Review: Plextor PX-EH25L

In some ways, Plextor’s PX-EH25L is easier to use than any of its rivals. But in other ways, it’s much more complex and confusing.

The PX-EH25L isn’t supplied with any software. There are no drivers or configuration utilities on the CD-Rom that you find in the box, merely a manual in HTML format.

Once you have connected the drive to your network, all you have to do is right-click on the ‘My Network Places’ icon on your desktop and select the ‘Search for Computers’ option. Windows will then locate the drive and list it under Network Places, or you can use the ‘Map Network Drive’ option to assign a drive letter so that it is listed within the My Computer window.

Unfortunately, that’s where things start to go downhill. Any other features you might want to use require you to wade through the HTML manual – which is poorly written and confusing. The initial setup procedure only works with Windows PCs.

It is possible to use the PX-EH25L with a Mac, but the process outlined in the manual is too long-winded and confusing for most home users, or even for business users who don’t have considerable knowledge of networking.

Of course, that’s not a problem if you’re using a purely PC-only network. However, other features are equally difficult to use. Like most of these Nas devices, the PX-EH25L allows you to set up individual user accounts and shared folders. Unfortunately, figuring out how to do this involved ploughing through page after page of the HTML manual.

So while the initial installation of the PX-EH25L was easy enough, the absence of a simple configuration utility means that proper use of the drive’s features really is too complicated for most home users or small businesses.

This article is part of a group test of network-attached devices.
See also
Adaptec Snap Server 110
Buffalo Linkstation Multimedia Home Server
Buffalo Terastation Home Server
Freecom Storage Gateway WLAN
Iomega Storcenter Network Hard Drive
La Cie Ethernet Disk Mini
Linksys EFG120
Maxtor Shared Storage II
Western Digital Netcenter 500
Living with NAS
DIY NAS

The table of features can be read via our pdf download.

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