can i use the same portable hard drive on a mac and on a pc?

portable hard drive mac format image

Freck1e

i want to back up or copy files from my mac and take them to the office and work on them using a pc. I have a portable hard drive but as its formatted for mac, the pc does not see it. I want to buy another port hd - what type do I buy - help very much appreciated.

Answer
Western digital is a very good hard drive brand for externals.

If i were you, i would format the hard drive for the pc. Mac recognizes both mac and pc so you should be fine. if it is formatted as a mac, you won't be able to see it.

If I plugged a portable hard drive from western digital into my mac, will it be available on PCs as well?

Marcus Mas

If I plugged a portable hard drive from western digital into my mac, will it be available on PCs as well? I didn't reformat anything, I just put it into the USB port. It didn't even ask if I wanted to do anything of the sort.

Answer
Format must be FAT32.

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Graphic design student...What are some lap top recommendations?

portable hard drive vs desktop image

San Jose M

I have a desktop computer with dual monitors that I share with my husband. It works great, is super fast, and is just right for school stuff.
However, I want a lap top that can handle Photoshop as well as some other design programs.

My current laptop is at least 8 years old and is on its last leg. I can't watch videos, scroll through pictures or do multiple tasks at once on it. Those are all things I'd like with a new laptop.

What would you recommend? What do you use?

Answer
Hey San Jose Mommy. I'm a San Jose Grandpa!

I have seen this "graphic design laptop" question many times on Yahoo Answers, and I consistantly respond that there ARE no good laptops for this purposes. Mainly, it is an issue with the size of the monitor, which makes good design paifully difficult. Unless you are designing a final product that is smaller than your monitor, it is hard to work to such a small surface. It is true, that not all graphic design projects are even as small as the largest monitor, but it is simply human nature to do artwork on as large a surface as possible.

All right. Having said this, and, with the recognition that many people, particulary design students, don't really have the option of running both a desktop design station, AND having to carry a laptop for school, the only advice I can offer is that you make sure that the portable system has the most ram, fastest processor and largest hard drive you can afford. Graphics apps keep growing and get more resource hungry with every upgrade. So, get as much raw power as you can, now, to minimize the chance of going obsolete too soon.

Stick with the name brands and, run the same platform as the system at home. I won't get into the Mac vs. PC argument, except to say that I run both types in my studio. THEY WORK THE SAME! But, keep your desktop and your laptop using the same, basic platform. It will make sharing files and peripherals much easier.

Stick with the name brands.

P.S. I don't use a laptop exept for journaling while on road trips and to store photos when my flash cards get full.

Is it going to cool of much more this next week? I like warm weather, but I'm looking forward to the autumn colors.

what should i buy a mac desktop or macbook?

SUNNY572

my bro has a macbook and lets me use it but i dont know what to get and what are the differences of use

Answer
As the others have said, a laptop is used if you need it to be portable and a desktop if it will always be in the same place. Remember that you have to pay extra for portability. IE: MacBook costs much more than a comparably equipped desktop, or for the same money, you can buy a better equipped iMac vs MacBook.

I don't even consider the Mini. It is a very good computer, but the added costs for quality extras like monitor, etc. drive the price way up. You spend about the same as for an iMac, but with specifications closer to those of a MacBook.

Either would include a SuperDrive, Bluetooth, Wireless networking (Airport, which is compatible with the other wireless manufacturer's products), ethernet, USB, Firewire, etc.as standard equipment.

As an example: Let's say you have a $2000 budget.

You can get a MacBook Pro with a 2.66 ghz duo core processor, 4 gig of Ram, a 15" screen, a 360 gig @ 5400 rpm hard drive and a 256 meg video card. Upgrading the RAM to its maximum of 8 gig would add $600.

OR

You can get an iMac with a 2.66 ghz quad core processor, 4 gig of RAM, a 27" screen, a 1 tb @ 7200 rpm hard drive, and a 512 meg video card. Upgrading the RAM to 8 gig would add $ 200. It has a maximum of 16 gig, but that upgrade is $1400. I recommend the 8 gig as it will do anything you'd need for now and later buy the 16 gig from an after market source.
( http://www.ramseeker.com/ lists RAM prices for all models from numerous companies.)

That works out that the iMac has a faster CPU (quad vs duo core), same basic RAM, (but cheaper to upgrade) 27" vs 15" screen, 3 times as much hard drive space and double the VRAM for the same price. The advantage of the MacBook is it is portable.

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What is the best external hard drive?

best external hard drive reviews image

Ferretfool

What is the best 500GB, 7200+rpm external USB hard drive, and why? Reading the reviews on Amazon they all seem rather inadequate. I want something that won't lose my data or crash, and if it were to have a great amount of cache that would be great as well, though its not required.

Answer
It's best to assume that ALL hard drives will crash eventually. That's why you should be backing up your data. There is no crash-proof hard drive - that would be like a crash-proof car. if you drop it or hit it while it's on, it will most likely get damaged and lose data. the cache will help with speed - don't ask how - it's too complex to explain here. Get one with good warranty - the longer the better. Also know that in general, 7200 rpm drives are less reliable than 5400 rpm drives, but they are faster. Drives are made in factories all over the world, and some batches are better than others - so even with the same model, it may vary.

What is the best external hard drive for me?

afetishble

I use a 13 inch Macbook Pro, I have almost 6,000 songs in my iTunes library and would really like to back up my music, movies, and photos to an external hard drive, in case something happens to my computer. What size hard drive should I use and what brand is best? I'm hoping not to spend too much money, but I'm absolutely clueless as to what size I need.

Answer
good thing is external hard drives are cheap. You can get a 1TB (1000GB basically) for around $50. Try newegg.com for reviews and cheap prices. Anything over 250Gb is probably good enough. Main thing is get one that supports your fastest port which is probably firewire or ieee so backup doesnt take long.

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is my slimline s3100y series good enough for command and conquer 3?

best external hard drive gizmodo image

rrfe05

the only thing i changed about it was the graphics [ 128mb geforce 8300 ] but i am not 100% sure about the processor some have told me that it is but i just need some good help. thanks

Answer
The slimline series was a very bad choice for gaming as it does not take standard height video cards; HP only recommends video cards that use 25 watts or less (2.08 amps or less at 12 volts); and it only has a 180 watt power supply.

8300 video card, never heard of it.

per
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do;HHOJSID=W2jhGGxKnfKYJ3BWJB4vlsbvB2FTkvn2yjqTyxwh2NnZhlty1gmr!-274703781?storeName=computer_store&category=desktops&series_name=s3100y_series&tab_switch=true&catLevel=3&tab=specs
Power supply rating 180 watts

Per HP
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00877796.pdf
Due to the small computer size, you can only install a small, low-profile PCI-E card of the same approximate size of the graphics card. HP recommends that you install a card with power consumption of 25 watts or less. Not all low-profile cards will fit into the PCI-E slot. Some external connectors, especially connectors located at the top of the card, may not fit properly into the back panel.

180 watt power supply, 25 watts maximum card power consumption, and half height card
This rules out any decent card for gaming

If this was a full height card and the watts were not limited I would recommend the following card or faster.

8600 GTS $155
About half the speed of the 8800Ultra.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143070
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=256-P2-N761-AR&pwindow=specs&family=23
Minimum 400 Watt power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 22 Amp Amps An available 6 pin PCI-E power connector (hard drive power dongle to PCI-E 6 pin adapter included with card)

Graphics card gaming performance charts:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=399&type=expert&pid=1
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/directx-9-vs-directx-10-worth-upgrading-to-vista-for-243099.php

Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html


Run Belarc Advisor
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server.

Per Net ( I don't know if yours is configured this way)
model: s3100y PC
configuration code: 46782233
HP Pavilion Slimline Desktop Computer with Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor E2140 (Core 2Duo 1.6GHz)
1024MB DDR2 Memory
160GB HDD
DVD burner with Lightscribe
15-1 memory card reader
Windows Vista Home Premium

Increase memory to 2 GB (about $40)

Can I use my Zune as an external hard drive?

Mihogan

Ok, I asked this question recently, but I didnt get any good answers, so I'm trying again.

Anyway, heres what I want to know. Could I use my Zune as an external hard drive? I want to be able to use it to back up all of my music onto. I am doing this just in case my computer crashses (again). However, I am not sure which of the following would happen after my computer crashes:

1. I plug in my zune, use the hack to allow me to see it as a hard drive in Windows Explorer, and then I can copy the music in my zune and paste it back onto my computer.

OR

2. I plug in my zune. The software loads up, and it automatically starts to update my library (My library at this time would be empty, because my computer would have recently crashed, and therefore the Zune would update in accordance with my computer, deleting all the music on my Zune.

Which would happen? I'm hoping Number 1


Also, a side question. Not required unless you know the absolute answer. If I did the hack (like the one shown in this link: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/how-to-use-the-zune-as-a-hard-drive-217024.php ) BEFORE MY COMPUTER CRASHED, would it still work AFTER my computer crashes? Or would i have to re do it?


P.S. When I saw "crash" I am also referring to things like restoring my computer to the earliest possible time. Thanks in advance and sorry for any confusion with this question

Answer
Make your backup using the Zune software, then if your PC crashes the Zune software can be used to copy the music back to your PC. You don't need to use the hack if its just for music.

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why does my external hard drive freezes for a few seconds while files are being copied to the hard drive?

seagate portable hard drive 750gb image

CorpyChase

So I just got my Seagate usb 3.0 Go Flex Ultra Portable 1tb ext. hdd. I partition it as 750gb as NTFS and as the BACKUP while the remaining is a FAT32 for files like music and for my ps3 stuff. After that I tried copying files from my computer to the ext hdd, and I notice that it freezes time to time when it gets to a higher transfer rate (60-80mb/s) then it'll pause for a few seconds sometimes longer then the transfer rate goes down by 40mb/s and again goes up until it freezes again. Then i tried tranferring the same file to my FAT32 partition, and everything seems to be more consistent.. no pauses and whatsoever. I don't know what the deal is, and I'm actually really frustrated right now cuz I would not like to give it back to Seagate if it wasn't a Hdd failure or worst.

Then I reformatted it to a whole 1tb NTFS hdd, and I still get the same problem I have when I partitioned the hdd. Also I'm concerned why does my average transfer rate is around 55-60mb/s when it was said to be around 65-70mb/s? And yes I am connected to a ss 3.0 usb plug and also using the ss 3.0 connector that is included with the product.
My hdd is a Seageate Barracuda 1tb 7200rpm and has been defragged on Monday.
Like I said, I was transferring the same file to my FAT32 partition, it was consistent and no stop.
Also I have a regular ext. hard drive 5400rpm, Western digital case but a different hard drive and I tried copying the same file to that hdd and also had a constant rate.. no freeze/pauses.

Answer
It's trying to write files, faster than it can read the originals. Your main HD, may need to be defragged.

name some latest technologies used in computers?

hungama_in

Answer
1- Intel's Core Processor Line

Intel has struggled with its Pentium 4 architecture for years. AMD gained the performance advantage because of the long pipeline of the Pentium 4 restricting its performance and clock increases. Enter the new Core architecture. The new design is a radical departure from the Pentium 4 line and had more in common with the Pentium M. The new design provides amazing performance in a small die size that also has the added benefit of using less power and producing less heat than the older processors. This has allowed Intel to once again recapture its lead in the computer processor field.

2- Apple's Boot Camp
The computer industry is all about choices but for many that meant only running Microsoft Windows. Apple's Macintosh product line has been around for years, but consumers could have difficulty using it when their work or school might be using Windows. When Apple released the new Intel based Mac product lines, it was only a matter of time before they were made to run Windows. After that was broken, Apple released its Boot Camp beta to the public to make it easy to run both Windows and Mac OS X on any of the new Intel Macs. Now consumers have the option of using both operating systems from a single computer!

3) Perpendicular Hard Drives
Perpendicular does not refer to the orientation of the drive physically within the PC but to the orientation of the magnetic fields on the hard drive platters. This simple rotation of the magnetic fields allowed for a dramatic increase in the capacity of the hard drive sizes. While last year hard drives were topping out around 400GB in size, Seagate was able to introduce the new technology into its desktop drives and push 750GB into a single desktop drive. This technology is also benefiting notebook and portable electronics that use hard drives.

4) NVIDIA GeForce 8800

The GeForce 8000 series graphics processors are a major step forward in graphics in two ways. The most obvious is that they are the first graphics cards to support the Direct X 10 graphics engine in Vista, allowing fully native graphics for Vista's Aero interface. The lesser known is the change in the graphics processor architecture away from specialized processor to a series of unified processors that can be dynamically be assigned to geometry, vertex, physics or pixel operations. This gamble in design change paid off with some outstanding graphics performance even with Direct X 9 and OpenGL graphics.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RoHS Directive
Consumers in the US are probably not familiar with this law that affects Europe, but it does impact the computer industry as a whole. Computers have been notorious for using toxic metals and hazardous chemicals in their production. All this these materials end up in the environment when they are thrown away. This law puts caps on the amount of materials that can be found in all new electronics sold in Europe. The good news is that many of those goods are also sold in the US providing us with greener products as well.

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How do I play avi. videos on my xbox 360 from my external hard drive?

portable hard drive xbox 360 format image

Jordan

I Just bought a 1.5 TB Seagate Free Agent Desk external hard drive with a USB to watch movies on my Xbox 360. I have used a smaller 8 gb flash drive to watch movies on my xbox with no problem. I loaded the videos to my new external drive and could not play any through the "portable device" on my xbox because it was not selectable. Please help! THANK YOU!

Answer
It will take a bit longer for a 1.5 terebyte hard drive to be read. Try giving it a few more moments. sometimes, it reads faster when the drive is turned on before the xbox is turned on, sometimes it's faster to have the drive turned on then plug it in after the xbox is on. And make sure your drive is formatted in fat32, or your xbox may not read it at all.

Can you plug a portable hard drive into a xbox 360 4GB?

R_Flip

So i want a xbox, im looking at a 4gb kinect bundle, its on sale and really cheap.
What are the cons of 4gb?
Does this xbox have the same features as the others? like 250gb and whatever else?
Like wifi? and usb ports?
so can you plug a portable hard drive into it and save things on and and it work the same?
Thanks .

Answer
Yes, you can use a portable hard drive with an XBOX 360, but BEWARE! It won't work the same. There are some disadvantages of choosing this method for storing data.

+ You can use the entire hard drive for files you add on your PC or Mac like movies etc...
- You can only use up to 16 GB space for XBOX 360 Storage. (for games, saves etc etc) on an external (portable) hard drive.


I think you should get an internal hard drive, which is has no limitations for the XBOX 360 storage (the whole HDD is for XBOX 360).
You can only use a geniue Microsoft hard drive specifically designed for XBOX 360 Slim.

(it's hard to make hard drives for older XBOX 360s work and it's impossible to use a regular 2,5" SATA hard drive that are for PCs. Even thought it has a 2,5" SATA bay, it WONT accept a regular HDD, it spins it but it doesn't show up no matter how I format it. It needs a specific firmware, which is only present on Microsoft's HDD for XBOX 360)
So it's a much easier way to just get the official 250 GB HDD. It also has a special enclosure which makes it sliding it perfectly and fits it tight.
So basically it's just a slide-in thing.


So I would suggest you getting the Microsoft 250 GB Hard drive for XBOX 360 Slim. That's what I will do; I also have an XBOX 360 Slim 4 GB. (w/o Kinect)

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What is the best recommended portable external hard drive on the market?

best portable hard drive 3.0 usb image

Sam

I'd done some looking around on Newegg, Bestbuy, and Amazon for prices on portable external hard drives. The prices look affordable, but the customer reviews put me on edge. Some had said the hard drives (specifically the Seagate Ultra Portable 1 terabyte drive) caused their computer to crash with Windows 7. Others found the (Seagate) drives were poorly constructed and were useless in three months. What are some great drives for the prices these days?

Answer
WD(western digital) is usually good and there passports are good also. The 500gb here http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-Portable/dp/B0041OSAZS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306477962&sr=8-3

Or a 1tb http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-Portable/dp/B0041OSQ9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306477962&sr=8-1. They are also usb 3.0 and 2.0

What is the best portable 1TB hard drive?

tinker

I need a 1TB hard drive just to back up my files (mainly movies and TV shows). I was looking into the Clickfree C6 portable hard drive but the reviews weren't great. Which hard drive have you used in the past or recently that you think is the best? Thanks!

Answer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045JLPMO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=acomprar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0045JLPMO

Honestly to make this easy, here are some steps you can follow, since I believe this to be the better of the 3 mainstream external 2.5" drives (Toshiba, Western Digital, and Seagate).

1. Why bother with the software in the first place?? just reformat the drive, or delete the software. Sure it is a bit annoying having 40 gigabytes taking up space right out the box, but is that really the only main source of concerns for this drive?

2. Now for the USB cord. out of the multitude of variations of 1tb usb 3.0 drives I have run and tested, every manufactuer has just about the same length of cord. If you want a longer cord, and or are wondering how you are going to power this drive other than with the supplied USB, then why are you buying this particular external HDD? this model is not for you if you are NOT an on the go type of person. what I mean by that is, if you do not lug your external drive around, why dont you go buy a powered 3.5" external HDD model for the same price as you would this one and have twice the space?

3. As far as the construction of the drive goes it is solid. I have tested the Toshiba 1TB 3.0 as well as the Western Digital 1TB 3.0, and my opinion is that Toshiba and Western Digital were too concerned about how slim and compact they could make the case of their external HDD, which has resulted in may more failures of those particular brands than I have seen from Seagate. Small shocks, such as light drops and accedental shock is a killer for the Western Digital as well as the Toshiba more than the Seagate models I have seen. Yes I know that there are about 3 or more warning labels stating the these drives should never be hit, moved, droped, abused, etc... but If it WERE to happen I have noticed that the Seagate construction has had a better chance from failing due to these certain cercumstances than the other brands I have tested and seen.

4. If there is any con's about this drive I will say that I am not a fan of the two piece adapter. they should have included their USB 3.0 "Upgrade" cable with this drive and not the two piece unit that is currently supplied with it, as the upgrade cable is also a few inches longer and one solid piece. The two pieces I am referring to are the adapter that plugs into the drive itself and the USB 3.0 cable that goes from that adapter to your USB device.

5. Im not here to bag on any one company, and or promote Seagate as the best of the best when it somes to drives in general. I am just stating overall that if you are looking for a 1TB 3.0 USB 2.5" drive, then this is what you are looking for. I just thought I would post this up as I keep seeing negative reviews on this drive just because of a bloatware issue not a material type defect. hope this helps! If not im sorry for wasting you time.

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Am I able to add an external hard drive to my acer aspire one?

portable hard drives under $60 image

za24

I am considering adding this
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/iomega-iomega-ego-500gb-2-5-portable-external-hard-drive-34988-34988/10152190.aspx?path=528cc1af10ad2e4ba9ac03056ed8406ben02

Will it work? If not, why? What will?

Answer
Yes, that drive will work with an Acer aspire One (fellow owner of one).

Although I HIGHLY recommend getting an external dribve that has it's own power cable because the Aspire One isn't designed to have continuous running power draw while it's running it's own hardware too.

Your pricing there is a bit high too, especially for a 500Gb drive. You should be able to find even the same model for about $35 - $40 less.

I'd personally go to www.geeks.com and browse their hard drives page, which also has cables with power supplies, hard drives of 1Tb for about $60.00, and external cases for under $10.00.

Their easier to assemble and build than You think, and if You only plan to use the external at home/school/work, You can score a FANTASTIC combo deal building it Yourself with it's own power supply.



Good Luck!.

where can i find a relatively cheep portable external hard drive?

Squibblez

Im looking for something with as much memory i can get for under $100. if it makes a difference, i will be using it on a mac. i would prefer to stay at about $60 dollars. i need something with 150+ memory. any links? suggestions?

Answer
I have an awesome external hard drive. http://www.frys.com/product/6311311 It is just 9 bucks above your budget but i think it is worth it. This external hard drive hold all my things safe. I had another external hard drive but that one broke and it was a different brand. This one is pretty good. It is 2 TB which is 2000 gigabytes if you dont already know. Fries electronics is an awesome place too. It isnt cheap or expensive its just right! I hope igave you something good. Thank you for answering my ipod question! Before i restore my ipod im going to save my music with ifunbox. Hope this helps and thanks for helping me! :DDD

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Why does it take so long for my macbook pro to recognize my external hard drive?

best external hard drive macbook pro image

Joel

I have a 15" macbook pro running OS X 10.5.8 and a Western Digital 1TB external hard drive. The majority of the time, it takes several minutes for my mac to recognize the device. Why does it take so long and what can I do to make it recognize it faster?

Answer
I believe it is indexing it before it will show up. I don't know how to make it quicker.

How can I make an external hard drive, be the main hard drive on my MacBook Pro?

mattan

You might know, the MacBook Pro with retina display does not have many gigabytes of storage. How can I make my external hard drive be the main hard drive I was when I open applications such as iMovie and iTunes that it will work the same way but run off of the external hard drive.

Answer
There is no "main" drive like on a PC. There is the OS startup drive and there are all the rest.

Definitions:
"volume" means a formatted partition, so it could be a second partition of the same drive or a different drive.
"startup volume" or "startup drive" means the one where Mac OS is installed and chosen as the Startup Disk. (Mac OS could be installed on more than one volume, but only one can be chose to start the computer.)

To run any app from a non-startup drive volume, copy that app to the preferred volume. Will that work or not, and are there any limitations even if it works?

â Some apps cannot run on any volume except the startup, but that is quite rare. The app may be able to work normally if it is at the root level of the volume, but other apps must be in a directory named "Applications" that is at the root level of that volume.
â Most apps can run from any volume, but may need certain of the app's support files added to that volume.
â The "Software Update" process that is part of the Mac OS will not work or will not work as you expect if the app that is out of date is no longer at /Applications or /Applications/Utilities as it should be.
â Time Machine can use any Mac formatted volume other than the startup volume as its backup destination, but can only make a backup of the startup volume.
â An external drive can be used as the startup volume, but it will be slower response than the internal volume. The slowest response would be from a USB 2.0 connection, and the fastest would be from a Thunderbolt connection. For your MacBook Pro, the startup volume must be formatted "Mac OS Extended" and can be on a drive that is either "Apple Partition Map" scheme or "GUID Partition Table" scheme (cannot bot to any "Master Boot Record" partition scheme drive). A Mac OS X installer running on the MacBook Pro cannot install on any scheme except GUID Partition Table.

As to your goal of using the external drive to extend your total storage, the media files (songs and movies) usually take up much more of the drive volume's capacity than the iTunes app itself. For strategy ideas, read the answer at the link below.

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Is it possible to install Windows 7 on a portable Hard Drive and use it through a MAC?

portable hard drive best mac image

Michael

Hi,
I know it is possible to split your hard drive and install Windows 7 on it, but I don't want to jam too much things into the hard drive so the files are more accessible. But I still want to be able to use windows as it is better with the variety of programs and what not. So here:

Is it possible to install Windows 7 on a portable Hard Drive and use it through a MAC?

Answer
I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to do, but have a look at some software from http://www.parallels.com/ See if they have something which fits your needs.

Is there a way to keep my itunes library on my portable hard drive?

ericangelo

All of my music is on my PC. The PC is dying and my primary computer is my Mac Book. Is there a way to keep all of my music on my portable hard drive and have it accessible through my mac? I have an ipod that I want to switch over to my Mac from my PC as well. How do I coordinate all of this? Thank you.

Answer
just sync all they files onto your ipod and transfer them to what and where ever you like

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Is it possible to download a computer game to a portable hard drive without it being on your computer?

portable hard drives newegg image

Zach

I want to buy a computer game but it takes a lot of hard drive space so can i buy a portable hard drive to download it on without it taking up my computers hard drive
?

Answer
Yes, but....

Unless your computer and portable drive use the eSATA interface, the USB link will be much slower than the internal disk, possibly impacting the game. Not all games give you a choice of which folder to install to, but most do. You won't be able to take that portable drive to another computer and play games on it, if that was part of your thinking.

A better solution is to buy a bigger internal drive for your computer. That gives you maximum space and effectiveness. Add the second hard drive to the computer, run the new disk manufacturer's disk copy program and swap the drives or just use the new drive as extra space. (Most times this question comes up with the C: drive is already nearly full and needs to be expanded).

If you do go this route, make sure you get the right format drive (IDE or SATA) or you'll be very, very sorry when the new drive doesn't fit.

If there's no available room to add the drive internally, you can easily get an external USB enclosure for < $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000092&Description=usb%20enclosure%202%2E5&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=False&Order=PRICE

What USB hard drive should I get and how can I connect it to a TV?

Noah

I was thinking about getting a portable USB hard drive and wanted to know what a good one was. This hard drive doesn't have to be special all I will be putting on it is movies and music. Also I wanted to be able to hook up the hard drive to my TV to watch movies or listen to music what will I need to do this.

Answer
I have no first hand experience with this but check out the link below. It looks like you hook this up to the tv and the hard drive to it. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136593&cm_re=wd_media_player-_-22-136-593-_-Product

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If I partition my portable Hard Drive, will everything get erased?

partition portable hard drive vista image

Apple

I'm trying to move everything over to my external so that I can partition it without having to backup anything but it's not really going so well, so I was just wondering if I could make an NTFS partition right now instead.

Answer
In XP, if you use the Windows tools, you will lose your data. If you use a tool like Partition Magic, your data will be preserved.

If you have Vista or Windows 7, the ability to resize an existing partition is built in to the OS.
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Will lose everything in C drive if converted to external hd?

Wicked

My laptop just stopped working. I want to take out the hard drive and use it as external usb hd. I was using vista and my drive had only one partition, "C:". So all my data was in C. So if i make this a portable hd, will i lose everything i had in C drive? Please help. Thanks folks.

Answer
No you won't affect any of the data by moving it to an external enclosure. It won't be C: any more natch - but everything will still be there.

You might have to modify the file permissions to get into your personal folders though. Windows might just give you the option to do this automatically with a message simlar to "You do not have permission to access this folder. WOuld you like to modify permissions to give you full access. Y/N". Just agree to that and you're good to go.

EDIT: ignore the other two posters. The second one is completely incorrect. This first one expected to still be able to run instaled applications. That's not going to happen - but I assume you just want to get your docs and pics and music etc. That will work fine with an external USB drive enclosure.

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How does portable hardrive work fro xbox 360?

connect portable hard drive to xbox 360 image

SBFC2011

I'm gonna buy a 4GB xbox 360 and a 250GB portable hard drive to put into it
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-250GB-250G-HDD-Hard-Drive-Disk-Xbox-360-SLIM-4GB-S-/270778417573?pt=AU_Video_Game_Accessories&hash=item3f0ba6c1a5
will this work the same as just having a normal xbox 360 250GB????

Answer
No, it won't work the same.


You can't put a standard hard drive into it. Even though it has a standard SATA outlet, it only recognizes Microsoft hard drives. (you should get the original Microsoft XBOX 360 250 GB hard drive for the 4 GB slim... then it will work the way it should)


You can use portable hard drives as external hard drives (connect them via USB), but this isn't as great as an internal one, because:

- Even though you can use the entire hard drive for storing movies etc that you copy to it from your computer so you can watch them on your XBOX 360

- XBOX 360 will not be able to write to this (read only). If you would like to download purchased games, demos etc from the Marketplace, you can create an XBOX Strorage on it, but as it is an external strorage, it is limited in 16 GB of size. Additional space (if any), can be only used as regular computer strorage.




Solution: get the original Microsoft 250 GB hard drive for XBOX 360 Slim... That's what I will do.

my portable hard drive wont show up on my xbox 360?

Patrick d

My iomega portable hard drive is not showing up on my 360 when I connect them through USB.

Anybody have any ideas as to why this is?
The power supply works just fine aswell.

Answer
External drives have to be FAT-32 or at least have a partition that is. Most flash drives are already in this format.

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Can I move my downloaded xbox 360 videos to an external hard drive?

portable hard drive xbox 360 image

Hayzen

My Xbox 360 hard drive is filling up from all the downloaded content. I want to keep some videos. Can I move those videos onto a portable external hard drive? If so, how?

Answer
Actually, no you can't. Content cannot be moved from the 360's hard drive to a non-360 storage device. The steps the first person posted are to stream media from the external drive which you can do by following them. You want to move the media from your 360 drive to an external which you can't. You need to buy either a 360 memory card or invest in a larger 360 hard drive.

How do I make an xbox 360 recognise a WD Elements 320gb Portable Hard Drive to watch movies ect?

Daniel C

OK i want to put movies on the hard drive then plug it into my Xbox 360 and watch them, but when i do this the Xbox doesn't recognize it, I've tried formatting the drive to FAT32 and tried it but it still dont work any help?

Answer
I'd check the link below it has a tutorial on how to do it, good luck. I have an INOi media player, also 320GB (Western Digital drive) and I use the scart or component cable to plug into my LCD screen, works wonderfully.

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Should i get the 3ds over the new XL version?

portable hard drives reviews 2011 image

Q. the 3ds + tax and shipping is 190 dollars

the 3ds xl + tax and shipping is $225

Theres more accessories for the 3ds because the 3ds xl is very new.

Although the big screens of the XL would look amazing, it would be a better portable for the 3ds size.

I like the original 3ds stylus, but the XL is placed at a newer location that looks better

According to reviews, the XL has a volume prob, and i dont have earphones (need them still)

Overall, what do u think i should get? Note: i dont have a 3ds yet. Idk why people keept asking this but yeah. i dont have a 3ds yet. i have a ds before but it broke. :(

also any games u recommend?

Answer
The 3DS XL isn't EXACTLY the same as the 3DS. For the most part it is, but there are a few things that are different, and to me, they make the 3DS XL a lot better. Also, I never owned a 3DS, so I don't know things about it from experience, but I did buy the 3DS XL and I think it's great. But here are the things that are different about the XL from the 3DS.

-Larger screens, obviously.

-It has a matte finish, which means you really don't see fingerprint marks on the outside.

-The stylus is located on the right side instead of from the behind like it was on the 3DS. Seems annoying to have to reach to the back to get the stylus out rather than from the side.

-Better look, IMO. I mean, I look at a picture like this of the 3DS: http://dvice.com/assets_c/2011/02/3DS-launch-titles-announced-thumb-550xauto-57771.jpg and it just doesn't look that great. I think the 3DS XL looks much nicer.

-The screen snaps into place at 2 different angles. So when you're opening it, you'll hear a click at one angle (about the angle you'd open up a laptop at), and then again at a larger angle (like a standard gaming angle).

-Less glare (going more by word with this one, as I never really used the 3DS).

-Better 3D. I went to the store one day a few weeks to see what the 3DS looked like and what the 3D looked like, and it took me like 15-30 seconds to angle myself with the display one to see the 3D effect. It really isn't hard to see the 3D on the XL.

-Better device colors. Having seen the display 3DSes at stores, I really wasn't that impressed with the colors. They're alright, but nothing special. I also wasn't that impressed looking at the pictures of the 3DS XL colors on Nintendo's website. But when I pulled out my blue 3DS XL, the color looked amazing. I was and am REALLY happy with the color and wouldn't change a thing about it if I could. So try not to judge the color by the pictures they have, because they're a far cry from how great the colors actually are in person. I also checked on youtube, and you still can't see how good the colors are in videos, you just have to see it in person.

-Better battery life.

-There are probably some other things I'm forgetting.



I'm not sure what volume problem you're talking about; I haven't noticed any yet.

I can't say much about accessories. As far as handhelds go, the 3DS XL was my first purchase. Before that, I was just given an original DS system from a friend a couple years ago, so I've never really had much use for accessories. So to me, this issue is irrelevant - I can't really comment on how the lack of accessories currently will impact you.



I was concerned about the portability as well when I was considering buying mine. I figured I'd be playing at home mostly, but I still wanted to be able to take it with me. It fits fine in the front pocket of my jeans, it fit fine in the pocket of my jacket, and it fit fine in the lower/cargo pocket of my shorts (haven't put it in the regular pocket of my shorts, but even my cell phone falls out of those when I'm driving sometimes, so I'd hardly say it's an issue of the 3DS XL alone).

Yes, it's bigger, but when I put my regular DS in my pocket, I didn't really feel like I had room to put much else in anyways, so to me, the 3DS XL isn't any worse, since I'm put in the same situation as I am with the regular DS.



You can probably tell by now that my answer is an obvious 'yes' for the 3DS XL.

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is it bad to place and use my 3 tb seagate external hard drive sideways?

best external hard drive 3tb image

Abe

i have a seagate backup plus 3tb external hard drive and i was planning on using it sideways because its easy to tip over cuz its shaped like a tower pc. so is it bad for the hard drive to use it like that?

Answer
it should be fine

What is the best affordable external hard drive brand?

Mamzel Ann

I am looking for an external hard drive in order to put all my musics and pictures on, but I have no idea what to choose or how to choose. Please help.

Answer
I recently bought a usb 3.0 3tb western digitial on blackfriday for $100 normal prices for that is around $150 which is still cheaper than most other brands

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How to I fix a non-detected external hard disk?

best external hard drive 3tb image

Squall Lio

I have a 3TB Seagate GoFlex USB 3.0 external hard drive. When I connect it to any computer, the drive spins (there is no clicking or other noticible physical damage), but the lights on the front don't turn on, nor does the computer detect it. I've tried going into disk management, and I've tried checking on Linux Mint. I still get the same result. I only have access to a laptop, so I can't try connecting this 3.5" drive to a SATA port. I've checked all of the connections including where the drive connects to its SATA to USB adapter. Any help on this matter would be super. Thanks in advance.
Pullmyefinger

Answer
I've always heard that the front usb ports don't have enough power to run a hard drive. maybe it does, but do you have the current usb drivers for it, are the connections tight, are the cables good? Are you sure the adapter isn't flawed? Find someone else that has a pc that will handle the connection and try it on that pc. does your bios support it? is the drive partitioned and formatted?

whats the difference between a WD 'My Book' and an external hard drive?

Timmy

hello!

im looking to buy an external hard drive and i found a 3TB My book.
what is the difference between a Western Digital 'My Book',
and an Iomega External Hard Drive?
i currently have an iomega 1tb hard drive and its full, im looking to buy another.

Thanks.

Answer
Nothing, they are both external hard drives, My Book is only the name Western Digital gives their hard drives, and it comes with some management software for the drive.

However, they both can be used the same way.

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What are some really good laptops?

portable hard drives for mac reviews image

Lexie

I am looking for a new laptop. So far, I am looking at a Dell and HP. I have been researching, and it seems to me that Dell has better reviews.

I am looking for..

-Something that is portable and possibly thin
-Has very good battery life
-and one that is fast with internet, and computer itself

Right now I am looking at a Dell Inspiron 15 and a HP Mini.

any opinions??
help..

thanks.

Answer
Mini computers, also known as netbooks, often have 10" screens and run a slower CPU (usually ATOM based). They are great for people on the go, but not as your main computer. If someone liked to surf the net on a bigger device than a smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone, etc.) as well has have more computer functionality than an iPad... then the HP Mini would be a good choice.

I would, however, recommend against it.

Sony, IBM, Toshiba, and Acer all offer better machines than Dell. HP and Dell's quality are suspect and Gateway is right there with them.

If I were you, I'd check "deal" websites like slickdeals.net and fatwallet.com and do searches on "notebook" and see if anything good has popped up on their pages. They find sweet deals and you just have to click the link and purchase goods from places like Best Buy, Office Depot, Fry's, etc. They only point you to where the deals are.

Apple Macbook is not a bad option (as someone mentioned). However, you better have the money to do this. If you go to school you can get a $100 discount. The last 2 years around memorial day weekend, apple offered a promotion where you could also get a free iPod touch 8GB with the purchase of a mac.

Use shop discover (if you have a discover card, or use your debit/credit cards website if Best Buy is listed as a company they deal with) and it will get you 5% cash rewards as well.

You also get a free printer in the deal! A standard Macbook would set you back $899 with the education discount. Macbook Pro 13" would cost you $1099. Selling that iPod touch for $150 could further extend you dollar if you want that mac badly enough.

However, if you aren't a mac fan (I'm not) you go with a PC. I probably wouldn't recommend any laptop PC without an i5 processor (CPU). Yes, there are AMD fans around and I like those processors as well...but the Intel i5 screams and is worth the cost. Your computer will pwn with an i5 over most other CPUs.

Make sure the computer has 4GB of RAM (DDR3 would be best).

The hard drive can be 250GB or greater. The fact is, you can purchase a 640GB hard drive for $60 on sale and $80 or so at regular price these days and it is a quick swap. Do not overpay for a hard drive "upgrade" that will cost you significantly more.

Blu-ray drive is nice if you have an HDMI-out port on your notebook computer and an HDTV at home. If you don't want blu-ray, no big deal. Do not pay extra for it.

One of the most important things in your computer will be the onboard video card. "Integrated graphics" is OK for most online things, but a dedicated video card from ATi (Radeon) or GeForce (NVIDIA) will help your computer actually play some modern games quite well. If you plan on playing WoW or other graphics intensive games, you need to ensure your laptop has decent onboard video. This will cost you big as you move up the ladder of quality on these items.

You can get a budget computer for $400-$450 that will be low end. If you get a great deal on a mid-grade computer, it could be anywhere from $500-650. A laptop of $800 should have decent onboard video capabilities. Anything more and you better have great stats on those machines.

I'd personally stay away from Dell's lower end machines. They are terrible. I know someone who bought one for way too much money and it had a 4-cell (!!!) battery that barely lasted a month. The RAM was cut to bare minimum standards for Windows XP. It was a solid built machine, but it sucked on the inside!

Here are some recent "deals":

MSI A6200-038US 15.6" Notebook: Intel Core i3-330M, 4GB DDR3, 320GB HDD, Win 7 Home Premium $450 after $50 MIR + S&H($8) @ Frys (EXPIRED)

Toshiba Satellite L555-S7008 Notebook PC - Intel Core i5-430M 2.26GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 17.3" - $571.99 (With -$78 "Bing cashback rewards!)

http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=6142909&sku=T78-17311&srkey=l555-s7008

This is a 17" model with an i5 CPU. This is a great machine for the price. And you register a bing "cashback" account, click on "circuit city" (Yes, they are alive after someone else purchased the old circuit city website and name) and you'll get a percentage cashback. NICE!

Good luck. You'll find a great deal and a nice laptop if you do your research. This place is a great start!



Thanks for your question. I have decided to make a website dedicated to giving people advice on what kind of computers are available and what they should buy for themselves. No domain name set yet, but I should be up an running in a week. Good luck!

Which Company Should I go with Dell or HP?

Raji's her

I'm planning on purchasing a new Desk top PC and I want your opinion on which company I should go with and why? Thanks ; )

Answer
Don't make a decision based solely on the company. List out what you want the system to do. Traditionally, there is no better media-oriented machine on the market than a Mac. Nobody can beat it, but the price is consistently much higher than 2nd tier systems by Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, and others.

I have always had good experiences with Dell. I find their product to be priced very competitively, and the systems have never given me trouble that wasn't easily handled by customer service. I had a bad hard drive in a laptop, and they replaced it quickly without a whole lot of fuss. However, getting through to someone on their customer service line took FOREVER. Unfortunately, this is the case for most computer manufacturers, so I don't think the company name makes a huge difference there.

Two good resources are www.pcmag.com and www.cnet.com. Both offer comprehensive reviews of the systems available on the market, and will even stratify by user-base so you can restrict the systems to those in your desired usability preference. You don't want a bunch of $7000 high end gaming system reviews if what you're really looking for is a $700 to $1000 dollar system for school/office work at home.

A great option that has really solidified in recent years is the laptop segment. At a very competitive price, most laptops are nearly as powerful as competitive desktop models, but come packaged with wi-fi functionality, and they are portable. This is huge if you're a student. My laptop was a critical factor in grad school ... I wrote my entire master's thesis on it. Very good investment.

Good luck!!

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