Jemplode only works via ethernet, if I recall correctly. Connect to the player with ethernet to retrieve your files.



By definition, the drive in question was not a back-up drive, since it contained the only copy of your music files. I would call that an external or secondary drive, specifically one that has not been backed up.




Agreed that hard disks die a lot. I recommend backing them up.



That depends on the brand you buy, and how you care for the drive.

Recently the drive in my laptop died because I dropped something small on the laptop at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time, enough for it to crash the heads. (Luckily I had it backed up.) Other things that can make a drive die are letting it get too hot or too cold. Or they can Just Die if they're Seagates.

I spent some extra money and got a Solid State Drive for my laptop, in hopes that it will be more reliable. But I still back it up, and the most critical data I back up to multiple places.