Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive

jan roos · 10-04-2009, 03:41 PM

Can anyone please recommend a good external hard drive that is easy to use for backing up my laptop?

I have one from iomega but I cannot figure out how to use the thing.

Many thanks

dorothydot · 10-04-2009, 03:59 PM

I use a 500-gig external from SeaGate and love it. I also bought a program [nominal one-time fee] that lets me save everything on my Apple laptop as a bootable back-up.

I totally love it.

Hope this helps,
Dot

TaiZ · 10-04-2009, 04:03 PM

There are 2 options I would like to mention. If your really looking for a good backup HD, the "ABSmini" 40gb HD is pretty good, prolly the best option, although you can't boot from it incase your HD fails.

I currently use the Hitachi SimpleTouch.. great unit. I have not had a problem with it.

I have used Maxtor externals, and I've had several problems with them corrupting data

vagabondette · 10-04-2009, 04:15 PM

I have a 500G passport and I love it but you may not need something so mobile.

mmurtha · 10-04-2009, 04:15 PM

Hey jan,

LACIE makes good d2 quadra peofessional HDs. I have a 320 GB eSATA, and has both firewire 400 and 800, with the USB 2.0.

I like mine real well, and it's fairly easy to work with.

If you need something on the extreemly simple level though, Western Digital's are good, or they used to be. There's hardly no setting up to these - just plug them in and go to towm. They last for a very long time, and can take a beating too.

Hope this helps ...

Mary

jan roos · 10-04-2009, 04:19 PM

Thanks for all the replies guys. I will take a look at them all. I noticed some hd's says desktop hard drives but they operate with USB. I assume they work the same on a laptop as a desktop?

Cheers

mmurtha · 10-04-2009, 04:21 PM

Jan,

Yes they should. It's like any other piece of hardware you would add.

mannex · 10-04-2009, 05:27 PM

I use a Maxtor USB external drive, and it has worked fine. Looks just like another disk drive.

I also use Mozy.com as a second, off-site backup.

Goatboy · 10-04-2009, 09:38 PM

I have an external usb hd that I built, but depending on the amount of storage you need, why not just look at usb thumb drives? Some of them are coming in the 10's of gigabyte range now. They are easy to use and small enough to carry anywhere.

If you do go for a usb hd, my personal suggestion would be to find one with its own power cord so you don't have to draw power through the usb port. I've blown several ports by trying to draw too much power through them.

Quentin · 10-04-2009, 10:18 PM

What we do these days is simply have a cady (USB External Hard Drive case) which we can add any laptop hard drive to and then use them for backups.

Tom Goodwin · 10-04-2009, 10:21 PM

I have both a 1TB and a 500GB Maxtor USB external drive and they both have worked great for me.

Tom Goodwin · 10-04-2009, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jan roos

Thanks for all the replies guys. I will take a look at them all. I noticed some hd's says desktop hard drives but they operate with USB. I assume they work the same on a laptop as a desktop?

Cheers

Any of the USB ones will work with both. I generally have my external HDs hooked up to my desktop, but maybe once a month i need to move something large between my desktop and my laptop so I just plug the HD into my laptop and drag and drop. Works great.

GeorgeWhitaker · 10-04-2009, 10:43 PM

The best USB hard drives in my experience are Western Digital and Seagate. I have a 500 GB Western Digital myself. It really works like a charm and helps me store my huge library of files. Just be sure to get one that is USB 2.0, so that data is loaded at its fastest rate.

Traffic-Bug · 10-05-2009, 12:38 AM

You can take portable hard drives or you can take desktop hard drives. Go search in ebay and choose your pick.

mayapearl · 10-05-2009, 01:53 AM

HI,
I am about to travel OS for a few month and I want to make sure that my important stuff is backed up. How much could i put on a 10 G thumb key?

I just need it to be very portable as I want to travel light.

Thanks,
Maya

xiaophil · 10-05-2009, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmurtha

LACIE makes good d2 quadra peofessional HDs. I have a 320 GB eSATA, and has both firewire 400 and 800, with the USB 2.0.

IMO this is the best recommendation of the lot.

If you have tried to move a large amount of data over USB you will know what I mean.

Even if USB manages to complete without errors, it is not really a suitable interface for mass data transfer, as you may soon discover.

Once you have lost some hair with USB backups, those Firewire and eSATA interfaces will be your salvation - very, very high speed and specifically designed for this purpose, especially eSATA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quentin

What we do these days is simply have a cady (USB External Hard Drive case) which we can add any laptop hard drive to and then use them for backups.

That's a desktop hard drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayapearl

How much could i put on a 10 G thumb key?

You could put about 10GB on that.

Cheers,

noangel · 10-06-2009, 09:52 AM

I'm going with Clickfree... nothing to install and it sorts all your files automatically for you.

l23bc · 10-06-2009, 09:54 AM

intresting i just seen a good advert about external hard drives from a company called p.c world on the television its a 350 gig hard drive about 35.99 just google the name pc world you may find it there,

andy

seasoned · 10-06-2009, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l23bc

intresting i just seen a good advert about external hard drives from a company called p.c world on the television its a 350 gig hard drive about 35.99 just google the name pc world you may find it there,

andy

They sound like REAL idiots! $35.99 sounds too low, and PC world is NOT a legal name for another company!!!!!

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Steve

seasoned · 10-06-2009, 12:12 PM

..........

CDarklock · 11-03-2009, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xiaophil

You could put about 10GB on that.

LOL

That was awesome.

Shaleniie Devi · 11-03-2009, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quentin

What we do these days is simply have a cady (USB External Hard Drive case) which we can add any laptop hard drive to and then use them for backups.

This is exactly what I did as well and it's much better than getting an all new hdd.

susanm · 11-03-2009, 04:58 AM

I also love my WD Passport. In fact, I have more than one.

ktmurf · 11-03-2009, 05:36 AM

I've got a Western Digital Harddrive in a Rosewill External Enclosure, both 3.5". Bought seperately and put together once arrived. Zero problems and I've got it setup through the PC it's hosted on for network access so my other PCs and what not can access it too. Very convenient.

Western Digital will probably get all of my harddrive business until the end of time. I've had dozens of them and the bang per buck ratio is amazing plus they're warranty and return policy/procedure can't be beat!

Kevin J Foy · 11-03-2009, 05:37 AM

Hi Jan

depends on how old your laptop is and what kind. I use a network drive on our wireless network. Which is a Buffalo. or just a buffalo drive which you can plug straight in. Drivers are already loaded on the drive. If it's not a network drive it will be USB.

10-04-2009, 03:41 PM	#1
jan roos Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA. Posts: 2,172 Thanks: 473 Thanked 543 Times in 248 Posts Contact Info	Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive Can anyone please recommend a good external hard drive that is easy to use for backing up my laptop? I have one from iomega but I cannot figure out how to use the thing. Many thanks
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10-04-2009, 03:59 PM	#2
dorothydot Selling with Stories War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 497 Thanks: 289 Thanked 120 Times in 102 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I use a 500-gig external from SeaGate and love it. I also bought a program [nominal one-time fee] that lets me save everything on my Apple laptop as a bootable back-up. I totally love it. Hope this helps, Dot
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10-04-2009, 04:03 PM	#3
TaiZ Warrior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 24 Thanks: 1 Thanked 14 Times in 8 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive There are 2 options I would like to mention. If your really looking for a good backup HD, the "ABSmini" 40gb HD is pretty good, prolly the best option, although you can't boot from it incase your HD fails. I currently use the Hitachi SimpleTouch.. great unit. I have not had a problem with it. I have used Maxtor externals, and I've had several problems with them corrupting data

10-04-2009, 04:15 PM	#4
vagabondette HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Currently in Mexico Posts: 273 Thanks: 50 Thanked 43 Times in 30 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I have a 500G passport and I love it but you may not need something so mobile.

10-04-2009, 04:15 PM	#5
mmurtha Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hubbard, Ohio, USA. Posts: 4,387 Thanks: 333 Thanked 113 Times in 89 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive Hey jan, LACIE makes good d2 quadra peofessional HDs. I have a 320 GB eSATA, and has both firewire 400 and 800, with the USB 2.0. I like mine real well, and it's fairly easy to work with. If you need something on the extreemly simple level though, Western Digital's are good, or they used to be. There's hardly no setting up to these - just plug them in and go to towm. They last for a very long time, and can take a beating too. Hope this helps ... Mary

10-04-2009, 04:19 PM	#6
jan roos Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA. Posts: 2,172 Thanks: 473 Thanked 543 Times in 248 Posts Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive Thanks for all the replies guys. I will take a look at them all. I noticed some hd's says desktop hard drives but they operate with USB. I assume they work the same on a laptop as a desktop? Cheers
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10-04-2009, 04:21 PM	#7
mmurtha Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hubbard, Ohio, USA. Posts: 4,387 Thanks: 333 Thanked 113 Times in 89 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive Jan, Yes they should. It's like any other piece of hardware you would add.

10-04-2009, 05:27 PM	#8
mannex Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 54 Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I use a Maxtor USB external drive, and it has worked fine. Looks just like another disk drive. I also use Mozy.com as a second, off-site backup.
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10-04-2009, 09:38 PM	#9
Goatboy Steve War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Posts: 420 Thanks: 496 Thanked 62 Times in 54 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I have an external usb hd that I built, but depending on the amount of storage you need, why not just look at usb thumb drives? Some of them are coming in the 10's of gigabyte range now. They are easy to use and small enough to carry anywhere. If you do go for a usb hd, my personal suggestion would be to find one with its own power cord so you don't have to draw power through the usb port. I've blown several ports by trying to draw too much power through them.

10-04-2009, 10:18 PM	#10
Quentin DIY Internet Marketing War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Brisbane Posts: 4,917 Blog Entries: 10 Thanks: 7 Thanked 989 Times in 448 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive What we do these days is simply have a cady (USB External Hard Drive case) which we can add any laptop hard drive to and then use them for backups.
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10-04-2009, 10:21 PM	#11
Tom Goodwin Maize N Blue Nation War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philly Posts: 1,654 Thanks: 200 Thanked 476 Times in 277 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I have both a 1TB and a 500GB Maxtor USB external drive and they both have worked great for me.

10-04-2009, 10:43 PM	#13
GeorgeWhitaker Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Boston, Mass Posts: 515 Thanks: 7 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive The best USB hard drives in my experience are Western Digital and Seagate. I have a 500 GB Western Digital myself. It really works like a charm and helps me store my huge library of files. Just be sure to get one that is USB 2.0, so that data is loaded at its fastest rate.

10-05-2009, 12:38 AM	#14
Traffic-Bug Senior Warrior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,196 Thanks: 3 Thanked 69 Times in 61 Posts Social Networking	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive You can take portable hard drives or you can take desktop hard drives. Go search in ebay and choose your pick.
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10-05-2009, 01:53 AM	#15
mayapearl HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 129 Thanks: 62 Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts Social Networking	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive HI, I am about to travel OS for a few month and I want to make sure that my important stuff is backed up. How much could i put on a 10 G thumb key? I just need it to be very portable as I want to travel light. Thanks, Maya
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10-06-2009, 09:52 AM	#17
noangel Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Sydney, Australia. Posts: 540 Thanks: 186 Thanked 101 Times in 83 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I'm going with Clickfree... nothing to install and it sorts all your files automatically for you.
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10-06-2009, 09:54 AM	#18
l23bc Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: From Liverpool U.k But now in a small cottage in wicklow,Dublin, soon to be heading to miami, Posts: 1,493 Blog Entries: 9 Thanks: 97 Thanked 110 Times in 97 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive intresting i just seen a good advert about external hard drives from a company called p.c world on the television its a 350 gig hard drive about 35.99 just google the name pc world you may find it there, andy
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10-06-2009, 12:12 PM	#20
seasoned Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: , , USA. Posts: 11,102 Thanks: 1,416 Thanked 730 Times in 637 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive ..........

11-03-2009, 04:58 AM	#23
susanm Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Anywhere but California Posts: 91 Thanks: 41 Thanked 17 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I also love my WD Passport. In fact, I have more than one.
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11-03-2009, 05:36 AM	#24
ktmurf murphyhypnotherapy.com War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Wheelersburg, Oh Posts: 71 Thanks: 17 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive I've got a Western Digital Harddrive in a Rosewill External Enclosure, both 3.5". Bought seperately and put together once arrived. Zero problems and I've got it setup through the PC it's hosted on for network access so my other PCs and what not can access it too. Very convenient. Western Digital will probably get all of my harddrive business until the end of time. I've had dozens of them and the bang per buck ratio is amazing plus they're warranty and return policy/procedure can't be beat!
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11-03-2009, 05:37 AM	#25
Kevin J Foy Warrior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 20 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Contact Info	Re: Recommend a good user friendly external hard drive Hi Jan depends on how old your laptop is and what kind. I use a network drive on our wireless network. Which is a Buffalo. or just a buffalo drive which you can plug straight in. Drivers are already loaded on the drive. If it's not a network drive it will be USB.