Portable vs. Non-portable external hard drives?

Sunny

I noticed that some external hard drives are labelled portable while others are not. Is this simply due to size? like the portable ones are smaller? or does non-portable mean not removable.

If I want a drive for storage and back up and doesn't want it connected to my laptop all the time, which one should I get?

Thanks very much.

Answer
Portable ones are 2.5 inch drives and have a maximum capacity of 500 GB. They are powered off the USB port.

Non-portable are 3.5 inch drives and can go up to 2 TB and they're about half the price per byte as the portable ones (1 TB for about $110). They need to be powered by a wall wart.

If you don't plan on taking the external hard drive with you wherever you go, then you're better off with a 3.5 inch drive.

What is the difference between portable and external hard drive?

mastermind

I am looking for a back up hard drive and I'm not sure which one to purchase. I am looking at the Segate GO Portable or a Calvary Preformated External Hardrive. Help?

Answer
The difference between a portable and external hard drive is that a portable hard drive usually doesn't need a power cord for power and an external drive does. Portable drive also may run slower and will have smaller capacity. Depending on your use and if you plan on carrying your data around then you best bet is to go with an external hard drive. If you have an eSATA port on your computer try to find an external drive that supports that feature. This will give you better speed (USB 2.0 is 480Mbps while eSATA is 3 Gbps). If you are using a laptop only and want to back that up then go with a portable drive so you can plug and unplug it easily.

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can i run applications directly from a portable hard drive?

mm09

for example can i play movies directly from the hard drive or do i have to copy the movie files onto the computer first and play it from there.

Answer
You can do almost anything on a portable hard drive. You have to install the program to your portable hard drive, or use portable applications (found at http://portableapps.com/) to ensure that, should the installer save paths in registry keys or configuration files, they point to the right place, and not to a non-existant location on your hard drive where the files used to be.

However, you must make sure that when you want to use a program/file, your hard drive must be connected to your computer for the duration of the use, and that, unless your portable hard drive is plugged in 24/7, it will not be an on-demand, ready to go experience.

Also, USB read/write speeds will be a bottleneck, so I wouldn't recommend running any games off of a hard drive. Playing movies is usually okay because most modern video players buffer the video quite a bit, and therefore allow for a smooth show.

whats the cheapest portable hard drive?

slice_the_

hi, i would like to have more hard drive space for my laptop to play games such as half life 2, wow.ect... i need a cheap portable hard drive but it needs to work well. thanks...
sorry...i meant external

Answer
Lots of companies sell them, check newegg.com for current prices, or many other retailers such as amazon.

It's like asking the best place to buy eggs. It depends on who has them on sale, and how much the farmer's charge the markets depending on volume, etc.

Beware that just because a drive is labelled "portable" doesn't necessarily mean it is more safe from damage than one labelled "external hard drive".

Check the price and specs of various models, and read reviews posted by owners of the devices.

www.tomshardware.com is my favorite site for evaluating computer parts, but don't stop there.

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How do I keep my music on my portable hard drive and put it on my iPod?

portable hard drive use image

skibum_us

I have music on my portable hard drive and I want to put it on iTunes so that I can put it on my iPod. How do I do that?

Answer
You could also just set iTunes to search removable devices as well.

Can't be more specific because I don't personally use iTunes, and each version of it is different.

But when You do a search for new files to add to the library You'll have an option to check removable drives or the entire system, make sure the portable hard drive is plugged in at the time.


Good Luck!.

Can anyone tell me how to install programs onto a portable hard drive?

Catherine

I just bought a portable hard drive and am looking forward to installing programs on it so my computer's hard drive will be less cluttered. Does anyone know how to do this? I want to install my computer games, music media organizer, and various others onto it. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Answer
When you connect the protable hard drive you will need to format it with your Windows software or the Portable hard drives manufacturers CD which came with it. Then once it is formatted all you will need to do is connect it via the USB cable and then it will install itself. You then can go to MY COMPUTER and see it listed there. Then any file or program you want to store on there or save on there can be easily transfered/stored by left clicking on the file (highlight it) and then on the top of the open window go to left click EDIT, then either COPY TO FOLDER or MOVE TO FOLDER, (then another window will pop up with all you drives and folders) you will then find your PORTABLE HARD DRIVE in there LEFT click on it and it will save to that hard drive. You can also make a new folder once you open up the Portable Hard drive in the popup window so you can save different things in different folders. Hope this helped..

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What portable hard drives work with macbooks?

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One is Too

Well im looking for a portable hard drive that can work with a macbook. I thought every hard drive works with and type of computer but i looked on the back and it said only windows vista, windows 7 or windows xp... so what can work for a mac book

Answer
You can consider buying
1)Iomega eGo Helium 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive 34709
*Ultra Thin - Thin and lightweight (.44 lb.) USB 2.0 portable hard drive
*Stylish - Perfect match for the new MacBook Air notebook (HFS+ formatted); compact silver design slips easily into a purse or briefcase
*Rugged- The Drop Guard feature protects the drive when dropped up to 51-Inch (40% above the industry average!)
*Secure -EMC Retrospect software and MozyHome Online software included for backup (via download)
*3 year warranty with product registration
http://www.amazon.com/Iomega-Helium-Portable-External-34709/dp/B002L16KVE/?tag=best-laptops01-20

2)Western Digital My Passport for Mac 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDBAAB5000ACH-NESN (Charcoal)
*Compatible with Apple TimeMachine
*Automatic, continuous backup software included
*Password protection and 256-bit encryption
*Visual drive control center
*Securing private or sensitive data
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Portable-WDBAAB5000ACH-NESN/dp/B002KG0JOE/?tag=best-laptops01-20
Hey you can visit below link you can find more options here :
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=external+hard+drive&x=0&y=0&ih=1_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0.3445_1&fsc=-1&tag=best-laptops01-20
or
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574865779&toolid=10001&campid=5336686710&customid=laptop+best+deal&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%2Fi.html%3F_nkw%3Dexternal%2520usb%2520hard%2520drive%26_trksid%3Dp3286.c0.m282

Is it possible to replace a Verbatim portable hard drive a/c adapter?

My sister has a 2TB Verbatim portable hard drive. Unfortunately, the a/c adapter -- 1.5A and 12V -- has broken and can no longer be used. It is possible to get this a/c adapter replaced? The shop she bought it from said they will send it back only if the whole unit is sent back -- hard drive and all. She does not want to do that because the hard drive is working fine and she does not want to lose all her data. It is possible to get this replaced?

Answer
Verbatim ACFWS AC Power Adapter for Portable Hard Drive
Price: $31.99

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What's the difference between a Desktop External Hard Drive and a External Portable Hard Drive?

portable hard drive use image

Colin H

I have a laptop and I would like to get an external hard drive to backup my data. I was wondering the difference between a Desktop External Hard Drive and a External Portable Hard Drive. Can I use a Desktop External Hard Drive with my laptop? Or not? Please be as detailed as you can as I am somewhat computer illiterate. All help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Both would work with your laptop as they both use a USB port to connect to your computer, which both laptops and desktops are equipped with.

Desktop Eternal Hard drive- It is physically larger and is used for larger storage needs. These drives need to be plugged in to their own power supply in order to work. This doesn't necessarily mean you can't pick up the drive and take it with you, it's just that it's larger and more cumbersome, because it needs to be plugged into an outlet in order to run. So these are ideal for leaving on your desk at home or work.

Pros: More storage capacity
Cons: Needs an outside power source

External Portable Hard Drive: A smaller physical drive, therefore more portable. It doesn't require an outside power source. It will run off the power from your laptop. These tend to have small storage capacities than the Desktop Drives though. But they are also small enough to thrown in your laptop bag or backpack on the go as they tend to have a low profile.

Pro: Small and portable, No external power needed
Con: Smaller storage capacities, draws power from your laptop and can be battery draining if constantly plugged in.

So you need to figure out what you'll be using the drive for. If it's just for storing and backing up your system, go for the desktop drive. If you think you'll be using the external drive to backup files on the go, or transporting files, go with the portable drive. I can guarantee both with work with your computer. It is just a matter of figuring out your needs.

Will downloading and running a program from a portable hard drive affect your computer?

JG

Will downloading and running a program off of a portable hard drive affect your computer if the program has a virus/infection on it?

Answer
Eraser Portable can wipe any hard drive, optical media, files, folders, encrypted data, the Recycle Bin, and pretty much any other data you want to kill. It may not be an app you use every day, but it's a great utility to throw on your thumb drive, iPod, or other portable device for those times you do need a quick, secure delete.

Portable Software
Open Discussion about Portable Software portable software for your ipod or similar removable drive - HIGHLIGHTS: portable, software, program, computer, memory, ...
www.trap17.com/index.php/portable-software_t59933.html - 64k - Cached
Hope this helps.

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