Amber
I have a few questions. I want to put some of the information on my laptop onto an external hard drive. The laptop is a Dell, so I figure use a Dell hard drive. But I'm looking at this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-500GB-External-Hard-Drive-Dell-Dimension-5100-5150_W0QQitemZ300279045704QQihZ020QQcategoryZ158823QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
on Ebay, and all it talks about is video, photos, and songs. I mostly have files that I want to move, like Microsoft Word documents and things like that.
So, what is the best hard drive (external) to use for that? Will other hard drives that aren't Dell work with a Dell laptop, or does it have to be the same brand?
Also... I want to move the files onto the external drive and then put them on another laptop. Does it matter what brand the other laptop is?
Thanks much,
Amber
And also...
Can someone recommend the best kind of hard drive I can use? There's so many different kinds and I have no idea which is best.
Answer
External Hard drives are essentially bigger revisions of flash thumb drive with several times more capacity - so BRAND DOES NOT MATTER IN TERMS OF COMPATIBILITY. There are also "Sync" programs that will apply any changes you have done to the desired folders in your computer to the files in your drive so that they are identical.
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The cost depends on the brand, type, and storage. There are enclosures, regular externals (that need an outside powersource through A/C adapter or 2nd USB Port), and portable externals (that power up through the USB port).
=An enclosure is just a cover for a regular computer harddrive that lets you carry it around and use it like a regular external which requires a power cord or a 2nd USB port for power. Put simply, you buy a new computer harddrive, put the enclosure around it, and you have an external. These tend to be a little bit cheaper than the other two alternatives because you have more range in choosing the storage and price for both the drive and the cover, but you have to setup the drive. The actual size of this type of external depends on the size of the computer harddrive you buy. Generally, they tend to remain small. Here is how it goes together (this one is using a 2nd USB port for power): http://na.tm.agilent.com/images/diskenclosure.jpg
=Regular externals are "premade" enclosures, except you can't open them up to convert to a "computer harddrive." They're stuck in their frame. Like enclosures, they require a separate power cable. These are usually cheaper than the portables for the same amount of memory, but they are less portable because you need a power outlet to be able to use them, and they tend to be bigger and bulkier. One example looks like this (WD MyBook): http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/wd_mybook_500gb/images/my_book_4.jpg
=The newest are the portable externals. They are just like other externals except you don't need a separate power cord to use them. They get all their power from the computer through the USB port. These are generally a bit more expensive, but they are quite small and handy. They look like this: http://www.futurelooks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wd_mypassport320gbelite-3.jpg
---
Choose between the types depending on your use. If you think you're going to be on the go a lot with few outlets, I recommend the portable externals. They might be a bit more expensive, but they are very easy to use, very portable, and very good looking. The one I use (WesternDigital MyPassport Elite 320GB for $100) is about as big as a 3x5 index card and as thick as a pen. You might also go with an enclosure using a 2nd USB port for power.
However, if you're looking for LOTS of storage without worrying about using it absolutely anywhere, go with the enclosure or the regular external because they cost less.
---
Seagate and Western Digital are the most reliable brands in terms of dedicated externals (the one in your Ebay link is actually a Seagate, not a "Dell."). These are also the brands for the computer harddrive you will want to use for enclosure, but I'm not sure what enclosure cover is the best.
It would be best if you searched around. Local stores like BestBuy, Walmart, CircuitCity, etc. usually have great deals. You should look around online at many different stores before settling on one price.
Sometimes the computerseller marks up the price a bit even though they sell some of the very same products. Again, you should look around before you settle on a price.
External Hard drives are essentially bigger revisions of flash thumb drive with several times more capacity - so BRAND DOES NOT MATTER IN TERMS OF COMPATIBILITY. There are also "Sync" programs that will apply any changes you have done to the desired folders in your computer to the files in your drive so that they are identical.
---
The cost depends on the brand, type, and storage. There are enclosures, regular externals (that need an outside powersource through A/C adapter or 2nd USB Port), and portable externals (that power up through the USB port).
=An enclosure is just a cover for a regular computer harddrive that lets you carry it around and use it like a regular external which requires a power cord or a 2nd USB port for power. Put simply, you buy a new computer harddrive, put the enclosure around it, and you have an external. These tend to be a little bit cheaper than the other two alternatives because you have more range in choosing the storage and price for both the drive and the cover, but you have to setup the drive. The actual size of this type of external depends on the size of the computer harddrive you buy. Generally, they tend to remain small. Here is how it goes together (this one is using a 2nd USB port for power): http://na.tm.agilent.com/images/diskenclosure.jpg
=Regular externals are "premade" enclosures, except you can't open them up to convert to a "computer harddrive." They're stuck in their frame. Like enclosures, they require a separate power cable. These are usually cheaper than the portables for the same amount of memory, but they are less portable because you need a power outlet to be able to use them, and they tend to be bigger and bulkier. One example looks like this (WD MyBook): http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/wd_mybook_500gb/images/my_book_4.jpg
=The newest are the portable externals. They are just like other externals except you don't need a separate power cord to use them. They get all their power from the computer through the USB port. These are generally a bit more expensive, but they are quite small and handy. They look like this: http://www.futurelooks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wd_mypassport320gbelite-3.jpg
---
Choose between the types depending on your use. If you think you're going to be on the go a lot with few outlets, I recommend the portable externals. They might be a bit more expensive, but they are very easy to use, very portable, and very good looking. The one I use (WesternDigital MyPassport Elite 320GB for $100) is about as big as a 3x5 index card and as thick as a pen. You might also go with an enclosure using a 2nd USB port for power.
However, if you're looking for LOTS of storage without worrying about using it absolutely anywhere, go with the enclosure or the regular external because they cost less.
---
Seagate and Western Digital are the most reliable brands in terms of dedicated externals (the one in your Ebay link is actually a Seagate, not a "Dell."). These are also the brands for the computer harddrive you will want to use for enclosure, but I'm not sure what enclosure cover is the best.
It would be best if you searched around. Local stores like BestBuy, Walmart, CircuitCity, etc. usually have great deals. You should look around online at many different stores before settling on one price.
Sometimes the computerseller marks up the price a bit even though they sell some of the very same products. Again, you should look around before you settle on a price.
Can you use an external Hard drive for storage on a Playstation 3?
punkinlips
I know you can buy a laptop hard drive to upgrade the hard drive that originally comes with the PS3 but can you use an external drive for storage as well?
Answer
You can, but in order for it to work, the hard drive has to be formatted in FAT32. Most on the market are defaulted as NTFS which is the newer standard. You can hook up your external HD to your pc and reformat it to FAT32..either the whole thing or just a partition. If you don't know what you are doing, get someone to help you. Externals aren't cheap so good luck.
You can, but in order for it to work, the hard drive has to be formatted in FAT32. Most on the market are defaulted as NTFS which is the newer standard. You can hook up your external HD to your pc and reformat it to FAT32..either the whole thing or just a partition. If you don't know what you are doing, get someone to help you. Externals aren't cheap so good luck.
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