cable doesn't make it work, so I expect a USB 3.0 splitter will be a waste of money.

These Zalmans seem to be no longer available, except at ridiculous prices, even for the old VE200 model, so I would be grateful to know if anyone has had any success booting/mounting ISOs from an external drive via a USB/CD boot disk/VCD. I tried MagicDisk but it didn't work, using it with WSUS offline.

Yes, I can boot/mount the ISOs.
My big problem is the (expletives deleted ) touch keypad... extremely frustrating and a waste of time.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Thanks Allan, but I meant other than with a Zalman, e.g. using Yumi.

has had any success booting/mounting ISOs from an external drive via a USB/CD boot disk/VCD.

 

[NJW]

It's strange that it works (most of the time) on USB 3.0 but never on USB 2.0 any more.

Try it with a USB2 cable – the micro-B for a smartphone will do, in one half of the Zalman's USB3 socket.

I have had VE-300s failing to get beyond the initial splash display, usually when there is insufficient power, or if there is power-only (i.e., no USB negotiation).

Also had problems with a new 256 GB SSD, which just took a long time (several 10s of seconds) to get past the initial screen, the first time it was powered up.

Also had one experience of the same symptoms that you now describe – never getting beyond the initial screen. After dismantling and refitting everything, it was fine and has had no further problems in the three or four months since.

 

[allanc]

I wouldn't think insufficient power is at play here, give that I have an SSD in the enclosure, but one never knows. It's strange that it works (most of the time) on USB 3.0 but never on USB 2.0 any more. Any link to a source for a USB 3.0 splitter cable? I couldn't find one in my feeble search. A USB 2.0 splitter cable doesn't make it work, so I expect a USB 3.0 splitter will be a waste of money.

These Zalmans seem to be no longer available, except at ridiculous prices, even for the old VE200 model, so I would be grateful to know if anyone has had any success booting/mounting ISOs from an external drive via a USB/CD boot disk/VCD. I tried MagicDisk but it didn't work, using it with WSUS offline.

Amazon.ca - I can't vouch for the vendor
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ES9VQNY/...ASIN=B00ES9VQNY&linkCode=df0&tag=shopbotca-20

 

[vtrepair]

I still have my Zalman ...somewhere. I have been using easy2boot and have not looked back though. Drop the iso you want to use in the correct folder on the easy2boot drive and it just works. If you have an iso that has problems booting the most common ones have a fix/workaround on the site itself. At the very least I would say it is worth your time to give it a shot.

http://www.easy2boot.com/

 

[Larry Sabo]

Try it with a USB2 cable – the micro-B for a smartphone will do, in one half of the Zalman's USB3 socket...After dismantling and refitting everything, it was fine and has had no further problems in the three or four months since.

Thanks for the suggestions, Nick. Tried a micro-USB cable into a power spliter to USB 2.0 and no change (using the SSD). I've had the thing apart many times now, so that suggestion seems to have no benefit.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Amazon.ca - I can't vouch for the vendor
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ES9VQNY/...ASIN=B00ES9VQNY&linkCode=df0&tag=shopbotca-20

Thanks, Allan. Ordered it, so I guess I'll be good for another 18 months or so. That should give me time to check out vtrepair's suggestion of easy2boot. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[allanc]

Thanks, Allan. Ordered it, so I guess I'll be good for another 18 months or so. That should give me time to check out vtrepair's suggestion of easy2boot. Thanks for all the suggestions.

You are very welcome.
So, are we going to meet half-way between Ottawa and Toronto so that you can show me how to get the touchpad to respond with just one press?

 

[Larry Sabo]

You are very welcome.
So, are we going to meet half-way between Ottawa and Toronto so that you can show me how to get the touchpad to respond with just one press?

Hahaha. Let me see if I can do it myself, then I'll make a video for you.

 

[taysr]

I originally had the VE200 until the lock switch broke on it leaving the device locked for all of eternity. Now been using the VE400 since it was first released, highly recommend it! The touchpad is way better to use than the scroll wheel of previous versions, works great on all the new windows laptops and tablets I've had to configure.

From what I can tell online most people have problems with older computers but to be honest I've had the luxury of not having to deal with anything old enough to have XP on it for the last year and a half so maybe that's why I haven't had any issues.


edit: Also forgot to mention but make sure you update the firmware on the VE400 from their download page here

 

[Larry Sabo]

Also forgot to mention but make sure you update the firmware on the VE400 from their download page here

Thanks for the tip, and the encouraging news re. your VE400. I've had the VE200, VE300 and will soon have the VE400. Lets hope this one lasts longer than the other two.