Hello fellow Metropoleans,
I was wondering what you guys know about external hard drives. I currently have a laptop with an 80gb drive and I want to back it up in case anything happens to my computer.
Anyway, I've been looking at this portable one, which as well as looking nice and sexy, has 120gb of storage just in case in need a little bit extra:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/B000IAZ5 ... 60-9235603
How will this compare to it's ordinary equivilant? Here's a Western Digital 160gb one, it's just bigger and requires its own power (the advantage being that it's cheaper and you get more storage):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital ... lectronics
Anyway, I'd appreciate any Metropol wisdom about this - I guess the compromise with the portable one is that it won't be as fast to transfer files to?
External Hard Drives
-
Dr Lobster*
- Posts: 2128
- Joined: Sat 30 Aug, 2003 20.14
if i was you, i'd go for something like this: http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformati ... 0Drive.htm
we use these at work for backups and they are fine, a lot cheaper than those stupid little portable things.
it will be heavier and it will need a power brick, but as it's a "backup" you're not going to be bringing everywhere anyway.
we use these at work for backups and they are fine, a lot cheaper than those stupid little portable things.
it will be heavier and it will need a power brick, but as it's a "backup" you're not going to be bringing everywhere anyway.
Upload service: http://www.metropol247.co.uk/uploadservice
-
DVB Cornwall
- Posts: 519
- Joined: Fri 24 Jun, 2005 21.42
Bought this one last October - it's very good and has no difficulty in playing HD video 'live' from the remote drive ....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital ... lectronics
Recommended.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital ... lectronics
Recommended.
Thanks for that guys. I do see the advantage of going for the larger ones as in theory I'm using it as a back-up.
However, as I don't have a desk for my computer, one that's bigger and requires power might be a bit bulky.
I guess what I really wanted to know was the difference between the two performance wise. Sorry for not making that clear from the start...
However, as I don't have a desk for my computer, one that's bigger and requires power might be a bit bulky.
I guess what I really wanted to know was the difference between the two performance wise. Sorry for not making that clear from the start...
-
Nick Harvey
- God
- Posts: 4162
- Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 22.26
- Location: Deepest Wiltshire
- Contact:
Just an odd thought about back-ups.
Whether you're using a compressing back-up program or just taking a copy of C:, it's always worth having room for TWO back-ups on the external drive and using them alternately, so when the machine falls over during this back-up, you've still got the previous one on the external drive to recover from.
Whether you're using a compressing back-up program or just taking a copy of C:, it's always worth having room for TWO back-ups on the external drive and using them alternately, so when the machine falls over during this back-up, you've still got the previous one on the external drive to recover from.
-
Dr Lobster*
- Posts: 2128
- Joined: Sat 30 Aug, 2003 20.14
the spindle speed is 7200 on the larger unit and 5400 on the smaller more portable drive.
in real terms, you notice it most with random access, how much depends on lots of things, again, if all you are using it for is a backup device speed isn't really going to be an issue - 60 gb of data will easily copy over in a couple of hours tops. (i backup 70gb of data to an external drive and it takes about 1 hr 15 minutes uncompressed).
again, if your use of this drive is just a backup, speed and size shouldn't be a problem as the whole point of it is to keep it and your laptop in seperate places, so if you're travelling with your backup drive the whole exercise is pointless, as if your laptop gets stolen, so does your backup etc.
i'd personally get the biggest (in terms of capacity) as you can afford.
in real terms, you notice it most with random access, how much depends on lots of things, again, if all you are using it for is a backup device speed isn't really going to be an issue - 60 gb of data will easily copy over in a couple of hours tops. (i backup 70gb of data to an external drive and it takes about 1 hr 15 minutes uncompressed).
again, if your use of this drive is just a backup, speed and size shouldn't be a problem as the whole point of it is to keep it and your laptop in seperate places, so if you're travelling with your backup drive the whole exercise is pointless, as if your laptop gets stolen, so does your backup etc.
i'd personally get the biggest (in terms of capacity) as you can afford.
Upload service: http://www.metropol247.co.uk/uploadservice
-
Neil Jones
- Posts: 661
- Joined: Thu 11 Sep, 2003 20.03
- Location: West Midlands
The do it yourself method:
One of these:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/120310 (£4, cheap and cheerful but it apparently does the job)
And then one of these (or any other IDE hard drive):
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/97511 (£37.04 for a 120Gb drive)
Plus P&P. (Grand total of £46.31 for Super Saver Delivery on eBuyer with the above items)
Receive the items, put them together yourself, use.
One of these:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/120310 (£4, cheap and cheerful but it apparently does the job)
And then one of these (or any other IDE hard drive):
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/97511 (£37.04 for a 120Gb drive)
Plus P&P. (Grand total of £46.31 for Super Saver Delivery on eBuyer with the above items)
Receive the items, put them together yourself, use.
If you're interested, I opted for the first option - the portable 120GB option that doesn't require a power cable and looks rather snazzy.
It's yet to arrive, so fingers crossed it's a good'n
It's yet to arrive, so fingers crossed it's a good'n
By the way moderately related...
I use Windows 2000 Professional on my laptop, and have my user account (Administrator) protected with a password.
If my laptop got lost/stolen, could anyone access the data on it?
I haven't protected it any way other than having it behind my Windows protected account.
I use Windows 2000 Professional on my laptop, and have my user account (Administrator) protected with a password.
If my laptop got lost/stolen, could anyone access the data on it?
I haven't protected it any way other than having it behind my Windows protected account.