Advice is free.

[hackthis_archive]

1. I need a harddrive so I can back-up my ipod. I'm thinking about Seagate or Western Digital, but everything I read with them says that they have all this extraneous software and I'm not down for that. I JUST WANT TO BACK-UP MY POD! Plz to help with an easy solution. I also need to know which software to use to make this transfer possible. I know if anybody can help, you lot can.

2. Cleanser and Moisturizer. The water is different everywhere you live, where I live now the water is a mess and my skin is totally not feeling this. I used to be one of those bar soap kids, and it was perfect, until it stopped working. I like my cleansers foamy, it's just fun, but I'd like it to work more. My skin is fairly normal, more oily than dry with rare blemishes (except now that it's on strike). I'm currently using an Oil of Olay Face Wash as Neutrogena dries out my face. Other suggestions are fabulous. My skin isn't sensitive, but it doesn't like stuff with a lot of alcohol.

For years I used regular Oil of Olay moisturizer, but then they put SPF 15 in it and that messed up the composition and my face went on strike. I'm currently using a rather fancy spa brand, but I'd like to get something a little more reasonable shall we say. It definitely needs to have an SPF as I'm outside a lot and being without is a disaster, but it can't be thick and goopy.

Also, tomorrow is my SIX year LJ anniversary. Wow. Craziness.

Comments

[melodylemming.livejournal.com]

I have a Western Digital external harddrive, and I love it. It's a few years old, but it's 80GB, which means it holds more hours of TV than I can watch, and I didn't have to install any software, although that may be because I use a Mac.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[calligrafiti.livejournal.com]

I like Yardley's Old English Lavender soap. It comes in bar and liquid. I'm not sure what the alcohol content is like, but it consistently plays nicely with my somewhat sensitive skin, under a lot of different water conditions.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

I love Angels on Bare Skin by Lush for a face cleanser. It smells nummy and leaves my skin feeling clean but without drying it out.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[smangosbubbles]

As far as I can tell, my Western Digital Elements drive has the software to allow it to work with your computer and nothing else (I just checked and it has:
1. some diagnostic tool (could be helpful)
2. a program that powers the drive down when you turn you computer off (useful, because there is no power button)
3. a thing that makes the WD logo display instead of the normal drive icon (useless, but it does let me know which window is the drive one when I've got a bunch open)
4. FAT32 formatting utility (could be useless or useful, depending)

So it has extraneous software, but compared to the MyBook line, it's nothing.)

You can see a list here.

(On the downside, Amazonians have left consistently bad reviews (most say "dead after five months." I have not had my drive five months yet, but it's worked so far, and it has a fan, so it gets slightly warm to the touch, but nowhere near uncomfortable (plus, I like the little clicking noises it makes. It's likes it's talking to me!))

So, yes, um. Vote for WD Elements, but a vote against the MyBook, which I can assure you (via the complaints of some tech blog) that the software it comes with basically limits you transferring certain filetypes over a wireless network (or something. You can transfer every filetype to the drive and to other places via the cord, but certain types can't be shared wirelessly. Of course, they are exactly the files you'd WANT to share.).

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Okay, thank you for the totally detailed comment, that's exactly what I needed.

[smangosbubbles]

Happy to help! :D

[anandangel.livejournal.com]

I upgraded to a Western Digital Elements 160GB external drive about three months ago, and I love it. It is about as big as my wallet, and it's powered though the USB connection to your computer, so it's super portable. Since it has to power itself on and start up every time you plug it in, it's a bit slow to load at first (and transferring my whole library there took about an hour), but once it's running it's great. They best thing about it is that WD has discontinued the Elements in favor of MyBooks; they don't show up on the Office Depot website anymore, but I got mine in the store a few months ago for $50, and I saw one still there yesterday for $40.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Hot damn! Office Depot here I come!

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

I've had several Seagates. They've always been plug 'n' play, no extra software.

I actually sell skin care so I can get a discount on it, so I'm not much help on that question.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

So what do you sell?

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

BeautiControl. It's the only stuff I've been able to use for longer than six months without developing a sensitivity, so I joined up when they had some kind of special going on to become a new consultant.

[halfway2home.livejournal.com]

I have a Seagate one. I just plugged it in and that's it.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[teneagles.livejournal.com]

I have several Seagate externals. They do come with a lot of useless software included, but I always just decline to install it and delete the install files off the drive. Never had any problems.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

See, now that's what instructions should really say.

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

Just because external hard drives come with crappy software doesn't mean you actually have to USE it. I promise that no Seagate or Western Digital software police will kick in your door if you just chuck it in the bin. (I just plug in the USB cord and drag n drop files as needed. When I used to use the stupid software it came with, all my data was encoded by the stupid awful program and could not be retrieved on another computer unless it too had the stupid software. I'm not sure I've stressed how stupid I think this is, so let me just say STUPID OMG SO STUPID again.)

Also, to get stuff off your iPod and onto your drive, use Floola (http://www.floola.com/modules/wiwimod/), a nifty bit of cross-platform freeware which is really simple to use. Also, downloading & installing it eventuates in neither tons of spammy emails in your inbox nor spyware on your system. WIN.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

You win my gold star today. THANK YOU!

[venivincere]

You can still get the original Oil of Olay with nothing in it -- I just bought a fresh bottle. I use the SPF 15 in the summer, but spring, fall and winter I use the original stuff that makes my skin look like a china doll's. If you can't get it where you're at, I'd be happy to pick some up for you and send it.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I wasn't more clear, it wasn't the active moisturing Oil of Olay one, but it was Olay moisture lotion, which having taken the bottle to the store and actually checked the ingredients on the other bottles, I can only assume is a figment of my imagination. It's my unicorn!

[freesnowcone.livejournal.com]

Randomly commenting:

I have an Iomega harddrive just for the purpose of backing up my iPod. I've had it for ages and it's a plug-and-play. But they're notoriously bad if you have a Mac.

I use CopyToy to transfer files. It's free to use if you copy songs one by one and twenty bucks to pay for the upgrade to do it all at once. Not the best, but not the worst.

And philosophy's purity made simple cleanser is relatively cheap (10 bucks for a 3.5 oz bottle--mine lasts me a few months). Doesn't dry out your skin. Also use their moisturizer called hope in a bottle, but it doesn't have SPF in it so I just use a separate sunscreen.

Cheers!

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for all the advice!

[flyingtapes.livejournal.com]

RE: hard drive, I just bought a Western Digital last week and deleting all the automated backup software was the first thing I did. It doesn't affect the performance or usage at all. I like it so far, though I think I prefer Lacie.

RE: cleansers, I'm a LUSH devotee and Angels on Bare Skin and Ocean Salt is where it's at for me. But if I remember correctly, you broke up with LUSH? I don't know, I haven't used a chemical cleaner in a long time, so that's the only suggestion I can offer.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I tried Lush on my face once, using Coalface soap, but it totally dried out my face, and I tried one of the masks and it clogged my pores. And I looked at their cleaners, but they all seemed to be rather, err, gritty.

[londondrowning.livejournal.com]

1. I have a Seagate with my iTunes and all my music on it, and it's never given me a single problem. I bought it about a year and a half ago and it was extremely easy to use. I literally plugged it in, dragged all the files over, unplugged it, plugged it into the new computer, and it was good to go.

2. Aveeno Daily Glow exfoliating for a cleanser. It's great, it gets a little foamy and it doesn't HURT like some exfoliating cleansers do.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

You know how I like my stuff simple. Seagate it is. I'd tried Aveeno before and it wasn't great, but I will see.

[elbomac.livejournal.com]

I've been using Almay Daily Moisturizer for Oily Skin for about a year; it's just right and has SPF. http://tiny.cc/nvl2K

I don't use the rest of the line; I have more of a blemish problem, so I use the tea trea oil cleanser and toner (and scrub and mask! I love it!) from The Body Shop. http://tiny.cc/yJytK

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

The Body Shop! I forgot all about them! Also, that Almay looks promising, thanks!

[jersey-tomato.livejournal.com]

I seem to have the same type of skin as you and I've been using baby shampoo as a face wash for a few years now. You can use it to remove eye makeup too, and it's super cheap!

[cadillacaro.livejournal.com]

No matter what hard drive you choose to go with, there's an awesome little programme called senuti, that will transfer all the songs from your ipod over to your chosen harddrive.
link: http://www.fadingred.org/senuti/

[bellebonnesage.livejournal.com]

I am loving your fics! I know little about hardware, but skincare? I am your girl. Check this out:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/

You're welcome.

(And thank you so much for your amazing imagination!!)