Installation:
As with most USB drives, the GoFlex Desk was very easy to install. Those running Windows XP, Vista or 7 can simply plug the drive into any available USB 2.0 or 3.0 port on their computer. If the computer is already turned on, plug and play will automatically detect the drive.
If installed correctly, the GoFlex Desk should show up in the Device Manager. Under Windows 7, the drive is identified as a "Seagate FA GoFlex Desk USB Device".
The GoFlex Desk comes formatted with NTFS, giving you about 1.81TB of usable space. Of that, about 218MB is taken up by the PC and Mac software that comes bundled with the drive.
Software:
The GoFlex Desk comes bundled with Seagate's Dashboard software as well as a number of applications from Memeo. Using the Dashboard, you can change the power and LED settings, test to make sure the drive is functioning correctly or check to see how much space is being used.
Memeo Instant Backup is installed alongside the Dashboard and can be launched directly from the main menu. Offering simple "one-click" backup, Instant Backup protects your entire computer by backing up all of the files on your C: drive. The application also provides continuous protection by instantly backing up any new or changed files on the disk.
Along with Memeo Instant Backup, the GoFlex Desk includes a 30-day trial of Memeo AutoSync. This application lets you synchronize between the folders on your computer and external hard drives, USB flash drives or a shared folder on a network. Whenever you insert your storage device or reconnect to your network folder, new and updated files are automatically copied in both directions.
The GoFlex Desk also comes with Memeo Share. This application removes the hassles commonly associated with sharing digital content by allowing you to share photos and videos with friends and family members right from your desktop. Memeo Share lets you create your own private Sharing Circles and invite people by email address or create a public Sharing Circle and share your content with anyone online.
Last, but not least, we have Memeo Send. This service from Memeo offers secure, assured delivery of files to anyone on the Internet. Files are uploaded and downloaded using 128-bit SSL encryption and stored in Memeo's fault-tolerant data center for two weeks. The Memeo Send software also includes tracking capabilities so that you can check when your files were downloaded and by whom.
