BS: Extend Hard Disk Space

Subject: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: GUEST,JimMartin
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 06:59 AM

Does anyone know of a reasonably inexpensive product available on the market to extend disk space on a Dell Dimension 3100C PC?

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: mandotim
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 07:26 AM

External hard discs are now very cheap, and work from your usb port.
Tim

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: Newport Boy
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 10:54 AM

The cheapest option would be a replacement, larger hard disc. You would need to reinstall or clone Windows. 500GB Sata are below £40.

An external usb is a little more expensive, but would give you a backup facility.

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: GUEST,Abdul the bul bul on laptop
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 11:28 AM

External hard drive is the thing I use. Handy for working on different computers. Before this check if you have a partitioned hard drive with a D drive you could use for your data.

Click on Start, click on Run, type diskmgmt.msc into the box and hit OK. It will show you the partitions on the drive, how big they are and how much free space is left.

Al

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: GUEST,Jonny Sunshine
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 04:17 PM

Get an external USB hard disc and keep all your documents on it. Not only is it simpler to install (you plug it in..) but if anything happens to your computer (like my laptop which simply stopped switching on last month) you won't lose any documents.

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 04:27 PM

I use a backup program and do a regular....(well, semi-regular)..backup to an IOMEGA USB drive. I actually have 2 external USB drives, but use one for specific storage of regularly accessed MP3s, JPGs..etc., while I make total backups of C:drive programs & data on the other...

Thanks for the reminder...better do one.

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 05:50 PM

You can get an external hard disc with one terabyte capacity for under £70. Just plug it in to a USB.

Much better bargain than upgrading your existing hard disc, since it means you've still got both discs. A lifesaver anytime you have to reinstall Windows.

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: Tangledwood
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 05:56 PM

Another vote for an external HD connected with USB connection. If any material being backed up is particularly important don't rely on a single back up. e.g. burn to CD/DVD too. I managed to trip on the power chord of my HD which then met the floor in a rapid deceleration situation. It doesn't work now.

Phil's suggestion that a larger internal drive is cheaper may be correct for the hardware but I'd guess that, unless you are happy to install it yourself, the tech charges would more than wipe out the difference.

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 07:08 PM

Installing a larger internal disc would also mean you'd lose eveything you had on the existing disc, unless you could back it up - and to back it up the only practical way would be to put it on an external hard drive anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 10:42 PM

For expanding disk space, an external hard drive is a good option.

For backing up hard drives, I would strongly urge using a portable external hard drive.

External hard drives are the same drives as used in the computer. In the computer it's pretty hard to shock or move the drive while it's spinning. In the smaller external case, it's incredibly easy to move a spinning (even just coasting) disk, producing "scabs" on the data service that can cause total drive failure.

Portable externals use the same drives as in laptops, with vigorous and secure "parking" and other "bump protections," and are much more likely to survive being (gently) "all shook up" inadvertently or intentionally. The portables are definitely a little slower than the "desktop" externals, and cost a little more; but for backups the cost and "performance hits" are usually of small concern.

Either kind should be treated like the last surviving egg from an otherwise extinct bird, packed in a box full of sharp hard objects, and should NEVER be moved while the disk is spinning - if you want your data (and the drive) to survive. The desktop kind should only be moved with greatest care and gentleness even when not spinning.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: robomatic
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 11:20 PM

I would add that in the case of portable external drives, the unit derives its power from the USB connection itself, hence you don't have to worry about finding a wall receptacle. In the case of attachment to a laptop, you are also protected from a power failure.

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: open mike
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 11:16 AM

some external hard drives have external power as well,
so they do not drain the computer battery. they are a
great tool for holding large files...some videographers
use them to store movies to free up the main hard drive.
For this use you would want one that has a fire wire
connection. as well as the USB. see this comparison:

http://reviews.cnet.com/hard-drives/

I also have a "sled" that contains an auxilliary
hard drive which is exchangeable with the cd/dvd
disc drive .

Subject: RE: BS: Extend Hard Disk Space
From: GUEST,edthefolkie
Date: 23 Sep 09 - 12:27 PM

External USB hard drives are becoming really cheap now, as other people have said.

For backup I just bought a Western Digital My Book which has two 500Gb drives in it - cost about £150. It's a black box about the size of a (thick) paperback, with a mains power supply and a USB2 connection to your PC. It comes with backup software, and you can use it either in default RAID 1 configuration (500gb available space, mirrored disk) or RAID 0 (no mirroring, 1Tb available). In RAID 1 configuration, if a drive ever fails, the box just carries on and you can get a new user-installable drive from WD (free in warranty period)

I stuck the software CD in the drive and it more or less configured itself - all my photos, docs etc are now backed up and the software runs in the background backing up data as necessary. No doubt there are cheaper ways of securing data but I must say this is a pretty painless one (no, WD aren't my employer!)

Yes I know I should take DVD backups and use a "cloud" backup facility as well but I'm not very well organised....