We will talk about the external pocket (box) of the Zalman-VE500 (Fig. 1), we will look at the unpacking, the main functions, characteristics, pros and cons, and also tell you how to solve problems that, unfortunately, it does. In the future we will often refer to this gadget,because this is some kind of colossal saving of time and nerves. Forward!

Fig.1 Box for HDD Zalman ZM-VE500

Declared parameters.

Model - Zalman ZM-VE500. The device is available in black and silver colors (Fig. 1). The back cover is made of metal, and the main part is made of plastic. Interfaces of connected HDDs - SATA-I/SATA-II, SATA III. PC connection interface USB 3.0/USB 2.0 Powered by USB. See Table 1 for other parameters.

Specification	ZM-VE500
Housing material	Aluminum alloy, acrylic, polycarbonates
Weight	91 grams (Without HDD)
Dimensions	146 x 80.8 x 14 mm
Maximum transfer rate	5Gbps
Nutrition	DC5V(USB Power)
OS support	Win XP/2000/VISTA/Win7/Win8/Win8.1/Win10/Linux/MAC

Table 1 Specification Zalman ZM-VE500

Equipment.

Fig.2 Equipment Zalman ZM-VE500

Contents (Fig. 2): Sh nur USB 3.0, guide, sidewith Zalman-VE500, a case for it (the material is not leather, but it’s good that it’s still there, it serves as good shockproof protection), a small screwdriver and two bolts to tighten back cover after you insert the HDD into the box.

Everything is very simple here and instructions are not needed, although they are available at the place where you need to install the HDD.And so we insert the 2.5" HDD at an angle into the SATA connector and lower it into the box, close everything with the lid and screw in the small screws with a small screwdriver from the box (Fig. 3).

Fig.3 HDD installation to boxing.

Preparation for use.

When you turn it on for the first time, at best you will be greeted with the phrase “NO ISO FILES” or an error file system. To avoid file system errors, let's immediately partition and format the disk. We will do this in the free program EaseUS Partition Master 12.5.

Step 1.

We find the Zalmana disk, in our case it is “Disk 2 (MBR)” at the bottom of the window there is a graphical display of the partitions, right-click on our disk. and select the item “Delete all partitions” (Fig. 4). EaseUS Partition Master 12.5 doesn't do anything right away, we first assign it a list of tasks and at the end we confirm their completion.

Fig.4 Disk partitioning in EaseUS Partition Master 12.5
Fig.5 Disk partitioning in EaseUS Partition Master 12.5

A window with formatting settings will open; it differs from the standard settings only in that you need to switch from “Logical” to “Primary”. Click "Ok" (Fig. 6).

Fig.6 Disk partitioning in EaseUS Partition Master 12.5

All tasks have been set, now we confirm their completion - click “Apply” in the upper left corner of the window (Fig. 7).

Fig.7 Disk partitioning in EaseUS Partition Master 12.5

We confirm our consent and wait until all operations are completed (Fig. 8).

Fig.8 Disk partitioning in EaseUS Partition Master 12.5

Step 2.

On the Zalmana disk, create a folder “_iso” (without quotes), and put your images there, this is the only way Zalman will see them. In addition, you can create more folders in the "_iso" folder, for order, so to speak. For example, we will create “BackUp” “Linux” and “Windows”, transfer our iso images to “_iso” and all folders (Fig. 9).

Fig.9 Copying iso images to Zalman ZM-VE500

Menu overview.

In the main menu we can see 5 items:

1. Mode Select
2. Encryption
3. Set W-protection
4. Information
5. Exit

We will look at each of them in detail.

1.Mode Select- Select the operating mode of the pocket.

• HDD MODE- Works only in external storage mode. (Displays as local disk)
• VCD MODE- Work in virtual drive mode. (Will appear as the CD-ROM where you mount your ISO image)
• DUAL MODE- Work in two modes simultaneously. (Will appear as local disk + virtual CD-ROM where you mount your ISO image)

2. Encription - AES 256 bit hardware encryption in real time. (Simply put, access to files is granted only after entering a password)

• Enable Encryption- Enable encryption.

Enabling and disabling encryption leads to the disappearance of all information from the HDD, make sure that you have a copy of the information stored on the HDD, because you will have to re-create the "_ISO" folder and copy the ISO images there.

When pressed " Enable Encryption " there will be a warning "Data will be lost!" 1. Yes / 2. No confirm your agreement/disagreement to continue enabling encryption.

2. No- will bring you back to "Enable Encryption"

Click 1. Yes ->"Input Password"- enter a password from 4 to 8 characters. "Confirm Password"- confirm your password. Next, the device will reboot itself and require you to enter a password.

Now on the menu Encripton three points:

• "Change Password"- Change password.
• "Hide Password"- Remove password when turned on. (The device will not require a password, but if you remove the disk and insert it into another pocket, the data will remain encrypted and will not be accessible to the user.) When the password is disabled, the option "Hide Password" replaces "Set Password" - set a password.
• "Disable Encription"- Disable encryption.

Personally, I am satisfied with passwordless access to the device, so I will disable encryption.

Click "Disable Encription" device uswarns "Data will be lost!"(Data will be lost), buttons 1. Yes / 2. No

2.No- will bring you back to "Disable Encription".

Clicking 1. Yes, we will be asked to confirm our consent again "Confirm Again", apparently for complete certainty. 1. Yes/2.No confirm your agreement/disagreement to continue disabling encryption.

2.No- will bring you back to "Disable Encription".

Click 1. Yes- and without entering a password, the device reboots, after which we can use Zalmana without a password. It’s interesting that we now have access to those images that remained before encryption was turned on. Why did this happen when wewarned about their loss, I don’t know.

Set W-protection

• Disable W-P - Disable Read-Only mode - Enable Write mode.
• Enable W-P - Enable Read-Only mode (Protect the device from changes).

Information

• HDD Temp: 26 - Hard drive temperature in degrees Celsius.
• HDD Health: Good/Bad - HDD status ( S.M.A.R.T.). If the condition Bad make a backup copy of the disk and check it for errors, Good- Everything is fine.
• 100505**** - Full serial number HDD.
• Firmware: v1.10 - Firmware version.
• Exit - Exit.

Interface and control.

At the top of the front side of the gadget there is LCD display, under it there is a touch numeric keypad, and buttons Menu And Enter.

In addition to the numbers on the keyboard intended for entering a password, the buttons also have control functions. (Fig. 10)

Fig. 10 Front side of Zalman ZM-VE500

2 - Up,

4 - To the left,

6 - To the right,

8 - Down,

3 - Updating iso file (Update the list of iso images),

5 - Mount (Mount iso image).

Zalman sees only the "_ISO" folder, the folders in it and the iso images that are in them. Using the arrows you can easily navigate through the folders, select the desired image, and mount it by pressing the button 5 . Also, if you uploaded a new iso image, then in order for it to appear on your screen, you can reconnect the device or press the number 3 .

Above the display there is an LED HDD operation indicator. It glows in two colors depending on which interface it is connected to, USB3.0 glows blue, USB2.0 glows white. In the upper right corner of the display you can also see which interface the device is connected to (Fig. 11).

In the upper left corner there is a lock icon that tells us the status of the function Set W-protection.(Simply put, if the lock is open, then the disk is not write-protected; if it is closed, then only read information is available).

The second icon from the left is the disk icon; it appears only if an iso image is mounted on the CD-ROM.

The third icon from the left indicates the Zalmana operating mode.

• HDD MODE- letter "H",
• VCD MODE- letter "O" or drive symbol,
• DUAL MODE- letter "D".

Fig.11 Zalman ZM-VE500 interface

Firmware.

If you are a “fan of updates” or are suddenly dissatisfied current version firmware of your device and are sure that it will work better with other firmware, then we will consider the issue "How to flash Zalman ZM-VE500?"

First of all, let's see what version of the firmware is in at the moment, installed on the device, click Menu -> Information.

We see Firmware: v1.10.

Fortunately, there is support on the Zalman brand website, where we can download the firmware we need.

• Link:http://www.zalman.com/contents/support/downloads.html?find_object=all&find_text=ve500

They have a little confusion there with the version descriptions, so I will attach direct links to the files with the correct descriptions.

• Link: Firmware: v1.10.
• Link:Firmware: v1.11.
• Link:Firmware: v2.00.

Since I want to update the device, I download the archive for the firmware - Firmware: v2.00.

And then I ran into a problem when unpacking the archive I needed ZM-VE500 Firmware Ver_2.00.rar, a message pops up - "The archive is empty." I'll leave a link to this archive for now, maybe Zalmana technical support will fix the problem in the near future, but it looks like we'll have to update to the version v1.11.

To avoid the problems described in the "Problems" section, I disable encryption and make a backup copy of the disk, which I strongly recommend that you do too!!!

Unpack the downloaded archive ZALMAN_VE500_3637E_FWUpdater_V1.11.rar

Let's launch executable file ZALMAN_VE500_3637E_FWUpdater_V1.11.exe

Fig.12 Zalman-VE500 firmware

Click "Install".(Fig.12)

Fig.13 Zalman-VE500 firmware

Scan bus for "Initio External Storage Devices" - Scanning external storage devices (Fig. 13). Simply put, the computer searches for Zalman, we connect it, and then everything goes on without user intervention.

Fig.14 Zalman-VE500 firmware download progress

Progress of downloading firmware to the device (Fig. 14)

Fig.15 Update completed!

The update is complete!(Fig.15)

Let's go Menu -> Information and we see Firmware: v1.11. That's all, everything turned out to be very simple.

Problems.

Let's look at common problems that users of our gadget experience.

1 - The disk is not initializing. Personally, I encountered this problem, my Zalman ZM-VE500 did not want to see the disk, it turned out to be very simple, I inserted the disk that I used for the Windows OS, and did not notice that the first partition of the disk was a system partition, 100 Mb in size. The gadget sees the "_ISO" folder only in the first partition of the disk, so divide your HDD correctly, but how correctly? written in section "Preparation for use".

2 - Zalman ZM-VE500 password does not work after flashing. You need to flash the device to the firmware version for which encryption and password were enabled, disable these functions and reflash the device.

3 - Zalman ZM-VE500 does not see all iso images. Personally, I again encountered this and thought that this was normal, until I saw that all the images were displayed on exactly the same gadget. In short, the problem can be solved by regular Windows formatting, do not forget to uncheck "Quick (cleaning tables of contents)".(Fig.16)

Fig.16 Full disk formatting

Results. Pros and Cons.

As a result, I will say as in my diploma - “We considered everything we wanted to consider.” :D, but overall the gadget turned out to be very good. Unfortunately, Zalmana has no competitors in this area on the market, so we can only compare with previous models Zalman ZM-VE200, 300, 350, 400. Of course, we won’t do this, because they are all +/- the same in their main functionality. The differences are minor, for example, up to the 400th model, the main control element is a joystick and they are sold a little cheaper, etc. I'd better give it to you Pros And Cons which I found in reviews on popular online stores.

Pros

• Save time. If we compare it with a flash drive, which needs to be prepared to install something from it (format, download a program for burning images, burn an image, etc.), then with Zalman ZM-VE500 Most likely it will be 2-3 times faster.
• Data encryption. You can change up to 50 HDDs and they will remain encrypted.
• Temperature monitoring, and "S.M.A.R.T." HDD.

Cons

• No native safe removal.
• Safely Removing in Windows identifies the device as Zalman ZM-VE350.
• When updating again, all information disappears. (This is taken from people’s reviews; personally, I did not lose any files as a result of the update)
• When formatting and creating a partition, the MBR may display messages that the disk is not initialized the next time the pocket is booted.
• Price. In stores it sells for 3500-4000 rubles. a lot of money, judging by the salaries of system administrators, and even without HDD, and this is at least another 500 rubles. if you buy used small capacity.

IN 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 can be interesting to see how much existing 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 today's testing is an external 2.5" enclosure for hard drives, Zalman ZM-VE200, also made by a South Korean manufacturer. Zalman actually has a good reputation among manufacturers of cooling systems for computers. But HDD enclosures are not cooling systems. Let's see how The Zalman company is doing well in the “HDD pockets” market.

The factory packaging turned out to be relatively small, as was the product itself. On its front side there is an image of a black HDD pocket, on the sides of which two silver devices are placed in the background. Apparently, the manufacturer has set itself the goal of presenting the external HDD box to the buyer at a glance, and in the same way helping him decide on the more desirable color of the product. The packaging is well balanced and not overloaded with secondary information; only the basic names and designations of the external HDD pocket ZM-VE200. Despite the laconicism of the packaging, one inscription still makes you pleasantly surprised: “External HDD Case + Virtual Drive.” Wait a minute, is the virtual disk included? This is great, but let's talk about everything in order.

Let's first take a quick look at the main features and technical characteristics external pocket for Zalman ZM-VE200 hard drives, which can be found both on the back of the package and on the manufacturer’s official website.

Key features of Zalman ZM-VE200:

Aluminum housing

Pre-installed software for mounting CD/DVD images from ISO files: No additional software is required to mount any ISO image.

Built-in screen that displays information about state of rigid disk

Protective case included

Possibility of mounting ISO images, a built-in screen on which information is displayed - yes, it looks like we have a case here with its own operating system, not otherwise!

Technical Zalman characteristics ZM-VE200:

Dimensions (LxWxH): 135.3x78.6x13.1 mm

Weight: 98.5 g

Material: aluminum, acrylic, polycarbonate

Type: 2.5" SATA HDD

Interfaces: USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1), eSATA Direct HDD Access

Data transfer rate: USB up to 480 Mbit/s, eSATA up to 3 Gbit/s

Spindle speed: 5400 or 7200 rpm

Nutrition: USB

Color: black, silver

The factory packaging opens from the top, after which you can take out another additional cardboard package (gray, without beautiful pictures), in which, in addition to the HDD pocket itself, a protective case, a short user manual, and a screwdriver with bolts are neatly packed. It's nice to note that USB and eSATA cables also come standard. Obviously, the device comes without a hard drive. The protective case is a very nice bonus that protects appearance HDD case, especially considering that the ZM-VE200 can be located in it while it is connected to the computer, without fear of overheating.

As mentioned above, the outer case for the hard drive can be either black or silver. The USB pocket we received for testing is painted silver, and in my opinion, it is more attractive than black, since it contrasts more with the general view products.

Connecting and using the Zalman ZM-VE200 will not cause any trouble even to the most ordinary PC user. On the right, on the upper side of the HDD case is located USB port, write-protect function switch, hard drive activity LED, factory firmware recovery button, and eSATA port. Unlike other 2.5" and 3.5" devices, this HDD box It is powered only from a USB or eSATA cable, which explains the lack of a special connector for power. This fact is both a plus and a minus at the same time. The fact is that not all today's eSATA ports support the function of powering the devices connected to them, so it would be nice to still 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 via the appropriate connectors, and then insert the HDD along 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 fasten it inside using a screwdriver and two bolts, which the South Korean manufacturer thoughtfully included in the delivery 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 due to the tightened bolts, and this, although small, is still a flaw of the Korean engineers.

After installation is complete, it would be a sin not to test the strength and build quality of the case of our today's test subject. Simply shaking and moving the device convinced me that the engineers had designed the case well and that it was strong and reliable. While most 3.5" devices aren't designed for everyday carry, the ZM-VE200's 2.5" HDD pocket—one of the smallest HDD enclosures I've ever handled—is specifically designed for maximum mobility and portability.

The undoubted advantages of this device also include the LCD display. Few modern HDD enclosures can boast of its presence; in fact, I have never encountered similar devices before. And while external hard drives usually don't need a built-in screen (which is probably why they don't come with one), having a display on the ZM-VE200 is a really important option. Of course, using the LCD, the user will be able to monitor such minor indicators as the temperature of the hard drive (the pocket in any case must provide the necessary ventilation for the HDD, otherwise serious problems may arise), but also using the LCD you can quickly obtain 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 - a virtual CD/DVD drive. And this is really a very 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 such a feature, which offers a wealth of new possibilities for the end user.

By the way, do 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 use of the device between HDD, ODD or both at the same time - with its help the user can easily mount existing ISO files, 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 located in the "_ISO" folder on the HDD. If necessary, additional subfolders can be created in this folder, each of which can accommodate up to 32 images optical disks.

The USB 2.0 HDD port of the ZM-VE200 pocket has some specifics of working with the SATA port of the hard drive itself. First you will need to remove the protective coating on the chip, and then read a special disguised code printed in very small font. 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 a HDD box is actually very good. In theory, this additional functionality will greatly expand the capabilities of the ZM-VE200, and perhaps even transfer this HDD case on new level. However, this virtual optical disk not without flaws. Simply put, I'm not very happy with this new functionality.

As stated above, this device can operate in three different modes: HDD, ODD and Dual Mode. HDD mode is a hard drive mode in which the ZM-VE200 can be used as a regular HDD pocket. ODD mode is an optical drive mode in which the user only has the option of mounting ISO files into a virtual drive using it like a regular CD/DVD device. In HDD mode, the user does not have the option of directly mounting ISO images into a virtual drive, and vice versa. In fact, the 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 hard drive(HDD mode), and the second - for the operation of a virtual drive (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 is Dual Mode - a combination of the first two modes.

Technically, there is one more mode left - eSATA, however, this mode is kept "aside" from first three, and here's why. The first three modes are very easy to use. On the left side of the HDD pocket there is a special switch 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 inward + 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 normal information transfer between the computer and the HDD pocket.

A physical drive can only support one optical drive at one point in time. The same applies to the virtual CD/DVD drive in the ZM-VE200; Only one ISO image can be downloaded at a time. I was easily able to mount the images I had DVDs, 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, together with the LCD display, made it possible to quickly and easily view existing ISO images, mounting which took approximately 5 - 10 seconds, depending on the size of the ISO file itself.

Among other things, the Zalman ZM-VE200 can not only emulate a virtual CD/DVD drive - it allows you to create up to 4 floppy drives, and 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 help target the product at a very specific market where technicians sometimes still use floppy disks to run system diagnostics.

Testing

For testing we used a hard Samsung drive HM160HI, external box connected via USB interface to the 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 detected as empty, and the operating system offered to format it. It is also known about some “floating” glitches in this model, which are software in nature.

Conclusions

Today, it is very easy to buy a cheap 2.5" hard drive enclosure. In fact, there is now a large selection of different HDD boxes on the market. However, a smart choice would be to purchase a device not only with USB 2.0 support, but also to consider options with support for eSATA interfaces and, possibly, even USB 3.0. The good news is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 does not fit the usual criteria for choosing external HDD pockets. The fact is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 we are testing 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 unit. Why hasn't this idea been used before? Who knows.

The nice and slim design 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” switch make it easy to mount the necessary images of optical disks, or switch the mode of using the HDD enclosure. Although the Zalman ZM-VE200 has distinct advantages, it also has disadvantages. The disadvantages include the use of an aging USB 2.0 interface, which makes this purchase less promising. Let us also remember that this HDD enclosure is incompatible with the eSATAp interface; the manufacturer should provide the possibility of using external unit nutrition.

With all this, the Zalman ZM-VE200 is a kind of unique product that will appeal, first of all, to enthusiasts and lovers of technical innovations, for whom the novelty of the product is important and who value the quality of the materials in the product.

We thank OST-COM, the official distributor of Zalman in Russia, for the equipment provided.

V.Golub
04/08.2011

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There are a lot of stereotypes in the modern world... for example, that Japanese cars are better than South Korean ones, or that money is best kept in Swiss banks. Sometimes it can be interesting to see how much existing 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 today's testing is an external 2.5" enclosure for hard drives, Zalman ZM-VE200, also made by a South Korean manufacturer. Zalman actually has a good reputation among manufacturers of cooling systems for computers. But HDD enclosures are not cooling systems. Let's see how The Zalman company is doing well in the “HDD pockets” market.

The factory packaging turned out to be relatively small, as was the product itself. On its front side there is an image of a black HDD pocket, on the sides of which two silver devices are placed in the background. Apparently, the manufacturer has set itself the goal of presenting the external HDD box to the buyer at a glance, and in the same way helping him decide on the more desirable color of the product. The packaging is well balanced and not overloaded with secondary information; only the basic names and designations of the external HDD pocket ZM-VE200. Despite the laconicism of the packaging, one inscription still makes you pleasantly surprised: “External HDD Case + Virtual Drive.” Wait a minute, is the virtual disk included? This is great, but let's talk about everything in order.

Let's first take a brief look at the main features and technical characteristics of the external pocket for hard drives Zalman ZM-VE200, which can be found both on the back of the package and on the manufacturer's official website.

Key features of Zalman ZM-VE200:

Aluminum housing

Pre-installed software for mounting CD/DVD images from ISO files: no additional software is required to mount any ISO image.

Built-in screen that displays information about the status of the hard drive

Protective case included

The ability to mount ISO images, a built-in screen on which information is displayed - yes, it looks like we have here a case with its own operating system, no less!

Technical characteristics of Zalman ZM-VE200:

Dimensions (LxWxH): 135.3x78.6x13.1 mm

Weight: 98.5 g

Material: aluminum, acrylic, polycarbonate

Type: 2.5" SATA HDD

Interfaces: USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1), eSATA Direct HDD Access

Data transfer rate: USB up to 480 Mbit/s, eSATA up to 3 Gbit/s

Spindle speed: 5400 or 7200 rpm

Nutrition: USB

Color: black, silver

The factory packaging opens from the top, after which you can take out another additional cardboard package (gray, without beautiful pictures), in which, in addition to the HDD pocket itself, a protective case, a short user manual, and a screwdriver with bolts are neatly packed. It's nice to note that USB and eSATA cables also come standard. Obviously, the device comes without a hard drive. The protective case is a very nice bonus that protects the appearance of the HDD case, especially considering that the ZM-VE200 can be in it while it is connected to the computer without fear of overheating.

As mentioned above, the outer case for the hard drive can be either black or silver. The USB pocket we received for testing is painted silver, and in my opinion, it is more attractive than black, since 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 there is a USB port, a write-protect function switch, a hard drive activity LED, a factory firmware recovery button, and an eSATA port. Unlike other 2.5" and 3.5" devices, this HDD box is powered only by a USB or eSATA cable, which explains the absence of a special power connector. This fact is both a plus and a minus at the same time. The fact is that not all today's eSATA ports support the function of powering the devices connected to them, so it would be nice to still 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 via the appropriate connectors, and then insert the HDD along 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 fasten it inside using a screwdriver and two bolts, which the South Korean manufacturer thoughtfully included in the delivery 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 due to the tightened bolts, and this, although small, is still a flaw of the Korean engineers.

After installation is complete, it would be a sin not to test the strength and build quality of the case of our today's test subject. Simply shaking and moving the device convinced me that the engineers had designed the case well and that it was strong and reliable. While most 3.5" devices aren't designed for everyday carry, the ZM-VE200's 2.5" HDD pocket—one of the smallest HDD enclosures I've ever handled—is specifically designed for maximum mobility and portability.

External hard drive Today it has become one of the essential items for everyone whose activities are in one way or another connected with PC maintenance. The choice of discs and containers is large - for every color, taste and budget. However, there are solutions that stand out noticeably in the general series, one of them can be called an external container Zalman ZM-VE300 which, in addition to serving as an external drive, can serve as an optical disc drive emulator.

This allows you to kill two birds with one stone, since an external ODD drive and a stack of disks for it are the same essential items for system administrators, service engineers and simply computer enthusiasts. Installation discs with the OS, various service and diagnostic Live-CDs - in the end we get a rather impressive list of disks that you should always have with you, and important disks are also not in one copy. Otherwise, it will be very unpleasant when, at the most crucial moment, a “worn out” disk refuses to be read.

But first things first. At first glance the cost Zalman ZM-VE300 may seem very overpriced, paying about 2000 rubles for an external container without HDD, even from a famous manufacturer, is somehow too much, for this money you can easily get a good one external drive. But this is only at first glance; as we will see later, the device fully justifies its price.

The container is supplied in a medium-sized cardboard box, on which the manufacturer emphasized the main advantages of the device.

It's obvious that Zalman ZM-VE300 in virtual drive mode, it is significantly ahead of any existing optical drive. Even in USB 2.0 mode, which is the main one, when using this container as boot disk, only Windows 8 can currently be booted via USB 3.0, and even then not always successfully, since USB 3.0 controllers different manufacturers have their own characteristics.

To evaluate the performance of the virtual drive as a bootable one, we compared the startup time of the Ubuntu 13.0 LiveCD by burning it to new disk DVD+R.

Optical drives showed quite expected results: the external drive is the slowest, the internal drive is slightly faster. Zalman ZM-VE300 once again showed a significant lead - loading the image in less than a minute. This is a truly excellent result, which will be appreciated by those who often have to boot their PC from optical discs.

Conclusions

We have before us a truly excellent product that fully justifies its price. Its main advantage is a virtual optical drive, which will allow you to abandon the use of optical discs and external drives. In addition, the virtual drive allows you to work with disk images much faster than any optical drive. All this does Zalman ZM-VE300 an indispensable assistant for administrators, service engineers and simply computer enthusiasts.

Nowadays, it is difficult to surprise anyone with both external hard drives and cases for them. But what stands out among the competitors is the external housing for hard drives Zalman ZM-VE300. In addition to the traditional 2.5" box with fast USB interface 3.0, Zalman ZM-VE300 has a unique feature - it can mount disk and floppy disk images recorded in it. That is, in addition to the regular external HDD mode, it can work as a DVD-ROM and floppy drive. Similar devices appeared on the market many years ago, but I was able to truly appreciate their convenience only when I saw them in action with my own eyes. Now I am another happy owner of a Zalman ZM-VE300.

The kit includes an aluminum ZM-VE300 case, a thick carrying case, a USB 3.0 cable, an installation CD with programs, a quick user guide and a small screwdriver with bolts for fixing the hard drive.

Zalman ZM-VE300 has an impressive design: a lightweight aluminum case with plastic inserts on the sides, a small LCD screen that displays the status of the disk. On the top edge there is an activity indicator, a socket for connecting a USB cable and a “Backup” button. In addition, on the left side of the box there is a three-position joystick-wheel, with which almost all actions are performed. The activity indicator is two-color. White color is used to indicate operation in USB 2.0 mode, blue - in USB 3.0 mode.

In order to install a hard drive in the Zalman ZM-VE300, you need to remove the top board with the display and connect the drive itself to it. Then insert the resulting structure into the aluminum housing.

Of the three 2.5" drives we tried, the Zalman ZM-VE300 refused to work with one, but accepted the other two normally. I didn’t find any pattern in its preferences, and, as it became clear from the reviews in different internets, I'm not the only one who had this problem. So it's probably better to have a few different drives ready.

When the disk is installed and functionality has been verified, you need to secure it. Bend the seal from the sides of the case; holes for the bolts are hidden under them. As I already said, bolts and a small screwdriver are included in the kit, so there shouldn’t be any problems with fastening. But the seal doesn’t want to go back up, since it is made of hard plastic and after bending it begins to dangle. A trifle, of course, but it spoils the impression. A regular rubber seal would look more harmonious here.

In the first Zalman ZM-VE300 models, the firmware only allowed working with disks formatted in FAT32 to support file NTFS systems I had to install alternative firmware from a similar device - iODD-2531. In new batches, the firmware is more recent, with it NTFS drives are perfectly supported without additional steps. Download latest version Firmware and programs necessary for updating can be found on the website.

ZM.VE300.Firmware.Upgrade.R1288N.zip (343,728 bytes)

In order to install firmware from iODD-2531 on Zalman-VE300, you will need to slightly modify the firmware program. I corrected the latest firmware version. After installing it, the device is identified in the system as iODD, but this will not work any worse. On the contrary, all new features from the iODD-2531 will be added to the functionality, which include official firmware Zalman-VE300 does not exist and is not expected.

iODD.2531.to.ZM.VE300.Firmware.Upgrade.R1600N.zip (345,755 bytes)

Entering and exiting the Menu occurs by pressing the side switch for more than 3 seconds. Moving through the menu and selecting items is done using the joystick; returning to the previous level is done using the "Backup" button.

• Main menu:
  • Mode Select- setting the device operating mode
  • Setting- adjust the brightness of the LCD display and Sleep mode
  • Information- view information about the HDD and firmware version
  • USB Connect- USB connection setup
  • Advanced- setting up a virtual HDD connection
• Mode Select menu:
  • Dual Mode- work in combined mode, external HDD and virtual DVD-ROM/Blu-Ray drive
  • ODD Mode or CD Mode(for iODD firmware) - works 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 connecting to devices other than a PC)
• Settings menu:
  • LCD Bright- adjust the brightness of the LCD screen backlight
  • Idle Bright- adjustable LCD backlight in sleep mode
  • Standby time- setting the time to go into sleep mode
  • Load Default- return to default values
• Menu "Information":
  • 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 the type of current connection (USB2.0: Hi-Speed, USB3.0: Super-Speed)
  • USB Input Volt- display the lowest input voltage by USB port after connecting to PC and current input voltage
• Menu "S.M.A.R.T":
  • HDD Temp.- display HDD temperature
  • HDD Health- display the HDD status (Good, Warning, Bad). If a Warning or Bad appears, immediately backup all data and check the HDD
• "USB Connect" menu:
  • Refresh- reconnect the device to the PC
  • Safe Removal- safe removal of the device
• Advanced menu:
  • 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)

To use virtual ODD, the image file must be located in the "_ISO" folder, which, in turn, must be located in the root of the hard drive. After this, you need to switch the Zalman ZM-VE300 to “ODD Mode” or “Dual Mode” and use the three-position joystick to select required file image. Depending on the type of image, it will immediately be mounted on the computer as a virtual DVD-ROM/Blu-Ray drive or as a virtual floppy drive.

It is not indicated 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 the Zalman ZM-VE300 will display the message “Too Many Files”. This can be easily circumvented by creating subfolders, although this still leaves a limit of 32 files per folder. Eat alternative firmware, where there is no such restriction, but personally, I have the entire necessary set of distributions in a dozen files. By the way, as a cheaper alternative to the Zalman ZM-VE300, unscrupulous sellers may offer you enclosures for hard drives of the brand Konoos. Such a replacement is far from equivalent, since younger models Konoos cases support only one image, and more sophisticated ones support only three. Naturally, online shopping sites are modestly silent about this.

The Zalman ZM-VE300 comes with a utility for backup Backup Utility. It is recorded on a CD, but the latest version is always available on the website. As you might guess, it is used to make backups selected files and folders from your computer to an external hard drive in Zalman ZM-VE300. In the program, configure the necessary paths, then click the “Backup” button on the box and the utility copies the information.

But that's not all she can do. Using Backup Utility, you can create virtual disks and then save them to the "_ISO" folder on an external hard drive. WITH virtual disks It's worth understanding better. "Virtual HDD" are empty files of a given size with the ability to connect them as external drives. Naturally, the Zalman ZM-VE300 is responsible for the connection and emulation functions.

Everything should also be clear with the “Safe Removal” function. 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 this at the initiative of the computer through this Backup Utility function.

And this is how the system displays physical hard drives and virtual drives connected or created using the Zalman ZM-VE300.

Returning to the topic about installing Windows XP on the HP Mini 210-1130ER netbook. The inconvenience of installing the system from a flash drive was the last argument for me to buy the Zalman ZM-VE300. After purchasing it, I conducted an experiment: I recorded the prepared image on an external hard drive, installed a blank hard drive in 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 sparse. All you can learn from it is where to attach the bolts and how to install backup software. On the Internet there are instructions in electronic form, even translated into Russian, but in essence they are no different from the paper version. According to rumors, complete documentation is available in Korean, but this is unlikely to be of any help. So you'll 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)

Because the instructions are quite brief, and they do not describe all the capabilities of the Zalman ZM-VE300. In preparing this review, I collected from various sources and systematized useful tips and undocumented functions. Everyone else possible problems discussed in detail at the IXBT conference.

• If you hold down the "Backup" button while connecting the device, write protection will turn on.
• If you hold down the joystick wheel while connecting, the write protection is removed and the device goes into “Dual Mode”.
• If you hold the joystick wheel up while connecting, the “ODD Mode” mode is set.
• If you hold the joystick wheel down while connecting, the “HDD Mode” mode is set.
• If you turn down and hold the joystick wheel during operation, the device will be safely turned off. The same thing happens if you press and hold the "Backup" button.
• If you turn up and hold the joystick wheel while working, the “_ISO” folder will be rescanned and the list of images contained in it will be updated. This is very convenient if new images were recorded on 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 scroll down, wait for the "Data Saving..." message and disconnect the disk from the computer. After this, Zalman VE-300 will start with the selected image.
• To unmount a floppy disk image or drive from a "Virtual HDD", you need to go to the "End Of List" item and hold down the wheel for 3 seconds.
• When connecting to a desktop computer, it is better to use the USB ports that are located on the back system unit, 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 should be Primary.
• It is not recommended to install SSD drives in the Zalman ZM-VE300, as they are more sensitive to insufficient power supplied via USB and may fail.

In some cases, when trying to mount an image, the Zalman ZM-VE300 displays the message "DEFRAG" and refuses to mount the file. This message means that the image file is highly fragmented.

The most convenient way to defragment files and directories is to use free program WinContig. Her main feature - fast defragmentation separate files without having to defragment the entire disk. Just launch WinContig, select one or more image files and defragment, after which the Zalman ZM-VE300 quietly mounts everything.

What can I say to sum it up? Zalman ZM-VE300 is a very cool thing that justifies its cost to the penny. Now the problem with preparing installation flash drives and a stack of CD/DVD disks with different distributions has been solved once and for all; all this remains a thing of the past. The 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, there are some disadvantages. Neither the instructions nor the website contains a list of recommended hard drive models that work with the Zalman ZM-VE300. As a last resort, it would be possible to indicate the recommended characteristics, type of amperage and rotation speed, so that you can independently select the desired model, but this information is nowhere to be found. The USB cable included in the kit is short and VERY stiff, which is why there is a risk of damaging the housing connector with frequent use. It would not hurt to provide additional power so that the Zalman ZM-VE300 can be connected to older computers. Of course, no one bothers you to find and purchase the right cable yourself, but it’s strange that the manufacturer made such a wonderful device and saved on a cheap cable. Judging by the reviews, for some hard drives you have to add an additional seal to the case so that the drive does not hang around inside. In my case this was not necessary, but in general I agree that the fastening system could have been thought out better. Otherwise, I am very pleased with the purchase.

UPD. After the untimely death of the Zalman ZM-VE300 (connected it 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 problems with seals described there. 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. The only thing is that the iODD case is uncomfortable - soft. I replaced it with a vacant case from Zalman. So it makes sense to purchase original iODD devices, rather than crookedly copied replicas.

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